This realisation makes creating content *a lot* easier
👉 discovering it was a huge "doh!" moment for me
A while back I read a really useful definition of great content from Ann Handley:
In other words, quality content needs to be useful, it needs to be interesting and new, and it needs to make your audience feel like you really understand them.
But it always puzzled me whenever I did research into the top creators on any platform and looked at the kind of content they were producing.
Because very little of it came anywhere near that definition of great content.
There was a lot that was useful, but not new. And quite a few memes and in-jokes that were neither useful nor new.
Frankly, I was getting a bit dismissive of what I was seeing.
And yet there were often thousands of comments and lots of engagement and praise so it must have been working in some sense.
---> and then it struck me <---
You don't need to tick all 3 boxes in every piece of content.
Of course not. Doh!
That's a really high bar. And it can discourage you from even starting.
Instead, these creators did some posts that were new and interesting. And a lot that were useful.
And those memes and in-jokes I was so dismissive of?
They really made their audiences feel like they were part of the gang. They were establishing community with their content. Building empathy.
I felt a bit dumb for not spotting it earlier. But then I realised what a godsend it was.
If you want to create great content for newsletters or social media where you communicate regularly with your audience, then you can address those 3 key factors bit by bit.
You can build a bit of credibility in one newsletter or Linkedin post. Then do a lighter one and build a bit of empathy. Occasionally do something which triggers a bit of a lightbulb moment.
But you don't have to do all of it all of the time.
That's a heck of a lot easier. And very achievable for most people.
Take it easy.
Take it one step (and one "great content" factor) at a time.
You'll get there.
- Ian