First rule of content strategy club

“Content strategy is to copywriting what information architecture is to design.”— @rlovinger

Content and content strategy drive the format and not the other way around! Clients may ask for deliverables, but what they really want are results. They often make statements like “we need to add a video” or “we need an app” or “we should be tweeting.” This drives strategists crazy because we should be starting with the goals and asking the question, “what do we want to achieve?” The next step is to identify what content is relevant and valuable to the target audience and then figure out what format is best for communicating that.

Practical advice

When you're working with lots of content owners, don’t force the content providers to fully use the CMS right from the start. Focus on getting them to provide content. Over time, assess how competent they’ll be at using the CMS and teach them, gradually, according to each person’s capabilities.

Here are some useful tips for in-house web managers who have to gather a lot of content from various departments/groups within an organization:

• Make a check list. Or give them form to fill out as a guide for how to write content.
• Provide guidance. Give them simple tips for writing; e.g., active voice, no all caps, no bold. Put the tips online and bookmark them in the writer’s browser for them.
• Provide structure and cultivate accountability. Put check-ins on their calendar and check in often—rather than leaving them alone until the “deadline.”
• Drop tech jargon. All of it.

On writing well

• Use active, creative language. E.g.: “unleashes” instead of “offers”
• Show don’t tell. Be more specific with descriptions rather than making blanket statements. For example, "You'll be able to sample vinyasa, anusara and bikram yoga" instead of "You'll be able to try different kinds of yoga."
• Research first. A writer needs to thoroughly understand the content before being able to communicate it in the right way.
• Demystify the creative process. Groupon has reversed engineered humor—researched joke structures and provides writers with the “anatomy of a review”. They make many decisions up-front for the writers, so that they can save their creative energy for the reviews.
• Hire young. They like to hire writers right out of school so that they don’t have a set style yet and can train them to do things “the right way.”
• Take risks. You’ll get some haters, but you’ll also get people that really love you.