Hallmarks of Value-Packed Content
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Skellie has an interesting blog post that’s relevant to our article writing discussion together.
An excerpt of “The Hallmarks of Value-Packed Content:
- It doesn’t alleviate problems a little  it solves them.
- It doesn’t make your readership think about doing things differently  it changes the way they act.
- It’s audacious  it tries to do many things at once.
- It expresses something your target audience didn’t already know.
- It answers a question your target audience didn’t know how to ask.
- It makes your target audience feel better about themselves.
- It helps them move towards whatever they’ve defined as their *success*.”
Instead of having a primary aim of attracting traffic back to your website, focus on helping your reader to become a better person, improve their skills, or solve a problem. You can still have a CTA (Call To Action) in your Resource Box… meaning, you can have it both ways (delivering value to the reader AND attracting traffic back to your website).
How do you ensure that you deliver value-packed content with each of your articles?
I followed the link and read the original blog entry to assure I’m responding to the meat of the thinking and not just knee-jerking in response to the list items.
Though I couldn’t agree more that value is what we need to deliver, I take exception to many of the assertions about what constitutes value. In fact since value tends to be intensely subjective, I suggest a change of focus from value to benefits, which are much more specific, and easier to define and agree on, especially with respect to a given target audience.
It’s better to know how benefits are perceived in your specific audience and provide them, than to attempt to create value in a non-specific sense. What you think is valuable may not map well onto your audience’s mind space.
Know your audience and their values, and provide benefits they will perceive as valuable. Set your ego aside and think as they do.
Solving problems is good, but some problems are insoluable. A little relief for an insoluable problem is a benefit.
Changing the way someone thinks is hugely valuable. That may change the way they behave. Unless you have a lot of direct control over someone, it’s really hard to change how they behave without first changing how they think. When your message is delivered in words or images all you can really do is change how people think. You can’t control people with words. How they behave is up to them.
Doing many things at once is not audacious. It is impossible. At any one time a person or an article can only do one thing. You can do several things serially and if you take that approach in an article be sure to focus on each item and assure it provides a benefit in terms your audience will understand.
Sometimes expressing what your target audience already knows is good. It demonstrates you’re on the same wavelength. You may have a different perspective that illuninates something from a different angle. Just don’t bore your audience or they’ll shut you off.
Answering a question your audience didn’t know how to ask may be good, but only if it’s relevant to them. Providing a beneficial perspective on a question that is highly relevant is valuable if it helps your audience see things in new ways. Sometimes a tiny shift in perspective can totally tip someone’s thinking. Don’t fetter yourself by setting unattainable goals with respect to influencing your audience, just focus on delivering on whatever promises you make.
Sometimes you have to have the courage to challenge your audience, not stroke them. Some challenges may make them feel worse about themselves. This is not necessarily a bad thing if your intent is to right a wrong they engage in and uphold. As always, there are no pat formulas. Be deeply thoughtful about what you write and sensitive to your audience. Let your own values show.
And don’t transparently try to make people feel better about themselves. That’s their job, not yours. They know this. Healthy people hate caretaking, especially if it’s manipulative, if it has a hidden motive. You’ll get caught. It will hurt you.
The last point is great. It honors your audience’s perception of success. As a professional writer that’s the name of my job — to help others succeed.
Two major tips emerge from this discussion —
1. Know thy audience.
2. Write from their perspective.
And I’d add that you need to learn how to challenge your own thinking to achieve deep value in writing. Let the right and left brains play tennis with your ideas. Ask why and so what a lot. Make sure what you say is well reasoned. Don’t believe what you think just because you think it.
Find people who will read what you write and disagree with it before you go public with it in an article. Deal with their objections. Hey, maybe that’s a good reason to blog.
Deliver value packed content by making a promise your audience cares about, and then overdeliver on the promise. Never fail to pay off your titles and promotions in spades.
When you put yourself out there as a writer you are building your brand. You’ll be creating a reputation. Make it good. Have something to say. I see a lot of trite or boring or ridiculous content on the web.
If you’re serious about getting somewhere with articles, care about quality or you’ll do yourself more harm than good.
Joseph Riden
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