In today’s episode, I’m going to help you to structure content so that it does its job properly.
We know that creating content can be a really great way to grow, nurture and convert your audience into paying clients. But if your content is NOT doing its job, then you’re just wasting your time.
Let’s dive into this episode and help you structure content so that it does its job properly!
I’ve made no secret of my love of the content marketing style of business.
I love creating podcasts and being on social media.
Content marketing is such a great way to create connection, grow your audience, nurture them and convert them into paying clients.
It’s a great way of delivering value and information, and helping people. It feels like a really invitation-based model of business as well, because you can lean in with great content, but let your audience come the rest of the way, and be magnetic and attract them into your business.
So how do you structure content so that it does its job?
1. What is its job?
Different pieces of content in your business have different jobs. Some pieces of content do lots of different jobs – they’re multitaskers – and other pieces of content just have a single job.
In its essence, most content needs to:
- Improve your reach
- Nurture your audience
- Invite people to connect
- Convert people into paying clients
It really needs to do one or a combination of many of those things. For example, with a webinar as a piece of content, you would want it to reach, nurture, invite, and convert.
A blog post or a podcast episode might do some reach, nurture and invite, but the conversion happens in a sales conversation.
You might have some posts on social media that are purely nurturing for your existing audience, and some that are reach-driven (attracting a cold audience), and some that are completely focused on conversion.
When creating a piece of content, you need to be clear:
What is the job of this piece of content? Does it need to reach, nurture, invite, convert, or a combination?
Make sure that you’re really clear on that, and that you understand what a win or a tick would be for that piece of content. If you’re doing a reach-based piece of content, how many people does it need to get in front of in order to have done its job?
Whenever I share something funny on my Facebook page – something that’s off topic but I know is going to do really well for reach and engagement – I want it to reach at least 3,000 people, because that’s its job – to maximise reach.
If I’m doing a Facebook Live that’s nurturing my existing audience and I want it to get lots of comments and engagement, then I might set a goal of having 250 views and 500 comments.
Set yourself some benchmarks and goals of what each type of content needs to achieve.
You can see that by understanding what the job that it needs to do is, that’s going to give you some insight into the structure.
If you’re doing something that’s reach-orientated, then it needs a much shorter structure. If you’re doing something that’s conversion-oriented, it might be short for your warmest audience, or it might need to be long form if it’s for a colder audience.
You need to think about these things when you’re in the content creation process.
2. What is the platform that you’re sharing it on?
Social media platforms to structure content on in business start-up
If you’re sharing it on your social media pages, people’s attention spans are way shorter than if you were sharing it on a podcast for example. If you’re sharing it on TikTok, it has a very specific period of time and length that you can do it for.
Think about the platform and what is an appropriate structure for that platform.
My Facebook Live content has a specific structure that’s slightly different to my pre-recorded podcast content. My podcasts are much more structured, streamlined and punchy, whereas my Facebook Lives are more of a conversation.
If there are people there live, I answer their questions whilst they’re there. If there are specific tangents that I decide that I want to go down, I will do that on a Facebook Live, NOT on a podcast episode.
You need to think about the platform in order to also understand what the appropriate structure is going to be.
3. What will appeal to my audience?
If I’m doing content that’s for reach, I need to make sure that I am appealing to my coldest audience – people who don’t necessarily know who I am.
If I put lots of Tash-isms and ladyposse-specific things into the title of that content or into the early pieces of that content, then chances are a cold audience is going to tune out it. However, if I’m doing a nurture, invite or convert piece of content, speaking in terms that are using our special language increases reach with warm peeps – thus doing its job.
Think about what’s going to appeal to your audience.
What are they searching for at that particular point in time? What are they looking for? What’s going to stop their scroll?
In most cases, if you don’t know what your niche is, then you’re going to have trouble with answering the ‘what will appeal’ piece because you’re going to be too broad in your messaging.
Don’t worry, if you’re not clear on your niche, I have a great resource for you today.
4. What is the process you’re going to take people through?
If your piece of content needs to reach, nurture, invite AND convert, then you’re going to need a structured process in which you achieve all four of those jobs.
If your core goal is to convert your hottest audience into a conversation with you about working together, your process could be straightforward. It might be a one line email that goes out to your mailing list. Or it might be a single question that you ask on your Facebook page.
You need to make sure that you understand what that process is that you need to take people through.
With my cold posts on Facebook, they need to reach and speak to an audience who don’t necessarily know me and the ‘Tash Corbin’ way of doing things. They need to speak to an audience who are looking for specific business outcomes that I work towards with my niche. The posts need to be tangible, outcome-oriented and doing their job of getting people to engage or comment.
That content is not only creating reach, but also building trust by giving tangible, practical things to implement. I also share content that highlights industry issues that could be problematic, and gives people a viable alternative.
The other thing that I like to do with my cold audience content on Facebook is not have a straight upsell – not constantly giving a call to action.
Often I will do quick tips for cold audiences that are simply just tips, no catch involved. It’s not necessarily telling people that they should do something like jump onto my mailing list, or sign up for a resource.
People can feel disconnected if you’ve given really great advice, but then you end with a pitch. It kind of ruins the feel to the post if that’s ALWAYS what happens.
Content doesn’t always have to have a strong call to action in order to do its job.
If its job is to nurture and invite people onto my mailing list, then I’m going to share a warm audience message and have an appropriate call to action.
When it comes to really making sure that my content does its job, I need to understand:
- What is its number one most important job?
- Is there a second job that I need it to do?
- Should I split those two jobs out into two pieces of content?
Instead of just trying to get all of your content to do all of the jobs, give different pieces of content different jobs and create a content ecosystem.
When it comes to structuring content, in most cases there are five things that I do (but I do them to a different extent).
They are:
- Connect
- Clarify
- Deliver
- Punchline
- Call to action
With cold audience work or stuff that needs to just create reach, I might connect, clarify, deliver and that’s it. For stuff that is going to be more long-winded and long form (like a webinar), I will do all.
For things like podcast episodes, I might connect, clarify, deliver, and then have a call to action. In most cases, I hit these five pieces of the structure, depending on where that content goes.
Let’s break down the five elements to structure content effectively:
1. Connect
Connect with your audience, share what you’re covering today, what you’re talking about, introduce yourself, etc.
2. Clarify
Clarify why this thing is important, why they are smart to focus on it, and what the issue actually is.
3. Deliver
Deliver something tangible, deliver content that’s helpful, deliver on your promise. Share something practical that they can go and implement, revolutionary information, and a solid structured process that they could follow.
4. Punchline
What is the point here? What is the lightbulb moment that you are trying to facilitate? Make sure it’s mapped out and is very obvious to people.
5. Call to action
If they want to do something else, if they want to take the next step and keep working with you, what should they do?
You can see it’s a really simple structure, but it’s a really effective one that applies to all content, whether its job is to do just one thing or all four – reach, nurture, invite and connect.
The number one driver of whether your content does its job or not is the niche. You need to be clear on WHO it’s for first.
Most people skip this foundation of being clear and specific on what your niche is, who this content is for and the message that will resonate with them. Especially when they’re first starting their business. And yet this will help you structure content way more effectively for your peeps!
If you would like to make sure you’ve got your niche sorted, and develop that into deeply resonant messaging I would love for you to check out my free Nail Your Niche training.
You can find it at tashcorbin.com/niche.
As always, if you want to continue the conversation, ask questions or share any lightbulb moments, head on over to the Heart-Centred Soul-Driven Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Remember to use #podcastaha, let me know that you’ve been reading episode number 250.
Until next time, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.
