When we first started writing content online, we had tons of great ideas to share with clients. One was a truly killer deep dive into data we had compiled from relevant sources that illustrated how a popular product’s pricing had outpaced inflation by more than 300 percent. A pretty compelling angle in an insanely popular industry, we thought, and we were certain it was going to break the Internet.
We spent days compiling data, fact-checking, writing, revising, optimizing, creating graphics, charts, linking to relevant influencers and more. When the publication date came, we were pumped.
We sent out emails to influencers we had mentioned and others who covered the industry. We sent news blasts, distributed a press release, posted on social media, IM’d journalists we had established relationships with and even took out paid advertising on social media to promote the article.
It was time to shine! Our content baby was born and introduced to the world, and she was going to break the Internet.
And then…
Crickets.
But why? How could it be that no one shared our post, it received little traffic and no media members could be bothered to mention it? Was it lack of credibility? Probably not, because our work had been covered before (and well-received). Was the topic not compelling enough? It sure seemed like it was. Was the writing bad? We’d like to think not.
Ultimately, we think it boiled down to this: even though we had chosen a compelling topic about a popular product in a heavily-covered industry, it wasn’t good enough. The reason, we surmised, was simple: even though price increases were astronomical, they weren’t going to stop people from buying the product. No one was going to be shocked by what we discovered, and even if they were, they weren’t going to be influenced one way or the other.
In short, no one cared.
Since then, we’ve learned to vet long-form content before we invest days creating it. Even though there’s still no guarantee of success, it certainly increases our chances.
If you have a killer idea for long-form content that will drive oodles of targeted traffic to your site and introduce your brand to thousands of eager customers, give pause before you write a 5,000-word deep dive.
Vet your idea.
The last thing you want is to spend countless hours on research, writing, revising, optimizing and reaching out, only to have your content languish in the depths of the Internet.
Instead, you can gain a reasonably solid expectation that people will want to read and share what you have to say if you vet long-form content before you write.
Here’s are five ways to do it.
1. Research related press releases
Chances are someone in your industry has covered a similar, if not identical, topic. Look on sites like PR Web and PR Newswire for relevant press releases. If other companies are investing in that topic, it’s a good indicator they at least think it’s newsworthy.
2. See if those press releases received coverage
Copy and paste key snippets from the press releases you found and see if they pop up in search results. You might need to filter by date (perhaps a week out from the press release date). If the releases were picked up by top outlets, you can believe the topic carries weight.
3. Make sure your topic is relevant and unique
Now, take a step back and determine whether your topic is relevant and truly unique. Is it surprising? Entertaining? Shocking? Getting shares is much easier if you have new and unique information people want to tell others about. If yours is too similar to something that’s been done, it won’t get noticed. If it’s not truly interesting, it will be ignored.
4. Take to social media
Visit social media to gauge response. Facebook and Twitter can be good platforms, but Reddit is one of the best sites for this. Ask a question or even post preliminary data on a relevant subreddit and see how it’s received. Do you get a ton of comments? Are they generally favorable? If so, your idea could be a hit in article form – and you can even use Reddit response to illustrate interest in your topic if you pitch it to media members. You’ll likely discover new ideas you can incorporate into your article or use as starting points for a different, better article.
5. Create a teaser article
Why write 5,000 words if 500 will do? Start with a teaser article and put it out there to see what response you get. If the response is good, expand your article into a 5,000-word keyword king.
This isn’t the only strategy you can use to vet long-form content, and it’s not always appropriate: if your only goal is to rank, keyword, competitor and market research are more important. But if you want to get media mentions and social shares, you need to make sure your content is compelling enough to warrant the time investment.
Taking a little time now to vet your idea can save a lot of time and headache (and heartache) later. It will help you identify which topics are winners and which are losers. Ultimately, it will help you concentrate your efforts on crafting winning content that is likely to be mentioned, shared and drive new, targeted traffic to your site.