Addictive content

Photo: Mike Mozart (CC)

I’m addicted to many things, some harmful, some harmless. But I can’t live without them.

“Big Brother.” Diet Coke. Baking. Self-improvement. A healthy diet (except for the Diet Coke). Speed reading. Jazz. Playing on my phone.

Many of us are the sum of our addictions, whether we admit or not. But addiction can help us serve others.

Businesses struggle with reaching out to fans, customers and strangers. They worry excessively about the number of emails and blog posts and Facebook updates they put online. Is it too much? Will we scare away people?

That demonstrates they don’t know their audience — really any audience — very well.

If a customer craves something, she’ll want more and more. And she can decide when she’s had enough, while still coming back later to nurture that addiction.

Great content is addictive content. Creating blog posts that make readers shout “Amen!” and click Like and share it with friends is addictive content. Writing an email (monthly, weekly, daily) that quickens the pulse of the recipient and compels them to read it first is addictive content.

(An example of addictive email is theSkimm, which a client was kind enough to share with me.)

A business can’t create enough addictive content. Never.

The question shouldn’t be: Are we putting too much stuff out there?

The question should be: Is our content addictive? If not, how can we fix it?

If they keep making Oreos, I’ll eat them for the next 50 years. I’ll eat a pile of them till I’m sick. And then, I’ll swear off them. And I’ll come crawling back for more soon enough.

They fuel my creativity, my need to reach people with new and different ideas. I want them hooked on my content.

Because I’m also hooked on helping others.

• • •

If you need help creating addictive content,
let me help …