Step 12: Create Your Campaign Content Smartly

Estimated Time: 3 hours

In this step, you will outline the key messages and create a draft version of the 'script' for all your deliverables.

Background

When we think about creating content, people think about creating lots of content and embedding them in some good looking design and disseminating. This is a mistake.

It is a well-established fact that humans have very limited retention ability - in this day and age of information overload, whatever you tell them will be forgotten in a matter of days, if not hours. The only way to bypass this shortcoming is for you to 'hammer' the message by repeating it again and again and again.

So what do we do?

Smart-Step 1: Identify the Key Messages of Your Campaign

• Once you have selected your topic, identify the key messages about the topic that your audience should know.

• These should ideally be the 10 points that you had added in the areas and topics form. If that's not the case, you might want to revisit the 10 points again (the form is editable).

• During the course of your campaigning you will simply 'hammer' these messages again and again till the time the audience remembers them. You will use different media, different methods, different modalities and even different information - but the messages remain the same.

• Once you have finalised your 10 key messages - gather atleast 3 points to support each of them - facts (including statistics), quotes, trivia, anecdotes, processes, etc. 

• In the end you will have total 10 Key Messages and 30 points of supporting information.

Smart-Step 2: Create Content Smartly

1. Long-form Content (article, 1000-1500 words): To create your long form content, use the following structure:

   • Introduction

     • A paragraph that creates interest in the reader for him to read through the whole article.

   • Body

     • The key messages are your sub-headings.

     • For each of the messages, rewrite the 3 points for each of the messages as a paragraph.

   • Conclusion

     • A paragraph summarizing the above, and re-emphasizing your primary message (topic).

2. Long-form Content (webinar script, 2500-3000 words): Paraphrase the above article of about 1500 words into a 2500-3000 word script by adding details around each of the points.

3. Social Media Posts (10): Pick any of the 10 facts, quotes, etc. that is important for the audience to know and convert them into visually interesting posts - 10 information pieces for 10 posts. A short single sentence typically works best.

4. Short Videos (various, see campaign deliverables): 

   • Prepare scripts for each of the videos.

   • For the 7-15 second videos: take an approach similar to social media posts. 

   • For the 30 second-2 minute videos: select one of the messages and key points under it - add more details, if required.

Smart-Step 3: Iterate

Unless you're a genius with years of experience, chances are slim that you'll be able to get things perfect in the first attempt. Most people generate much better results in the same amount of time, using the following approach:

1. Draft: Lower your Cognitive Load by putting out on paper (or e-paper)  whatever you  have in mind. This will serve as the initial rough sketch of your creative piece. Doing this will free up your mental faculties for more advanced steps.

2.  Structure: Once you have everything out on paper in front of you, you can now structure this logically in a manner that aligns with your overall narrative (message).

3. Finalise: Once the structured creation is ready, you can do a final round of edits focused on readability and communication of key messages.

In step 12, the expectation from you is to do the first - be ready with a draft script for all your content.

If you prepare your draft content and scripts here itself, your life will be much easier, and you will also be able to iterate and significantly improve your content in the later steps. So please do it. 

From engaging with the content of the past campaigners in steps 6 and 7 you would already have an idea about what is expected for each of the deliverables - what they are like. Feel free to refer back to them, if required.

Please Note: You do not need to submit the content at this stage.