{"id":141722,"date":"2020-08-07T14:20:26","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T14:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/?p=141722"},"modified":"2020-08-07T14:20:26","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T14:20:26","slug":"want-media-coverage-make-sure-your-content-is-emotional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2020\/08\/07\/want-media-coverage-make-sure-your-content-is-emotional\/","title":{"rendered":"Want media coverage? Make sure your content is emotional"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"well\">\n<h3>30-second summary:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotion is a pivotal component of great content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have an opportunity to create emotional content, you\u2019re much more likely to be successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new Fractl study reveals what emotions are most common in highly-linked-to content in each industry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should explore what emotions are already prevalent in your industry to gain new ideas and understand what already resonates with your audience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When pitching content to writers, highlight the key emotional takeaways so reporters glean them quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, content should be useful. In fact, nine times out of 10, it <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be useful in order to make an impact. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But emotion is pivotal too. Emotion can form a sense of connection between a reader and a story \u2014 between a reader and their place in the world. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this reason, emotion can sometimes carry an entire piece of content because it taps into our common humanity. How do you hit the right chords with emotional content? Here are tips on how to do that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, it sounds corny. But that doesn\u2019t make it any less true. Emotion matters, and if you have an opportunity to create emotional content, you\u2019re much more likely to be successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>1. Understand which emotions resonate in your industry<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before jumping into content creation, it\u2019s good to understand what works well in your particular niche. What content that\u2019s been created has performed well, and why? What emotions are present in some of the most talked-about content?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a recent Fractl study, we <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.frac.tl\/the-most-highly-linked-to-pages-successful-content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">looked at more than 5,000 pieces of content that earned at least 25 backlinks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Then we explored which Facebook reactions were more prevalent in each content niche.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-141734\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/fractl-study-on-emotions-based-on-niche.png\" alt=\"Fractl study on emotions based on niche\" width=\"504\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/fractl-study-on-emotions-based-on-niche.png 504w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/fractl-study-on-emotions-based-on-niche-295x300.png 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This breakdown provides a great overlook of what emotions are already prominent in your niche\u2019s content. Look at how anger appears in sex\/relationship stories while love appears often in travel stories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why do you think these emotions may be associated with your niche? What can you cover that hasn\u2019t already been covered that taps into why people are upset or in awe?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To gain more industry insight, before creating content, I would:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pull out my <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2013\/01\/10\/the-quick-guide-to-developing-customer-personas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer personas<\/a>.<b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What emotions are tied to what they worry about? Struggle with? Seek out? Can I apply these emotions to content?<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li>Read my target publications\u2019 content. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which articles are on the front page? Which got the most engagement? What emotions are featured in them?<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Check BuzzSumo to see what content is most engaged within my industry. <b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only will this highlight certain emotions that are prevalent, but it\u2019ll also let you know if an idea you <b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have has already been covered in depth.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at some of the highly-engaged-with stories that appear on the BuzzSumo content search for \u201cjob interview\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-141731 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/buzzsumo-search-emotional-content.png\" alt=\"Buzzsumo search emotional content\" width=\"512\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/buzzsumo-search-emotional-content.png 512w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/buzzsumo-search-emotional-content-300x107.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just from this snapshot of stories, you can see multiple emotions: humor\/laughter regarding funny anecdotes, fear that the job application process might be totally changed by AI, happiness at the kind gesture from Lyft, and contempt at discrimination taking place at interviews.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps honing in on one of these emotions can spark an idea. What else might people be afraid of regarding the job application process? What else are they angry about? Happy about?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When all else fails, capitalize on the feeling of surprise. Our research on viral emotions revealed that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2013\/10\/research-the-emotions-that-make-marketing-campaigns-go-viral\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most common emotion in viral images is &#8220;surprise&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. People like to learn something new that\u2019s unexpected. If your data reveals data points like this, make sure to highlight it in the project.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2. Identify which emotions to focus on in your content<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When trying to come up with content ideas, ask yourself: What emotions are tied to this concept? What are the different circumstances people can encounter, and how do those circumstances make them feel?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, for our client The Interview Guys (a job interview advice portal), we considered the variety of issues that can come up related to work. One such idea that hadn\u2019t been fully addressed, in our opinion, was burnout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Burnout in and of itself is an emotional topic. It\u2019s associated with stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. After surveying people about burnout, we earned coverage on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/scott-mautz\/these-are-top-8-most-commonly-cited-burnout-symptoms-according-to-recent-research.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inc.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/au.finance.yahoo.com\/news\/toxic-workplace-habits-burnout-011010550.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yahoo Finance AU<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibtimes.com\/occupational-burnout-why-mental-health-benefits-are-important-employees-2865937\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Business Times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-141733 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-emotional-content-topic.png\" alt=\"Example emotional content topic - Burnout\" width=\"512\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-emotional-content-topic.png 512w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-emotional-content-topic-300x193.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But not every idea will be as emotionally straightforward. Perhaps you have an instinct that analyzing a certain data set would yield interesting results.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Push yourself to identify<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What would make those results compelling? What insights might this data help us gain, and what emotions are involved with these insights?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, in a separate project for the same client, we thought about identifying jobs that pay well that don\u2019t require years of education. What we\u2019d end up with is a list of jobs and what they\u2019d pay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the surface, this may not seem too emotional. But let\u2019s consider the layers involved here:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less schooling means less stress, less debt, and less pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The potential to make a good salary provides hope.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struggling to find a job with little to no experience can give someone a lot of financial and emotional anxiety.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would people care about this information in the first place? They\u2019re looking to switch jobs. For whatever reason, they\u2019re dissatisfied.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you have stress, anxiety, hope, and dissatisfaction as some examples of emotions tied into this list of jobs. It\u2019s not just a list anymore, is it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call upon these feelings every time you make a decision about the project. It\u2019ll help keep you focused on the real soul of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>3. Pitch the emotional angles<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you can identify these emotional elements, you\u2019ll also know how to better promote the idea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We pitched the high-paying-jobs project to publications. Take a look at some of the coverage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-141732\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/emotional-content-for-job-searchers.png\" alt=\"Emotional content for job searchers\" width=\"512\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/emotional-content-for-job-searchers.png 512w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/emotional-content-for-job-searchers-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/emotional-content-for-job-searchers-120x90.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rd.com\/list\/highest-paying-jobs-that-require-zero-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reader\u2019s Digest<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reader\u2019s Digest opens with the dilemma of not being able to find a job because you don\u2019t have enough job experience yet. They\u2019re tapping into a common, shared frustration people have, and by starting the article this way, they\u2019re immediately putting the reader in a frame of mind to connect emotionally with the content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-141735\" src=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-of-emotional-content.png\" alt=\"Example of emotional content\" width=\"512\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-of-emotional-content.png 512w, https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/example-of-emotional-content-300x252.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/the-no-1-job-in-america-for-2019-that-requires-zero-experience-pays-100000-and-its-not-in-silicon-valley-2019-12-27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>MarketWatch<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This headline taps into the hope angle; they\u2019re essentially saying, you don\u2019t have to be the typical tech person to make a lot of money with little experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/08\/26\/pitch-to-top-online-publishers-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you pitch writers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, make sure to include the emotional data points and angles prominently. Include bullets of the most impactful takeaways so the reporter doesn\u2019t have to dig through the data to understand why it matters and why their audience will care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And don\u2019t do the same thing for every publisher. Consider their particular audiences and what they care about, and then tailor your data points to speak to those readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data is only as powerful as the story it tells, and all of the best human stories are packed with emotion. In every stage of your content creation process, from ideation to design to promotion, keep the emotional components in mind and center them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Amanda Milligan is the Marketing Director at Fractl, a prominent growth marketing agency that\u2019s worked with Fortune 500 companies and boutique businesses.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Fractl study shows which emotions are most prevalent in highly-linked-to content in each industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1092,"featured_media":141736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[75,118,27761,21156,18849,87],"content_type":[],"class_list":["post-141722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","tag-content-2","tag-content-marketing","tag-content-marketing-tips","tag-emotional-response","tag-insights","tag-survey"],"acf":{"tad_independentcommercial":false,"tad_content_format":false},"post_info":{"name":"idris.nagri@blenheimchalcot.com idris.nagri@blenheimchalcot.com","title":"","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Want-media-coverage-Make-sure-your-content-is-emotional.png","category":"Content","timeago":"6y"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1092"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141722"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=141722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}