Creation, consumption and access to content and information has changed so much in the last decade that the landscape is not able to be recognized.



Paper has been replaced by software and media is now residing on computers disguised as phones.
Books are now ebooks, newspapers are websites and Twitter feeds and content are created by writers disguised as bloggers who publish without an editor to be seen.

We read and view on smart phones and tablets. These did not exist a few years ago.

Seldom do we deep dive and spend hours in a book but read a blog post and consume in bite size chunks. Our knowledge consumption is dominated by snack packaged content that we skim and scan.

Vast libraries of books that weighed tonnes are now loaded on our Kindles, Nooks and iPads that we carry in our hand and access anytime, anywhere.

Content creation needs to adapt

Our changing habits, new media preference and content consumption platforms demand a different way of thinking and practice if we want to maintain relevance in a digital world.

How you create content has to adapt to this new environment.

Long form needs to be made into short formats. Big blocks of text need to be broken up. Don’t like reading?…. well now you can watch a YouTube video.

More choices, more information that is fun to read and view.

7 tips for creating engaging content

So what are some tips and tactics to keep in mind when writing a blog post, creating a website or designing a video or other multimedia to achieve attention and engagement.

1. Simple

My cousin used to accuse me of using big words. He was right. It only confuses people. The curse of knowledge means that a subject we know can include acronyms and unintelligible words for the beginner. You need to be reminding yourself and on the lookout for not trying to be too clever or smart and hence leave our audience behind. One syllable words can be much more effective than three or four.

2. Headlines

You only have seconds on the web before people click away. Learn the art of attention seeking first to ensure the reader and viewer will want to read the rest. This also applies to the introductions to the article. When you do a Google search you see the headline and a description. Both of these are important in that order. Titles to videos, Slideshare content, images and tweets are also in this mix.

3. Structure

The title has made your reader turn up…. now the challenge is keeping them engaged. No walls of text please. Short paragraphs of 2-3 sentences and subtitles that draw them in like a magnet are vital. The other content tactics include keeping it snack size and use bullet points and lists. By lists, I mean doing what is in this post “7 Tips”

4. Conversational

Society is moving from formal to informal. We still wear suits but only for special occasions (unless you’re a banker or a lawyer). Writing is also part of this culture trend. Write how you speak and you will have a better chance of getting readers to come back. Conversational writing is seen as authentic and real.

Forget stuffy.

5. Stories

Want to make a point?… use a story. Your reader will remember the story as it will touch and stir their emotions. Using it in the introduction can be very effective.

6. Multi-media

Create content and make it into a variety of media. Nothing stopping you taking a written article and repurposing it into a video, slideshare presentation, podcast, a transcript or even an infographic. We all have different preferences for media consumption.

Be inclusive and you will reach a larger and wider audience.

7. Responsive

Our web viewing was dominated in the past by computer screens. Some were 13 inches and others were 15.  With reading often being spent with a mobile in your hand or even a 32 inch high definition widescreen at your desk, making websites and blogs that “respond” to different screen sizes so it is easy to read and view no matter what device you are using is becoming essential.

This is called “Responsive” design and templates for WordPress blogs and websites should be considered and are now readily available.

Time to update your website or blog?

Here is a place to learn how to create content

Learning to adapt to these changes requires education and you can teach yourself or you can be guided. One I have been checking out and reviewing is a free educational website called Open2Study, which offers a course called “Writing for the Web”

It includes 4 modules covering these topics:

1. Why writing for the web is different – This topic takes a closer look at what I touch on in my tip on structure
2. Characteristics for good content – This module takes a deeper dive in regards to my tip on multi-media
3. Writing effective content – Structure that I mentioned in tip #3 is an important part of this module
4. Looking after your content – This looks at things like the importance of search engines and maintaining your content which goes beyond my 7 tips mentioned in this post.

In total there are 38 videos that walk you through the basics. My experience taking this online course was the following

• It’s easy to use
• Guides and reinforces with simple quizzes
• Assessment at the end of each module allows you to gauge your understanding
• Very professional video production with great sound clarity

There are a couple of suggestions I would make that I think would make this online education series have broader appeal. Also repurpose the content into a podcast (so I could listen to it in the car or even in the Gym) and possibly provide a transcript in a PDF format for those that love to read rather than just view.

The next intake of students for Open2Study is on July 1. I would recommend it to anyone who is new to writing for the web and wants to learn how to create and write optimal content for the web whether that is a blog or a website. It’s also free!

It was a sparkling sunny day on the harbour and I was attending a cocktail party hosted by a global supplier for the end of year celebrations.

The sales manager for the company and I started having a chat about web hosting. After about three sentences I realized that every second phrase was unintelligible. I was only on my first glass of wine so my intelligence at that stage was still above water, so it wasn’t the drink.

I understood terms such as “multiple redundancy” , “mission critical” and “virtual private server” but I was drowning in acronyms and industry “speak”.

What was happening was  the often experienced but rarely mentioned ”Curse of Knowledge“. This concept was first coined in the book “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” which stated,

“The better we get at generating great ideas—new insights and novel solutions—in our field of expertise, the more unnatural it becomes for us to communicate those ideas clearly. That’s why knowledge is a curse.”

What was happening to me on the harbour cruise was a conversation from someone who was both very intelligent and knowledgeable in his field, but his ability to communicate clearly had become submerged and lost in a sea of jargon and acronyms.

It was a lesson that I didn’t forget.

“Sticky” Content is Memorable

When it comes to creating content there are many ways to communicate on the web. You can tweet, you can write an article on your blog or you can use multimedia. This could be a video or an image.

Infographics are popular and allow you to communicate using the best of the worlds of text and visual media.

Communicating ideas whether it is simple text on Twitter or rich multimedia on YouTube is powerful and sticky if you achieve two things.

• Make ideas sticky (memorable)
• Make content contagious (shareable)

The book “Made to Stick” provides 6 principles that explores the strategies and tactics to  make sure that your ideas are not forgotten in a global web of froth, fluff and noise.

So how can you communicate ideas that are memorable and shareable on a social web that has 550 million competing websites?

What are the 6 Principles of Sticky Ideas?

Not many ideas can manage to tick all the six boxes, If you can manage two 0r three of these principles then you are well on your way to succeeding as a communicator.

Principle 1: Simplicity

I remember my older cousin telling me that I used words that were too complicated. He was right. I now  try to use words and phrases that are simple but memorable. That is my goal
A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

“Saying something short is not the mission—sound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound. The Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) is the ultimate model of simplicity: a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.”

Keeping it simple is achievable for all of us, we just need to keep reminding ourselves that not everyone knows what you do.

Principle 2: Unexpectedness

We often slip into the communicating the same way day and day out. Creating impact is often achieved through the unexpected and surprise.

A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

“How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across? We need to violate people’s expectations.

The best way to get people’s attention is to break their existing thought patterns directly.

Principle 3: Concreteness

When we communicate it is often abstract but life is not abstract. Newspaper editors know this “If it bleeds it leads“. They know they need to keep it real.

A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

“Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images—ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors—because our brains are wired to remember concrete data. In proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

Principle 4: Credibility

We all know that an expert provides credibility. That is why they keep turning up in criminal trials, because they are believable. The other class of authorities are celebrities. This is why you see advertising with actors promoting products.

Another way to add credibility is through statistics. Credibility is often carried by some one who has experienced it for themselves and is prepared to state it publicly. Try before you but is a powerful message. This is also know as testable credentials.

A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

“Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves—a “try before you buy” philosophy for the world of ideas“.

 Principle 5: Emotions

Mother Teresa said “If I look at the mass I will never act , If I look at one I will” Charities have long since figured out the Mother Teresa effect. They know that donors respond better to individual causes than abstract causes supported by statistics. That is why a compelling story about an individual will produce a greater effect and emotional response.

A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

“How do we get people to care about our ideas? We make them feel something“.

Principle 6: Stories

The power of stories is two dimensional. Firstly it  provides simulation (knowledge how to act) and secondly it empowers people through inspiration (motivation to act). This generates action. This is the final chapter in making a difference in people’s lives and communicating an idea. A strong story will have longevity. Inspirational stories take a life on of their own, especially when you have a social web multiplying their effectiveness.

A quote from  ”Making it Stick”

 ”How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell stories. Firefighters naturally swap stories after every fire, and by doing so they multiply their experience”

 What About You?

Have you been using any of these six principles in your communication and content?
How do you communicate your ideas? Do you tell stories or tap into emotions?
Have you forgotten to keep it simple and been dragged into the morass of the “curse of knowledge”


































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