Creating Killer Content Part 1

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 at 17:36

What Really Matters
There’s a discussion that comes up all the time on the forums and in various lists.The question that starts it is a sensible one and usually asked by sensible people.The answers,however, especially from so-called “experts,” can be really annoying. That magic question is:

killercontent

“How long should my newsletter or article be?”

The answers that make me wonder if there’s any actual effort of thought behind them are the ones that say, “You can’t go over 350 (or 500 or 750) words. People
won’t read them.” I’m often tempted to respond to those with, “Well, maybe if you’d learn to say something interesting you wouldn’t have that problem!”That would be rude. So, I usually just think it. But it’s true.

In the beginning of this post we’re going to focus on email-delivered content and articles for use on other sites. Keep in mind that all of the points made here apply equally to reports, books, manuals, blog posts, and any other content you deliver online.The reason we’re starting with email is that it’s the litmus test. If you can make your emails interesting enough that people will read them even when they top 5 or 10 pages, you’ve got it down well enough that they’ll read anything you create. That’s the first goal.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that I don’t think articles have to be long to be effective. If you can say what you need to say in 350 words or less, do it. Don’t waste people’s time just to show off your writing skills. That’s rude, too. But if you need more space to communicate your ideas clearly, use it. Don’t worry… the electrons are all recycled.
And if an article directory or publisher says that submissions must be X-hundred to Y-hundred-and-fifty words to be used in their site or sent to their subscribers, well, it just has to be that length. Their service, their rules. That’s life in the Very Big City.

The justification for the arbitrary 350-750 word guideline that’s recommended by J. Random Poster is usually one of these little beauties:

“People get buried in so much email they won’t read anything longer than that.”

Sure, some people get a lot of email. What they don’t get is a lot of relevant, useful, interesting email. They’ll put that stuff right at the top of the list. They’ll read it. They’ll print it out. They’ll tell their friends. They’ll look forward to it. And they’ll keep reading for as long as you stay interesting. There will always be people who’ll tell you that your content is too long.

The questions to keep in mind are simple:

Do these people sound like they know what they’re talking about? Are they thoughtful critics, or do they just complain for what sounds like the sake of complaining?
Do they phrase their objections as universal statements of fact, or as personal preferences? Do you get positive feedback from people who do read the whole thing and take
action on it? Are the people who say it’s too long real prospects for your products or services, or are they freebie seekers who want everything for nothing, and want it their way?
Is your content delivering the results you want from it? Watch those things, and you’ll quickly get an idea for whether the problem is your
reader or your content.

“People just don’t have the time for longer articles.”

Nonsense. What they don’t have time for is yet another copy-and-paste promotion for the flavor of the week. If they know it will be interesting, they’ll make the time.
Be very careful that anything you write offers something new. A new perspective, new information, a different approach to a goal… anything that keeps it from being “more of the same.” That doesn’t mean that everything you do has to be 100% brand new and neverbefore- seen. That’s simply impossible. You do need to be certain that you’re not boring them. There is very little that people dislike more than boredom.