Although content creators work in different sectors, the profession remains the same throughout every industry. However, one thing that is always changing is the terminology.

As the world evolves and digital becomes more central to everything that people within the content creating professions do, it is vital for creators to be aware of the terms that are being used and what they mean.

Here are the top 10 terms you should add to your content creator dictionary:

1. Content fatigue

Content fatigue is when a creator gets so overwhelmed and becomes exhausted by the amount of content that they need to create constantly. Since we live in a day and age where consumers want constant content to entertain them, creators tend to burn out really quickly.

Here are five ways to prevent content fatigue:
  1. Look to data for some much-needed inspiration
  2. Brainstorm with different people
  3. Listen to what influencers have to say
  4. Create appreciation pieces
  5. Give more power to the people
Check out these Five ways to prevent content fatigue to make sure you’re never stuck in a rut.

2. Editorial calendar

An editorial calendar is the ‘game plan’ for all content creators. On this calendar, writers work out all of the content that they need to write and place them on the calendar. This will ensure that the content created is organised, not duplicated, and that deadlines will be met.

Some great tools to use include Asana and Google Calendar, which will help you keep track of your content strategy and deadlines.

3. Inbound link

An inbound link is when another web page links to your content on their website. The more inbound links you receive, the higher your content will be ranked in Google searches. This is because Google’s web crawlers see that your content is being referred to by others, making your content appear to be more authoritative and your website more trustworthy.

Networking with other high-quality pages shows that the content you provide is relevant and trustworthy, giving you a good reputation.

4. Evergreen content

Evergreen content refers to articles and blogs that you have written that will always bring value and insight to the reader — no matter when it was written.

Here are some tips on how to keep your content evergreen:
  • Update your content regularly: You can do this by going back to previous articles and updating the links and quotes used to match current times.
  • Ensure that your content is unique: This can be done by writing eccentric content that allows readers to be impacted by how different your brand is.
  • Stay true to your brand: You can do this by making sure that the content you write reflects who your brand is and what they stand for.
  • Create attention-grabbing headlines: This can be achieved by being creative with your headlines. For example, you can relate it to a specific day or make it rhyme.

5. Disclosure

Disclosure is when your writing is completely transparent to your audience. By making sure that you give full disclosure to your audience will ensure a strong and long-lasting relationship with them.

Things that you might need to disclose to your audience is whether not you are being paid by the brand to write about them or what relationship you have with them. That way, you can ensure that you and your audience are on the same page.

6. Infographic

An infographic is a visual display of information that consists of graphs, charts and images. The information that is added into an infographic is written in a clear and easy-to-understand way, making a complicated topic or idea much simpler.

Content creators often make use of infographics to repurpose some of their older content — allowing them to breathe new life into fan favourites. Some tools that you can use to create great infographics include Canva and Piktochart.

7. Data-backed content

Data-backed content is when you make sure that the content you write is backed up by facts. When revealing facts or your own opinion on a certain topic, it is extremely important to back up what you say with data. The reason for this is to provide evidence to the opinion you are giving because when it is backed up by facts, the reader will feel more confident in your work.

Including relevant facts, stats and graphs to your content will make it a lot stronger because your readers will see you didn’t just suck content out of your thumb.

For example, a recent study done by statista says that the most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2020 is Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp. Note the reference to the website where the stat came from and the link – it’s always important to source your facts.

8. Keywords

Keywords are specific words that people would enter into a search engine to find what they are looking for. For example, if a person wants to know how much water they should drink daily there are certain keywords that Google will look for, such as water, amount of water or daily water amount recommended.

Your content should be easy to find, and keywords help make that a possibility. You will therefore need to look at what the main message is and the points are that you want your audience to take from your content. Then, use these points as keywords for SEO.

This will ensure that you make use of relevant keywords? — making your SEO better. When writing content, it is important to note that keyword stuffing is not the way to go. Google will notice the same repetitive keywords and mark it as spam.

9. Skim effect

The skim effect occurs when readers briefly scan through your content in order to get an idea of what the article will be about. They generally look at the headlines and main points, which is why it is important for content creators to write content in a way that reveals only the most relevant points. When writing content it is important to remember to write it in such a way that if someone was to skim the article they will be able to do so and still get relevant points.

To cater to readers who skim, some writers even create TL;DR images that sum up the entire article. The main objective of this is to entice readers into reading more. So once they get a glimpse of the main points, they might be intrigued and will go back to the article to read the entire thing, as opposed to just skimming through the main points.

An example of a TL;DR for this article would be:


10. Sponsored content

This type of content is paid for by a brand who wants you to promote their products or services. Sponsored content is not advertorial content, which means that you will not be writing an ad about how amazing this brand is or how great their products are. Instead, you will mention how much you, personally, love the brand and mention how the products have helped improve your own daily routine.

Although a company or brand pays you to talk about their brand, you still need to keep in mind that it is your name that is being associated with the piece, so you can’t allow the brand or product to speak for you.

The South African Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) released a Social Media Code in early July 2019. Be sure to read the article in more detail: Breaking down SA’s new social media code of conduct.

What are some other terms you think needs to be added to the content creators' dictionary? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Now that you have a better understanding of the terms content creators need to know, be sure to read up on the Five content consumption trends in 2020.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy