How to create content that’s relatable (so it sticks)
A few years ago, I was working for a talent management software company on the content team. As you do, we relied on a lot of research to support the content we produced, and we had some favourite stats that made regular appearances.
There was one in particular that, to this day, bugs me:
“Managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units.”
Other than a statistician, is there anyone in the world who reads that statement the first time and has a clear and relatable understanding of what it means? Maybe there is. But that person isn’t me and I’m not a fan including anything in my writing that I don’t fully understand the impact.
As someone who wants people to digest my words quickly and easily without having to think too hard, this stat was my nemesis.
It says managers have a huge influence on engagement, but the context is usually framed in the negative. In other words, managers, your actions impact your employees’ engagement and probably not in a good way. So, do better or people will quit you.
Except that’s not quite right. It’s referring to a variance, which is a measure of how far a random set of numbers spread out from their average value.
Since that means there’s potentially positive influence on engagement from managers as well, it drove me nuts to see it presented in a warning context so often. Accuracy matters.
Mission impossible: make the stat relatable
After reading Made to Stick, which had some clever examples of relatable stats that inspired me, I made it my mission to conquer this stat.
I talked to really smart people who know more about stats than I do. I talked to people who know employee engagement. I talked to people who don’t care about stats or talent management. Ideas were proposed, but nothing was quite right.
After months of trying off and on to come up with a decent analogy (that wasn’t easily ripped apart), I finally gave up. I just avoided using it.
I’m still okay with that call. I learned a lesson that just because everyone’s talking about something a certain way doesn’t mean you have to jump into the conversation in the same way. And you might just come up with better alternatives. I know I did. Here’s how:
1) Focus on who you’re talking to
The audience is the most important factor when you’re developing content. Because if you’re not talking to them in a way that’s valuable and understandable, you’re probably just talking at them. And no one enjoys that.
We send subtle messages in content with the words we choose, the examples we share, the structure we select to lay it out, and the medium we use to deliver it. The best content reaches out to the audience using the words they use, examples they have lived or can imagine, and is delivered in a structure and medium they’re eager to consume.
2) Focus on their pain points and not your solution
Your product, service or solution is probably grand. But they don’t care … yet. What they do care about is the problems they live with day in and day out.
Share insights that can help them while you create a human connection by showing you understand the concerns they have. It’s one of the many steps on the trust-building journey you’re on with them. Acknowledge the frustrations they experience and give them something helpful to ease the pain instead of trying to make a sale.
3) Focus on what’s at stake
What’s the price of not taking action? Or going with a different option? Or ignoring your advice? Your content should give them a picture of what’s possible and the alternative of not pursuing even a small dream with you.
This is another way you can address the human need they have. Tap into the motivators that will propel them to act and bring that into your content as a way to deepen the connection with what you have to offer. Do they want to be a hero in their company? Do they want to feel important? Help them fulfill those intrinsic needs.
4) Focus on a compelling narrative
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at a blank page, decided on an angle, started to type and immediately deleted what I wrote. I’ve written whole articles that I scrapped because once I got to the end, I realized no one would care. And you want your audience to care enough to click at the very least.
Knowing what’s compelling to your audience isn’t straightforward in the beginning but as you build a repository of content that’s being tracked (analytics and measurement FTW!) you’ll have data to help guide you.
5) Focus on your why
Your why can be a north star to keep you on the right track in creating content that’s relevant to your audience, but it’s also a way to create a stronger connection.
One of my very favorite things is listening to business owners or executives talk about why they do what they do or believe in the business they run. Their stories are often inspiring and motivating, even when I’m not particularly interested in their business. Injecting that passion and purpose into your content is a powerful way to build understanding.
Creating relatable content shouldn’t be a slog
And if you’re having to try as hard as I did to make that stat work, take a step back and try a different approach.
Be brutally honest with yourself about the effort you’re putting in and answer a few questions:
Are you being authentic?
Do you know what you want people to do with what you’re saying/sharing?
And most importantly, can you relate to what you’re producing?
If you can’t answer yes to all of these questions, you probably need to address that before the words are going to flow easily again.
The day I gave up on using the unrelatable stat opened the floodgates and I was able to confidently write ebooks, articles, and other content without dragging a cumbersome, unwieldy bit of proof along to make my points.
And always remember that if you can’t relate to your content, there’s a good chance your audience is struggling to relate to it as well.