Content’s hierarchy of needs

Good content has needs

And some needs are more important than others.

If you want your content to reach self-actualization (getting liked or shared) then build upon these foundations.

Story

Every piece of content needs to have a story or support a greater story.

Otherwise, it’s literally worthless and just taking up space.

The story is your message. Your purpose. Your call to action.

Value

Why should anyone consume your content? It must be valuable to them.

Value comes from your content being funny, educational, informational, or simply aesthetically pleasing.

Personality

Once you have your story and your value, it’s time to add flavor.

What makes this content unique? What does it say about you?

This is how you stand out.

Hook

If you’ve made it this far up the pyramid your content is good. Time to make it great.

Add a hook. Do this with humor, shock, a celebrity cameo, a contest, or a promise that action taken on this content would support a good cause.

Production value

Production value is your audio quality, the refinement of your graphic design, the quality of your photography, the resolution of your video, or the correctness of your spelling.

Content can soar just fine without production value, but it’s a beautiful cherry on top and can help ensure your content a longer life.