Introduction: What is ‘thought leadership’ and why does it matter?

Thought leadership is the practice of showcasing your company’s experience and authority in its field through content. At a time when brands are competing for attention and visibility via search engine optimisation (SEO) or on large language models (LLMs) via generative engine optimisation (GEO, or AI search), thought leadership has become critical.

Social media posts, LinkedIn articles, even trusted old-school blog posts are essential to demonstrate the values that search engines and LLMs are looking for, often summarised as ‘EEAT’, or Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

From a content marketing perspective, these could include: 

• Experience: Case studies, tutorials, FAQs, walkthroughs, etc.
• Expertise: How-to guides, expert explainers, whitepapers, training, etc.
• Authoritativeness: Media citations, backlinks, guest posts, etc.
• Trustworthiness: Author biographies, clear sourcing, user reviews, etc.

Because recency is a big factor in GEO, especially, brands must publish consistently on topics that matter to them and their audience. 

People buy from people, so thought leadership offers brands the opportunity to feature their key spokespeople as human faces, rather than just generic branded content. 

It’s increasingly important to nurture and maintain an authentic voice. At a time when many brands are turning to AI to create masses of samey-sounding content, brands who resist the temptation to use AI and instead retain a human creator have a better chance of retaining a human voice and standing out. 

After all, if you’re turning to AI to come up with ‘thought leadership’, it’s not really your content; it’s a curation of other people’s surfaced by a machine.

Thought Leadership Formats

Thought leadership comes in several formats:

Short form: Media interviews and newsjacking comments, letters to editors, social media posts

Medium form (600-1,200 words): Blog posts, LinkedIn posts and articles

Long form (1,200+ words): White papers, in-depth reports, or podcasts (audio with transcripts)

Who should write thought leadership pieces?

Thought leaders rarely write pieces themselves; they do not have the time to do it, and writing may not be their forte. This is why they turn to PR teams and expert copywriters to craft the content for them.

Authority and authenticity are key. The company spokespeople should speak to topics within their realm of expertise, for example:

Founder/CEO: Top-level business topics, strategic direction and vision

CTO: Technical development and security

CFO: Financial matters

Product Marketing Manager: Product features and industry topics

As I mentioned at the outset, people buy from people, so they want to see and hear from people that speak to their exact remit and challenges. Matching company voices to a specific audience on specific topics makes perfect sense.

What makes an engaging piece of thought leadership content?

The unfortunate fact in the attention economy is that many people either skim-read content or even give up after the first paragraph. The age of AI summaries is changing reading behaviour, too. You have to hook people in early and keep them engaged.

Natural voice is essential here. It’s a differentiator in a world where so many brands are using AI to create their ‘original’ content.

The process behind thought leadership creation

It pays to have a content calendar with ‘known’ content tied to key events (e.g., calendar-specific events or annual reports) while leaving capacity to respond to events such as government budgets or news stories.

Content creation always starts with an interview. For short-form content, like a newsjacking opportunity or request for comment from the media, it can be as simple as leaving a WhatsApp voice note to the PR team for them to craft into a comment.

Medium-form comment requires more planning and insight. Medium-form content requires a story arc, supporting data and real-life examples, and takeaways, so an initial call to lay out the argument is critical. A comprehensive brief from the brand helps set expectations and makes the process easier, as the copywriter is clear on the objective. And, of course, there should be a clear call to action at the end. What do you want the reader to do with the information you have provided.

Even more planning is required for long-form content, like reports and white papers. This type of content will often be turned into a professionally designed PDF, which might be gated by an email for sales purposes. However, I have seen recent research from trusted search engine optimisation (SEO) consultants who have seen search visibility drop significantly for PDF material, so brands may be better off keeping content on webpages is search visibility is their objective.

For research, brands will often engage a third-party specialist research house. They will be able to guide on the wording of questions and the right target audiences. In a world where B2B opinion is increasingly generic, unique research becomes even more valuable and potentially newsworthy. They provide brands with exclusive data that they can analyse, thus showcasing their expertise.

Channel specificity is key

While content hosted on a brand’s website is valuable for search visibility, brands must also promote their spokespeople across channels. News channels and guest articles for trade publications are naturally important for thought leadership, but LinkedIn as a B2B channel requires its own strategy.

Why? Partly because that’s where B2B decision-makers are active, but also because LinkedIn’s algorithm favours content that keeps people engaged on the platform. So, brands should identify which spokespeople to promote and create regular, consistent, LinkedIn-specific content to build their profile.

LinkedIn requires its own content strategy, and brand pages aren’t that popular, so, again, it’s down to promoting the individual.

Measuring thought leaderhip

Once content is out there, brands must measure its impact. In the short term, look at social media engagement on posts, analyse genuine comments, measure click-throughs and assess intention thereafter. 

Over the long term, look at search performance and visitor performance. Consider the entire content campaign, not just individual pieces. Are your efforts increasing your visibility on search engines and within AI search (GEO)?

Conclusion

Thought leadership is critical to remain in the conversation and remain relevant. High-quality, relevant content gives brands a better chance to be found on search engines and LLMs when their potential customers search for their products or services. 

Given the lengthy B2B decision-making funnel, content plays a key role in informing and persuading audiences. However, it’s important to remember that thought leadership is not an opportunity to sell; it’s a way to demonstrate your value and that, in the long run, can help ‘sell’ you as a brand.

Be human, be useful, be consistent, and measure the impact of your work. It takes time to build up a presence and start to see results. 

If you need a content expert to help you with your thought leadership planning and creation, please contact me. I’ve been in B2B tech PR and journalism for 28 years, so I am a trusted pair of hands.

AI disclosure: I wrote this content myself and ran it through Grammarly to check for grammar/typos, etc.

“We’ve worked with Eight Moon Media for more than two years, and we’re always impressed with the quality of their copy, their responsiveness, and their friendly professionalism.”

Sue Glanville, Co-founder and Director, Catalyst Comms

The post The Ultimate Guide to B2B Thought Leadership appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

‘Show, don’t tell’ is a vital concept when informing and persuading audiences. In an era when decision-makers are increasingly turning to large language models (LLMs) to discover and evaluate service providers, case studies have never been more important.

The PR value of case studies

People can spot spin a mile off. What they really want to see is people like them who face the same challenges and understand how they overcame their challenges. The customer’s endorsement is a key, neutral proof that you’re a trustworthy partner and that your service or product delivers on its promise.

Case studies, whether written or video, are key persuasive content assets in the decision journey. They’re ‘mid-funnel’, so a potential customer may have heard about your brand and is assessing your viability for their needs, so they will want to see evidence of the value you deliver in the form of a proof point, like a case study.

In the era of LLMs, customer case studies are essential owned content. LLMs and ‘traditional’ search engines alike look for ‘EEAT’ content: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Case studies straddle all these groups. Read this post for more on AI search and the role of PR content.

The challenge of getting customer case studies and how to solve it

I’ve been agency-side most of my career and have seen the frustrations that in-house comms leads face when trying to get hold of customer case studies. Sometimes, customers don’t want to talk or there are sensitivities (especially in cybersecurity).

Anonymous case studies are not ideal, but better than nothing. You can use ambiguous language to avoiding naming the customer directly, such as “a well-known insurance provider”.

So, who has access to customers? Sales teams and customer services. What really works is when the communications team educates sales teams about the value of PR and customer case studies and explains clearly what they need to open a pipeline of customer content.

Once you’ve got your customer case study out in the public domain, shout about it! Get it out there on LinkedIn and other social media. Empower sales teams to use them in their new business conversations.

The customer case study story arc

There is an art to brand storytelling, and customer case studies follow an arc:

1) Set the scene

What was the initial problem that needed solving? What was the existing process/technology, why wasn’t it working, and what was the cost to the business?

2) What was the customer selection process?

How did the customer come to hear of and select the service provider? What did they implement, what was the process?

3) What challenges did the customer face?

What challenges did the customer face during implementation, and how did the client help them overcome them?

4) What difference has the solution made?

What difference has the solution made to staff, productivity, efficiency and profitability (in that order)? Are there any stats you can use? (e.g. “we saved 25% on previous costs”, “we can now do this in half the time”, etc.)

5) What happens next?

What future plans does the customer have, and what advice would they give other people in their position? Most brands stop at step 4, but this extra step demonstrates the longevity and strength of the relationship.

Are you ready to discuss your customer case study requirements?

Case studies are essential marketing assets in the age of AI search (GEO/AEO), as LLMs become the main channel through which customers engage with brands.

At Eight Moon Media, we’ve written hundreds of customer case studies over the years that engage, inform, and persuade audiences. Whether intended for your website or for press use, we can craft expert customer case studies for you.

Please get in touch if you need help bringing your customer case studies to life.

The post Why customer case studies should be your priority right now appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

Copywriting has changed in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI). I find myself doing a lot more editing of AI-generated content now, for example, but I believe the comeback in brand storytelling is a sign that the essential human skill of written communication matters more than ever. And it all starts with a comprehensive brief.

When you brief your copywriter, whether they’re human or an AI*, your output will only be as strong as your brief. ‘Prompt literacy’ is an issue in PR (get in touch if you want to learn more about that and my AI for PR training). I would always argue for human copywriters, because they have trained judgement and understand culture. 

A solid brief saves you time and money in the long run, making sure you get as close to your intended goal the first time.

Your checklist for briefing a copywriter

Here is a checklist of things to consider when briefing a copywriter or content creator. It may look like a lot, but they’re worth following so you’re clear in your own mind what you want from the piece:

• What is the format of the content? (e.g. blog post, article, case study, white paper, report, ebook etc.)
• What’s your business objective for the content? What do you want the reader to understand?
• Where does the content fit into your sales funnel?
• What are your key messages, and what information can you provide to support them?  
• Who is the main audience (persona)? What is their level of understanding of the topic? What is their need? Why should they be interested?
• What is the brand’s tone of voice? Can you provide examples of your house style or a few links to some writing styles that you like?
• Should the post be written in the first or third person? If it is written in first person, provide their name and role. A biography can also be helpful if your copywriter is not familiar with their background.
• What are your key takeaways? What information do you want readers to understand and remember?
• Any research/data, supporting assets or third-party quotes to include?
• Any links to include?
• Any keywords or phrases to include?
• Have you researched any queries from large language models (LLMs) that you want to include for GEO (AI search) reasons?
• How many words do you need?
• What timeframes are you working to?
• Who are the stakeholders?

How we work on copywriting projects at Eight Moon Media

When we engage with you, having received the brief, the process would typically include:

• An initial briefing call to clarify the brief and address any questions
• Interviews conducted over Zoom or Teams. We prefer to record interviews and use Otter.ai to make a transcription
• We use Grammarly to check our final draft for quality, grammar, and originality
• We will create the first draft and share it with you for your feedback
• Depending on the size of the project, we usually include one round of edits in our copywriting service, or two for longer projects (like reports)

We provide a briefing checklist to help us nail down the copy within that scope without the need for extra rewriting costs. However, it is worth us sharing a bit of insight around rewriting needs, because in our experience, when clients request rewriting, it’s nearly always down to stakeholders wanting to add extra information or different messaging to the original brief. 

Your brand will probably already have a brand guide with tone of voice and messaging guidance, which you can also give to your copywriter. If you don’t have a brand guide, we can help you to develop one. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.

Are you ready to brief out a copywriting project and in need of an expert B2B technology copywriter? Please drop me an email.

*I am typically against using AI to create content intended for publication because you run the risk of hallucination, plagiarism, and generating slop that a) requires a rewrite or edit, and/or b) can be detected by AI bots as AI-generated and therefore marked down for SEO and AI search (GEO). However, I use it to summarise my own content (e.g. podcast transcripts) and understand that companies can save time on repeatable content, such as press releases. However, with Anthropic (Claude) introducing invisible watermarks for content copied and pasted from its model, generating content exclusively via an LLM comes with a potential reputational risk.

The post How to brief a copywriter or content creator appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

PR Moment recently published an article asking, “is PR data deficient?” I submitted some comments that weren’t used, but I thought I would build out on that question and examine the art of writing reports for PR purposes. 

I’ve been in tech PR and comms for 26 years, and one of the absolutely essential skills I developed early on was how to interpret data to understand what that meant for forming compelling narratives.

PR Moment asked if PR is data deficient. In my experience, the larger agencies will often have someone dedicated to data, with the associated skills around Excel, GA4, etc., but, certainly, everybody in PR – regardless of seniority – needs to understand the basics of what data tells us and how to craft stories around that.

Research as a coverage generator and sales tool

There are several benefits to conducting research:

• To establish or cement your position as industry experts
• To gain valuable customer or market insights and guide strategy
• To use as a sales tool in the field
• To generate coverage
• To use as social media content

In my experience, the key driver for conducting research is typically to generate media coverage. It’s a short-term tactic but can be repeated annually to build momentum as a market bellwether. 

The research process

During a typical research process, a client or their PR agency will decide upon a topic they would like to explore, and their budget will determine the size of the field and the scope of the questions.

At a basic level, options like Survey Monkey offer PRs templated questions with swift responses. Partnering with a specialist research company is more expensive, but they can assist with questions to help get results that will drive stories. They may also analyse the results and generate a basic report, should that be included in your fee.

If conducting consumer research, you’ll need several hundred, if not thousands, of responses to make the field ‘valid’ and get a viable range of statistics. Multi-territory or regional focusses are great, as they open the possibility for geographical comparisons. You can probably use a smaller field for specialist positions (e.g. 250 UK dentists).

After the results, the PR consultant’s job is to extract the key themes and messages and recommend how to best present those findings. This will typically include a report, social media assets, and a launch press release. Often, results might be given as an exclusive to a publication.

How to conduct valuable customer research

Here’s a step-by-step best practice guide to conducting research, assuming close communication and approval from the client at every stage: 

1) Be clear on objectives: What is the overall narrative that you’d ideally like to present? What are your key messages and how will your questions support them? Who and where is your target audience? What kind of outcomes are you expecting, and are you ready to pivot if data doesn’t support them? It’s also worth thinking about timing. Could you pin your research to a key calendar event so research is ready to come out when the media agenda is most receptive? 

2) Choose your research partner: Will you use a self-service option or partner with a research company? If the latter, brief them clearly on what you aim to achieve so that they can consult you on how to make the most of the survey.

3) Analyse results: What stories emerge once the results are in? Have more than one person look at the data to see if different people spot different trends. Double-check the figures to make sure they’re consistent. If there’s no standout story, what then? Always have a plan B; there’s probably something you can use. 

4) Draft the report: Work with a specialist copywriter and a graphic designer to create the report. Make sure the main points stick out. The report should contain:

• Index
• Executive Summary
• Foreword from a client-side spokesperson specialist (also think about involving a third-party specialist, who may add gravitas for a fee)
• Key data stories – use boxouts to focus on topics and pull out key stats with graph
• Conclusion 
• Call-to-action 
• Credits and methodology 

5) Have a content plan:  How will you present your findings? You’ll have thought about this up front, but now the report is drafted, think about what social assets you can create from the findings and whether you can drip-feed these out to keep that interest coming. Also, remember to revisit the stats whenever relevant to the news agenda.

I would say this, wouldn’t I, but always partner with an expert content consultant, copywriter, and designer to make sure that your report has the full impact it deserves. If you don’t have a specialist content consultant or copywriter, please drop me an email.

To address PR Moment’s original question, is PR data deficient? Here’s what I submitted. I’d be interested to know what you think. 

“I don’t think that PR is data deficient. A great deal of our work relies on surveys and reports as both sales tools and coverage generators. However, the responsibility of leading the data side of PR does tend to fall on someone with a data or content remit. While we definitely need those particular specialisms in every agency, every PR consultant should understand data – for example, survey results usually arrive in Excel – and know how to interpret it. This means understanding the communications purpose of a study, how to choose the scope of audience, how to phrase the questions, how to work with survey companies, and how to spot the trends and stories in the results. And it doesn’t end there; PR pros need to learn how to present that data in an audience-friendly way and work with graphic designers to bring the stories to life.

“In short, no, I don’t believe PR is data deficient, but data skills are valuable and are essential for PRs of all levels.”

The post PR and Data: The Art of Writing Reports appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

Let’s talk about artificial intelligence (AI) again. I’ve commented on so many other people’s LinkedIn posts recently that I thought I may as well condense them into one. Here we go…

Basically, I think we’re still in the early stages of a hype cycle. Lots of brands and agencies may initially view AI as a chance to create cheap and plentiful content, but at the expense of quality and – ultimately – effectiveness. Not to mention the potential for inaccuracies, as well as copyright infringement and plagiarism accusations, which are already hitting the courts in the US.

I’m already seeing plenty of people comment on LinkedIn that they’ve had to edit something a client has created in AI to cut corners
I’ve also seen SEO experts saying they see AI-generated website text lead to a fall in the rankings
I have seen people complain to well-known brands on social media that their copy has blatantly been created by AI; an increasingly-savvy public can already see right through it.

At Eight Moon, with our copywriting work, we must ensure that content we hand to a client is 100% original, and in their voice, tailored to their audience, which is why we disclose on which AI tools we use and what for:

Interview and podcast transcription (Otter)
Grammar check and copy honing, originality checking (Grammarly)
Ideation, summarising, and conceptualisation (ChatGPT-4)*

This period reminds me very much of the early days of social media, when C-level execs struggled to make sense of what it meant to them and often relied on the counsel of younger, often less experienced but more tech-savvy marketers. Sometimes, that led to issues, but it also led to some incredible creativity.

I think we’re still working out the right balance, and I think those currently dazzled by AI will also come to that conclusion soon, one way or the other.

So, in short – great tools, lots of potential, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – you still need humans to communicate effectively with humans.

If you require copywriting services from a human, or would like human editing of AI-generated content to make it resonate with your audience while checking for duplication, please get in touch.

[ Yours truly in art deco style, apparently. I seem to have been shot through the hand with a quill]

* never with a client’s name disclosed or for content generation, and fact-checked within an inch of its life!

The post The Importance of Getting AI in Context appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

If you have a location-independent job and you’re considering working from other places when it is safe to do so, here are some of the things I have learned from previous experience.

Practical considerations: Connectivity, comfort and continuity

For me connectivity, continuity and comfort are the three golden rules of remote working. 

Starting with connectivity it goes without saying that WiFi is an essential. I had a dongle as a backup and had my favourite local WiFi-enables cafés or pubs, just in case. Having a mobile with an untethered SIM card is useful as you can swap it out for a local one if going abroad.

Moving on to continuity, always be ready for those worst-case tech scenarios! Back up everything and protect your tech and your data – an external hard drive and cloud storage are key. Look at security programmes that enable you to wipe data from stolen devices, and get gold-plated insurance for your tech. 

In some countries, you may need a surge protector to avoid frying your laptop. I would also recommend bringing a lightweight, multi-plug extension cord and I use one of those multi-country plug converters.

Moving on to comfort, as you are away from your usual desk environment, you need to make your remote working set up as ergonomic as possible. You won’t be able to fully enjoy the benefits of the nomadic lifestyle if you can’t move for pain!

This could include a laptop-riser, ergonomic mouse and noise-cancelling headphones to focus in any environment. You’ll need a robust laptop bag and all the required adaptors. 

Time zone considerations

Your working hours may need to match the time zone of your clients, so apply your working day accordingly in order to be responsive.

Ignore those pictures of laptops and hammocks! Work is work and holiday is holiday – sand in laptops is a disaster, so keep work and play separate, as you would at home!

Speak to your accountant about your tax liability if you’re planning to be abroad for a long period of time. This might vary from country to country depending on how long you stay there.

With more generous roaming packages, public WiFi and personal MiFi deals around, it is easier than ever to take off to wherever you feel, get your work done to as high a spec as you would at home, and also enjoy the local experience wherever you choose to head.

At the time of writing, during the easing of lockdown, there are restrictions in place and quarantine rules are changing all the time, plus insurance to think about. Additionally, if you’re a UK national, there’s the uncertainty of travel rights after the EU withdrawal transition ends to consider. 

So, having done several short stints of nomad life during my career, it’s a case just a case of doing your homework and making sure it works for you…and having a plan B and plan C in place, just in case…

In the communications industry we need to be online, in touch and professional, so really, from that end, working from a remote location is pretty much the same as working anywhere else, whether that’s in the UK or somewhere further afield.

*NB none of the above constitutes ‘advice’, this is only my personal experience.

The post Being a digital nomad: Is it as easy as it looks? appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

 You may have already read PR consultant Ella Minty’s post Never hire a journalist to do public relations. If you haven’t, take a look. In this post, I’m going to explore what journalists can contribute to a PR practice and why I believe every agency or department should have someone with at least some pressroom experience.

Let’s get the obvious ones checked off first:

A nose for a story

Ella’s post rightly highlights that there’s a world of difference between public relations – an essential management function – and media relations – how brands tell communicate with press and influencers.

One of the key takeaways for me in the newsroom was that I learn as much about how not to do PR than the other way around. My audience was IT managers, so my interest was in what kept them awake at night – security, patches, hosting etc. – while PRs representing vendors were often focussed on product rather than the issues they solved.

Journalists have to think audience-first, so arguably have an keener sense of what will resonate with audiences and therefore make a story.

A gift for storytelling

Why is it so many press releases fail? Why are so many issued in the first place? Why is corporate jargon so hard to decipher rather so it achieves the opposite (confuse and annoy) to what it’s meant to do (communicate and engage)?

One of the reasons may be a lack of a storyteller, which is where journalist experience comes in handy.

Check out my guide on how to write a press release for more on this topic…

A quick turnaround

Journalists often perfect a formula for their storytelling, so – when armed with the right information – can put together a story fairly quickly. Speed combined with accuracy is essential in the ‘marketing in the moment’ era.

A grasp of SEO

Writing for the web is completely different art to traditional storytelling. It involves shorter sentences, regular subheads, bullet points and other ways to enable audiences to read – or, more likely, scan – copy from a mobile device.

Readability is a key component in how Google ranks web pages when people search online, and many journalists are trained in search engine optimisation (SEO), so understand how to help content rank. How many PRs have had SEO training?

A wide network

Journalists have a huge range of trusted contacts accrued over their career. These aren’t just other media contacts but also analysts, influencers, agents, celebrities – these can all be useful sounding boards for campaign ideas and new business.

They have also been exposed to hundreds of creative campaigns, so probably have some great inspiration for how to bolster a brand’s marketing.

An understanding of how influencers work

Their career may differ, but there are many similarities between how journalists and influencers work. For example, how they take the pulse of their audience to formulate their content plans. How many PRs have influencer relations training from those with pressroom experience?

An objective view

Could a journalist make the move to PR and advise on communications strategy at board level? Absolutely, because they bring a much-needed objective view and can advise on how any actions will be perceived by the public. The challenge is often whether or not that journalist has the people management skills to communicate their advice in a diplomatic way.

Some of the best PRs I’ve ever worked with have been journalists, while some of the least impressive have had PR degrees. Everyone’s different, but I definitely believe that every agency or in-house team would benefit from having a former hack on board. Plus, they can offer internal training, so communications professionals at all levels can learn from them.

What do you think? Can journalists succeed in modern PR?

The post What journalists bring to PR appeared first on Eight Moon Media.

Before kicking off any marketing campaign, it’s key to plan. Creating the content and sharing it on social media is the fun part but putting in the hard yards creating a content calendar up front is absolutely core to a successful content marketing strategy.

Let’s look at how to create a comprehensive content calendar.

1)  Set up a Content Calendar Template

I use Excel to create my content calendars. Excel is shareable in Google Docs, meaning the editorial team and other stakeholders can make any edits or comments to the calendar, wherever they are.

Now set up columns according to the content you are set to produce, broken down into:

• Content Production
• Outreach
• Measurement and Reporting

2) Content Production

Let’s look at the content production segment. Per piece of content, this should include:

• Proposed title: You want something catchy here. Experiment with a few titles
• Audience: Who is this aimed at? How will your content help them?
• Personas: If you use audience personas, these will help you get the tone and messaging right for a particular target audience type
• Business objective(s): What are you trying to achieve? Too many marketers publish content without a clear focus on why they are writing it and what action they want readers to take.
• Lead format: What form is this content going to take? E.g. a blog post about some recent research findings supported with an infographic, or a podcast or video
• Keywords: What do you want to rank for or be found with? Do your research. For more, read our post on amazing free tools for copywriters and bloggers
• Landing page: What URL will you use? Have you factored in your keywords here?
• Call-to-action: Be clear on what you want your readers to do, such as ‘Download your free report’ or ‘Get in touch’
• Emotions/Reasons to share: This is really important, why should people care about your content? Make them feel inspired to share by driving an emotion, there’s nothing worse than ambivalence!
• Existing assets: What do you have to hand at the moment that could be revisited, updated or repurposed? What images will you use or source to support this?
• Assets to be created: What needs to be made or curated to support this content? For example, a social card created with Canva?
• Budget: How much will your content cost to create?
• Delivery date: What are the internal deadlines for creation and internal approval?
• Go-live date: When will this content go live? Be sure to look at your website and social media data to understand when your audience is most active. Also, look at the political agenda to check there are no news items that will overshadow interest in your content
• Stakeholders: Who are involved in the process? Are there any external approvals required?

 3) Outreach

Once you’ve established what you want to create, then it’s time to think about where you will share or post the content:

• Influencers: Will you partner with an influencer to co-create an exclusive piece of content? Check out our podcast on influencer relations best practice for more
• Media: Will you send your content as a piece of media content? Or perhaps use it as the basis for further guest blogging content, such as on Medium or LinkedIn Pulse
• Social media: What are your suggested social media posts on each channel? Which channels is this relevant for and what time will you post it (use your audience data)
• Hashtags and emojis: What hashtags will you use in your social media (max two per tweet), and what emojis should feature in your social posts?
• Paid Media: Will you set aside budget to promote your content? (e.g. boosted posts on Facebook, or LinkedIn and Twitter ads)
• Risks: This is one that’s often overlooked: What potential backlash could your content produce? Ask people who are totally detached from the process for their perception of your content and associated social media posts
• Guidelines: Are there any special instructions for social media teams?
• Customer service: If you are promoting a product, make sure your customer service team is aware and staffed accordingly to handle demand?

4) Measurement and Reporting

There is no point doing any content creation if you’re not going to measure its impact and use those insights to continually improve your content. This should include:

• Tracking code: Use a Google tracking code or similar, such as bit.ly, to track behaviour
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): What are you looking to measure and what are the industry benchmarks you should measure against? Think beyond hits and think about inbound enquiries, bounce rates, time-on-site, downloads and more…
• Learnings: What were your takeaways and feedback from your audience? What will you do differently next time?

Did we miss anything? Feel free to leave a comment below or engage with us on Twitter. If your organisation is struggling with its content marketing, or you work for a PR agency and need support to help a client with theirs, please get in touch.

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