Friday, May 14, 2021
Back in 2014, Mark Schaefer coined the term “Content Shock.” He was looking at the volume of content getting published, compared with the actual number of hours available for humans to read, watch, and listen to it.
The picture wasn’t pretty then, and it’s less pretty now. It’s obvious to anyone with an email address or a social media account that a mountain of new content is getting squeezed out every day.
But seven years after “Content Shock,” one thing hasn’t changed.
There’s still not a shortage of good content.
The response I wrote in 2014 still holds today: How to Survive Content Shock and the Impending Content Marketing Collapse
The best defense against Content Shock is to focus your attention on only — ever — publishing work that’s worthy of your audience’s attention.
What does “quality content” mean?
I’ve been banging on about the need for high-quality content for more than a decade, both with Copyblogger and here at Remarkable Communication.
But what does that mean?
Is it about polished, lapidary prose that could get published in The New Yorker?
Or being the world’s most renowned authority on your topic?
Either of those would be nice, but neither is necessary.
Content is “high-quality” when it creates a meaningful connection with the person who reads it.
Content that sparks a real emotional response (which is why Jenny Lawson, also known as The Bloggess, is such a great content creator).
Content that’s remarkably useful. (This is Copyblogger‘s bread and butter, and after more than a decade, they’re going stronger than ever.)
Content that pulls people together into a larger movement. (The great Pam Slim has excelled at this for as long as I’ve been watching content creators.)
And in service of these, content that brings a genuinely fresh and distinctive voice. (No one is fresher than Luvvie Ajayi Jones.)
Who keeps you coming back?
You probably have a blogger, podcaster, or video channel that you always keep an eye out for. Even when you don’t have a lot of time.
Because you feel connected to that creator, and you want to keep that connection going.
That’s what you aim for when you’re working on “high-quality” content.
And to tell you the truth, in the era of Content Shock, when our audiences have mountains of crappy content thrown at them every day, that’s the only kind of content that works.
Week Two of the retreat starts Monday, May 24
I’m excited by the students who have been attending our content writer’s retreat.
We’ve got folks from around the globe, with different goals and diverse kinds of writing they want to focus on.
The thing they have in common is that they all want to become better writers.
That’s the wonderful thing about creative work: You can keep improving it for a lifetime.
Week Two kicks off on Monday the 24th, and you’ll get instant access to the replays for Week One.
We’d love to have you with us — not just for the two weeks of the retreat, but for a full six months of support, virtual coworking, and extra connection.
Here’s where you can get all the details: Creative Fierce content writer’s retreat and support framework
Until I see you again, May the Fierce be with you.
– Sonia
