1. Content Creation:
Plan It, Spec It, Get It Written!
Phillip Thune Christina Zila
CEO-Americas Director of
pt@textbroker.com Communications
@textbroker cz@textbroker.com

2. Content Strategy 101
Ranking high is a
competition, and
the old strategies
won’t work
anymore.

3. Content Strategy 101
Turn your content into a star player!

4. SEO=Social +Search Engine
Optimization
Your Site
Social media and search are merging.

5. What Is Great Content?

6. Keys to Great Content
• Audience
• Attitude/Branding
• Planning
• Goals
• Keywords/Headlines
• Writing Team

7. Audience
It’s not about you.

8. Audience
Who is your audience?
-Check demographics, locations (Google Analytics & Ad Planner)
-Understand motivation for visiting and buying
-Look for social signals (Likes, Re-tweets)
-What are their needs?

9. Audience: Demographics
Google Ad
Planner:
WordPress.com

10. You Like Me, You Really Like Me!

11. A Real Example

12. Search Plus Your World

13. Search Plus Your World

14. Attitude
Now it’s about you.

15. Attitude: REI

16. Attitude: Moosejaw

17. Attitude: Bring the Game To You

18. Attitude: Branding Questions
• What are your advantages?
• What’s your history?
• Who are the owners or
founders of your company?
• How do they influence
communication and presentation?
• How do you want to be seen?
• What has created a positive
impact in the past?
• What are your competitors
doing?
• Do you want to be like them or
take a contrasting tone?

19. Branding Guidelines:
American Heart Association

20. Branding Guidelines:
Best Buy

21. Editorial Calendars
• Plan large or
multiple campaigns
• Promote special
events
• Avoid writer’s block
• Ensure resource
availability
• Brainstorm ideas

22. Editorial Calendar:
Social Media Calendar
Social Media Calendar Month Twitter Activity
Company Name: Facebook Activity
Who We are in 120 Characters: Linked In Activity
Who We're Talking To: Blog Activtiy
What We're Talking About: www.theloudfew.com
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day #
Author: Author: Author: Author: Author:
Action: Topic: Topic: Find Influencers:
Author: Author: Author: Action:
Author:
Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day #
Author: Author: Author: Author: Author:
Action: Topic: Topic: Find Influencers:
Author: Author: Author: Action:
Author:
Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day #
Author: Author: Author: Author: Author:
Action: Topic: Topic: Find Influencers:
Author: Author: Author: Action:
Author:
Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day #
Author: Author: Author: Author: Author:
Action: Topic: Topic: Find Influencers:
Author: Author: Author: Action:
Author:
Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day # Day #
Author: Author: Author: Author: Author:
Action: Topic: Topic: Find Influencers:
Author: Author: Author: Action:
Author:
End-of-Month Tasks: Review Measurement Data & Review Website Content for Accuracy

23. Editorial Calendar:
Parade Magazine

24. Goals
1. What should the item do?
• Establish as a leading
source?
• Review an item?
• Get someone to buy or sign
up for a newsletter?
2. Should there be a call to action
(buy now/ subscribe here) in the
text?
1. Are there sub-goals, like
increasing brand awareness?

25. Keywords
Base keywords off of your audience’s preferences and
your piece’s goals.
Items that are written starting from the keyword can
lack focus and easily become stilted.
Keywords inspire snappy, pertinent headlines. Headlines
can be re-worked after the content is finished for a
stronger correlation between article and title.

26. Headlines
•Make them compelling to give the author clear direction
•Keep them general to allow the author more creativity
•Authors can adjust a title afterwards to cover the content

27. The Recap
Develop your playbook by
communicating what we've
worked on to your writers:
-Audience
-Attitude/Branding guide
-Editorial calendar
-Goals for the piece
-Keywords
-Headline

28. Guidelines
Besides your prep work, consider
including:
•Person: Is this piece written as
the company (we at Company
Name) or as an independent
third party?
•Should the piece address the
reader directly?
•Anything to avoid
• Mentioning other sites, brand
names, negativity, searching
•Anything that this particular
piece should include that’s not
covered in the attitude or the
goals?

29. No Work, No Glory
Nobody makes it to
the front page of
Google by luck.

30. Vague Guidelines
Write an article on motorcycles. Don’t plagiarize.
Use the word “buy motorcycle parts” twice in the
article.

31. Vague Content
Motorcycles are an efficient mode of transportation.
Buy motorcycle parts today.
Some people buy motorcycle parts to personalize
their bike. Then the bike looks ugly and gets loud.

32. Specific Guidelines
We are a site for young motorcycle racers. Our
audience is males age 24-35. Please use hip
language and a street-smart attitude in your
writing – think Fast and Furious.
Please do not mention Harleys or touring bikes.
Address the reader directly. This piece should
encourage owners to pimp their rides for
performance and style. Please include a call to
action in the item.

33. Specific Content
Custom parts shave seconds off your best 0-60
time. Whether you’re burning rubber or showing off
your ride, the best motorcycle parts put you in the
spotlight. We’ve got the hottest parts direct from
the top brands from Japan, Europe and the US.
Don’t be left in the dust! Buy motorcycle parts
today!

34. Every Coach Needs A Good Team

35. Where To Outsource Your Content
Freelancers Bidding Sites Writing Sites
+High quality +Wide variety of quality with minimal +Set quality for set prices
+Personal attention filters +Options to work directly with writers
-High price +Wide variety of prices for a set price
-Long negotiations -Long negotiations +Quick turnaround
-No backups -Sort through multiple offers +Simple approval process
“Free Agents” -Unclear timelines -Can’t talk to writer beforehand
“Sports camp” “Scout” or “Tryouts”

36. Using a Writing Service
• Set length and category
• Give your subjects/titles and instructions
• Choose a quality level
• Instead of choosing from a pile of
submissions, you simply say yes or no.
• Export your item to easily integrate into
your blog or CMS.

37. Quality Levels
Lowest Level Middle Level Top Level
• Don’t use • Homophone • Flawless
spell-check errors articles
• Subject- • Your/you’re • Strong
verb • Basic structure
agreement structure • Compelling
errors conclusion
• Awkward
phrasing

38. Writing Service Benefits
• Bulk upload options
• Keyword density tools
• Copyscape
• Robust exporting tools
•Automatic exporting
•API
•WordPress plug-in.
• Directly work with an author, or
• Select your own team of authors
Using a writing service makes content
creation scalable.

39. Expanding Your Content
• Brainstorming ideas
• Site-wide re-writes or updates
• Article-based marketing campaigns
• Consistent or increased blogging
• White papers
• Case studies
• FAQs

40. Conclusion
• Understand as much as possible about your
audience
• Keep your attitude consistent
• Set goals for each piece of content
• Use your audience and your goals to generate
keywords and titles
• Writing sites keep the process efficient and
affordable
Let’s make great content!