5 Reasons Your Content Sucks
Okay so your content doesn't suck. That was harsh, it's good. And that's a problem. Good is bad. You need to stand out. Your content needs:
A particular viewer: Who is this content for? Is this for Middle Aged, stay at home dads, who favor the west coast? Is this for 11 yr old, inner city, ethnic girls with kinky hair? Knowing who the content is for helps to avoid offending them, and engaging them. Your content sucks because you're essentially making an inside joke that no one is on the inside of.
An actual message: The message doesn't need to be blatant but it should at least be in the "subtext". Remember that Quiznos commercial with the mutant rats singing eat Quiznos subs. No? Good, it was terrible. When's the last time you seen a Quiznos? The one I frequented outside of City Hall in Philadelphia is gone. You know what replaced it? A Subways. Because Quiznos accidentally sent the message that, you may see giant mutant rats while eating at their sandwich shop, and that didn't resonate well with anyone. Your content sucks because your messages are arbitrary and have no meaning, or your conveying the wrong meaning
A memorable soundbite. Earlier this year two kids got a lifetime supply of Vans sneakers for a vine compilation entitled "Damn Daniel". It was essentially a kid being slightly bullied about his sneaker choice. But, the voice of the kid making the video was distinct. The repetition of the words Damn Daniel was hypnotizing. The phrase quickly became the go to phrase for anything that astounded, even remotely , in a snarky underhanded way. The video was made for peers, the peers loved it because they were inside, the early adopters found intrinsic value in the phrase, and next thing you know the relevant content hungry producers of the Ellen Show were picking those kids up in limos. Your content sucks because there is no memorable soundbite to it.
To be posted on the right platform. Every platform, due to the taste of the platform creators and the trends of the premium user content providers, has it's own speed. You don't retweet Instagram posts. You don't take Instagram videos that you would post on SnapChat, and you really shouldn't Facebook anything. You should seek to have your content championed and shared by someone else on Facebook. Your content sucks because you're out of sync with the medium you're using.
Consistency. Whether your digital content strategy is curating meme's about #NeverTrump, or releasing original narrative dramas via Hulu, nothing draws people in like consistency. Serial, was great because it was consistent. Before people binge watch your content, they need to engage something. Once they engage they seek out a little more. You don't need to wait until you have a vast content library of 100 meme's before you set your IG profile from private to public. But if you're looking to build a following let them know when to look for your new stuff, and stick to it.
