Things are going great! You have an exciting new product and you are certain it’s only a matter of time before the world sees how fantastic it is–and you hit it big! You and your team devise a marketing campaign that is sure to connect with the masses online and bring your product the brand recognition it needs to be successful.
The first week is slow, but you are certain things will get better and record setting profits are on the horizon. Then one week turns into two, two weeks into a month, and things are not going as you anticipated. Upon looking inward, it hits you, while your product is indeed great, the content surrounding it is dull and lulling your target audience to sleep. You’re forced to admit…
“My content is boring!”
Does the above scenario sound familiar? If you are reading this blog, chances are it does. There are many geniuses out there with fantastic ideas, but many are not well versed in writing exiting or otherwise engaging content. Not to fear, using a little humor and magic, you too can go from dull to exciting in the blink of an eye, or at least as quickly as you can write.
Suggestions for Making Boring Content More Exciting
No matter what you are selling, and how boring your product might or might be not, it is not impossible to create exciting content. Research indicates there are several ways to create exciting content, even for a boring product. Jeremy Knauff, an expert in content marketing, has several suggestions to make this happen:
First off, do not be afraid to take a controversial position. I’m not asking you to go crazy, but if you are selling plastic straws and you disagree with all those industries who are banning plastic straws, don’t be afraid to say why you disagree and do so fervently (preferably in a funny way, something like blowing bubbles with plastic straws is far superior to blowing bubbles with paper straws where the liquid just gets absorbed by the paper).
Second, incorporate tangential topics. If you know me–or follow all of my blog posts on WriterAccess–you know I love to go off on tangents. If you are trying to sell gardening equipment, it’s ok to talk about the Backstreet Boys (check that, it’s never ok to talk about the Backstreet Boys), but just because you are talking about a product, that does not mean that talking about anything outside of that product is wrong. It can make the content more engaging, relatable, relevant, colorful, and fun to read.
Third, look at the 3 “I’s” of Exciting! Additional points to help your marketing content more exciting include:
- Incoporating data–numbers do not have to be boring. Did you know that yahoo mentions the Kardashians 5 times per hour? Exactly.
- Interviewing and/or quoting industry leaders–no matter the industry, there is an industry leader out there who is highly entertaining. If you can’t find one, become one!
- Including case studies–it might sound boring, but a narrative case study, such as how LeBron James has destroyed, revitalized, and again destroyed Cleveland Cavalier Jersey sales, can be pretty interesting.
The Proof is in the Pudding
The bottom line is that regardless of what product you are pitching, what service you have, and what type of content you are attempt to market, it does not need to be boring. On a more personal note, there are people out there (hint hint, wink wink) that are experts (or at least in my case, a little above proficient) at making content exciting. Talk to people like this, pick the brain of people who are funny (or at least think they are), and take some of the outstanding suggestions provided by industry experts mentioned above. It might not happen overnight, but in time you will see results and improved numbers by making your content less dull, more exciting, and easier to read.
Jason D‘s writing experience is varied. He is currently finishing his dissertation in the field of Criminology on the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and lying. Please don’t let the academic background fool you, Jason will write about any and everything and is well versed in popular culture. He has written for Groupon, MarketResearch.Com, and a variety of other smaller outlets in addition to his academic work. Additionally, he has written a variety of works that he is attempting to get published including a women’s guide to the men in their lives, and a humor book (think something one would find at Urban Outfitters) on having fun at work.
