Danny Ashton - Creating awesome infographics - SMD Warsaw 2014
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Transcript of Danny Ashton - Creating awesome infographics - SMD Warsaw 2014
Creating Persona Human Success Content
(in 45 minutes or less)
Danny Ashton
Can you read the following in 3 seconds...?
An unreasonable request: Hard work
... How about this?
Easy, right?
My name is Danny Ashton
We have spent the past 5 years trying out different things with content
Over the years we got some great wins…
But results were still inconsistent
Recently, strange things have started to happen…
After years of trying to convince journalists to feature our work – now they
are asking us for infographics.
The why
• I wanted a simple theory to explain why our content was attracting journalists.
• We are now integrating these discoveries into our system… but when we started out, we were guessing as much as the next person.
• Hopefully after this presentation, you too can use our theories to build your own success stories.
We want humans to engage with our content
Enter neuroscience: The Triune Brain Theory
The Triune Brain
Reptilian content is working
There are two clear problems with a reptilian approach
Problem 1 » Brand reputation
Problem 2 » Audience
What if we don’t have an audience?
Option 1 » Buy traffic
Option 2 » Use existing audiences
So… What’s the problem with selling reptilian content to publishers?
• Access: To win a break, you need to provide content that is better than what the publishers are currently creating.
• Resources: Tabloids are the major supplier of reptilian content and they have more money and experience.
• Budget: With a limited budget, it’s hard to make an impression.
Reptilian content aimed at publishers can be done…
Limbic system
We are hardwired
Emotions and the parenting audience
Emotions and the gadget audience
Emotions and the car enthusiast
Emotional content is the most shared content on social networks
But it’s not just positive emotions…
The Rise of Limbic Content
Buzzfeed and Upworthy have been built on this type of content
So where does the Neomammalian brain fit in?
Journalists = Gatekeepers
What does this all mean?
• Psychology: A human-oriented approach makes it possible to make really successful content without big advertising budgets.
• Versatility: Our content needs to have a limbic (emotional) focus - but it also needs to pass the Neomammalian scrutiny of the gatekeepers.
• Economy: When we do this right, we can access these large audiences at a very low cost.
The science lecture is over
But first, a confession
Creating purely reptilian content is not our goal –but the reptilian brain is something we can’t ignore.
The 3-Second Test
Titles are important
Actions to take: 35 Rewrites
Case Study 1: Travel Client
• Target Audience: Young travellers. e.g. “Under 30 Holiday”.
• Relevancy scale: Relevant to customers and potential customers.
1. Limbic Concerns What is the emotional nature of our
audience?
Discovery – An emotion of Wonder
2. Potential AssessmentDo publishers care?
3. Content Brainstorm
• Research: Content from social networks and publisher’s audience – related to the emotion/issues we want to target.
• Final idea: Based on limbic response of this particular audience to the issues we have identified.
1. Buzzsumo - Play around with keywords related to the emotional hook you’re targeting.
2. Google News – Look into the news, is there anything relevant to your audience about to happen? Go as far as a month from today.
3. Quora.com – What questions are people asking related to the emotion we’re targeting?
4. Reddit – Browse different sub-reddits, searching for relevant content –Don’t forget to check the comments!
5. Brainstorming Session
Potential Sources of Information
3. Content Brainstorm
Questions to ask
1. What does someone on vacation under 30 do, think about, worry about, enjoy/dislike?
2. Can you connect these to the emotional hook of this audience?
Brainstorming
3. Content Brainstorm
Food > Food from around the world > > Disgusting/amazing food map
Money > Currencies > > Places where money isn’t used
Romance > Cultural differences > > Pick-up line mistakes around the world
Drinking > Alcoholic/Non-alcoholic > > Polish beer vs. UK beer
Emotion: Discovery/Wonder
Examples
3. Content Brainstorm
Our idea » 12 Curious Cures for a Hangover
4. Reptilian Concerns
• Images will be the primary format – they will pass a 3 second scan.
• Title exploits ‘uncertainty’ by promising a simple solution through the list format.
5. Neomammalian Concerns
(and a little “social proof” doesn’t hurt)
Results » Placements Galore
The Real Goal: Human Interaction
Case Study 2: The Ultimate Towel Folding
Guide
• Target Audience: Pinterest users/Home Dècor
• Emotion/Limbic: Playful content works well with this audience
• Reptilian: Guide/Visual
• Neomammalian: The instructions actually work
Reptilian and Limbic Concerns
Results » Placements & Shares
413k views · 60+ placements · 2.6K+ social media shares
(but you can’t beat real human interaction!)
What did we learn?
How does interactive content fit in?
(there is a problem with static infographics…)
The Solution: Interactive Experiences
Results » Placements Galore
The Real Goal: Human Interaction
Neomammalian Brain Reactions
Long term benefits
Interactivity is not a magic bullet
SummaryFor Human Success Content:
1. Identify the emotional hooks of your audience, and create ideas using this research.
2. Fact-check/evaluate/invest in content so it will pass the Neomammalian ‘gatekeeper’.
3. Seduce the reptilian brain by matching easy-to-digest content with ‘uncertainty/solution’-powered titles.
Thanks for listening
Continue the conversation and follow me on Twitter
@dannyashton or @neomammalian