In this new and improved primer you'll learn how to strike a chord with your content. There are 16 lessons for creating all kinds of content that shall rock the web.

1. ROCK
YOUR
CONTENT
SHALL

2. does your
content
strike a
CHORD?

3. WE’VE PICKED A HANDFUL OF OUR HITS TO SHOW YOU
HOW TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH CONTENT
3

4. 44
A REAL LIFE LESSON... 5
A MIGHTY METAPHOR... 7
NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW... 9
CHALLENGE CONVENTION... 11
HUMAN NATURE... 13
DROP A BIG BOMB... 15
DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE... 17
SIMPLIFY STUFF... 19
EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS... 21
SERIOUS FUN... 23
UNLOCK A SECRET... 25
SMART STRATEGIES... 27
EXPRESS APPRECIATION... 29
HOLIDAY WISHES... 31
HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE... 33
PLAY A GAME... 35
LEAD THE WAY... 37
CONTACT... 39
CONTENTS
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5. A REAL LIFE
LESSON TEACH
SOMETHING
SOMEONE
TAUGHT YOU
lesson one
5

6. A REAL LIFE LESSON
Take the reader on a journey
with you. Use basic storytelling
elements: a place, a time,
characters, conflict and
resolution. The main character
overcomes an obstacle.
A lesson is learned.
Read “The Most Valuable ‘How to’
Lesson of My Copywriting Career”
on Business2Community.
Guest blog post
Tell a good story.
6

7. A MIGHTY
METAPHOR
INTRODUCE AN IDEA
TOO STRANGE
TO BE IGNORED
lesson two
7

8. A MIGHTY METAPHOR
Metaphors are fascinating.
Especially when they’re a bit
unusual. Metaphors make it easy
to understand a concept. Set it
up and drive it home. Have fun
with it and your readers will too.
Read “Your Website is a Mousetrap and
Your Content is the Cheese”
on Social Media Today.
Kill it with curiosity.
8
Guest blog post

9. NEGATIVE
POINTOFVIEW
YOU’RE DOING IT
WRONG
lesson three
9

10. You might have been told it’s best
to stay positive. Wrong. It’s
positively boring, actually. Break
free from the predictable “how to”
now and then. Be a contrarian.
Amplify a painful problem. Use
the magnetic pull of the no-no and
the power of the unknown.
NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW
Read “11 Reasons Why Prospects
Don’t Convert into Customers”
on Convince and Convert.
Have no fear.
10
Guest blog post

11. CHALLENGE
CONVENTION
YOU’RE ENTITLED
TO YOUR OPINION
lesson four
11

12. CHALLENGE CONVENTION
Speak your mind.
Your unpopular opinion might
make your content popular.
When I told thought leaders what
I thought of their ridiculous self-
appointed title, I ruffled some
feathers. But I don’t apologize for
having an opinion. I strongly
suggest you have a strong
point of view and put it out there.
Read “Don’t Tell Me You’re a
Thought Leader: Just Be One”
on Social Media Today.
12
Guest blog post

13. HUMAN
NATURE
WE ARE WHAT
WEARE
lesson five
13

14. HUMAN NATURE
Basic needs.
Take a cue from the covers of
Cosmopolitan and the other popular
magazines that fly off displays at the
checkout counter. Headlines that
speak to our basic desires such as
sex, love, comfort, and happiness
will generate supreme curiosity. Of
course, it doesn’t hurt to get a little
frisky now and then either.
Read “If You Don’t Treat Social Media
Like Sex, You’re Doing It Wrong”
on Social Media Explorer.
14
Guest blog post

15. DROP A BIG
BOMB
FORCE
THE
ISSUE
lesson six
15

16. DROP A BIG BOMB
You can’t top this.
In this, my most read article to
date, I held nothing back. When
you use superlatives like “the
most” or “the ultimate,” be
careful not to write checks you
can’t cash. But if you can make
a big promise and deliver,
do it.
Read “The Most Effective
SEO Strategy of All Time”
on Social Media Today.
16
Guest blog post

17. DELIVER SERIOUS
VALUE
HERE’S HOW
TO GET THE
JOB DONE
lesson seven
17

18. DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE
Show and tell.
Social Media Examiner has
established a large and loyal
audience by delivering a steady
stream of detailed “how to”
tutorials. Choose a topic you
know inside and out and teach
a lesson your audience will value.
This is your ticket to building
authority and establishing trust.
Read “How to Generate Leads with
SlideShare” on Social Media Examiner.
18
Guest blog post

19. SIMPLIFY
STUFF
IT’S ALWAYS SMART TO GET
BACK TO BASICS
lesson eight
19

20. SIMPLIFY STUFF
Be the lens.
New information, ideas and
challenges are coming at your
prospects and customers
relentlessly. They crave clarity.
Find an area of confusion. Zoom
in on the issues, help readers
understand them and focus on
what matters most.
Read “Making Your Online Marketing Work:
Sharpen Your Focus on This One Thing”
on Copyblogger.
20
Guest blog post

21. EXPLAIN WHAT
WORKS
TELL A
SUCCESS
STORY
lesson nine
21

22. EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS
Success is seductive.
Tales of triumph are compelling.
You can focus on your
customer’s accomplishment,
your own (as I did here)
or anyone you know readers
can relate to. Give it a story
treatment. Color it with details
about the challenge and dig
into exactly what works.
Read “Inbound Marketing Works:
A Copywriter’s Success Story”
on Social Media Today.
22
Guest blog post

23. RIDICULOUS
FUN
THIS ONE’S
A LAUGHER
lesson ten
23

24. RIDICULOUS FUN
Get theatrical.
Why not take chances with some
unconventional storytelling styles?
This one’s a comedy sketch. It’s a
parody actually. I had a blast writing
it and the readers got a kick out of
it too. Keep your eyes open for
some day-to-day drama, give it a
twist and surprise your audience
now and then.
Read “Is Social Media as Worthless
as the Telephone” on The Point, the
Feldman Creative blog.
24
Blog post

25. UNLOCKA
SECRET
THERE’S SOMETHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW
lesson eleven
25

26. SLIDE PRESENTATION
Tricks of the trade.
You should share your secrets,
your shortcuts, and the tricks
you know will benefit potential
customers. This presentation
delivers a lesson on repurposing
content to extract more value
out of it. The reaction was
overwhelming. Try it.
See “The eBook is the Stud
in Your Content Marketing Stable”
on SlideShare.

27. SMART
STRATEGIES
SHARE ‘EM IF
YOU GOT ‘EM
lesson twelve
27

28. SMART STRATEGIES
Be a teacher.
Conducting webinars is a
wonderful way to present a
detailed lesson. Resist the
temptation to pitch products.
Teach, don’t preach. You’ll
come across as an authority.
Watch “Magnetic Content: Strategies to
Transform Your Website Into a Customer
Attraction Force Field”on YouTube.
28
Webinar

29. EXPRESS
APPRECIATION
SAY
THANK YOU
lesson thirteeen
29

30. EXPRESS APPRECIATION
Give thanks.
A mentor of mine wrote about how
meaningful it is to recognize others.
He’s one of the many people who
influenced my approach to marketing
and is thanked in this infographic.
Not surprisingly, the people and
organizations recognized here
appreciated my gesture—and
shared the content.
Check out “Feeling the Vibe of the Tribe”
a “ThankYouGraphic on
Social Media Today
30
Infographic

31. HOLIDAY
WISHES
WHO NEEDS
HALLMARK?
lesson fourteen
31

32. HOLIDAY WISHES
From the heart.
Holidays present special occasions
for doing something thematic.
Strong marketers seldom miss the
opportunity to take advantage of
timely and topical content. In this
infographic, I cited a great report I
came upon and gave it a Valentine’s
Day treatment. Do you love it?
Check out “Engagement:
The DNA of Relationships”
an infographic on SlideShare.
32
Infographic

33. HAND OVER THE
MICROPHONE
GIVE SOMEONE ELSE
A CHANCE TO TALK
lesson fifteen
33

34. HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE
Now hear this.
With the mass adoption of
smart phones, podcasts have
only grown in popularity.
You’ll strike a chord with those
that like to listen by producing
podcasts. Hosting a show not
only extends your reach, it
gives you a great opportunity
to invite influential guests to
join the program.
Listen to “Content Marketing Minds” and
“The Point - In Your Ear” by searching
iTunes for “Barry Feldman.”
34
Podcasts

35. PLAY
AGAME
GET THE AUDIENCE
INVOLVED
lesson sixteen
35

36. PLAY A GAME
Gamification?
You might have come across
this funny word. People love
to play games and learn by
doing so. Make what might
have been a mundane
experience fun and unforget-
table. “WTF” was a game
show created to kick off a
marketing conference.
Play the game, “WTF: Words, Things,
Faces” (New media’s favorite game show”
on SlideShare.
36
Event keynote

37. LEAD
THEWAY
GIVE SOME
GUIDANCE
lesson seventeen
37

38. LEAD THE WAY
The name of the game is
publishing. Consider how
you can collect your best
advice and create a helpful
guide. “The Plan” is an
example, as is this eBook.
I hope you learned a lot.
Read “The Plan to Grow Your Business
with Effective Online Marketing” available
on the Feldman Creative website.
eBook
Lay out a plan.
38

39. Photo by Martin Fisch/Flickr
STRIKE
CHORD
A
Visit www.feldmancreative.com
Call 916.984.9988
39

40. WrittenanddesignedbyBarryFeldmanof
Feldman Creative
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