Post on 14-Jul-2015
Why Quizzes Are Content
Marketing’s Secret Weapon
Presented by:
Stephen Walsh, Director, BuzzSumo
Owen Fuller, Chief Qwizard, Qzzr
A recording of this presentation
will be sent to all registrants
Owen FullerStephen Walsh
The worlds’ simplest quiz tool
Tens of thousands of quizzes being taken millions of times
World’s best publishers, brands and agencies
Are You Wasting
Your Time?
3 questions
1. Why have quizzes gone viral?
2. What does the data tell us for content marketing?
3. What do content marketers need to do?
1. Why have quizzes gone viral?
There is a renaissance
happening
Hieroglyphics Paper Billboards
Blogs
TV
Digital images
Video
Surveys/polls
Infographics
Lists
Quizzes
And it’s something we hated while
we were in school
Type to enter text
Wait, what about surveys?
Under the hood of a quiz is a survey… that
people actually want to take… and share with
hundreds of their friends.
Why are quizzes so irresistable?
Engaging, Nourishing, and…
All about ME!!!
“Stop telling me interesting and useful
things about myself”
- Said no one, ever.
The road is being paved by
mega-publishers
Number one article on NY Times in 2013 was a quiz
Eight of the top ten most shared articles
in the last eight months were quizzes(BuzzSumo, April 2014)
Nine of the top ten most shared stories on Facebook
in January, 2015 were quizzes
2. Quizzes and content
marketing: What does the data
tell us?
What are we trying to do in
content marketing?
1. Get social shares
2. Get conversions
3. Viral would be nice
Pop Quiz:
The average quiz gets shared how many times?
Pop Quiz:
The average quiz gets shared how many times?
1,900Some do a little better….
Top 3 quizzes last year: 10m shares. Yummy.
I see a quiz in my newsfeed.
Hmm.
What am I likely to do?
I see a quiz in my newsfeed.
Hmm.
What am I likely to do?
Pass. Not interested: 18%
Sure. Let me hit that: 82%
82% click to conversion rate
81% completion rate
2:27 average time – short and snackable
5% lead conversion rate
Faster, cheaper, and more effective than
lots of other content types
Quizzes are the secret weapon…
Turning this Into this
You don’t need a big channel
• 0 likes, 6 comments
• Taken 70,000+ times
• Over 750x Social Lift
You don’t need a hot topic
• Wildest dream was that 1,000
people would take the quiz
• 70,000+ have taken it today
Case studies
Kettlebell Fever
490 impressions | 90 leads | 18.4% conversion rate
3. So how do we make great
quizzes for content marketing?
From good to great quizzes
6 steps for content marketers
1. Do some research – what topics work?
2. Decide on quiz type and title
3. Work backwards from results – tie to call to action
4. Create quiz, media and embed
5. Share and promote
6. Learn, adapt and improve
1. Do some research: topics
Which quizzes are
shared in your topic?
Use BuzzSumo to
check
Search ‘quiz’ +
keywords/domain
e.g. ‘moz.com’ quiz
Topic: what should it be
about?What content resonates with your audience?
What are the most shared topics?
What topics get the most questions?
What topics are most controversial?
Are there decisions that people struggle to make?
Are there topics that are misunderstood?
Recycle your content
If you have knowledge and answers in your evergreen content,
you can turn it into a quiz.
Look at your
List posts
Infographics
Debate posts
….all quiz raw material
Do some research: titles What titles work?
Search playbuzz, buzzfeed, disney domains
Hardest, ultimate, ever….you get the idea…
Right answers No right answers
2. Choose a type and title
Tips for graded quizzes
Choose a compelling title
• Are you a ____ expert?
• Can you pass the ___ test?
• The world’s hardest ___ quiz
• Are you a true ____?
Keep your quizzes fair and clear
• Limit the number of answers to each question
• Remove any friction from the process
Show feedback
• Give more information about the right answer
Make people feel good about their results
• 45% of shares on graded quizzes come from 100% scores
• Assign outcomes. “You got 90%. You’re a genius!”
Tips for outcome quizzesChoose a compelling title
• Which ___ are you?
• What ___ do you actually belong in?
• What kind of ___ are you?
Create shareworthy outcomes
• invoke awe, laughter or amusement (BuzzSumo)
• help people define themselves,
nourish relationships & get the word out about
causes they love (NY Times)
• make it a “feel-good, look-good” mechanism
• Help people share what “they want their friends
to think they like” (Buzzfeed)
Build a process
• Identify outcomes
• Map differentiating factors
• Be creative with your questions and answers
“Are you a candidate for Lasik Surgery?”
“Should you be wearing glasses to drive?”
“Do you know the seven common mistakes new
contact wearers must avoid?”
“Which frames match your style?”
“Give yourself an eye exam.”
“Do you need special lenses?”
The wild world of…
optometry
Use BuzzSumo for quiz topic ideas
3. Work backwards from outcome
Write these first.
Make sure people would be proud to share
Make sure your CTA relates to outcome.
Hey 3PO - You’re research driven, so why not
download this guide…
Create and embed your quiz
Virality takes a pinch of luck
You can control consistency
10. Show me something cool
10. Show me something cool
9. Ask me interesting questions
8. Be fair
7. Reel me in with your title
6. Help me feel sufficiently
assessed
5. Feed me
4. Stay on topic
3. Make me laugh
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”- Victor Borge
2. Give me something to brag
about
1. Make me an offer I can’t refuse
2 cups Context5. Share and promote your quiz
2 cups ContextBasic promotion channels
• Facebook – 84% of shares
• Website or blog
• Email or newsletter
• Forums
• Communities
6. Learn, adapt and improve
Quiz answers = data.
What can you do with it?
Bottom line:
Just go make something
remarkable
Why Quizzes Are Content
Marketing’s Secret Weapon
Presented by:
Stephen Walsh, Director, BuzzSumo | stephen@buzzsumo.com
Owen Fuller, Chief Qwizard, Qzzr | owen@qzzr.com