As your marketing team plans complete campaigns and content packages that are designed to reach all levels of the sales funnel, one format to consider is the tip sheet.
While traditionally a tip sheet might be strictly a printed document or PDF resource, the basic format of offering readers a handful of specific tips that can help them tackle a problem or achieve a specific goal can also be used in writing blog posts, thought leadership articles, or even a social media content series to be published over time. (You could even use the same basic content, with some rewriting to target a different channel and buyer persona, in multiple ways—repurpose the content to make the most of the investment of time!)
The checklist that follows will help you and your team ensure that the tip sheets and content you create using this format hit their mark, and that first drafts are turned in nearly ready for publication. By establishing criteria for excellence from the start, your team (in-house, freelance or agency) can save valuable time in revisions and rewrites.
The first steps in the process are the responsibility of the CMO, marketing manager or project lead creating the work assignment. By defining expectations and providing detailed information from the start, managers can set the content creation team up for success.
Included in the assignment that is passed on to a writer or creative team (if the writer is working in conjunction with a graphic artist or others who will repurpose this content into additional pieces such as infographics, videos or audio content) should be the following:
Having all of this information up front will reduce time spent in answering questions from the writer and others on the creative team or in revising the first draft because the intent, topic or expectations were not clear.
Writing may be a creative process, but when creating marketing content such as a tip sheet for distribution through a variety of channels (as a website download, as a bylined article, as a blog post, as a printed piece for use at in-person events or meetings), creativity should be coupled with the discipline to ensure specific details are included every time.
Though this is listed first in our checklist, it may not be the first thing a writer tackles. Sometimes, it is best to leave writing the final headline to last, so that it can better reflect the final copy. Regardless of where headline writing falls in the timeline, it should include these characteristics:
While the “meat” of a tip sheet may be in the 5, 7, 10 or 13 tips being offered, the introduction has to draw the reader in. (Why 5, 7, 10 or 13? Because studies have shown that numbers in headlines draw more clicks than headlines without, and odd numbers tend to be seen as more authentic. And “top 10 tips” just rolls. Sources: Mozilla and Social Media Today.) Once that headline grabs them, write an introduction that keeps them.
The bulk of a tip sheet will, obviously, be the tips you are providing for readers. These need to help your audience do something more effectively, more quickly or more economically. Give them information they can use.
While a tip sheet should be crafted to provide its readers with valuable, ready-to-use information, you are still designing marketing content. That means you should still provide some call-to-action that could lead the reader toward a desired outcome. The one exception might be a tip sheet style article written as thought leadership to be contributed to an industry media outlet, though even then you may be able to use an author bio to include a similar CTA.
In some cases, your tip sheet may benefit from additional elements or supporting materials that will be used in promoting the piece or in providing additional information in conjunction with it.
Both the content creator—or content creation team, if it includes both a writer and designer—and a manager should do a detailed review of the content and design before the tip sheet is finalized and put into action. Double check that:
When written with care, tip sheets—as gated downloadable resources, blog posts or thought leadership contributed articles—have the potential to increase SEO, awareness, lead generation and industry authority and trust by providing usable information for readers, prospects and leads. They are one potential component of a complete content campaign strategy.
Creating valuable content is often cited by marketing executives and professionals as one of the greatest challenges they face. Hopefully, these guidelines help you approach that challenge. Find more ways of addressing the content creation problem in our solution sheet or talk with me about how you can add JONES to your content creation team. You can schedule a time in my calendar here for a no-obligation consultation.