Four steps to take when your content flops

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It happens to the best of us—sometimes a piece of content you’re proud of falls flat.

Rather than scrapping all your hard work and moving on to the next piece, here are four steps you can take to increase the possibility of success:

1. Review your publishing schedule

Sometimes timing really is everything. Perhaps you published your content at the wrong time of day or on the wrong day of the week. Before you assume that the content itself is the problem, review your publishing schedule against the peak publishing times. Hubspot has a useful infographic that lays out the ideal publishing times and frequency for all the major online outlets (HubSpot). Publish your content again at a favourable time and measure its performance to determine the root cause.

2. Connect with influencers

Industry influencers are a great way to get your content more engagement. Companies, especially startups, may not have built the online clout necessary to get a big reaction from great content. Influencers have a large audience of your ideal readers and can help promote your work.

3. Reformat your posts

Content format is just as important as the content itself. Your content may be too long or too broad and may just need to be edited down. The content could also be too short and need more explanation. Sometimes content can fail because it is difficult to read. We have a great post on how to master readability if you’ve determined this is the cause. Another option is to consider if the topic would be more engaging as an infographic, video, or audio stream. 

4. Hire an expert content manager

If you’ve taken all the above steps and still are not getting a good response to your content, it might be time to hire an expert. At ALHAUS, our content management experts can help you at every stage of content, from ideation to publication, to ensure success. Contact us and we can review your content strategy and develop a plan that’s tailored for you.