Creating Persona Human Success Content

(in 45 minutes or less)

Danny Ashton

Can you read the following in 3 seconds...?

An unreasonable request: Hard work

... How about this?

Easy, right?

My name is Danny Ashton

We have spent the past 5 years trying out different things with content

Over the years we got some great wins…

But results were still inconsistent

Recently, strange things have started to happen…

After years of trying to convince journalists to feature our work – now they

are asking us for infographics.

The why

• I wanted a simple theory to explain why our content was attracting journalists.

• We are now integrating these discoveries into our system… but when we started out, we were guessing as much as the next person.

• Hopefully after this presentation, you too can use our theories to build your own success stories.

We want humans to engage with our content

Enter neuroscience: The Triune Brain Theory

The Triune Brain

Reptilian content is working

There are two clear problems with a reptilian approach

Problem 1 » Brand reputation

Problem 2 » Audience

What if we don’t have an audience?

Option 1 » Buy traffic

Option 2 » Use existing audiences

So… What’s the problem with selling reptilian content to publishers?

• Access: To win a break, you need to provide content that is better than what the publishers are currently creating.

• Resources: Tabloids are the major supplier of reptilian content and they have more money and experience.

• Budget: With a limited budget, it’s hard to make an impression.

Reptilian content aimed at publishers can be done…

Limbic system

We are hardwired

Emotions and the parenting audience

Emotions and the gadget audience

Emotions and the car enthusiast

Emotional content is the most shared content on social networks

But it’s not just positive emotions…

The Rise of Limbic Content

Buzzfeed and Upworthy have been built on this type of content

So where does the Neomammalian brain fit in?

Journalists = Gatekeepers

What does this all mean?

• Psychology: A human-oriented approach makes it possible to make really successful content without big advertising budgets.

• Versatility: Our content needs to have a limbic (emotional) focus - but it also needs to pass the Neomammalian scrutiny of the gatekeepers.

• Economy: When we do this right, we can access these large audiences at a very low cost.

The science lecture is over

But first, a confession

Creating purely reptilian content is not our goal –but the reptilian brain is something we can’t ignore.

The 3-Second Test

Titles are important

Actions to take: 35 Rewrites

Case Study 1: Travel Client

• Target Audience: Young travellers. e.g. “Under 30 Holiday”.

• Relevancy scale: Relevant to customers and potential customers.

1. Limbic Concerns What is the emotional nature of our

audience?

Discovery – An emotion of Wonder

2. Potential AssessmentDo publishers care?

3. Content Brainstorm

• Research: Content from social networks and publisher’s audience – related to the emotion/issues we want to target.

• Final idea: Based on limbic response of this particular audience to the issues we have identified.

1. Buzzsumo - Play around with keywords related to the emotional hook you’re targeting.

2. Google News – Look into the news, is there anything relevant to your audience about to happen? Go as far as a month from today.

3. Quora.com – What questions are people asking related to the emotion we’re targeting?

4. Reddit – Browse different sub-reddits, searching for relevant content –Don’t forget to check the comments!

5. Brainstorming Session

Potential Sources of Information

3. Content Brainstorm

Questions to ask

1. What does someone on vacation under 30 do, think about, worry about, enjoy/dislike?

2. Can you connect these to the emotional hook of this audience?

Brainstorming

3. Content Brainstorm

Food > Food from around the world > > Disgusting/amazing food map

Money > Currencies > > Places where money isn’t used

Romance > Cultural differences > > Pick-up line mistakes around the world

Drinking > Alcoholic/Non-alcoholic > > Polish beer vs. UK beer

Emotion: Discovery/Wonder

Examples

3. Content Brainstorm

Our idea » 12 Curious Cures for a Hangover

4. Reptilian Concerns

• Images will be the primary format – they will pass a 3 second scan.

• Title exploits ‘uncertainty’ by promising a simple solution through the list format.

5. Neomammalian Concerns

(and a little “social proof” doesn’t hurt)

Results » Placements Galore

The Real Goal: Human Interaction

Case Study 2: The Ultimate Towel Folding

Guide

• Target Audience: Pinterest users/Home Dècor

• Emotion/Limbic: Playful content works well with this audience

• Reptilian: Guide/Visual

• Neomammalian: The instructions actually work

Reptilian and Limbic Concerns

Results » Placements & Shares

413k views · 60+ placements · 2.6K+ social media shares

(but you can’t beat real human interaction!)

What did we learn?

How does interactive content fit in?

(there is a problem with static infographics…)

The Solution: Interactive Experiences

Results » Placements Galore

The Real Goal: Human Interaction

Neomammalian Brain Reactions

Long term benefits

Interactivity is not a magic bullet

SummaryFor Human Success Content:

1. Identify the emotional hooks of your audience, and create ideas using this research.

2. Fact-check/evaluate/invest in content so it will pass the Neomammalian ‘gatekeeper’.

3. Seduce the reptilian brain by matching easy-to-digest content with ‘uncertainty/solution’-powered titles.

Thanks for listening

Continue the conversation and follow me on Twitter

@dannyashton or @neomammalian