What constitutes “quality” in content?

Organizations are generating more content than ever before — and the timelines for development keep shrinking. It can be enough of a challenge just getting to the “go live” point, never mind ensuring work is high quality.

Yet quality continues to count, especially in a highly competitive marketplace. High-quality content is one of the most effective tools a company can use to stand out from its competitors, with studies showing that 61% of decisionmakers consider thought leadership to be more impactful in demonstrating the value of their services than traditional product-oriented marketing.

But what is quality, exactly? How can you know if a piece is objectively good — especially as more and more content floods our channels every day, including pieces generated entirely by artificial intelligence?

There may not be hard and fast rules, but look for the following characteristics in quality content:

• Clear purpose. Have a clear strategic or tactical reason for each piece beyond simply “filling the pipeline”. Consider the questions you’re trying to answer for your audience.
• Freshness. Make sure you’re bringing something new to the conversation, whether that’s new information or an alternative perspective. Uniqueness has value and helps differentiate.
• Timeliness. Produce content that connects with what’s on the minds of your audience today. Whether you’re reviewing events in an annual report or envisioning the impact of a transformative technology, make it relevant.
• Substance. Even when putting forward opinions or offering advice, back them up with facts and stats that reinforce the credibility of what you have to say.
• Interest. Style often hooks readers and holds their attention, but that doesn’t mean always being clever or provocative. A clearly written piece with energy, flow and good information can have high value for an interested reader.

Discover the Ascribe difference

Whatever content you’re planning to develop, Ascribe can help ensure it is written to the highest standards of quality. We have made our reputation delivering top-quality writing and editing services, tailored to the needs of your business and your customers.

Some the high-quality content we have produced for our clients recently includes annual reports for the National Research Council of Canada, a video discussion guide for the Subject Matter Health Research Lab, thought-leadership articles and web copy for Nokia, thought-leadership articles for Bell, researcher profiles for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and much more.

Contact us today to find out how we can make a difference in your marketing communications.