Creating content is tricky because it needs to be engaging and persuasive.
- To attract attention and be consumed it must be surprising, entertaining, or informative.
- To be persuasive and inspire consumers to do something in response, it must have a clear call to action and a convincing message.
In a world with a 24 hour news cycle and a proliferation of digital publishing channels, we all need clear strategies in order to determine what to believe, and content providers have a responsibility to make sure content has value.
I am a content creator. I am committed to finding the best recipients for content and crafting messages that will result in the actions my client’s desire. In order to do that I must understand the content consumers and their needs and provide believable and valuable messaging. Content producers can feel it is necessary to adopt the tactics that were so well known by Yellow Journalists, but it doesn’t make sense to mislead people if you want to earn long-term loyalty. In today’s oversaturated and competitive content climate, advertisers, politicians, and news media can be tempted to obscure the truth in order to influence consumers. Many do. Regardless of your political position, there is general agreement that news is skewed, advertising is suspect as we see in this segment from The Daily Show, and even scientific research is questionable.
Inspiring Confidence with Trustworthy Content
Competent consumers judge you, the content provider, and your content based on
1. The Company You Keep: The content provider’s identity and relationship to other experts.
Credentials, relationships with other credible professionals, and a reasonable degree of consensus with other authorities provide credibility.
2. The Support You Provide: Relevant facts, practical applications, and agreement with other sources.
Eliciting emotional responses works, but enduring influence must be backed by verifiable information.
3. The Clarity of the Message: Well-designed and relevant content.
Good content must be logical, organized, consistent, focused, and attractive.
Sensational, self-serving, and unreliable materials are everywhere. Avoid contributing any more trash to the accumulating glut of deceptive and useless content.
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