Consider the title of this article – what does it say? Chances are it will contain tips on writing quality content, but it’s what’s in those parentheses that really kicks the mental motor into high gear. At a glance, you know that there are two other articles about this subject to track down if you happen to like this one, and another on the way to entice you to subscribe.
There isn’t truly a series here, but the point stands – serial content keeps people engaged, interested and coming back for more.
Serial Content Tells a Story
Sometimes it’s a struggle to get all the finer points of a subject or brand story across in a single article – without spilling over into thousands of words, anyway. It isn’t to say that longer content is necessarily bad from an SEO standpoint, but search engines are only half of your audience – once readers are present, they’ll need something to keep them reading.
With planned serial ‘chapters’ in an article or blog post series, the writer is able to give each point proper consideration, as well as room to grow and engage.
Interactions are also, by extension, more focused – comments, shares, and social media exposure will be more directly linked to the subject of that chapter, rather than a single, all-but-buried point in a larger piece.
Serial Content Provides an Anchor
It’s the goal of most content strategy efforts to keep the reader interested in the subject matter and on the site providing it. With more succinct subject matter in each serial post, there are a lot of opportunities for interlinking and strengthening framework within your content. Rather than sending a single missive out to a web-based audience and hoping they’ll explore your other content on their own, you can incorporate hyperlinks and make it that much easier to encourage engagement.
Building authority in the eyes of search engines also becomes an easier effort with a healthy stock of content to refer to.
Serial Content Allows More Voices
While using the same writer throughout a series of articles or posts is certainly common, some newer content strategy methods use a variety of writers to prevent tonal stagnation. If your blog or industry is prone to dry, redundant news and tips, bringing in a team of talented writers may help you squeeze more life out of the same pool of topics.
Even if your serial content requires continuity, several writers can still turn out a cohesive ‘story,’ provided they have the ability to review the post directly before their own.
Serial content won’t fix all of your marketing target shortfalls, but it’s a concept that should be considered within any content strategy. Blogs, articles, even how-to videos can all benefit from scheduling and gradual exposure – whether you’re expanding on current topics or creating new ones.