How to Align Your Content to Your Audience

You can’t create content and hope people come. You need to create content that educates, lures, and converts. Here's what to consider.

A note: Storyteller Tips is a periodic departure from my usual essays — practical guidance for family historians and creative writers who want to turn their research into stories worth reading.

How to Tie Your Content to Your Audience

Developing a viable content business means having a strong content strategy to guide you.

There are four major components of any content strategy:

• Brand promise

• Content purpose

• Audience experience

• Content Calendar

Brand Promise—Your Tilt

Your readers have a multitude of options out there to keep them busy for hours. How are you going to break through the literal noise and make your message heard?

My father had an adage—“Go where the competition ain’t.” You need to offer something that is fresh and unique to your editorial offering. It’s that area where you are the expert—the go-to.

This is, as author and content marketer Joe Pulizzi says, your “tilt.”

“The content tilt is that area of little to no competition on the web that actually gives you a chance to break through the noise and be relevant. It’s what makes you so different that your audience notices you and rewards you with its attention.” - Joe Pulizzi

I’ve suggested things to keep in mind to define your audience.

I’ve discussed some tactics to determine what your audience is thinking. But it’s also important to view your competitors’ offerings to identify what they are saying. What are they not doing? What can you do better? Are there additional products or services you can bundle with your content that will ease the friction for your audience?

But it’s also important to view the sites your readers are looking at to see what they are not doing – and what you might be able to do better. Digital offerings like Substack make it easy to see what your readers are commenting on – and sites they recommend. That’s your homework.

Armed with what you do best – and what you do better than other sites, you are ready to create a brand promise.

The brand promise is something that people in your audience can expect every time they interact with you. You are making a promise that every piece of content (no matter the format) will . . . will what?

For me, my brand promise has evolved to help make sense of modern-day craziness – with lost moments from history, personal experience, and a heavy dose of perspective.

Here are a few starting points — fill in what’s true for you:

• Let you explore . . . so you become the master of . . .

• Satisfy your curiosity by digging deeper into the mysteries of . ..

• Find joy in the day-to-day . . .

• Learn more about . . .

• ·The Guide to dos and don’ts for successful . . .
  

Getting the hang of it?

Content Purpose

Content can educate, entertain, and even drive revenue. What’s the purpose behind yours?

Substack makes it easy to derive revenue from your site, if you are so inclined. But even if you decide to give your work away for free, you should be guided by a purpose.

For example, you may host an annual family reunion – and want to use your periodical as a means to drive interest. Maybe you have a book or courses you sell. Maybe you are hoping to build an audience so you can attract a publisher. Or maybe you want to be viewed as an expert in your field.

The content you produce should help you meet your goal.

Audience Experience

To build an audience, and have them coming back for more, you have to decide what the mood is you want to set for your readers. For me, my brand promise is this: no matter the subject — labor history, grief, current events — I want my audience to leave feeling more optimistic than when they arrived.

My method is to put them “in scene” almost from the start – in a car traveling with my husband, or looking through a icy pane of glass in the North Country of New York. I tap into feelings they might have – and do a pivot to hope by the end.

So, what’s the emotional experience you want to create? Name it. Write it down. Then let it guide every piece you publish.

Content Calendar

Once you have created that brand promise and content purpose, it’s time to make a list of content topics you can write about. For me, I write about Family History, Women’s History, Mothers and Sons, Working Mother, Labor History.

As I am hoping to build an audience for a book about ancestral relative Leonora Kearney Barry, I often use Leonora as a touchstone in my work.

I have decided to publish every Friday, which was a cadence I felt I could commit to. Determining how often you publish is purely personal, but if you want your readers to develop a habit of turning to you – you should be pretty consistent.

Sometimes what is happening in the news spurs an idea for an essay, but I also plan for essays by looking at the calendar, e.g.

* birth and anniversary dates
* seasons
* holidays

Does a warm spring day give you an idea for a story? Then put it on the list!

Putting It All Together

Once you have figured out your tilt, your content’s purpose, your audience experience, and topics you feel really comfortable with – it’s time to put it all together – although some pieces may deviate a bit.

For example, I was driven to write about the grief and anger I felt after my best friend died. That hardly meets the mood I want to set. But I was able to lean into my objective – to focus on her kids.

The topic was heavy – but it had a heartfelt turn – that made the piece still work.

The framework bent – but it didn’t break.

Let me know if you found this helpful - and what other tips you would like to see.