What was the most impressive content in 2014? Here are the pieces that caught my attention and why they stand out in a sea of content.
1. Raising the bar for all content
The 17th Surgery, by Eric Larson. Mashable’s beautiful parallax feature article wins honors as the best piece of content in 2014.
The feature article tells the story of Rebekah Gregory, a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing. It’s beautiful writing, a deeply human story, and its presentation is simply amazing. This is what content can (and perhaps, should) look like.
For me, this piece is the gold standard. Mashable raised the bar, showing us that print publishing has nothing on digital. In the future, blogs may have the same glossy look as a top magazine.
2. Lowering your guard: a lesson in transparency
A Long, Ugly Year of Depression That’s Finally Fading, by Rand Fishkin. This is a transparent, confessional-style article that gives readers an inside look at the real Rand. It’s courageous and inspiring and takes some of the mystique off success.
I like this because it’s a great example of how content (yes, even branded content) can humanize your brand and draw in your followers.
3. Giving your message a voice
Speaking of inspiring, have you caught The What’s Underneath Project, by StyleLikeU?
This isn’t print content, but a series of videos, and it’s a fantastic example of how brands can create quality content that shares their core message.
I love this series. It’s relevant, artistic, and deeply moving. It also has purpose. The “real woman” movement has become so judgmental, it’s toxic rather than healing. This project is judgment free, and it shows how all of us, regardless of who we are or what we look like, deal with similar issues. We all have self-doubts. And we’re all beautiful—if allowed to express it.
4. Telling stories with purpose
Grandma’s Homemade Raspberry Pie and the Art of Business Storytelling, by Ian Rhodes.
I love this. It isn’t epic length or stuffed with research. But it grabs and holds your attention. Story can do that when told well. And this one is.
As content marketers, we should always remember that the best content is also a great read. Ian does this masterfully in this piece.
5. Uncovering the untold story
Interviews and case studies make interesting content. In particular, this one stood out to me: Meet BuzzFeed’s Secret Weapon, by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin.
This article is about Dao Nguyen, who helped BuzzFeed quintuple traffic in two years. It tells her story and share her secrets for becoming one of the most important and beloved BuzzFeeders.
So much content is a dry recital of facts and figures, or it was slapped together to meet some quota or deadline. This is real reporting. It’s storytelling. And I walked away with more than a few ideas to try in my own work. Now that’s high-quality content.
6. Teaching with creativity
This article is Ann Handley’s lesson in content marketing, drawn from The Walrus and the Carpenter from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. Ann is a fantastic writer, and it’s always worth your while to read her work.
It’s also worth imitating her creative approach to content marketing. You need to know your audience. Who are they and what do they enjoy? Then start making creative connections. This one made me smile.
7. Widening the definition of “good”
56 Ideas for Blog Posts for Your Business Blog, by Darren Rowse.
Quality content isn’t always 2000+ words. I love that this list is 56 strong and still just takes a minute to read. As content creators, we should never limit our definition of “good.” Your content can be any length and any format—as long as it’s useful, relevant, and engaging.
8. Generously sharing your expertise
Some content gains quality points from the sheer depth of coverage. We’ve seen a lot of that over the last year. But this one caught my attention in early 2014: The 24 Ingredients for a Delicious Content Strategy, by James Carson.
Here, you get a creative approach plus in-depth coverage of the topic. It’s the “ultimate guide” we’ve seen so much of the past few years, but it doesn’t try to claim top honors. It just keeps on delivering.
Want to impress your audience? Throw in a few epic posts just for fun.
9. Not taking yourself too seriously
People don’t read text books for fun. Let’s try to create content that people want to read. Today, some of the most successful brands don’t take themselves too seriously. This post on Incidental Comics is a definite winner.
Styles of Writing, by Grant Snider. Content doesn’t have to be articles. Here, it’s a comic strip. And it had me laughing out loud.
Have fun with your content. Shake things up. Give your readers a great experience, and they’ll come back for more.
10. Crowdsourcing plus
Is it self-serving to pick one of my own articles? My Unbounce piece on gated content was in-depth journalism that I’m really proud of.
Is Gated Content a Necessary Evil? [Case Studies + Optimization Tips], by me.
The best content isn’t just opinion or fact sharing. It’s research, combined with actionable insight. Unbounce asked me to write this article, and since I had no preconceived ideas about the topic, I decided to ask experts to share their experience.
Actually, the article was quite a bit more in-depth than the piece you read here. Several experts were cut (offending at least one of them) and passages condensed. That’s all part of good editing.
I tell you this to give you an idea of what goes into content creation. Most of my articles aren’t written in 30 minutes, and I’m never impressed when a writer tells me how quickly they can pump out a blog post.
To get this type of depth, to create something that’s worth reading, you need to take your time. You need to talk to people and do your research. You need to write, then rewrite, then edit and edit some more.
It’s not for the faint of heart. But it’s always worth the effort.
These were some of my favorites this year. What were the content pieces that caught your eye this year?
