Hey, it’s Brian Dean and welcome to Module 2. Module 2 is where you bring the work that you did in Module 1 to life.Specifically, in this Module, I’m going to show you exactly, step-by-step how to create a piece of content that generates backlinks and first page Google rankings. But first, let’s quickly recap what you accomplished in Module 1.
In Module 1 you learned how to build the foundation of a successful SEO campaign. You identified the influencers in your industry (your Linkreators) and discovered topics that these influential bloggers and journalists WANT to link to. You also found a keyword for your Power Page using my 3-step medium tail keyword research process. And now you’re going to build on that foundation by creating your first Power Page. As you might remember, a Power Page has 3 features that make it significantly more effective than traditional blog posts and articles. These 3 features are: Linkreator-focused Based on a proven topic Built with a Content Framework The first 2 elements of a Power Page – Linkreator-focused and based on a proven topic – are already done.
That’s the work you did in Module 1. In this Module I’m going to help you take the Linkreator-focused topic you found in Module 1 and turn it into an effective piece of content using one of 7 proven Content Frameworks. So without further ado, let’s dive right into this lesson. So at this point you might be wondering: “What’s a Content Framework?”
A Content Framework is a piece of content that’s specifically designed to rank in Google. And there are 7 Content Frameworks that I use whenever I want to rank a piece of content in Google. Now: Content Frameworks are unique mainly because they contain built-in Share Triggers.
Share Triggers are psychological principles that encourage people to share your content. In other words, when you include Share Triggers in your content, people are significantly more likely to share and link. For example, let’s take a look at this Power Page from Backlinko. This Power Page at Backlinko was built with the Go-To Guidebook Content Framework.
To date, this Power Page has attracted hundreds of social shares, backlinks and it ranks in the top 3 for my target keyword. And you’ll get a step-by-step blueprint for each of my 7 Content Frameworks in this Module. But before we get into the step-by-step process for each framework, let’s quickly cover Share Triggers and how they can help you get better results from your content.
Our first Share Trigger is Utility. A few years back Dr. Jonah Berger and Dr. Katherine Milkman teamed up to determine what makes content go viral. Specifically, they looked at what TYPES of content gets shared most often. To get the answer, they analyzed the NYTimes.com most emailed list. This section of the NY Times website lists the most emailed articles on their site.
What did they find? According to their findings published in the Journal of Consumer research, articles rated as having high utility were 30% more likely than average to crack the top most emailed list. What is Utility? Utility is a fancy way of saying: content that’s super practical. For example, recipes are one the most heavily shared types of content online. Why? Because they’re insanely practical. Just follow the steps and you have a chicken curry that you can enjoy with your family.
On the other hand, essays, “thought leader” pieces, and high-level content isn’t shared nearly as often as content that provides lots of practical value. Content Frameworks like the go-to guidebook and the Expanded List Post both have incredibly high Utility. And it’s one of the reasons they work so well. Next up, we have the Content Length Share Trigger. Let’s revisit the study that I just talked about. The authors of that study also found that longer articles were 76.8% more likely to make the New York Times most emailed list.
And this data is backed up by an industry study that I did with BuzzSumo. We found that long-form content got an average of 77% more backlinks than short blog posts and articles. What’s going on here? Is there really something special from banging out 3000-word articles? Actually, there is. Dr. Berger looked into WHY longer articles get shared more often. And he concluded that longer articles elicit a feeling of “awe”. And Awe is an emotion that encourages people to share. Just think of how excited people are to take pictures of themselves in front of the Grand Canyon. That’s because the Grand Canyon elicits a strong feeling of awe.
And that feeling of awe pushes people to share that feeling with friends and colleagues. As Dr. Berger puts it: “Awe gets our hearts racing and our blood pumping. This increases our desire for emotional connection and drives us to share.” Bottom line: Longer articles get shared more often because they elicit a feeling of “awe” from the reader. The fact that longer content equals more shares and links at least partly explains why longer content tends to rank better in Google in general.
Next up in our list of Share Triggers, we have Memory Glue. Lets face it: 99.9% of all content online is completely forgettable. You read it, open a new tab on your browser and 5 minutes later you forgot you ever saw it. But here’s the thing: some of this forgettable content is pretty darn good. It may even pack some serious Utility. But the problem is this – there’s nothing in that content that makes it stick in your mind.
Again, going back to Jonah Berger’s research, he found that highly memorable ideas and concepts are significantly more likely to be shared. So, how can you make your content more memorable? One simple strategy is to use The Trademark Technique. The Trademark Technique is a Content Framework where you create proprietary strategies and techniques that people can latch onto and remember.
A good example of this Content Framework is The Skyscraper Technique. One of the reasons this strategy gets mentioned so often is that it’s highly memorable. And when a Linkreator sits down to write an article – and wants to mention a link building strategy – The Skyscraper Technique is top of mind.
Which is why that specific Power Page from my site has been linked to literally thousands of times. Next up, we have positive emotions. You may have heard the expression: “bad news travels fast”. Well as it turns out, this isn’t true.
In fact, studies show that positive content gets shared more often than negative content. In other words, content that elicits positive emotions, like surprise and inspiration, attract more shares than negative stories that make you feel sad or depressed. Moving right along, we have the Social Currency Share Trigger. Not surprisingly, people share content that makes them look good. For example, let’s say that you’re a huge fan of The Paleo Diet.
And you read an article that summarizes a research study. A research study that found the Paleo Diet helps people lose weight and build muscle mass better than any other diet. What are you going to do? Share that study with everyone you know! As it turns out, Linkreators are the exact same way. Like anybody, Linkreators LOVE to share content that supports their position or proves that they’re right.Why?
Because it makes them look good. In other words, it increases their Social Currency. And starting in the next lesson, I’ll share some Content Frameworks that have Social Currency built-in, so you can take full advantage of it. Finally, we have the Storytelling Share trigger. I probably don’t need to tell you that, as humans, we’re hardwired to remember and share stories.
For example, do you remember which diet I talked about in the last example? That’s right, it was the Paleo Diet. Why was that so easy to remember? Well the simple reason is that I mentioned the diet in the context of a little story. And mountains of research show that stories are more powerful, memorable and emotional than pure information.
In other words, when you tell stories, you create content that people are more likely to remember (Memory Glue). Also, because stories elicit emotions, like awe, surprise, and inspiration, they’re more likely to be shared. Now you have almost everything you need to get started on your first Power Page.You have a list of Linkreators.
You have a topic that your Linkreators will link to. And you know what Share Triggers are and how they work. What I want you to do now is go ahead and download the worksheet for today’s lesson. In it, I’ll recap the Share Triggers we discussed here and hook you up with more examples of Share Triggers in action.
And then, in the next lessons, we’re going to build on these Share Triggers with the 7 Content Frameworks. And the best part about them is that all of these Content Frameworks have these Share Triggers baked right in. So, if you’ve ever struggled with not knowing what to write or how to write it, — or what content tocreate in the first place — don’t worry!
By the end of this module, you’re going to have a content toolbox you can use to make writing and creating a cinch. And unlike the other lessons in the SEO That Works program, you don’t need to go in order. You can choose a Content Framework for your Power Page like picking an entree from a menu.
In other words, once you have your Linkreator-focused topic, just choose a Content Framework, follow the step-by-step instructions and get more traffic. Rinse and repeat. See you in the next video.
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