The Growth Newsletter #175

We don't have short attention spans. We have short consideration spans.

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Read on demandcurve.com The Growth Newsletter #175 We don't have short attention spans. We have short consideration spans. Ads fail for most companies. Sales is unfeasible for many of the rest.   Content marketing can propel underdogs to market leaders.   Yet, the vast majority of companies are terrible at it.   Today we discuss the most important element for effective content marketing. Let's dive in – Neal Brought to you by Superside.   Want access to the top 1% of global creative talent? Then you have 2 options:   Hire the most charismatic recruiter and give them an unlimited budget. Or sign up for Superside.   Superside's creative-as-a-service has upended the traditional (read: expensive and inefficient) design agency model.    Rather than month-long RFPs and bloated teams, Superside gives you: Access to the top 1% of global creative talent with expertise in the latest AI tools to deliver cutting-edge creative work. Ultra-fast turnaround times (anywhere from 48 to 12 hours) without compromising quality. A flexible subscription model so you always get your money's worth.   Companies like Meta, Google, and Reddit use Superside for their design needs, with a 4.9 customer satisfaction score.   Explore Superside for your design needs. Want to be featured in front of 100,568 founders and marketers? Learn more here. The First Commandment of Content Marketing Insight from our Growth Guide.   The typical company hires an SEO agency that pumps out low-quality content at high rates. Or they hire meh contract writers to write fairly meh content that are thinly veiled sales letters. Or they write surface-level and basic stuff.   And the typical person spends less than 30 minutes writing a LinkedIn post and wonders why it flops.   Which brings us to the first commandment of content marketing:   Thou shalt write for extremely high quality.   Until you've earned a reputation for quality in the reader's mind, they don't read closely. Instead: They skim. They don't fully appreciate your arguments. They assume you're just trying to sell to them (instead of educate).   The ultimate "hook" is the author's reputation. In other words, the "from line" is more important than the subject line. The author more than the title. The podcast more than the episode title. The YouTuber more than the thumbnail.   You want to train people to see your name (or brand) and associate it with being worth the time investment to stop and read it.   Because most content is not.   You can do that by not shying away from great, in-depth content.   People don't have short attention spans for content: They finish three-hour Joe Rogan episodes and binge fourteen hours of Netflix.   They have short consideration spans: they must be hooked quickly. To do so, ensure your first minute is incredible.   Extreme quality stems from four factors: Yes! All of this matters for SEO as well. A huge factor in SEO is whether someone clicked a link in Google and terminated their search on your post. It has to be good if the person stopped trying to find other resources to answer the question. The criteria for different content types   Search-driven (SEO) content should fulfill these criteria: You have something comprehensive and actionable to say about the topic that can resolve someone's query. Potential customers search Google or YouTube for this topic. The topic can naturally segue into a pitch for your product.   Sharing-driven (social) content should fulfill these criteria: You have something novel and surprising to say about the topic. The novelty resonates emotionally or intellectually, which prompts sharing. The topic can naturally segue into a pitch for your product or cement you in their mind as an expert in that topic.   And both types of content benefit if you go over the top. It makes it noteworthy, shareworthy, "bookmarkable," and "linkable" (in other blogs and newsletters). The best backlink strategy is making content that people organically link to—also known as the Skyscraper Technique.   In short, quality is king   The world doesn't need more content. But it desperately needs better content.   Across almost every industry or niche, there is opportunity to become a respected name by writing in-depth, quality content.   Train people to associate your name with quality, and you'll have their attention.   What's next?   This is an edited opening of our Content Marketing guide. Continue reading here.   Here are some additional resources: I enjoyed this podcast episode on Lenny Rachitsky's writing process (writer of a 7-figure, 650,000-subscriber newsletter). My guide to writing hooks. My cofounder's guide to Writing Better (read by hundreds of thousands) Go through the 64 content marketing insights shared in this newsletter. What did you think of today's newsletter? 😍 Loved it:  Forward to a friend, or reply—a simple 😍 will do! If really helps. 🤷‍♀️ Meh: You can unsubscribe here, or manage your subscription here. 🤔 I'm new here: You can join the party here. Something useful   Use this copywriting cheatsheet to make your content better. Click here (or the image below) for a high-res PDF. How we can help you grow Read our free playbooks, articles, growth guide, and teardowns—we break down the strategies & tactics used by fast-growing startups. Enroll in the Growth Program, our marketing course that has helped 1,000+ founders get traction and scale revenue. Become UNIGNORABLE. Join the waitlist for the next cohort of our popular audience building course. Need help running ads? We've built the ads agency for startups. Looking for a growth freelancer or agency? We'll match you with a vetted partner for free. Get in front of 100,568 startup founders by sponsoring this newsletter. Thanks, everyone! See you on Thursday. Neal O'Grady Justin Setzer © 2024 Demand Curve, Inc. All rights reserved. 4460 Redwood Hwy, Suite 16-535, San Rafael, California, United States Unsubscribe from all emails, including the newsletter, or manage subscription preferences.