Trusted content is king. (At first I said “trustworthy,” but that’s not right. It doesn’t matter if the content is objectively trustworthy. It matters whether the readers trust it.)
If you’re a publisher, you hire professional writers to create fantastic content, and then some amateur takes up the topic as a hobby and creates a WordPress site or a podcast that steals some of your audience. What’s a publisher to do?
Develop a method to create trustworthy content and tell your readers about that method.
If you can’t justify the advantage of professional content, you’re in the wrong business.
Don’t be paternalistic
You want people to believe that your professional process is more reliable than Joe with a keyboard. The question isn’t whether that’s true or false. The question is why anyone should believe it.
Trust in media is at an all-time low. Deservedly so, in many cases.
When people hear “professional media,” they imagine a cable news blowhard with an opinion who’s spouting nonsense. Why shouldn’t they believe the amateur?
Prove you’re more reliable. Just saying “we’re professional journalists” isn’t going to convince anybody. We all know too many professional journalists.
Address confirmation bias head-on
People want information that confirms their opinions. Here’s the hard truth many publishers miss: that includes your writers and editors! They want to confirm their own opinions.
Objectivity and independence require diversity. Not the trite diversity people usually talk about, but viewpoint diversity. Have an intellectually and culturally diverse group of editors vet your content.
Mount this saying on your wall. “But none of my friends voted for Nixon.”
Focus on content experience
Create infographics, quizzes, and other interactive content. Joe with his blog probably doesn’t have the time, talent, or resources to do that. If you don’t know how to do this, or don’t have the tools, give me a call.
