CREATING [CLICKBAIT] CONTENT THAT’S MEMORABLE

The headline read, 'Making Memorable Content.'

As I perused the catalog of content in question, I wasn't sure what made it so memorable. And as this was all transpiring in my mind, something happened, and I completely forgot about it. (Strange, I thought that wasn’t supposed to happen?)

Until Sunday, during Church service, while I was taking notes on the bulletin, as I often do. While our pastor was teaching us about the book of Habakkuk, I was multitasking, jotting down answers to the question of what makes memorable content and taking notes on the sermon.

Is memorable content:

• Funny?

• Is it witty?

• Does it follow a trend?

• Is it clickbait?

• Is it a video?

• Is the video vertical or horizontal?

• How about an article?

• Does a graphic accompany it?

• Is it a selfie?

• Is it a lip-synced video similar to what you might see on TikTok?

• Does memorable content need a hook?

• Does it need a clear call to action?

• Is memorable content niche?

• Is it branded?

• Does memorable content insult someone?

• How about mock?

• Is it a carousel of images?

• Is memorable content shared at ideal times of the day?

• How about days of the week?

It's a genuine question. It's not rhetorical because, for anyone with an objective viewpoint, the idea of what is memorable is ultimately up to the audience to decide, not the creator.

Am I wrong about that? Maybe I am, and that's me attempting to be objective.

If I were to ask you, have you seen the movie "Wedding Crashers," and you said no, well, you're probably not my age, or you've never watched a movie before (that's me being subjective), but if you have here's why I would ask you that question:

Do you remember when Claire (Rachel McAdams) is seeking advice from John (Owen Wilson's character) about her 'maid of honor' speech? John vehemently suggests going from the heart, while Claire persists in going with humor.

As you might remember, Claire crashes (no pun intended) and burns during the speech only to look over at John in the back of the room, tapping on his chest, signifying the need to pivot her stance to "from the heart."

I love that analogy for this story because I never find myself chasing content for the sake of content. After all, I don't see myself as someone who creates content; I see myself as someone who tells stories.

Real stories are about real things, and not because I want validation from an audience or to make sales, but only because I have something I want to say. If that relates to someone, then you could say that's memorable, but if it doesn't, at least I can say it's art.

As for the particular brand of 'content,' I vaguely reference it here, no offense, but I'm pretty sure it won't be hanging on the wall in anyone's living room anytime soon.

Thanks for hanging in there.

Derek

P.S. Don’t be that guy that goes around sharing this all over the place. This article was only intended for you to see. No one else. Actually, send it to your crazy aunt who posts on Facebook all the time. I bet she would love it.