Whoa, That's Epic - Carney
The Daily Carnage

Whoa, That’s Epic

How to create content so good that it’ll make your audience say, “holy sh*t.”

The Blueprint for Creating Epic Content

There’s epic content, and then there’s EPIC content. What’s the difference? Pretty obvious—we just capitalized the second one. *ba dum tss*

All jokes aside, epic content is the type of content you read that makes you say, “Holy sh*t, this is amazing!” It’s the type of content you want to share with everyone you know. It’s more than just a 1,000-word blog post. It’s something like the Email Outreach Playbook from Mailshake.

That one piece of content took six months to create! But it has resulted in 50,000 website visitors, 590 paying customers, and around $500,000 in annual revenue.

So what’s it take to create something that good? Here’s their process:

Step 1: Find a Topic Idea. Mailshake didn’t start with a brainstorming session or keyword research. They started by talking directly with their customers about their pain points. Then they asked their support team what common issues come up. Finally, they talked to people in their target audience who weren’t their customers.

Step 2: Conduct Keyword Research to Validate the Need. Once they had a topic idea, they did keyword research to see if searchers were interested in the topic, and to make sure that the keywords they were going to use matched the words searchers were using.

Step 3: Create the Table of Contents. They listed everything their target audience needed to know about the topic. Then, they created an outline of everything.

Step 4: Reach Out to Influencers (Before You Start Writing). Mailshake didn’t write everything themselves. They reached out to influencers (and competitors!) to get their input and advice on the topic. They included the influencers’ wisdom in their playbook, which made the content even stronger. Those influencers were also much more likely to promote the playbook once it was published.

Step 5: Use Design for a “Wow” Effect. Design matters! Great content can become average without a great design, and Mailshake realized this.

Step 6: Launch It Like a Product. Mailshake decided to market their free playbook like a product. They gathered reviews on it before launching, promoted it in communities, and launched it on as many email lists as they could.

That’s the gist of it. If you want the full scoop, you know what to do →

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Better Visibility

1) Complete Profile Basics
Duh. But wait—that doesn’t mean making it look like your resume or CV. If you’re using LinkedIn to attract clients, complete your profile in a way the conveys your personality. Some other things to take care of:

  • Optimize your profile photo, URL, and headline
  • Customize your contact information
  • Introduce yourself and your work with video
  • Get endorsements and recommendations
  • Share your education, certifications, and awards

2) Hone Your Content and Communication
Posting regular updates really help optimize your LinkedIn profile. One of the pillars of social media success? Consistency. Update your LinkedIn status daily with something that provides value to your target market.

You can also boost your visibility by writing and publishing long-form articles. (More on this inside). Since LinkedIn updated its algorithm in February 2018, it rewards content creators who share content in multiple ways on LinkedIn such as long-form articles, video, or short updates.

Keep in mind: Always write in the first person, and with personality! Let people know your values and passions, too.

3) Grow Your Network
This one seems obvious, but instead of simply adding connections, use LinkedIn groups, too. Find groups related to your target audience—they’ll give you access to more people who matter to your business.

4) Develop Healthy Inbound Links
More healthy inbound links = Google’s stamp of approval. Which means your profile will appear higher in the search results. Some easy ways to start? Link your other social media sites back to your LinkedIn profile. Include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your About page.

There’s a bunch of helpful step-by-step tutorials in this one, so dive in for more tips that’ll help you navigate your profile and the wild world of LinkedIn.

Matchers Keepers

The toughest part about moving in with anyone is trying to buy furniture that matches both of your styles. We all know how it goes, you swing down to your local furniture store, argue over which kind of couch to buy, and then leave without getting anything.

Ikea is promoting its new furniture placement app with this premise in mind. They created a game show called “Matchers Keepers,” in which roommates have to use the Ikea app to find furniture they like. If they both choose the same piece of furniture, they can take it home for free.

We especially love the part of the ironically cheesy game show host played by Instagram pro, Caroline Solomon.

“A big mistake from many an email marketer: mistaking weather for climate.”
Jay Baer 

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