10 Simple Tips to Deliver Great Content

We are all in the business of content these days. If we’re not consuming vast amounts then we’re creating content to teach, inspire, and connect to our audience.

As the saying goes, “content is king” but I believe quality, thoughtful content is queen!

We are in such a rush to produce not just for our own site but for other sites as well. Beside the written content we’re producing, we’re also creating videos and lessons in the hope of teaching others what we know.

We’ve all seen those videos where clearly the content wasn’t well thought out and a huge waste of our precious time. Even worse, someone posts a video course, calls it training, and really you’ve been handed a sales video and dropped into their sales funnel.

This is simply no good.

By doing either of these things you have lost any chance of attracting the people you really want to work with.

If you’re going to take the time to teach and provide quality, thoughtful content then take the time to create something of value. You will distinguish yourself from a very loud and crowded marketplace if you do!

Here are a few tips to help you teach better courses and provide solid content online.

Tip #1: Become a storyteller

Stories ground the concepts you’re teaching and make your content much more interesting and entertaining. Stories don’t need to be elaborate to drive home a concept. Often a simple story is enough to illustrate your point.

Tip #2: Ask thought-provoking questions

Don’t just talk at your audience. Use questions to get them activity thinking and engaged. Our brains automatically go into active search mode when you ask questions.

Tip #3: Use strong visuals

People are much savvier these days and want to engage with beautiful visuals. Refrain from ugly stock photos of women in suits rushing off with their briefcases. We have so many choices these days. Make sure the visuals are aesthetically pleasing and are relatable to your audience and their dreams and goals.

Tip #4: Good ol’ 3 Ts

This method has been used for years for good reason. The Three Ts: 1. Tell that what you’re going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you just told them. Repetition is key for learning and hearing a concept three times in different ways helps to really plant the information in their brain.

Tip #5: Chunk content into digestible bites

Don’t present material in one long session. People’s attention spans are shorter than ever. If I hop on a video and see that it’s 60 minutes long, I will often jump right off (unless the material is wildly compelling which is rare). Respect people’s time. Make it digestible for your audience and break the content up into reasonable bites.

Tip #6: Teach to their learning strengths

Visual. Auditory. Kinesthetic. Provide the material in different formats, because everyone learns differently. Some people need to hear the content to learn it while visual learners need to see it.

Others need to work with the material through written journal prompts and other interactive methods. Preferably, use all three!

Tip #7: Give it some fresh context

Relate the information you’re teaching to something common. You can even use references to pop culture – Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga anyone? Pop figures, common cultural references, and recent events can illustrate a point like nothing else and make it memorable as well.

Tip #8: Know your audience

Is your audience made up of millennials? Are they baby-boomers? Is your audience mostly men, mostly women, or a good mix of both? Are they newbies or highly experienced in the area you’re talking about? Are they moms? Are they nomads? You really need to have a good idea so you can gear your material to them.

Tip #9: Be yourself.

Make jokes, be ok if you stumble a bit, have fun. Allow for the real YOU to come through. Authenticity is appreciated by those on the receiving end so allow them to see who you are and really enjoy your perspective on the topic.

Tip #10: Keep it pure learning

For the love of all things holy… do not sell while you’re teaching. If you want someone to really soak up the information you’re providing the worst thing you can do is subtly switch gears in the middle of your teaching to sell a service.

As savvy consumers, these days we can smell someone selling a mile away and we will immediately shut down all openness and receptivity to new information. Instead, your audience will put up their shields and promptly tune you out. You don’t want to lose the opportunity to teach quality material and for your students to learn it by trying to inappropriately sell to them.

Creating online (and offline) courses is a great way to share your knowledge, gain exposure, connect with your audience and for you to dive deeper into your personal bank of experiences, perspective, skills and knowledge.

Use the opportunity to provide real value to all involved.