You see them everywhere, especially in social media feeds. Some are humorous, some are serious, some just hope to provide you some valuable information, and, hopefully, you’ll click on a related ad along the way.
Now just a quick disclaimer: Just because something doesn’t work in the context of one type of article doesn’t mean it won’t work at all. If you have some really killer content that you are bound and determined to see get a good reception by your audience, you might just need to make a few minor changes to start seeing the magic happen. Keep that in mind as you read and see if any of the problem areas that I mention sound familiar.
#1 – Be Original
This is the place where many content marketers tank, especially the ones who rely too heavily on curated content. Now, I’ve made arguments in the past both for and against this particular strategy, so I’ll keep this short and sweet: Yes, curated content works, when it’s presented in an original way. That can be much more easily said than done. Not many marketers are really good at this and far too few take their clues from sites that do it right (HuffPost comes fast to mind here… hint, hint…). When done correctly, the content looks like it’s yours but gives due credit to the source. It also includes original opinions, explanations, interjections, etcetera that appeal to your specific audience.
Let’s steer away from the concept of curation for a moment, though. The bottom line here is that originality – real originality – is always going to be better received, AND if your stuff manages to garner the attention of a content powerhouse like HuffPost, the possibilities for your much lower-profile (but definitely still significant) website are virtually limitless.
#2 – Don’t Over-Monetize
There is such a thing as too many ads. Specific sites – I won’t say which ones – tend to crash my browser with the over-monetizing they do. If I don’t see the name of the site in the link and I click on it, I’m very quickly going to add to that site’s bounce rate stats if it’s one on my hot list.
Word of advice: Don’t get on anyone’s hot list (at least not that kind of hot list). Monetize smartly and split test your ad placements adequately to see what makes people respond the best. Do not try to camouflage ads as content, as this will get you banned by most networks (Google will drop you like a bad habit and slam the gate on you if you do this), and don’t let your ads mess with your page sizes or load times. These things are not just turn-offs for your readers; they also virtually guarantee that the search engines will want to put as much distance between you and them as possible. This would not be good for you or your brand. Have mercy on your readers and lend due deference to the end user experience over monetization. Provide good content, and people will click your ads. Period.
#3 – Adhere to the 5-Page Rule
Don’t make people click through more than five pages of a paginated post to complete an article. Engaged readers will click this far while only marginally interested ones will probably stop after two. If your goal is to deliver a complete message, use as few pages as possible to do it.
I absolutely cringe these days when I see those “40 Mind-Blowing Images of….” posts on Facebook and Twitter because I know what’s about to happen. I’m about to be taken to a site where I will be expected to click “next” fifty to one hundred times to look at a bunch of cat pictures I’ve seen before (refer to my argument on curated content here).
In their defense, these people don’t really think you’re going to do that. They’re hoping that by a few pages in you’ll find an ad you want to click and, well, mission accomplished. They don’t care if anyone ever sees the hundredth picture of a botched wedding cake they dug up as long as you click on an ad.
Around here, though, we emphasize the importance of quality. It’s how any successful copywriting company does things, and Beez is no different. This is why I want to urge you – implore you – to not be That Marketer. You know what I mean: the one that uses years-old content as bait hoping for a click or two at the end of the day. Be the one that has the nerve to deliver the best quality and a unique user experience. That is how you win the list post battle.
Final Takeaway
So what have we learned here today? Basically, it’s all about how badly you want your readers to see and recognize you and your brand in your content. You can create list posts that capture attention but have no substance, or you can have both. The latter requires more effort and probably some help. The former may be a lot easier, but it will almost guarantee that people don’t take you seriously. So, seriously, decide to be better than that.