97. Creating Ridiculously Good Content with Ann Handley

[01:23] - Ann and Stephan start off the conversation by talking about their recent random run-in with each other.

[03:48] - What are some of Ann’s favorite nuggets of wisdom and insight from her book Everybody Writes?

[08:04] - Ann shares some of the basic rules of creating content that matters. She discusses viewing communication with your audience as a privilege, and thinking of things from an audience-centric point of view.

[09:23] - When Ann thinks about who she’s creating a piece of content for, she thinks about one person who she wants to help. She then explains that she spends a lot of time on Twitter getting to know her audience.

[11:51] - Ann talks about how deep her profile of her audience persona goes.

[14:21] - We hear Ann’s thoughts on tools that are important for writers, including The Elements of Style.

[18:05] - Does Ann recommend that companies or marketing departments come up with style guides to make sure everybody is on the same page?

[21:16] - Stephan brings up some wisdom from a previous episode of Marketing Speak.

[23:20] - Ann talks about how she handles situations with ghostwriters, in terms of how she gets the best outcome for the company. She emphasizes the importance of having an editor, not just a writer.

[27:04] - Every company with writers should have an editor, Ann explains. She then discusses how to figure out whether content is high-quality.

[28:56] - Ann shares her thoughts on using video rather than writing as the best way to reach your audience.

[31:17] - What does Ann think about repurposing content?

[33:10] - Ann talks about her recommendations for what people should do in terms of creating video-based content.

[35:22] - Stephan’s membership site is running Memberium, and he’s moving to using LearnDash, he explains.

[36:44] - We hear Ann’s thoughts on the ways to use a video transcript. She prefers reading a transcript to watching the video, she explains.

[39:29] - Ann points out that quite a few people start their content by dictating, rather than writing, the content.

[42:58] - Where would Ann recommend people go to find ghostwriters?

[45:45] - Ann thinks there’s an enormous upside to training yourself to think about things from an audience-centric point of view.

[46:57] - What would Ann say to someone who is using writers as cogs in a wheel and just churning out content?

[48:31] - Stephan talks about the importance of intentionality and approaching everything from this perspective.

[52:08] - Ann digs deeper into places to find writers and freelancers.

[54:10] - Ann shares her thoughts on focus groups.

[55:04] - We learn what Ann means when she talks about telling bolder stories. She gives an example of a company that does an excellent job of telling bold stories. Stephan then shares an example of his own.

[58:42] - Being bold doesn’t mean you have to be crazy or wacky, Ann clarifies. Instead, it’s about fully expressing your brand.

[61:51] - Ann offers a book recommendation: Between You & Me by Mary Norris.