There are hundreds of types of content.
But which are the best?
I've tried all of them.
These 3 are the pillars:
- Educate.
- Entertain.
- Relate.
Let's break them down one by one...
Educate
If you run a helpful informational brand, this will be your most powerful content type.
That's because your audience has problems (they're unhealthy, they're having trouble selling products, etc) and education is the first step to solving those problems.
About 75% of my content fits into this category right now.
It's hit or miss on Twitter (everything is hit or miss on Twitter these days), but it performs very well on every other platform I post on: LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Examples:
- How-to/I guides.
- Lists of tools.
- Lists of resources.
- Quick tips.
- Lists of tips.
- Mistakes to avoid.
- In-depth breakdowns.
These work best when they're immediately applicable.
That means people can read your post and come away with a helpful outcome within a few minutes.
Here's an education post from me:
People can read that, review their copywriting, and quickly make improvements that'll lead to more profit.
They intuitively understand that, so they like, reply, and share out of appreciation and reciprocity.
Entertain
I don't do much entertainment, but it can work well.
That's especially true for people with content brands that don't solve problems. Meme pages are a perfect example. All they do is entertain, and they grow quickly.
Examples:
- Skits.
- Satire.
- Memes.
- Cool photos/videos.
- Attractive photos/videos.
You can find examples of this everywhere online.
Relate
This includes any content that helps you relate to your audience.
The two biggest examples are:
- Sharing about your current life or past stories.
- Talking about relatable emotions and experiences.
This is my second most common category, and it accounts for some of my most viral content.
Stories about your life make people like you more, trust you more, and feel like they actually know you.
Relatable ideas often inspire a ton of emotion, engagement, and sharing.
Here's my most viral LinkedIn post ever:
Everyone knows what it's like to be new.
It's emotional. It's relatable.
That's a killer combination, no matter what the exact subject of your content is.
Important Note
Some content fits into multiple categories.
For example, you can hook readers with something relatable, then transition into something educational.
Here's an off-the-cuff example:
2 years ago, I was stuck in a job I hated.
Now, I'm excited to go to work every day.
7 uncommon job search tips:
The first two lines create emotion through relation.
The third line further entices readers with education.
You can also create educational or relatable content that's also entertaining.
The goal is to create content that fits into at least one of these categories. It doesn't have to exclusively be in one category.
Last Thoughts
Educate, entertain, relate.
Those are your 3 content baskets.
When you create something, make sure it's in at least one of those.
That'll get you the best results.
