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10 Ways to Fix Failing Content by Danny Goodwin #343

Ep. 34337 min2016-10-21

Failing content usually suffers from boring headlines, vanilla writing, poor promotion, or no strategy; fixing each of these ten specific problems can rescue underperforming content.

Cover art for 10 Ways to Fix Failing Content by Danny Goodwin #343
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Key takeaways
headlines are the most important element. It's the first thing people see. You need to hook them instantly or risk losing them permanently.

About this episode

Has your content taken a long walk off a short pier? Chris and Chuck can help! This week they cover "10 reasons your content will fail and what you can do about it" by Danny Goodwin, posted at Search Engine Watch.

Questions this episode answers

What are the most common reasons content fails according to Danny Goodwin?

Danny Goodwin lists ten reasons including a boring headline, vanilla writing, making content hard to share, failing to promote it, nobody knowing the brand, ugly formatting, being too promotional, lacking emotional response, poor grammar and spelling, and having no content strategy.

How often should you promote a piece of content on social media?

The episode suggests tweeting the same content every 20 minutes with different copy to reach people in different time zones, posting on Facebook three or four times a day, and also repurposing it on Instagram, LinkedIn, SlideShare, Reddit, and similar platforms.

How can a new brand grow its audience through content?

The episode says new brands should focus content on high-level information about their product or service rather than their brand name, and can use display ads for remarketing, paid social ads like boosted posts, and guest content on slightly larger brands' sites to build recognition.

In their words

a small error can turn a great piece of content into worthless content.

Host

content that is designed simply to promote your brand won't perform well. People will see right through it and be turned off by it.

Host
Terms defined in this episode
Shikos
An eWebResults branded term for social engagement, standing for shares, likes, and follows.
Drop test
A concept the hosts use to judge content appeal by asking whether someone passing by would stop and pick it up, based on how engaging and attractive it looks.
Vanilla content
Content that is boring, factual without personality, and written in a dull robotic tone, offering no entertainment, inspiration, or strong opinion.
Algorithm Cataclysm (AlgoCat)
The hosts' segment covering major search engine algorithm updates, such as the official rollout of Google Penguin 4 and Google's announced plan to create a separate mobile search index.

Full transcript is being added.

Matthew Bertram, host of The Best SEO Podcast
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint

Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.

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