In one of my previous article, I took a diss at content writers and it seems from the vibe of the article I was giving is that content writers were no good. That was not my intention.

Let me clarify..

A good copywriter needs to be a content writer on top of being a copywriter, but a content writer does not necessarily needs to know how to write good copy.

In the end of the day 80% of how you will need to use copy will depend on the “setup” which is the content. However, if you are only writing content without any use of copy, then you will not score any sales.

Why are there many influencers that have over 100k subscribers on YouTube but you will be shocked to find out that they were not able to monetize anything from their channel. The reason? They do not know how to utilize both copy and content.

I would define copy being your ability to sell. Copywriting is simply salesmanship in print. That’s why although it’s only 20% of the equation of successfully converting prospects, it is a very important part just like your brain is only 2% of your entire body.

Copywriting requires guts to create a strong CTA, it requires vast-knowledge of psychology to influence your readers and it requires packaging it all together with your content to make it effective. Only a skilled copywriter knows how to do this.

However, at the same time, a good piece of content can make the copy part of the sales letter much, much easier. Good content is just as important as good copy, which we will explore in this article on how you can utilize good content in marketing campaigns for your company.

Why Are Some Content Simply Amazing?

Firstly, let’s define what content means. I would define content as a piece of information that can be consumed.

Content is information that can be consumed.

Good content is information that is shared.

You know when you have read a good piece of content is the moment that you open your Facebook and share your closest buddy a link to what you have read/watched.

Here is an example of a good piece of content that I have worked on in a project.

This video was a project I worked on when I was interning for “Asian Boss”. The topic is on the ideal marriage Japanese partner which has over 1.8m+ views. What made this piece of content go viral? I believe there were three things:

1. Talked about a trending topic (marriage)

2. Humorous and memorable

3. Appealed to a wide audience

Let’s break down each points. When you talk about a trending topic, you already have an existing interest from your audience. When the interest is there, then the video is likely to be more shareable.

It was humorous and memorable which created good emotions. It was not boring. It was fun, funny and something that you can see yourself having a conversation with your buddy one day saying: “Hey have you seen that video on Asian Boss?”.

Finally, it appealed to a wide audience, meaning that again, it is something that can be shared. Finding a marriage partner is something that every human being is thinking off, and to get a female’s perspective on this made it even more interesting.

My Top Three Tips In Brainstorming Content

When brainstorming content, you want to be working from principles instead of going off your head. Marketing principles are timeless and tried.

1. Make it Interesting and Unique

The reason why you see the majority of content out there being boring is the majority of content is recycled from other people. Although a viable strategy, you would not be able to distinguish yourself.

You ALWAYS want to offer a unique perspective, something that no one has yet to offer otherwise you will just not be able to stand out in the sea of competitors. Always be willing to offer your unique take on things, no one will be able to copy this unique take from you because it comes from your life experience and within yourself.

2. Challenge Known Assumptions

People are sick of the status quo.

That’s why you want to challenge things that are known. Show people new ways of running things.

It takes someone that is smart to be able to learn what is working but it takes a genius however to innovate on what is there, to make things better, to improve things, to challenge things.

 That is the value of creating powerful content that challenges known norms. When brainstorming your content, you want to always be showing that what you are presenting is something that is “cutting-edge & innovative”.

3. Remix Existing Marketplace Trends

Similar to number two, you want to find out trends and conversations people are talking about. Instead of copying other people (which I do not endorse), find a way to use ideas from different niches and combine them to make something new and unique.

This was how new ideas were formed, from finding ideas from two different marketplaces and combining them to make something amazing. Here were some examples of innovative marketplace ideas that because they were remixed, take foothold in our society today.

 Phone + Touchscreen = iPhone
 Typewriter + Screen = Computer
 Community + Online + Texting = Social Media
 Steam engine + Small room + Pulley = Elevator

I’m sure you can find many examples of how ideas were remixed that created new inventions. This is the same for content, find two pieces of content on the internet that is doing very well and remix both ideas together to create something new.

How To Get Good At Making Content?

My first advice would be a student of content. Go on social media and see what is working out there and find out what are the elements that make it work. Chances are if a piece of content is popular, then chances are that they is something they are doing right.

“But isn’t the same as just going on my Facebook just like I always do?”

Well first of all, if you are someone that is “on social media” for more than even 30 minutes a day, you are overusing social media. Instead you want to go on social media to study content that is working instead of wasting time.

There is a huge difference.

Find out what conversations your friends are having, what your blogs in the niches are talking about.

But this is absolutely not just mindlessly scrolling but you are thinking like how a producer thinks. A producer thinks of okay, I am reading this, how can I use these ideas to produce something great.

My second advice would be to practice, you will simply not get good at it if you don’t sit down and write a lot. Many of your ideas will bomb, but you will get better. You will see what works and what does not work. There is no shortcut, action cures everything.

As content is a very in-depth subject that varies depending on the niche, and industry you are in, you must practice daily.

Apply these two advice and see your results skyrocket.

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