Company Content…Struggling for Stories?

Many of our clients aim to produce a newsletter or broader magazine, for the benefit of their staff, and perhaps their wider stakeholders too.

But no matter how successful the business or enthusiastic the team, it’s often the case that those tasked with the output find themselves facing an occasional ‘drought of content’.

We regularly run creativity sessions to get teams thinking about content opportunities, and the demand for that help has been on the increase since the start of the pandemic.

Why might that be?

Perhaps because it’s harder for staff to come up with content ideas amongst a team, when they’re not sat in front of a whiteboard together, or frequently picking up stories by the water-cooler.

Or perhaps it’s simply because we all tell ourselves that in this ‘locked down and limited’ way of life, there’s just a whole lot less going on.

To help you out, here’s some thoughts on what content to consider, and where to source it from:

1 – Profile people

Insights into what a particular person does in their role, or what part they’ve played in the firm over a considerable period, can make for a really interesting read.

2 – Encourage opinions

Opinion articles or even a contributed letter, are great options for sparking debate and letting people have their say.

3 – Lists, Tips and Shortform Suggestions

We all love a briefer article that gives us some genuine ‘takeaway’ material. Think about having a mix of articles so that some are more bullet pointed and present tangible ideas or ‘top 5’ lists, for example.

4 – Awards, accolades and acknowledgments

Stories of praise and achievement help us all to applaud those in our work life community. Now more than ever, this makes us feel part of our staff team, particularly if we’re working remotely. Be sure to consider ‘out of work’ achievements too.

5 – Charitable Commitments

What’s the latest update on your company’s charity activity or fundraising support? If there isn’t a particular project, might you introduce one and give a regular written follow-up? It’s a great way of gaining new content too, because you can interview people from that cause.

6 – Anniversaries and milestones

If your business is nearing a particular celebratory year, why not use that as a reason to carry out an update feature, looking at what’s happened since that time and digging out some old pictures and reflections?

7 – Your Industry in Context

Be sure to keep an eye on what the general and trade media are saying about your sector in particular, and weave that into content which looks at how this is affecting your business…and how it may well do in the future.

8 – Supplier and Client News

Encourage your suppliers and clients to forward their news to you. It’s a great way of adding to your content, and gives all staff a better insight into those you work with too.

9 – Competitions, quizzes and more

Don’t forget that content can be less ‘newsy’ and more interactive. Make space for light-hearted contributions and try to introduce regular competitions which will lead to submissions.

If you’re interested in a creativity session about company content, email deborah@lexiaagency.co.uk