I hate to admit it, but it’s true…

I haven’t had nearly enough time to keep up with my reading this year.

Why am I telling you this?

Last year, I listed the top posts of 2014, and I planned to create another roundup of the best articles published this year. Trouble is, I know I’m missing some posts that deserve to be featured.

On a positive note, my lack of time may have made me a tougher judge. When time is limited, my patience runs low with bad content. Content for the sake of content? Articles that don’t say anything? They’re a waste of everyone’s time.

But when I run across a post that’s remarkable in some way, either because it’s beautifully written, wonderfully structured or makes me think, I appreciate it all the more.

This year my list is short, largely because I didn’t have a lot of time. But here are the posts that rose above the noise for me.

Consistency, Connecting And The Campaign Syndrome

By Ian Rhodes

Ian went really deep on this one, but he never lost the conversational tone that he does so well. He had me laughing out loud over the Valentine’s dog tags. Then once he had me hooked, he delivered a smart marketing message that made me want to go back and review my own campaigns.

Seriously good stuff. This is a great example of content that entertains while offering expert guidance.

This Simple Shift in Thinking Will Help You Overcome Any Challenge

By Danny Iny

This is a post about when you should quit and when you should stick, and how you can know the difference. What I love about it is the format.

It opens with two short stories—compelling narratives that don’t tell me who they relate to. I’m guessing, of course, and I want to know if I’m right, so I’m already hooked.

Next comes some interesting research. The hook deepens, because I’m learning something new and I still don’t know who the stories relate to.

And finally, my curiosity is satisfied. The post ends with an application section where all these disparate pieces of narrative come together. The final point not only makes sense but really resonates—because the foundation was laid with storytelling and research.

The Dam Called Trouble

By George Getschow

Content writers can and should be reporters, and this article is a fantastic example of reporting that’s deep and thorough.

The article is well-written. It answers every question. And it’s objective, giving all sides of the story so readers can talk intelligently about the issue after a single read-through.

We’ve seen a trend of advanced guides. But in many cases, they could benefit from the kind of reporting that’s in this article. My tip? Before writing your next guide, review this article, and take a more journalistic approach.

New Republic Relaunches Online With “Novel” As Content Marketing Arm

By Amber van Moessner

One of the purposes of blog content is to share your brand message. Your blog is the perfect place to update your readers on changes to your business or future plans that are on the drawing board.

The challenge is to do it in a way that’s actually worth reading. Ideally, there should be some intrinsic value to simply reading your post.

This post is a great example. Its purpose is to promote the brand, but I found myself enjoying the inside scoop on their strategy and thinking. By formatting it as an interview, it covers all the bases: sharing the brand’s story in an interesting way, provide useful statistics, and offer thought leadership.

The Advanced Guide to Emotional Persuasion

By Shanelle Mullin

Image Source

Few sites put as much focus on research as ConversionXL. By consistently backing up every claim with objective proof, this site has garnered deep respect in the industry.

This post is both well-researched and well-written. At 3,208 words, it’s chock full of graphics, illustrations, and links to source material—and a good model for any advanced guide.

Austin is the Conversion Capital of the World in 2015

By me

Brian Massey is a master of creative branded content. In 2014, he asked me to write a post about the conversion experts in Austin, naming Austin as the conversion capital of the world. In early 2015, he asked me to write this follow-up post.

As you can see, you can approach round-up posts in a variety of ways. In this case, making it into a series of posts made it all the more entertaining.

What I especially like about this post (and the series) is that it positions Conversion Sciences as a leader in the CRO industry while sharing fascinating stories about the players in the industry. Notice that there’s no fear about being overshadowed by competitors.

The round-up is a terrific format for creating high-quality content, but you can’t just collect a lot of quotes and string them together. You need to find a big idea that turns mere reporting into something worth reading. In this post, it was a comment from Noah Kagan that gave me the thread that could tie everything together.

Sometimes you don’t need community. Sometimes you just need a hamburger

By Mark Schaefer

Sometimes contrarian posts are irritating. They feel like someone’s trying to pick a fight. But other times, it’s like a breath of fresh air.

That’s the case with this post. Here, Mark Schaefer defends the basics of marketing in a way that’s very real. (What’s more real than hamburgers, after all?)

Take a lesson. Sometimes you don’t need to be clever or trendy. You just need to say what you’re thinking in a clear and compelling way. Too often we try to ride the trends. Perhaps we need to break from the trend, and say something totally unexpected.

SEO Strategy Case Study: 963% More Organic Traffic

By Brian Dean

Case studies make good content because they combine two winning formats: storytelling and how-to. If you intent to use case studies on your blog, this is a good model to follow.

In this post, Brian Dean weaves his own teaching, a case study that illustrates the point, and screenshots to vividly make his point. Despite the technical nature of the post, you find yourself reading every word.

My Epic Long Walk from Round Rock to the UT Campus

By Fernando Labastida

Keep in mind that content doesn’t always have to be technical. It can simply tell a story.

In this post, content writer Fernando Labastida shares his own story—with no marketing objective. His writing is colorful. His details are vivid. And it’s got all the makings of a great story, from conflict to rising action, to resolution.

If you want a break from dry content, read this post.

And more to the point, don’t be afraid to tell a story that simply entertains. As long as it fits within your content strategy, it’s a fresh approach that’s worth exploring.

What were your favorite posts this year? What type of content rises above the noise for you?