This is perhaps the most important question when you publish!
Listen up! What is it for heaven’s sake?
The question is “what’s your message?”
In layman’s terms: what do you want to say?
How that? See below!
Ignore content hypes!
What’s the problem with the ongoing “content is king” and “content marketing” hype?
You create content for content’s sake or to feed increasingly walled gardens like Google.
You focus on the form instead on the message.
In design the main paradigm still is “form follows function”.
In online publishing it seems to be rather form follows finance.
The more money it makes the better.
Did you forget about the message?
When long form articles work to get more
- social shares
- eyeballs
- and ultimately advertising revenue…
Who cares about the message then?
Which message btw.?
Can it be that you forgot to add a message?
On many blogs and internet publications you will struggle to find an underlying message.
In old media publishing houses there is always a political agenda and every article reflects it more or less.
Even the choice of topics or which event to cover is rather a conscious choice reflecting the underlying message.
Not so much on blogs that create “l’art pour l’art”.
There the “just create great content” wish of Google gets fulfilled.
Self-promotion is not a message
Some people mistake self-promotion for an actual message.
Bragging as in “I’m the best” and pushing to “buy this” is not helpful!
On most blogs you will wonder “what does the author want to tell me” though. S/he doesn’t have a message at all probably.
Especially business and corporate blogs fail to conceive and convey a message.
In many cases the main message of a company blog is simply
- “we’re great”
- “look at us”
- “buy our products”
A real message shouldn’t be solely self-centered or downright selfish.
Something more inclusive like “we enable you to do this or that” is significantly better.
Some brands do have a very strong message in contrast.
Just think Patagonia and their vehemently shown activism.
Patagonia is about saving the planet, not just fast fashion.
The underlying message shows even when you don’t want to
People who read your actual headlines intuitively grasp the underlying message you are sending.
Let me give you an example:
My “50 Ways to Make the Web a Better Place” post’s underlying message is clearly “altruism is the best egoism”.
It’s one of my favorite long standing mottos.
Yes, you need to devise a message both for your blog as a whole and for each post.
My underlying message changed over the years gradually.
At first it was inspirational. It started somewhere along the lines of:
“you too can make it happen on the Web! You don’t even need Google!
Just look how it works. Jump in and start using it as well!”.
The underlying message may also appear out of nowhere.
You may be sending a message unconsciously.
It’s just like with body language.
You do not even know what you tell others or what they perceive by reading between the lines.
The message reflects how you feel
My message ended up at something like: “search, social media and blogging is difficult.
Don’t try it yourself or you might fail. Take small steps. Don’t take risks”.
I got burned by my own success and frustrated because of it.
My frustration got translated into more pessimistic posts.
I’ve been writing for old school SEO blogs for peanuts receiving not only little money but also no respect for what I did.
I limited myself more and more.
At the end of the day I was doing traditional Google optimization or link building.
Also I was blogging about it like my clients expected me to.
Long story short I had to rethink my message again.
I had to look within myself to find out what I stand for as a blogger.
Why? I was never like those opportunists praying to Google to get their rankings back after a penalty or something.
This blog’s message is about social empowerment online (in short SEO).
It shows you how “with a little help of your friends” you can succeed on the Web.
It’s possible despite the overwhelming competition from Google, Amazon, Facebook and all the other giants standing in your way.
The best way to send a positive message is to feel good while writing. That’s why I star the day with
- meditation
- workout
- walking
and easy tasks that result in quick wins or positive feedback.
When I’m “in the mood” I can actually create content that is truly inspiring.
When work becomes tedious or clients push deadlines the creativity often suffers and the outcome feels somehow bogged down.
How to spot the actual message
One of the ways you can quote like no other is by spotting the underlying message of a post.
The squeeze it into a nutshell and sharing it with a representative sentence.
My underlying message is “you can make it happen, again and again”!
“Success on the Web is possible, without having to own a company and exploiting dozens of people”.
We’re not designers. We don’t have to focus on the form at all.
The message is what we as writers, bloggers or content creators have to care for.
The form is only how we me make it appear. Don’t get distracted the “form follow finance” path.
Selling out makes you lose your readers!
Your underlying message changes as well from “how can I help you” to “give me all your money or attention”.
- The form is only the packaging.
- The content is what’s inside.
- The message is how it smells.
A well designed bottle of milk is not a great product when the milk already stinks.
Do you think it gets better with a bigger bottle?
Message in a bottle
One day while walking on the beach I’ve found a bottle someone discarded.
I was in such a good mood that I didn’t think about it as trash though.
I considered it a message in a bottle where the message has been taken out already by someone else. I was intrigued.
What could have been the message?
Is your blog post an empty bottle without a message someone has thrown away?
The bottle was empty. I didn’t pick it up. I should have done that and carried it to the next waste basket though.
Don’t obsess about the size of the bottle. Make sure to put a message inside.
What’s your current message? What do you really want to say? Tell me about it on social media! I’m @onreact everywhere.
Spread it on social media or write it down on a piece of paper, put in a bottle and throw in the water.
Don’t use plastic bottles though. Animals get killed by those.
