If you’ve read my content or seen my posts, you likely know that I’m a big fan of finding takeaways in any article or story, especially if it means creating better content. And if it’s something as easy as asking questions.
We’ll call this a product of the public relations profession and always wanting to find the story behind the story.
I ran across an article today that I wanted to share one of those stories behind the story. The article is about how to create slides that suit your superiors. You can find that article here:
How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips
I won’t ruin the article for you, but the author is giving tips on how to create a presentation that will fit the preferences of your leadership.
And there seem to be some great tips, like starting with an executive summary, having a logical organization of your information, and focusing on concise insights. In my opinion, these are all great tips for creating any kind of presentation.
Then she gets into something I thought was interesting, which is asking your superiors about their preferences.
I stopped right there and just smiled. What a novel idea! Let’s ask questions to find out exactly how our audiences want to receive their information.
The reason I smiled is that this formula holds true for communications campaigns and content PR pros are creating daily. Let’s break this down for a second.
Creating Content For Your Audiences
First, let’s look at creating the type of content that is easy to understand and consume. That’s what the author is getting at when they talk about the executive summary, flow of information, and concise highlights.
Your content needs to be easy to understand, follow along, and consume for your audiences. This could change from audience to audience to be sure. Some audiences are more sophisticated than others, some just want the facts, and others want a longer story.
The lesson here is that you need to provide it in a way that’s easy for them to consume. The harder it is for them to read or engage with, the less likely they are do ever do it again.
Think about your content on social media, blogs, press releases, and others. Is it easy to follow along? Are you getting a ton of clarifying questions from your audiences? Are your audiences leaving or just not engaging?
Look for clues that help you figure out if this is the type of content that’s easy for your audiences to engage with.
Asking Questions Leads To Better Content
And I love the next part – asking questions!
Sometimes the clues that I mentioned are enough to help you make adjustments to your content. But sometimes not.
It’s ok to ask questions. I’m working with a client right now and we’re focusing on polling their social media channels to get feedback on topics, garner insights, and increase engagement.
But you must be willing to dive in and see what your audiences’ preferences are. Don’t make assumptions and then wonder why your content isn’t hitting like you had hoped. Be willing to jump in and start asking the questions, engaging with your audiences, and creating content that THEY want to read or consume.
You have to remember, this is about THEM, not you. You’re creating content for them, so think of ways to better understand what they actually want to consume.
And there’s your strategic thought. Enjoy the article and I’ll see you back here for the next one soon.
More Strategic Thoughts
Be sure to check out the other TCSC Strategic Thoughts, and follow along on Facebook, X (yes, it’s Twitter), and LinkedIn for more PR industry insights!
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– Don’t Leverage The Disaster
– Why You Should Take the “It’s THEIR Platform” Mentality for Social Media
– Leveraging Leadership Principles for Communications
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
