Content is connection. Whether in narrative writing, a blog post, a podcast, or a video, you are seeking connection. Good content connects. Poor content impedes connection.
In the digital world, you are creating content with everything you do. Anything that’s out there for public consumption is published, and it’s permanent. Have a strategy. Make sure that it counts. Make sure that it says what you want it to say.
So, what makes Good Content?
Sometimes, content is designed to be very functional. Educational content is like this. Did you connect with your students? Were you able to illuminate a concept or spark a new understanding of a concept? If so, you just achieved the most important metric. That’s Good Content.
Sometimes, content serves to inform. Is your message clear enough that it doesn’t require (m)any follow-up questions? If it is, great. Then you can call that Good Content, too.
Sometimes, content is meant to inspire an action. Simply put, it’s Good Content if you got the intended action (or reaction).
How can you be sure that your content will achieve its intended goal? You’re never certain that it will, but you want to give it the best possible chance once it’s deployed. Here are some questions you should be asking yourself as you develop your next piece.
- Is your idea sound? You might have a simple idea that you want to toss out there, right away. That can be a big mistake on social media, if you’re not careful. Remember that everything you create reflects on you. Is your content saying the right things about you?
- Have you developed the idea? Though it depends on the content, a first draft is generally not sufficient—especially if the idea is complex. Get some help from someone you trust before you release your message. Get some feedback. Listen to that feedback. It doesn’t mean that you have to change what you do, but you should at least consider it. If it’s really important, consider having someone copyedit your piece. Trust me, you will miss stuff in your own work.
- Is it ready to be released? Have you proofread it? Have you proofread it again? Spelling errors, typos, and general sloppiness are not just bad for the way your content will be received; they are a reflection on you as well. You just lost some credibility. It may not be irreparable, but you have to earn back the trust of your audience after each demerit. One more review before hitting the “submit now” button can help you avoid that.
Once you feel the work is complete and ready to share, there are some additional considerations. Good content is not just about what you say, but about how you say it, too. You can miss connections if you don’t take this into account. For instance, you choose your words carefully. Well, you have to choose your medium carefully too. Timing (and frequency) is important. The right information at the right time can be powerful.
This series will get into all of these considerations in greater depth, and it will help you think through each of these issues while building your content strategy. You are in charge now; you need to think like a publisher.
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About Michael Boezi
Michael Boezi is an Independent Advisor and Content Strategist, specializing in helping authors and publishers make the Shift to Digital. He is a longtime publishing veteran who has always been at the forefront of the industry by applying the lessons of the traditional to the process of innovation, mixing the ideal with the practical. He was Vice President of Content and Community at Flat World Knowledge, where he was responsible for all aspects of content acquisition and development, and built a catalog of 100+ peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks across various subjects. Prior to that, he was Executive Editor at Pearson Education, where he published history books for college courses. He writes a blog about current issues and trends in the EdTech industry at http://trackedchange.tumblr.com. For a full portfolio and more detail on consulting services for content creators, content owners, and investors, please see http://michaelboezi.com. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+.
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