how to create content
DESCRIPTION
What’s the secret to creating content that spreads like wildfire? There are no guarantees when it comes to going viral in social media, but there are certain types of content that do better than others. This presentation was adapted from previous presentations of Amy Vernon's on the topic, for the first of a three-part webinar series with Bill Belew and Phill Hollows.TRANSCRIPT
How To Create Content (That Works)
Amy Vernon, GM of Social Marketing
Internet Media Labs
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Finding the Stories
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o Google Alerts• Set up alerts for your main keywords• Google sends you an email once a day of links to appropriate
articleso RSS
• Choose your feed reader (I like Google Reader) and subscribe to appropriate blogs/news sites
o Forums• Find forums in your niche/genre and join
o Twitter Search• See what people are saying about what you’re covering
o StumbleUpon• Continually stumble the appropriate category(ies)
Tips & Tricks
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Finding the Stories: Tips & Tricks
Story Types
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Targeted Funny
CommentaryHow-to
TargetedAny piece of news that relates to your niche/genre. They can be quickly recapped and take little effort• Industry happenings• New releases• Personnel changes and moves
Writing Time: LOWSocial Potential: LOWValue: Helps share important news, caters to your core audience, boosts SEO and helps keep the blog filled
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A play off the news or something topical, but with an eye toward the absurd• Start from the news/timely
topic, but focus on the funny
Writing/Creation Time: MEDIUMSocial Potential: HIGHValue: Shows a light-hearted side; brings in traffic, boosts SEO and exposes you to new audiences
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Funny
• Teach your readers something they don’t know
• Better yet, teach your readers something they didn’t know they needed to know
• Can take many forms
Writing/Creation Time: LOW TO HIGHSocial Potential: HIGHValue: High shareability; establishes your thought leadership; provides value to reader (which makes them think better of you); boosts SEO
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How-to
The approach covers popular news stories, but makes it your own by expressing opinion• Covers the news from a specific angle. • On a news release – is this a departure
from the norm? • Has this worked in the past?
Writing Time: HIGHSocial Potential: MEDIUMValue: Establishes your thought leadership, boosts SEO
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Commentary
Content Types
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Infographics Timelines
Video Photos
• DON’T: just throw up a bunch of stylized text
• DON’T: Change color schemes for no apparent reason
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Infographics
• DO: Share interesting information in an engaging, informative way
• DO: Have some information that people want to know and share
• DO: Visualize data and make numbers tangible
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Infographics
Timelines
• “Evolution” (of a logo, a singer, etc.)• Design is important• Memes are still good• Yes, this is a type of infographic
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What happens if you Google “LEGO timeline”?
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Video• Video is huge• It doesn’t have to
be expensive• When it goes viral,
it goes HUGE
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• YouTube is the biggest by far, but it’s not the only game in town• Dailymotion is 2nd-largest in the world• Vimeo has reputation for quality video• Viddy, Viddler – more players every day
Photos• Large, attractive photos• Slideshows need to be short,
or very fast-moving• UGC (user-generated
content) encouraging readers to send in pics
• Then & Now photos• “Separated at birth?”
This had 102K views on StumbleUpon
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Lists• Top 10 is played out. Try
top 9 or 17. Or 87• Superlatives (best, ugliest,
smallest)• Appeal to nostalgia• Riff off current events• Incorporate memes
This had 166K views on Stumbleupon
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Lists• If you’re going to do a
list, make it cover the subject. BE COMPREHENSIVE
• Why do top 10 if you can do top 34?
• People like learning things they didn’t know
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(Still paying attention?)
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A FEW MORE THINGS
Be Useful• Help people do
something• Give them
information they can use and actually want
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Be Relevant• Obvious link bait is
obvious• Can be funny,
irreverent, but not off-topic
• i.e.: Write about topics that make sense for your audience
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Be Consumable• You can go heavy on
text if you break it up with images
• Vary what you offer• People have short
attention spans, particularly online (darn those kids and their MTV!)
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• Link out. People will notice, visit and maybe even link back to you
• Illustrate whenever possible• K.I.S.S.: Keep it simple, silly• Emulate content you like• Look at your piece before you post — would you read it if you
happened up on it?
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THESE TIPS DIDN’T FIT IN OTHER CATEGORIES
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