Six laws for content that works on the web… Ooo! Aaah! Wow! OMG! And I didn’t know that!
Every day we read, write, be amazed, shout, laugh at and share content online.
We do it after we wake-up, go to work, get to work and get home from work. The we do once we’ve kicked our shoes off.
Research would say we see 285 pieces of content every day. I’d say when I’ve got time on my hands it’s a lot more.
As communicators we are every day trying to compete with content that is shouting more loudly. Nobody is waiting for your press release. Or your video.
But how do you make yourself heard over the din?
I think it starts by looking at what works. What works for you? The meme? The 10-secondfd clip? The image? Think for a second.
It got me thinking how if I can catagorise the stuff I see that works. For me, it boils down to five words of phrases… Ooo! Aaah! Wow! Ha! And I didn’t know that!
Sometimes, if you are clever you can tick several of these boxes.
If you are not ticking any of them you need to think if that man in a suit against a wall for 20 minutes is going to fly. The chances are it won’t.
Ooo!
This is the spectacle. The arresting sight that makes you stop and stare.
Aaah!
This is the story of the dying dog’s last walk. Or the cute child. The thing that tugs on your heart strings.
Hundreds of people joined a dog owner taking his beloved but poorly whippet Walnut on a final walk #walkwithwalnut https://t.co/9P3VIltVp9 pic.twitter.com/c30RUPNz3j
— BBC News England (@BBCEngland) November 12, 2016
Wow!
This is a spectacle. The sight that makes your jaw drop slightly.
Leaves gone – long months of winter ahead pic.twitter.com/4ULTvn3CdY
— Herdwick Shepherd (@herdyshepherd1) November 15, 2016
OMG!
This is the one that makes you stop and plays on your fears. Like the RNLI breath test produced to try and persuade people not to swim out-of-their-depth in the sea.
Ha!
This is the funny one. The one that makes you want to laugh and share it with your friends so they can laugh too.
Biden: okay here’s the plan: have you seen home alone
Obama: joe, no
Biden: just one booby trap
Obama: joe pic.twitter.com/Zbs2ym7GJP— case (@caseymichulkaa) November 15, 2016
I didn’t know that!
This is the helpful one. The YouTube clip of the Indian student telling you how to fit a new cricket bat grip or the American showing you how to change a tyre. You look it up to help you. You’re amazed at how easy it is to follow and how complex the written instructions sound.
So, if your content isn’t any of those, should it be content at all?
Picture credit: Andrea Levers / Flickr
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