14 Tips For Creating Content That Doesn’t Pollute

Earth Day made me think of water, which made me think of pollution, which, sad to say, made me think of… content.

Because most content produced today is pollution.

It’s usually not called that, of course. Too brutal. The polite (buzz)word is “churn.”

Meaning: all the lookalike content that’s produced every day, tossed into the stream, and then gets ignored.

I’m embarrassed to say I’ve produced some posts like that. They’re digital pollution.

So if you routinely create content, how can you make sure your content does not pollute?

1. Stop routinely creating content. Stop churning it out. Only create content when you have something new to say. Choose quality over quantity.

2. Don’t run everything together. That’s true even if you insert images and videos into your text. Eyes glaze over quickly without white space.

3. Resist the temptation to use stock photos just because they’re free. Everyone’s sick of those cookie-cutter people yukking it up around a computer.

4. Don’t create posts that are infomercials or thinly disguised pitches for your product or service. It kills your credibility.

5. Figure out new ways to tell your brand story. Don’t be
the bore at the cocktail party telling the one we’ve all heard before.

6. Make sure you have a clean uncluttered site. No one likes to visit a site that’s polluted with congestion, popups, and poor navigation.

7. If you partner with an influencer, make sure the person has a sincere interest in your brand. Insincerity breeds pollution– it’s inevitable.

8. Create for your target audience. People return to sites (both physical and digital) because they connect emotionally. You can’t be all things to all people.

9. Your #1 priority has to be getting noticed. True even if you buy ads. You won’t get noticed if you create boring useless filler.

10. Every piece of content reflects on you and your brand. People forgive an occasional lapse, but churning out empty content ruins your reputation.

11. Figure out a way to be different. Do that before you create content. Otherwise you’ll be lost in the churn, no matter how good your content is.

12. Take risks— it’s part of being different, standing out. Playing it safe leads to sameness, invisibility, being part of the churn.

13. Don’t mistake flash for substance. Especially true for video and interactive content. People walk by walls covered with garish graffiti. Eyeballs do, too.

14. Give people a reason to come back. Every post is a chance to tell someone you’re worth their time.

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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

Follow @mrstrongarm