The Secret to Creating Great Content

Writer's block. It’s a real thing, especially for more tech-minded individuals or those of us who seem to be crunched for time (Can I get an amen?). I recently had the pleasure of hearing Melanie Deziel speak, where I learned about a formula that will help you churn out great content, especially when trying to reach your ideal customers.  Are you ready for it? All you have to do is remember to tell the TRUTH.

T: Teach

Create content that is timeless.  Take a moment and step out of the latest and greatest buzz to create content that has continued ROI. Content that is fluffy and based off of passing events won’t bring long lasting traction. Think about current events; out with the old, in with the new - it will be the same with your content.  Creating content that teaches “how-tos” and processes, shows consumers that you are the expert. Any DIY processes you can share, based off of your startup, will bring the consumer back any time they have questions or want to refer back for information. Be the king of teaching.

R: Reputable (sources)

Use reputable sources! Talk to customers and people who take interest in what you are doing.  If you brag about your success, it sounds self-centered and biased but having a (happy) customer talk on your behalf brings value and credibility.  Speaking about credibility, academic sources are a great way to back your research and support your strategies. People have dedicated their entire professional lives to study certain subjects and they would love for you to site their work.  Social influencers can be a great resource as well. These people are trusted, fun, and often liked among consumers. One thing to make sure of when citing scholars and influencers is that you have a diverse pool. Think about getting opinions from people of different cultures, backgrounds, and even different locations. Diversity will raise your level of credibility.

U: Unique

Don’t be black and white with your content.  No one cares if a dog bites a man because that happens every day BUT if a man bites a dog, that’s a different story. You’ve never read a story about a plane that didn’t crash. Raise the standard for unique.  Tell us when you are the first or only to do something in your field. Be the disruptor and talk about it. In the end, if you don’t feel super different or unique, talk about your journey because that will 100% always be unique.

T: Tension

Find the tension in the content you create. Look for questions and answer them.  If your customers question you (via any platform), they care and want to hear what you have to say. So, put in a little market research and be the one to address an elephant in the room; it will definitely get a little party started and once again, you get to be the expert. Beyond being consumers, we are human so go deep and talk about how what you are doing really affects people.

H: Human Connection

People relate to people, always.  When you are able to connect statistics to a human face and a story, you have hit a sweet spot. Melanie Deziel, the amazing teacher and inspiration behind this blog, created some content a bit ago that bridged the gap between the Netflix series Orange is the new Black and actual women who have been in prison.  The collision that happened in creating this content is truly amazing.  A truthful story behind mild branding makes it so people can relate but it also creates an interest in the TV show which was the overall goal.  Lastly, the content is quality. The detail and design all point toward the human connection. You have a story to tell and it should be purposefully be sewn into all of your marketing efforts, especially blogs. Creating content can be hard but don’t miss the opportunity to make it great and worthy of attention.  And when in doubt, just remember to tell the TRUTH.