3 Tips for Better Content Creation
For those looking to capture the attention of audiences online, there’s no shortage of competition for eyeballs. It’s not quite accurate to say that everyone on the planet is on the internet, but the actual number is large enough to feel like that is nearly the case. And given how large our social networks can grow, and how intertwined with friends of friends and degrees of connectedness, our reach online can seem to grow to hundreds if not thousands of people. For creators, that is a tremendous opportunity, but the nature of those networks also presents a problem: how do you stand out from the hundreds of other people and posts that pass through the feeds and into the devices of those we hope to reach?
Connecting with people requires capturing their attention where others fade into the background, and that means creating content that stands out from the rest. Here are some tips to help you catch others’ eyes.
Keep up with the times. Online culture is about moments and broader conversations, and contributing to those conversations is one way to get noticed by those looking to see what others are saying on the topic of the day. Capturing the zeitgeist can be tricky; trends and interests seem to move even faster in the age of the internet, and the show or movie or meme of the moment can fade from view as quickly as it appeared. But keeping your finger on the pulse of what everyone’s talking about and offering your own contribution is one way to get recognized as an interesting content creator.
Be authentic. What remains true of artists across media is that audiences and consumers prize authenticity as much as they appreciate the content itself. Whatever you wish to express and however you wish to express it, stay true to what you’re passionate about and what you believe in, and audiences will connect with what you have to say. It’s better to fall into a niche of a category that is authentically you than to try and play to a larger audience with content that betrays your lack of genuine interest and enthusiasm.
Find the best platform. Garnering an audience is as much about the medium and delivery method as it is the content itself. Finding the best forum for your work involves figuring out the best platform for not only reaching people but for supporting creators as well. We want the built-in audiences of popular platforms, but we also don’t want to find ourselves stifled or restricted by onerous restrictions, or hamstrung by terms that force us to give up most of the revenue that we earn on our content. Creators have to find the right space that allows them to express themselves and share their content and enables them to build and audience and monetize their work.
More than anything, content creation requires patience and persistence for those looking to gain an audience bigger than the immediate friends and family that see our work directly. Building a following takes time, but hose with talent and vision tend to win out, and the best content creators will ultimately find their audience if they take the right steps to get themselves seen by the right people.
