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De-mystifying digital marketing, one article at a time.

What Makes Good Content?

Every content creator dreams of “going viral.” But making content that stands out from the crowd is easier said than done. Above all, good content should be original, engaging, and useful.

Are you content with your business’s content?

If that sentence made your eyes cross, don’t worry. Content creation isn’t complicated, even if you’re starting from square one. But if you really want to attract attention, you’ll have to do more than create content. You must create content that is good—preferably, content that is really good. To do that, you need a better grasp of what is meant by “content” in the first place.

That’s why we’re here.

And we promise, by the end of this article, you will be content with your content. Or, at the very least, you’ll be content with your understanding of the idea.

What Is Content?

As you probably know, “content” is a word with many meanings. (Do a quick Google search of the term and you’ll find at least four separate definitions.) Usually, when you’re talking about digital marketing, “content” refers to any creative product that is designed for consumption.

In other words, “content” encompasses videos, podcasts, blog posts, articles, and even social media posts. It’s essentially any information that can be shared on a website or social media account, or in a book, advertisement, or magazine.

Under this broad umbrella, the question, “What makes good content?” becomes infinitely more complicated. After all, what makes a good social media post might not make a good blog post, or podcast, or video advertisement, or . . . you see the issue.

Thankfully, there are some essential elements that do translate across all mediums. And if you can nail these core guidelines (there are three of them) then you’ll be on solid footing as you embark upon your content-creation journey.

What Is a Content Creator?

Before we dive into those details, let’s talk about what it means to be a content creator. If those two words together put a bad taste in your mouth, we don’t blame you. “Content creator” is a term often used interchangeably with “influencer.” But not all content creators share selfies, food pics, and outfits of the day, so bear with us.

A content creator is, essentially, anyone whose job it is to create entertaining or educational material for others to consume. We’ve already given a few examples of the kind of content a content creator might produce. Here’s a more comprehensive list of possibilities:

Newsletters
Emails
Digital marketing materials
Brochures
Case studies
White papers
Ebooks
Customer success stories
Product guides
Resource articles
Testimonials

Truly, this list could go on and on. But you get the idea. “Content” can refer to anything that might prove useful or interesting to someone else. In business, that someone else is ideally a potential customer.

If you really want to attract attention, you’ll have to do more than create content. You must create content that is good.

Am I a Content Creator? Since When?

On that note, yes. You, as a business owner, are also a content creator. You have been for a while, whether you’ve been aware of that fact or not.

If this idea makes you nauseous, take a deep breath. You don’t have to be an award-winning writer or a visionary videographer to be good at content creation. Thankfully. All you need is to know your audience and how to speak to them. (We’ll get to that in a bit.)

Now, it’s important for you to get on board with the title of content creator ASAP. Why? Well, people just really love good content.

And if you can give the people what they want, they’re going to keep coming back. You’ll build a bigger following, establish trust with your audience, generate quality leads, and improve awareness of your brand. All of these things will help you stand out from the crowd, become an industry leader, and make more money.

What Makes Good Content?

These days, anyone with a phone, tablet, or laptop can create content. But not everyone can create good content. Here’s how to make something that is above-average in every way:

Create Content That Is Original

There are two reasons why making unoriginal content is a super bad idea:

People don’t want to waste their time on something that they’ve already seen, read, or heard before.
Search engines hate duplicate content.

Basically, if you copy and paste ideas, phrases, or concepts from another content creator, you’ll live to regret it. Not only will you be labeled #basic in the blink of an eye, but you’ll risk a negative impact on your Google search engine rankings at the same time.

Thankfully, it’s not hard to put an original spin on your content—especially if you have already established a brand voice that is unique and true to the heart of your business. We recommend that you:

Incorporate your own stories and personal experiences
Ask for feedback from your audience
Brainstorm with your colleagues and employees to produce original ideas
Speak to your audience the same way you would speak to a friend or neighbor
Hire a copywriter who can provide a fresh perspective

You might not be the first dentist to write an article about teeth whitening. But you could be the first dentist to talk about that one guy who came into the clinic thinking literal bleach was the solution to his stained-teeth woes.

Create Content That Is Engaging

All good content has a hook that pulls the audience in and follows through on keeping them interested. Here are a few ways to create something that is fresh, interesting, and engaging so you don’t lose readers/viewers to the kiss of death: boredom.

Make your content visually appealing with graphics, GIFs, stylized quotes, or other similarly eye-catching components.
Keep your content concise, to the point, and organized.
Speak in a friendly, conversational tone.
Diversify by creating different types of content, including social media posts, videos, blog posts, etc.
End your content with a powerful call to action so your readers/viewers know what to do next.

Ask yourself this question: was the content fun for you to make? If not, it probably won’t be much fun for the audience either.

Create Content That Is Useful

We mentioned the call to action, which begs the question: is your content actually actionable? In other words, is it useful to the audience? If you’re not sure, consider these questions:

Does the content provide an answer to a question?
Is the takeaway message obvious and easy to understand?
Is the content supported by facts, research, or even anecdotal evidence?

It’s great to create content that is entertaining. But above all, you want your content to establish your business as a source of quality information and assistance. So, make sure it’s useful.

How Do I Get Started?

To get started with content creation, you need to find your audience. This will require some market research.

Once you know where your ideal customer can be found, you’ll know what kind of content you need to create. If they’re on Twitter, you can start by sharing polls, images, articles, and memes. If they’re on TikTok, you’ll need to dive headfirst into the world of video content. Either way, make sure you have a strong website so you have a place to direct your newfound audience once they’re hooked.