EP 17 What Is “Good” Content?

We’re answering an excellent listener question about how to make “good” content. We get it! It’s a subjective answer, of course, but still an important discussion. Between the two of us, we’ve created A LOT of content, for a lot of platforms, and we’ve learned a lot through the years about what consistently resonates, inspires, and motivates people to take action — and what doesn’t.

In this episode Tiff and Christine share their top tips for creating good content, being a conscious creator, and serving your audience with everything you publish.

“Entertainment can be impactful too.”

Tiff Tyler

Topics covered:

• (0:55) The importance of expecting audience questions before they come
• (3:14) How to present content in a digestible and relative format
• (4:40) Why you can’t skip the practice phase
• (5:49) Why it’s okay to take ideas from others
• (7:50) How to be conscious about the content you are creating

Links mentioned:

• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
• Chase Jarvis
• Jessica Yellin

• Tiff Tyler
• Christine Baird
• Aspiring Podcast Hosts & Producers – check out the Think Like a Producer Membership Group

Subscribe to the Podcast!

Many thanks to our production team

• Worthfull Media for audio editing
• Mosaico Productions for video editing
• Amela Subašić for artwork

Transcription of this episode:

(auto-generated, please forgive typos)

Christine (00:04):
Welcome to Think Like a Producer podcast. I’m your co-host Christine Baird

Tiff (00:09):
And I’m your co-host Tiff Tyler. Being in the podcast industry, being in the content creation industry. This is what we learned, and this is how you can get out of your own way and get started.

Christine (00:20):
You name it. We’ve probably done it. This podcast is about bringing all the wisdom to you. Tune in weekly, to learn how to think like a producer.

Christine (00:32):
The question was what makes good content, is it relevant,

Tiff (00:35):
From Heather, yes. Okay.

Christine (00:37):
Yeah. Our number one fan, number two. Our number two fan. Okay. Welcome to this episode of think like a producer. We are thrilled to be back with you again, it’s literally the highlight of our week to record answers to your questions and insights that we’re learning and discovering in the land of content creation. So today’s episode is answering one of your questions from Heather who truly is becoming a huge fan.

Christine (01:05):
And we’re so grateful. Shout out to everyone who listens, but if you send us questions, we can give you a shout out by name. So thank you again, Heather, for sending us this question and the question is what makes good content, isn’t it relative? Oh, what an excellent question. And the short answer is yes, it’s totally relative, but we want to give you some of the things that we know for a fact make consistently good content, no matter your industry or your audience. And we hope that that will help you create a framework in your own show or your own creation. That will be your guideline for making good content. So first off, the big thing that we think is ubiquitous across all content is if it is answering the questions your audience has or is about to have. And the reason I say about to have is because if you’re constantly giving people the answers to the questions that they’re about to have, because they’re on a journey that you’re also on and you’re kind of guiding them through, that puts you in a position of being a trusted leader, a trusted expert, someone who they realize subconsciously and consciously, this person is literally on the path with me and kind of realizes where I’m going and they are giving me an answer as I need it.

Christine (02:27):
So that to me is totally a hallmark of good content where you understand your audience so well. And you’ve been on the journey that they’re on, whatever that may be. We could be talking really tactical and businessy, or we could be talking really abstract and like metaphysical, but whatever your show is about, or your content or your brand, or your message, if you really understand your audience and you get the path they’re on, you’ll be able to anticipate the questions they have right before they get to that point. And then you can deliver the answer. And that is good. And I just think for a minute about your favorite shows, accounts, people, brands that you follow, that you really value what they add to you. Don’t you realize that they’re kind of always giving you something like right about the time you’re looking for it.

Christine (03:13):
I mean, this could apply to like a retail brand, like your favorite, you know, home goods, brand or clothing brand or makeup brand or food brand. But it can also apply to the people that you really look to for sources of education, wisdom training, where they’re constantly dropping new content, right. About the time you’re like, Oh my gosh, I was just thinking about that and wondering what to do. So that’s number one, know your audience well enough to answer the questions that they have and are about to have Tiff, what is another way to make sure you’re making good content

Tiff (03:46):
To make sure that it is digestible and relevant to where you’re posting it. So when I think of storytelling, when Christine and I even go over these episodes and we’re choosing how we’re going to explain these answers to you, we make sure that we have a beginning, a middle and an end. We want to make sure that if you’re listening to just five minutes of this podcast, or if you listen to the entire 20 minute video here or watching the entire 20 minute video, you get everything that you need. If you’re going to have this on Instagram, you’re going to have a 15 second post. Don’t just submit these teasers to get people, to watch the full episode or to listen to the full episode, give your audience a chance to learn right there in that 15 second clip and that 62nd clip so that they feel so much value that they want to go and support and share and listen to the full episode because you didn’t just try to always tease them and bring them somewhere else.

Tiff (04:34):
So again, beginning, middle, and end, and making sure that it’s relevant to the platform that you have it on. And maybe just one last thing, maybe, you know, for, for Instagram, it’s a video clip for Twitter is maybe it’s a quote from the podcast for LinkedIn. Maybe it’s actually typed out. And it’s a full article. Think about that too. It could be the video clip, but it could be things that are relevant, particularly to that platform. It’s really working with what your audience wants. So, like Christine said, you’re answering their question. Now I’m talking about making sure you give them in the right context. And now Christine, what’s another piece. Maybe that’s the third part to what makes good content.

Christine (05:11):
You won’t be surprised. It’s practice, practice, practice, practice. Honestly, there’s no way to skip this and everyone goes through it. So you’re in great company. If you’re new with your brand, it’s just going to take practice to figure out what are people actually responding to? Not just like mildly liking, but actually commenting, sharing, asking for more engaging, asking questions. That’s really going to be your tell and you won’t get that feedback until you practice. So you’ll always hear Tiffany say this, put out content, do the best you can with it. And then take in the feedback like it’s gold and then use every piece of feedback to shift and twist and adjust what you’re doing. That will be ultimately your big tell about what makes good content. Now it might surprise you what people respond to and it might not, but always be humble enough to take the feedback and realize, okay, yeah, this is definitely what my audience is telling me was good content. Uh, what else? Tiff comes from a lot of practice.

Tiff (06:16):
Well, you learn a lot from the people that you like as well. So I really liked this book from Austin Kleon called Steal Like an Artist. This is one of my favorite books to read and one of my favorite books to refer to people because as you’re listening to this podcast, you’re thinking, okay, this sounds great. Listen to my audience posts where people really want to see it, but I don’t. I need something tangible. I need to actually know where to go. Whenever I’m working with a client, I recommend this book, but I also tell them, pick three people that they really love. What are three platforms, three shows, anything that they really like, and let’s see why you like it, right? If there’s a bunch of reels that you’ve loved, you’ve hearted, you shared start with what already gives you joy and value. And then you’re not necessarily taking from other people.

Tiff (07:02):
You’re just picking out those elements and you’re adding that into your content. So for example, I love Chase Jarvis. There was a point where I was just like, I want everything to be black and white because I just love how he did everything in black and white. And so when I started blogging a little bit, which, you know, I’ve taken a pause on, but I would do my episodes, my YouTube channel, I would do half of it and black and white and the other half in color. And I kind of reversed the way people typically do it. And it’s just based on the fact that I was inspired from his show. So I highly recommend that book, Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist. One of my favorite things that he says in that book was seeing, he was like, if you take it from one person it’s plagiarism, if you take it from three people, it’s research, right?

Tiff (07:42):
So you’re not taking in and completely like, you know, taking someone else’s content and duplicating it. You’re just looking at all the people that you love. And that’s where you’re starting. And I think the more that we practice, the more that we find our voice. So the more you create more, you practice more, you practice. You’ll kind of like start to stray away a little bit from the people that you like, and you’ll get to the content that’s really working with your audience, like we said, and that really makes you happy and you’re able to do over and over and over again, which we’ve talked about in other episodes, how you’re able to create good content on a regular basis. But Christine, I think there’s just one more piece. We want it to hit when it comes to this good content.

Christine (08:22):
Absolutely. This was really inspired by a video I saw from a news reporter that I follow on Instagram. Jessica Yellin, her brand is News Not Noise. She was a former CNN white house chief correspondent, went off on her own to really report the news the way she thought it was best. And of course it’s 2021. We are in a really gnarly chapter of history. And during the week of the Capitol riot, um, she posted a really heartfelt video where she said, you know, I realized that what has created this darkness in our society is this era of self-promotion and it has to end. And I absolutely recommend going and watching her full IGTV because she really, uh, spoke to it very powerfully and well, but it made me think about something. I think about a lot where I thought this resonates in a really tragic and real way for me.

Christine (09:17):
And I’m a content creator. I’m literally in the business of helping people put content out into the platforms that can be used for good or ill. And ultimately what I agree with her on, and I think is important to keep as a check Mark for yourself when you’re trying to figure out how can I create good content? Well, what am I creating with this content? What is it inspiring people to do? Is it actually motivating people to go create and improve and contribute to the world in a positive way? Or is it just noise or is it just fluff or is it just gossip? Um, if you’ve watched, you know, any of the documentaries or research about the ill effects of social media, you know, that there is a very double-edged sword to content creation and Tiff and I are here because we believe in the power of good that content creation can create.

Christine (10:05):
But ultimately the question to ask yourself, when you’re trying to figure out, am I creating good content is what is the impact that I’m kind of evolving and encouraging people to make with this content. So just wanted to touch on that since it’s extremely relevant to our society and our world right now. And we are powerful. Even if you have a very small audience, you have an impact and an influence on what the people who take in your content are going to do with it. So let’s take that responsibility really seriously. And on that note, hopefully this has really given you some framework, like we said, at the start of the episode to create awesome content that works for your brand, for your message for your audience. These are guidelines it’s totally relative as Heather pointed out, but there are definitely some pillars that will consistently guide you in the right direction. So Tiff, anything you want to say to wrap up?

Tiff (11:01):
Entertainment can be impactful too. You know, I think, you know, just to wrap up what you said, I just want to, to emphasize this as well, impact can be funny. Impact can be, um, political impact can, can be all different places on the spectrum. Um, I think overall, like Christine said, we just want to make sure that we’re doing more good than harm in this world. So good content to us, shareable likable, you know, maybe it takes people into a different place where they can forget their problems or maybe it helps, you know, start a movement. May you know, it, it, it can all, it can all be relevant. I think a good sort of, um, place to end this too, is to give yourself permission to not have every piece of content be amazing or great, or have the biggest quality or, or highest quality, excuse me, highest quality, um, ever.

Tiff (11:53):
Uh, I think that when this question comes up, it leads to a lot of overthinking and um, sometimes can stop you from posting just because you don’t think it’s good enough. Right. So where does this question come from? When you’re sitting down, you’re thinking, is this good? Is this question really? Am I good enough? Is this constant good enough for people to post? So like we said, practice post it anyway, try to stick to your audience and the impact that you’re making with them and understand the platforms that you’re posting this on, know what works and what doesn’t work for each particular platform. We believe that whatever you post is going to be great, because as long as it’s coming from a good place, don’t overthink it post anyway, learn, continue to create, continue to grow. Thank you so much for watching this episode. Please subscribe to this channel.

Tiff (12:44):
We post new videos every Thursday, not just on Apple podcasts, but also on YouTube. And in case you didn’t know, we have a wonderful membership, a channels membership that we dive even deeper into the content. And we go over not just what’s good content, but how you can monetize how you can create digital products, how you can make the most out of your podcast and your content. So if you haven’t heard this already, please look at the link in the description. Please check out the link on our website, where you can go into this membership and just get a little bit more from Christine and myself. Cause we know this is a big question. We did our best to answer this in 20 minutes for you for this free podcast. But of course we can dive deeper and deeper in with the membership. Thank you again for watching. And we’ll see you on the next episode of think like a producer.

Christine (13:34):
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Think Like a Producer. This has been a Worthfull Media production. Massive thanks to our team who makes the show possible. Worthfull Media for audio editing, Jorge and Veronica from Mosaico Productions for video editing and effects and Amela Subasic for our amazing artwork and graphics.

Tiff (13:57):
If you want to learn more about how to market, monetize, and grow your podcast, we have a membership group where you can get more access to us and feedback on your show. As a special bonus, you get free access to Christine’s DIY, do it yourself, podcast course when you join the group. Check the link in the show notes for more information.