Yahoo Finance The secret ingredient that creates 'clickable' content for brands
How do you create content that gets clicks?
There was a time, not so long ago, when we pundits had the content business all to ourselves. Man, those were the days.
That's a quaint notion now.
Almost everyone creates content of one type or another – whether it's blogs, infographics, videos, newsletters, podcasts, articles or social media updates. Businesses have the same goals in mind – to get people to click and engage with their content.
As marketing specialist Guy Kawasaki said, retweets (sharing on Twitter) are social media gold.
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Having been in the business of creating content for quite a while, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the answer to the question that I posed at the top – how to create clickable content.
Though true, I learned a new trick that you need to hear about.
Clickable, sharable content informs or entertains, yes, but it also should be unexpected. Whether it's a clever headline or an emotional hook (more on that in a second) or an incredible visual or a tidbit out of left field, the trick is to get noticed among the noise, then say something people feel compelled to share.
On my site TheSelfEmployed, the most popular article I ever wrote was "The 5 Guys Trick that Will Blow Your Mind (and Sales!)" It hit all the right marks. Unexpected, intriguing, valuable, relatable.
But, as indicated, there has to be one more ingredient to make that piece of content really stand out: It should be emotional.
I attended a marketing conference, and this last point was really driven home by an executive from National Geographic.
Like you, I am sure, I love NatGeo. For some of us, it is because we grew up on its iconic magazine. For others, it's the great television programing – the National Geographic channel or its sister station, NatGeo Wild.
Certainly, National Geographic is doing something right online. In 2019, it became the first brand to top 100 million followers on Instagram.
What the representative from NatGeo shared with me was that the thing that really works is creating content that:
► Is of high quality and authentic.
► Resonates emotionally with people.
Bingo.
Quality, authentic content that strikes an emotional chord is the secret formula.
This is a key insight for small business. You need to create valuable content that speaks to your tribe, and it needs to be unique and intriguing. The secret sauce is when you mix all of that with a heaping teaspoon of real emotion.
Do that, let the cake bake, and you will create a tasty morsel that will be enjoyed, clicked and shared for years.
Steve Strauss is an attorney, speaker and the author of 17 books, including "The Small Business Bible." You can learn more about Steve at MrAllBiz.com, get more tips at his site TheSelfEmployed and connect with him on Twitter @SteveStrauss and on Facebook at TheSelfEmployed.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How do brands create content that gets clicks?
