There’s an old saying that Content is King. But without Context, raw content can be misleading (fake news) and misunderstood (Google and other search engines).
Context is Queen is the best way to understand the many ways that content can be most effectively created, published and marketed.
You may have the greatest content – a fact-filled article or a thrill-a-minute story – but without the necessary wrapper or cover, how is anyone to know. But beware click-bait. You can put a catchy headline on a weak article or story, and maybe get some views. But people won’t come back.
The correct use of context will ensure your article or story reaches the right readership. And on the web the search engines will know how best to categorise and deliver your content. And there are some not-so-secret techniques to ensure good context.
First, remember you’re writing for people, not search engines. In the bad old days it was possible to fool Google et al, but now not so much. The search bots look deeper now, checking depth of content and credibility.
Second, that depth and credibility comes from consistent and regular writing – and publishing. Don’t keep your new words locked in a drawer or computer folder. And don’t keep your older stories and blog posts hidden down in the archives. Polish them, new and old, and get them into the ether.
Most universities and writing courses will emphasise the importance of context.
Third, make sure you have the bare minimum context defined. The easy ones are:
- categories for articles and blog
- tags for articles and blog
- genres for stories, whether fiction or non-fiction
Fourth, make sure you’ve selected the most useful publishing medium. And speaking of Medium, that’s one of the fastest growing blog/article repositories around today. Yes it’s very USA focussed and it’s often very earnest, but if you content fits that context, don’t hesitate to sign up and publish.
And Fifth – yes, this is one of those 5-Step articles – Social Media! Even if 97% of posts get lost on Facebook, and most Tweets last just 3.746 hours, there’s no reason to abandon those platforms. Ideally, make sure your writing platform covers all bases:
- own website
- own blog
- blog platform like Medium
- own social media platforms
- guest posts on other blogs or platforms
- and, of course, all link to your email collection process
There you go – Context is Queen explained in five minutes.
