Tabloids can teach us a lot about creating engaging content

There’s always an array of tabloid magazines at the checkout lines in grocery stores.
 
Even amid the print media downturn, those magazines seem to thrive. The reason for their success? They talk about people.
 
Sure, most of the stories are sensational and many would argue, untrue. But tabloids do something to keep us engaged. They appeal to human emotions by talking about people.
 
There’s a simple lesson here for those who want to create engaging content in the B2B space. And no, it doesn’t entail using gutter tactics to engage your audience.
 
Instead, the lesson is to focus on humans. And less on your products or services.
 
You can, of course, talk about your products or services—just centre it around people. How did your product or service serve people? How did it help them grow? Save money? Succeed? Make their lives easier?
 
No matter what industry you’re in, there’s one subject that intrigues everyone: people. Talking about people leads to more powerful storytelling, and as this Harvard Business article notes, storytelling is an effective way of helping your audience learn new things.
 
Good storytelling, especially stories that involve people, sticks in the minds of your audience. Good storytelling is often remembered longer than stats or facts about your product or service.

Consider this point when you’re crafting that new product or service case study or writing that blog post on the latest update to a product your company sells.
 
And the next time you’re in a supermarket glancing at those tabloids, think about how you would tell your company’s story if it was on the front page of one of those magazines.