Give the People What They Want
Most people create content marketing when they are inspired by a new idea and then hope it gains traction.
“It’s fair, it’s tragic, and it’s one of the biggest problems in all of digital, where the promotional needs are an afterthought.”
Andy believes a better way to create content is to use it to answer the questions you’ve been hearing all day. This will help you create content with promotion already in mind. Ask influencers to contribute to it, narrow in on key phrases and then include a powerful visual.
“A collaborative approach that answers common questions you get, aligned with a key phrase and filled with visuals is a way to engineer that piece of content to get a lot of traction in the long run.”
Creating strong relationships with influencers is Andy’s favorite part. He says we shouldn’t be doing this alone. He credits the value of that collaboration to the fact that you’re giving that person exposure and creating a connection that may help you in the future.
Baby Unicorns
Google search is one of his favorite ways to source content ideas.
“A search results page is a goldmine of writing ideas, and if you just analyze what Google is going to show people, it is showing people those things because that’s what people want.”
Andy discusses the benefit of analytics, and mentions famous content marketer Larry Kim’s concept of finding the unicorn, and then creating baby unicorns. In simple terms, if your topic works: publish it in all different formats with different collaborators, in different locations, with key phrases and sub-topics. As soon as you hit a home run, the next steps are easier.
When focusing in on podcasting, Andy says him and his host Barry Feldman are constantly learning from the experience and from each other.
He says running this podcast has affected his business and his professional development in the way that every creation of content does. It sharpens the blade, clarifies his thinking on any topic, improves his brevity and helps him refine and optimize each message. Because it is unfamiliar ground, it is also stretching his legs and putting him outside his comfort zone.
When building your content and your podcast, Andy emphasizes the importance of the following:
- Your content should answer a question.
- All visuals should add value.
- Give your listeners reasons to visit your website.
- Form mini-alliances by mentioning other podcasts that you think your listeners would enjoy.
- Stay focused on your goals.
- Pretend to be your audience and that will help you understand if you are structuring your user experience as desired.
- Recycle content.
- Make sure your podcast has a landing page.
- Create once, publish everywhere.
Andy says the best way to grow your podcast listenership is to try to mobilize the listeners themselves with a call to action that encourages them to share the link with people they believe might find value in the content.
Contact Information:
Website: Orbitmedia.com/blog
Book: Content Chemistry
Podcast: Content Matters
LinkedIn: Andy Crestodina
Credits:
Hosted by Jeff Large | JeffLarge.com
Produced and Powered by Come Alive Creative | ComeAliveCreative.com
Music provided by Birocratic | SoundCloud.com/Birocratic
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