They say that content is king, and I don’t know who “they” are, but I’m inclined to agree. There are a million social media hacks on the internet, but if you don’t have your content sorted, none will make a difference.
The average person is bombarded with content all day long. The promotional emails that fill up their inbox, the billboard they drive past on their commute every day, and the memes their significant other keeps sending them that they’ll pretend they looked at even though they never did. It’s a lot. And when you post on social media, it’s your job to try and cut through that noise and get them to spend a few of their valuable seconds on your post. Not an easy task.
Let’s not overcomplicate it though. I’ve looked through thousands of pieces of content and realised that every single piece of engaging content fits into one of just three categories. Only three. Everything from cat pics to Michael Scott memes (which I think are the backbone of the internet). Here they are:
1. Controversial.
The first of the categories is controversial content. This could be any content that shares an unpopular opinion or addresses a taboo subject. When you think more deeply about this category, it really comes down to vulnerability. Being bold enough to share something that people may not agree with on the internet is a brave move. And brave moves are rewarded.
People love a good argument on the internet. Just check out your Aunt Sal’s recent activity on Facebook. If there’s a place she can weigh in and give her opinion, she probably will (especially if it’s about how the council just put her rates up again).
I’m not suggesting you go airing your deepest weirdest thoughts on TikTok. Take it easy! Adding some controversy to your content doesn’t have to be all or nothing. One trend I’ve noticed recently is “comment baiting”. That means creating some content that fits with what you usually do, but adding one strange thing in and not mentioning it at all. For example, in a video interview, hiding the microphone inside a strange object (like a shoe) and using that. The intention here is to add something controversial that people will feel like they need to call out in the comments. Comments = engagement. Give it a whirl!
2. Educational.
You’ve probably heard people bang on about how you need to be “adding value” for your audience. One way to add value is by providing your audience with education. Everyone loves to learn! But educational content has to be done right.
Educational content should never feel patronising so do some research to understand how much your average audience member knows about a topic before you go teaching them something they already know. Don’t educate them on something that won’t be helpful for them. You should be educating them on a solution to one of their pain points. And finally, never educate on a subject where you aren’t an authority. That’s a high-speed ticket to getting cancelled. If you think your audience would get value on a subject where you aren’t an authority, invite a guest to help you.
3. Entertaining.
Our final category is entertaining content. Let’s go back to the idea of “adding value” to your audience. I’ve found that people often forget that entertaining people DOES add value. In fact, there’s little that people value more than being entertained. It’s the reason most people pick up their phones and scroll through hours of social media a day (guilty).
Now, I can appreciate that this category is pretty broad. And I can appreciate that different people find different things entertaining. I love looking at aesthetic homes on Pinterest while my husband would rather watch people swinging a golf club repeatedly (wtf?). I’d rather drink out-of-date milk than watch a horror movie, but I know people who love nothing more! So how do we know what’s going to entertain our audience?
Everyone loves to laugh. Everyone! And nothing’s funnier than someone sharing a funny and relatable experience. Think about experiences that your audience will have in common and share those in a humorous way (may I suggest a Michael Scott meme). If you can get your audience to tag their friends in the comments while crying with laughter, you’ve won the internet. I don’t make the rules.
That’s it! The three categories of engaging content. Every piece of content you’ve ever enjoyed will fit into one of these. I’ll die on this hill! Let me know if you can think of a piece of engaging content that doesn’t fit. You won’t though… because they all do.
Written by Sasha McLeod
Head of Social Media
