How to Add Whale Grade "Value" to the Steemosphere! Enlighten, Educate, Entertain!

in howto •  7 years ago 

"Add value to the platform"

This little nugget of wisdom is something you see tossed out as the way to attract new readers and followers on steemit, but what does it actually mean?

Obviously, there are nearly as many opinions about what's valuable, as there are people using this platform to communicate, so it can be confusing. I'll offer my take as a ten year veteran copywriter, and you can take it for what it's worth.

In my experience in content marketing and ghost writing, the digital universe places value on three types of content to varying degrees.

  1. Content that enlightens, opens the mind to new ideas, or expresses old ones in a fresh way.
  2. Content that educates, by sharing new information that the consumer can apply in their own lives.
  3. Content that entertains the audience and makes them want to spend time engaging with it.

I mentioned this last night on the Resteemit Radio Show on MSP Waves, and was immediately asked about it following the broadcast.

It's one of those things I've had engrained in my head for so long, I didn't think that much about the meaning when I said and I had to go back to the definition to know exactly what I meant by it.

So, let's take a look at those three things briefly. It may help you figure out why your content isn't landing with your audience.

Content that englightens

Enlightenment isn't just a word on a bumper sticker, and it isn't reserved for yogis on a mountain in Tibet. Englightenment is what happens when your mind and your heart get in sync and a concept becomes clearer.

When content is enlightening, it helps us see the world, or ourselves in a new, or clearer way. It's the aim of philosophy, religion, and even politics to some extent.

If your goal is to enlighten, here are some suggestions.

  • Don't copy anyone else. Examine the topic through the filter of your own thinking and life experience and repackage it, even if it's something similar.
  • Question everything you believe and hold onto only what really holds true. That way you're sharing what you believe to be universal truth.
  • Make your audience examine their own beliefs and preconceived ideas of how things are. Give them a new perspective.

Content that educates

Education is a loaded word right now, in my part of the world. We have a definition, based on a half century of federalized education. We tend to think of it as something that happens in a classroom, or lecture hall, or is dispensed from text books. A lot of us are not big fans.

But, the truth is, education isn't something that happens in a classroom, it's something we do every day. Any time you introduce something new to an audience, in one sense, you are educating. The more intentional you are about the way you share it, the more impact it can have.

When you write, or produce content with teaching in mind, try this.

  • Don't assume prior knowledge in your audience. Sometimes you have to start from the beginning.
  • Be careful, when starting with basics, not to talk down to them. This is the flipside of not assuming too much knowledge. You can lose them if you seem condescending.
  • Add value to your work, by pointing them to other resources for further learning, or by creating a series, or even content project around that theme.

Content that entertains

Of the three, this is the one that tends to be most subjective. So much depends on your audience. I spent over twenty years acting and teaching theater. Not everyone will appreciate your idea of entertainment. That's okay.

With any type of content, knowing your audience is crucial, but with entertainment, it may be the most important thing. What will have one audience rolling with laughter, or balling their eyes, will have another gasping in disgust and rolling their eyes.

If you aim to entertain, here are some things to keep in mind.

  • Keep your audience in mind at every step of the way. If you offend, or bore them, you risk losing their attention, maybe permanently.
  • Remember, your content doesn't have to "play" to everyone. Just because one person doesn't like it, doesn't mean no one will.
  • Be yourself. This may sound like a strange thing for an actor to say, but the work we engage with most, comes from a deep place in the creator's experience. Share that.

It is my belief that the best content, can do all three. Think of your favorite movie, or book, or even lecturer, or comedian. It's likely they entertain and enlighten some aspect of life for you. If you learn from it, they also educate.

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Vrey lovely fields l like that fields very much very heart & soul touching view like a paradise

Thanks for the comment @usmn.

Nice post..I like it...

Really? That's great! What did you like about it?

Yes i agree with all your opinion content should be such that educates other and must have some quality :)
Informative tips about content writing

Thanks. I really appreciate the comment. I think education is maybe the most overlooked type of content on steemit.

Thanks for this post! Im glad I found your page here on Steemit! I definitely got some enlightenment from this one! Thanks again and look forward to your future posts! Upvoted and Resteemed =)

Hey, thanks, if you'd like more tips on steemit, and to just join a really great group of people, stop by the dolphinschool server on discord. https://discord.gg/RrUyccN

I love your three suggestions when developing and writing content.

Adding value to your work should also cross over to commenting. If you are making a comment on someone else's work, make sure to add to the discussion. So important and can help start a conversation.

I totally agree, I'm also starting to regain my focus on my work for a wider audience, and stop focusing so much on the steemit eco-system, building value for the interwebs! That, in the long run, is how we build value in steemit as a platform.

When I started on steemit, my main focus was gardening and homesteading; since that day last July, I have found myself doing a lot curating (I am an an avid reader, journalist in a previous lifetime and love to learn new things) and in between the gardening/homesteading posts, I'll toss in some general steemit topics that I am learning about and a few challenges for good measure. It's good to be versatile and prolific on this platform.

I agree, I'm working on developing an alter ego for some of my more political bents. LOL I'll be happy to resteem any steemit tutorials on @dolphinschool if you write any. You can let me know on discord if you have something. I'd say I'll just read your blog,but I know I won't read everything you write,or anyone else, heck, half the time I barely read my own before I post it! LOL Man, this place has grown!

Maybe I'll join the Discord group for support for you-

Cool, I saw you in there, sorry, I was cooking breakfast. Be nice to have a few seasoned hands. although, a lot of the former bootcamp students hang out there and help a lot. Good group.

Agreed. Anything that makes you think or feel is valuable. Of course it's all subjective. There was another post - by @winstonwolfe if I recall correctly - about niches. It's as much about targeting as it is about delivery.

Working on that one for my @dolphinschool blog in a bit.

It's definitely a confusing mindset for people who are new to steemit and/or blogging to understand what "adding valued content" means. Especially someone like myself who came straight over from FB where people sort of regurgitate/vomit words with seemingly no purpose. (Yes, I know, that is not all that is on FB and I was guilty of it, too)


The point is, the common denominator why I see people staying here (if you remove the reward system) is the community aspect. Why do people become members of any community? To learn, help, share, belong, and grow together. Good content, as you pointed out so well in your post @markrmorrisjr, is effective when it communicates those ideals. Well done post, thank you!

Agreed, if we add value, we strengthen that community. Keeping it simple helps us test if our ideas are adding value, or just making noise.

Very important pieces of advice, especially the part of not assuming people reading already have the knowledge about it, but also keeping the balance with not thinking they were born yesterday :) Thank you for this wonderful article.

Thank you. I appreciate the kind comment. Balance can be tough, because you don't want to move too far one way or the other for fear of losing the audience.

No, no thank you for the article. :) I like to believe that balance is the key to life in general. Or just way of life.

Thanks for the insights. I guess in my case it would be considered 3, though I like to to think it fits on number one, for me art is a spiritual thing I know it depends on tastes and whatever an artist do may or not be liked depending on tastes, but at least I'm trying hard to show it's meaningful to me, so it can reach the right people there willing to listen. I'm trying precisely to "be myself" and that will have to be enough, because a real audience "really" like what you can make the difference.

Both are valid. Most content really does fit in more than one category. Many fit in all three to varying degrees. You might check out the post on @dolphinschool today about finding your audience,it could help, if you feel you'd like to connect with more users. Thanks for the great comment!

Many people cite "Knowledge is power" but I find that knowledge is only powerful if put into practice. Thank you for supplying an educational and supportive post to the community !

Well, the power still exists, but as potential, until you put it into action. Glad you enjoyed it.