Our clients generally come to us with a content theme in mind. It may be an extension of an annual marketing campaign or it may coincide with a product launch or peak selling season for that product. Sometimes, those plans coincide with our strongest performing content categories: key dates and seasonal information. Other times, they do not.

When the hook isn’t event-oriented or seasonal, we challenge ourselves to get creative and find the value or solution for the reader. That, in turn, makes the content more attractive to editors and generally boosts the amount of pickup we expect it to receive.

We get that your goal is to the move the needle, be it through sharing of messaging, sales or some other metric. Our editors do, too. And as long as we can present your product or service in a way that makes it relevant for the average consumer, everyone wins.

Let’s say, for the sake of discussion, that your client has just rolled out a new line of window shades. They block the sun for great energy efficiency, there are several design options so they look great with many home styles and one upgrade option lets homeowners program the shades to raise and lower on a smart home system. Your campaign theme is “the new generation of window shades has arrived.”

From our perspective, that’s probably a really workable approach for many of your marketing materials – your brochures, your trade show booth, even your website. The downside is, it’s a bit promotional for an editorial audience. The other issue that gives us pause: the people interacting with those materials are predisposed to have an interest in what you have to say. They’ve visited a store that sells your product, they’ve stopped for a demo at your trade show booth – they’re primed for information.

That doesn’t necessarily hold true for a mass audience. You need to build context to help readers (and editors) understand the solution your product provides. In this case, we would encourage you to let us work with you to create tip- or idea-oriented home improvement content. We might focus on upgrades that make your home more energy efficient, functional but attractive ways to update your home’s style or how to incorporate technology into your household every day--and within that content, your product and its attributes are seamlessly incorporated as part of the solution.

Those approaches aren’t necessarily in line with our strong performing holiday and seasonal content, but they are on trend and they give readers the context and a reason to want to learn more. Making your brand part of a solution for the reader is a smart approach for content that attracts editors’ attention.

Sarah Fowler

As Production Manager, Sarah works closely with clients, coordinating all their project’s needs from copy to imagery. Her excellent customer service skills and attention to detail are an asset to both Family Features and our clients.