'F*ck yes' or 'no'

Marketers, where is the pride and passion for our amazing content field?

Content. It’s about a ‘fuck yes’ or ‘no.’ There’s no in-between or a ‘mwah.’

Annoying as hell; all that subpar blah blah content. Speaking as a CMI, WARC, and AMMA content award judge, I am astonished by the number of crappy cases.

WTF?? Marketers, where is the pride and passion for our amazing content field?

Why it matters

No need to explain why it matters to produce top-notch content. Besides being annoying, shitty content can damage your brand's reputation and provoke the opposite from intended.

Step up your content game and only distribute the content you’re really proud of. If it’s not a ‘fuck yes,’ reconsider posting.

Leading by example

Two brands that really stand out with their (social) content. Why do I like them? Every time I see their posts, newsletters, or blogs, I get goosebumps. Spot on in the visual and copy combination.

Emotional. Inspirational.

NOBULL ‘A brand for people who work hard and don’t believe in excuses.’
Sir Edmond Gin 'I'm an unusual character with a rebellious spirit, a part time wingman & fulltime rebel. And like my Bourbon vanilla infused gin, uncommon by nature.'

Rule of thumb

The rule of thumb to measure the quality of your content: is it something you would click on yourself? Would you send it to your friends and coworkers to entertain, inspire or educate them?

Again, if it’s not a ‘fuck yes,’ reconsider posting.

Five things to improve your content immediately.

1. Visuals

For social, think about the visual even before you start writing. The same goes for a blog.

The header visual is what gets the attention; the title and copy are second.

2. Most important first

Start with the catch and a strong CTA. Don’t save those for the last.

The nature of digital content is that people tend to read the first lines (after being pulled in by the visual). If you don’t capture their attention directly, they’ll move on.

No build-up, no traditional arch in the storyline. Start with the most important first, no exceptions.

3. Strong CTA

Please think about what you'd like your audience to do. Focus.

Keep that in mind when you create the content. There’s one objective per content asset. You can’t mix can objectives without becoming fuzzy or even schizophrenic.

4. Outside in – audience first

Align your objective with the ‘what’s in it for me’ from your audience's perspective. There are three reasons why your audience wants to consume your content: entertainment, inspiration, or education. Always keep this in mind. If your content is not entertaining, inspirational, or teaches them something new, reconsider posting.

5. Distinctive

Last but not least. Stand out. Be different. Be distinctive. In your tone of voice, in your visuals, in your approach. Don’t produce more of the same. Or re-distribute what they already know.