The Web’s Best Content Has One Thing in Common
Photo by aussiegall
It’s the ability to make audacious promises, and to back them up.
Content that doesn’t just promise to make us a bit better at the things we do, but a lot better. And then delivers.
If anything, the single failing of bloggers and webmasters is modesty. We underestimate what our target audience wants and what we’re capable of giving them.
You’ll probably notice that your favorite blog posts of all time broke out of this mold: they promised something audacious that you’d been wanting all along, and then backed it up with content to match the promise.
The web’s best content will do more than entertain you for a few minutes or make you think a little. It speaks directly to your most audacious goals and tells you how to achieve them. Alternately, it gives you the courage to have audacious goals, and makes you feel that it’s not so crazy to do so.
In this post, I’ll be discussing the kind of content which does more than get links, comments and votes. It leaves a mark on everyone who engages with it. It changes, in some small way (or some big way), the way they act. Here’s how you can create it.
Roadmaps for big goals
One of the most appreciated types of web content is an explanation of how the author achieved a big goal, phrased in a way that others can follow by example. It should be a goal that many of your readers would like to achieve, too.
If you haven’t achieved any big goals yet, break down what would be required to do so. Just because you haven’t done it yet doesn’t mean you don’t know how. Remember: every big goal is composed of tiny little steps in one direction.
Lifelong lessons
Another life-changing form of web content is the invaluable lesson. What could you teach readers that would be priceless to them?
One recent example of this is the web’s new-found passion for Getting Things Done (GTD). A lot of the web’s most influential writers have had their work-days fundamentally changed by this productivity model. Imagine if the first place the model debuted to the public was in a blog post, rather than a book?
Changing thoughts
Can you get readers to think about something important in a new, better, way?
One of the things I’ve tried to do in a number of articles here is to get readers to think about simplicity as an incredibly important quality for a blog to have. 50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog is still Skelliewag’s most linked-to article, and I think it’s because the process of ‘uncluttering’ a blog was something many bloggers had never thought about before — nor had they really considered the flotsam in their sidebars to be clutter.
If you can get people to see something differently (and benefit from doing so), you’re bound to leave a long-lasting impression.
Building treasure-troves
There are resource lists, and then there are treasure-troves. We’ve all stumbled into one. You’re browsing idly (or searching for something) when all of a sudden you stumble into a blog, website or single article full of things you absolutely treasure.
Treasure-troves are designed for people, not social media. To create them, find out what your readers are passionate about, and put a lot of those things in one place. You could even create a treasure-trove as a static page on your site, allowing you to update it over time. While Digg traffic tends towards immediacy, you’ll notice that StumbleUpon consistently rewards treasure-trove content.
What kinds of content leave a lasting impression on you?
* * *
Aside: on Saturday I asked a question about what you’d like me to do with the weekend content slot. I’ve made a decision on that, based around your suggestions and votes (thank you!). I’ll be changing the content rhythm to Monday, Wednesday, Friday as of next week, and the weekend slot will become the Friday slot.
I’ll be alternating between some of the key suggestions and an extra feature post when I can manage it.
Also, if you’re in the mood to keep reading, here are a few of articles I’ve written elsewhere:
“How to Sell Your Blog Like a Marketer” link takes one to the post on lowering your bounce rate. I’m feeling too tired to respond to the rest of the post, but I thought I should mention it.
I like the intro:
“It’s the ability to make audacious promises, and to back them up.
Content that doesn’t just promise to make us a bit better at the things we do, but a lot better. ”
It also really helps that these content are on the internet (usually free and one click away). I hardly go the library anymore, but I am finding myself reading a lot more.
now I need to go think about how to back up my audacious promise
I went and found the link for any of Skellie’s lazy/tired readers: http://www.blogperfume.com/info-how-to-sell-your-blog-like-a-marketer/ :)
Content which takes time to think and create leaves a lasting impression to me. A resourced packed content like yours and Steven Snell’s impresses me. Content which speaks from tried and tested methods (with stats or corroborative evidence) impresses me (whether it be a positive report or negative report).
To sum it up from the three sentences above, content which comes straight from the heart and with no effort spared leaves a lasting impression on me.
Your blog is one of them ;)
Cheers Skellie!
[...] Skellie tells you what the web’s best content all has in common. [...]
Treasure troves. I’ve realized that well written content in the archives are the best advertisement for any visitor. You can have 1 solid good article digged, stumbled, bringing you a big boost in traffic for that day. But it’s your archives that convinces the visitor to subscribe.
And that, in my opinion, is much more precious than a fleeting visit.
Cheers,
Ellesse
Agree.
Audacious content is necessary for a magnetic blog. However, constant audacity will cause reader fatigue and hesitation to read if they know their mind will be figuratively blown each time they click to your site or feed.
BUT, audacity should definitely be a part of it. If there’s no audacity, why read? Without audacity, you get blandness that’s not attractive.
@ Mrs. Micah: Thank you — fixed it up as soon as I saw your comment.
@ Daniel: I agree — I think there are a lot of audacious promises made but rarely delivered with the goods to back it up. Truly outstanding content delivers on that promise.
@ Pablo: I think we share the same taste, Pablo — I like all those things too. Thanks for the kind words, as well :).
@ Goal Setting College: Great point. Having built up a body of consistently good content over time will build your blog more than any one big post (but I do think sometimes people forget that).
@ Scott: I think you can promise big and deliver on that promise all the time… I don’t think it’s necessary to take breaks. It’s an empowering, energizing thing to read a piece of great content. I don’t think readers are drained by it (though maybe we’re envisioning different types of audacity).
I think you are only partly right about “making an audacious promise and then back it up”.
Even though it is probably true for many readers, there is a large group of readers who simply take an interest in a subject and read articles containing facts. Actually in some cases promising too much is a turn off. As a reader, you do not take it seriously, you expect it to be promotion and that alone, even if it is backed up.
Some educated readers will find the audacious promises to be an insult to their intelligence.
So what I am saying is that your statement is right depending on your targeted group.
You make some good points, though. Don’t get me wrong. :-)
You are so right about everything you’ve said. I have been personally surprised (happily) by the traffic that continues from Stumble Upon for posts published weeks or months ago.
I agree wholeheartedly with Pablo. Taking the time to really think about what you want to say and get across to your readers, and writing it in a clear succinct manner (perhaps even with some humor) really makes posts stand out. Showing your personality in your writing gives readers a window into who the author is, and helps build trust.
Great post Skellie!
I definitely agree with the points that you have made in this post.
I, too, have seen the power of making big promises and then delivering on them on my blog. Some of my most popular posts make huge promises, then back them up, and recieve huge praise because of it.
For instance, one of my most popular articles is called “Modeling: How to Speed Up Your Success By 1000% or More”.
While this may sound like an ambitious (and BS) title, I think that people are surprised when they find that the method that I describe in the post, when executed correctly, really can deliver on the promise of speeding up their desired results by 10X.
My next post coming up is called “How to Figure Out Exactly What Your Readers Want You to Write About”, another ambitious title, but another that I fully intend on delivering on. I expect that the title alone will get people in the door, and the content will satisfy the skeptics once they read.
@ Benta: Although you are right about certain readers getting offended by posts that seem to make false promises, I feel that the great majority of blog readers prefer ambitious posts that make big promises, and then deliver with quality content.
We also must keep in mind the marketing aspect that is everpresent in blogging…..in order to stand out in the oversaturated blogosphere, it is “Go Big, or Go Home”.
Great post Skellie, and very important for many bloggers to understand. Modesty can definitely be a detriment to your blog in a crowded blogosphere like this.
[...] comes up yet again with an interesting article on The Web’s Best Content Has One Thing in Common, which describes about the common trend that one could apply to achieve success in [...]
Audacity, I like it. I very much so tend towards modesty in my posting, and recently realized that I need to be bolder to get more attention. I’ve always been the quiet one in the crowd, and it’s a habit I need to break when I’m online.
I used to drive classmates nuts at school. One even asked me why I never volunteered the answer when I always had the right one. Really didn’t have an answer for that and I still don’t. But I can at least try to work around that habit now that I’ve recognized it.
Bing!!!
You really nailed that one. I love it when you find an established author who isn’t afraid to simply be themselves. I really enjoyed your message and look forward to returning to glean the treasures you leave behind in every post.
@ Bente: I’m not sure I understand. Let’s say I write an article called: How to Have Your Blog’s Best Week Yet, and the article contains tips that would actually allow you to do that, would you be disappointed?
By audacious promise I mean writing an article about doing or learning something important to your target audience and actually helping them to do that. I think that will be appreciated by any target audience.
@ Telling it Like it Is: You’re right — humor is actually a quality I love in a blogger. That being said, there’s the risk that a whole lot of people won’t get it ;).
@ Conrad: Your post about success is a great example. If your headline basically calls out exactly what your readers want (for example, ‘A Blueprint for Building a Popular Blog’). You can bet it is going to compel people to read, just in case you deliver on your promise. And when you do, that’s when the links and votes will start flooding in :).
@ Stephanie: Modesty is definitely a hard habit to break out of!
@ SEO Design Solutions: Thanks — I appreciate it! :).
Skellie, I would not be disappointed if your article “How to Have your Blog’s Best Week Yet” actually was useful, of course. But I believe I represent a group of readers who can take only a certain portion of those promotional titles.
I guess the problem is that the language of advertising does not appeal to all readers. You sort of get tired of reading between the lines to find out what an article actually have to offer. It’s like screaming to someone who isn’t deaf. It is too loud.
As I am human, after all, I am affected by commercials like everybody else, but I do not like to be manipulated too much and protect myself from it. And I know a number of people who simply “shut their ears” when exposed to this kind of audacity. By doing so I think we gain by not wasting our time and end up only missing a few good ones.
Having said all that, I try to learn this “language” myself. I will however use it with care.
Maybe you understand my point now? I am merely adjusting your statement a little - not much. :-)
I forgot to mention that there are a number of articles without audacity in its title that are very successful too.
Skellie,
This is an awesome way to start the new year.
Your blog is a real “treasure trove”.
[...] Skellie tells you what the web’s best content all has in common. [...]
Modesty is not all bad. But often we like people who show others that they are proud of what they are doing, but who are not boasting
@ Bente: Thanks for clarifying — I think I understand what you mean now. I still think an audacious title is appropriate for audacious content, though ;-). I suppose you’re right though — it will lose it’s impact unless used in moderation.
@ Gisele: Thanks!
@ Alfa King: Aww, thank you :).
@ Mike: I agree. I’m using modesty to mean, essentially, not aiming too high with your content, and not testing your own skills. Modesty in its traditional sense is important. It’s quite difficult to do the important thing you’ve said: talk about what you’re proud of without boasting. In my position, I need to show people that I’m having some success or nobody will believe my advice. It can be quite a delicate thing to talk about things that worked without sounding boastful.
[...] The Web’s Best Content Has One Thing in Common [...]
[...] process. Then I saw inspiration: Skellie’s post Audacious Blogging. There are many ways to be audacious. The Success Making Machine principles encourages calculated risks. I wouldn’t try to be a guest [...]
[...] Skellie: For this post, and the whole “audacious promise delivered on” [...]
[...] http://www.doshdosh.com/what-is-good-content/ http://www.skelliewag.org/the-webs-best-content-has-one-thing-in-common-207.htm [...]
[...] 4th 2008 1:04am [-] From: skelliewag.org [...]