Statistics are all over the place about how much content is being produced on a regular basis. WordPress says that about 45 million new posts are being published each month on its platform alone. Not to mention the gazillions of posts being published each day on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Then, you have the various platforms like Medium and Quora with their own universe of bloggers. Then you’ve got the news sites, and youtube, and the growing galaxy of podcasts, and . . . well, you get the point. There is a LOT. OF. STUFF. out there. There is so much content being produced on a daily basis, that apparently (and unfortunately), the average person engages with just 2% of the posts he/she reads.
If you are a producer of content, how do you cut through all that noise to get your voice heard? How do you get your message across?
I sat in on a lecture given by Hassan Ali, Creative Director of the Onion. He discussed how one can build “Hella Good Content”. I thought I’d share some of my notes:
First, what is good content?
Good content is content that:
- stands out in the noise
- resonates with your audience
- results in audience engagement (like commenting or sharing)
- gets new followers
Type of content
There are multiple types of content you can create to get the same message across — from a blog post, an Instagram or Facebook post, a podcast, an infographic, an interview, and so on. Certain platforms and certain content forms lend themselves better to the specific message you want to get across. For example, if you are launching a campaign to quit smoking and want to relay smmoking statistics to your audience, creating bite-sized infographics with visual charts that is easily digestible and can be easily shared might be more effective than writing a blog post featuring lots of data and numbers.
How does one stand out?
To stand out, one must first be seen. With the massive amounts of content available, your content has to have what Ali calls, “thumb-stopping power” — one that will stop your targeted audience mid-scroll. That thumb-stopping power can come in the form of a great visual, strong concept or an engaging headline.
Certain formulaic headlines or formats have shown to be effective in pique-ing interest. These include:
- “How to. . .”
- “Tips for . . .”
- “10 Things I learned. . .”
- “Explaining . . . “
Traits of Good Content
The three golden traits of good content to strive for are:
- Usefulness — what is in it for the reader? will this make the reader’s life easier? better? more inspired?
- Relatability – is what you are saying relevant to people’s lives? Will your message click with people, i.e., will this make your readers say, “this is so true?”
- Entertainment — Will people find this amusing? funny? emotional? Will this move them in some way?
Now, on to creating good content!
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think great content is.