LISTENING TO BUILD THAT HUMAN CONNECTION WITH YOUR CONTENT

Writing about others has always felt like a real privilege and a huge responsibility.

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The family burying their murdered child. The boy who wrote to Margaret Thatcher for a vital heart op. The man who ran into a burning building to rescue his neighbours.

The trans lorry driver giving up her free time to take aid to Romanian orphanages.

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Individual stories, collective stories, stories that have stayed with me for weeks, months, years after I wrote them. Reminding me every time that emotion has an important part to play in our content, whether we’re the writer or the reader.

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You don’t need to be writing for a glossy mag or a Red Top (tabloid) to create content that hits people in the feels. When there’s genuine emotion in your copy, whether it’s for a blog,? a social post, newsletter or something else, people feel it, sense it, connect with it.

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In contrast, when it’s faux feelings, emotions carefully placed to reel in your rapport, like a smile that doesn’t quite meet the eyes, we feel that fakeness too.

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Whether you work for a Blue Chip company, you’re an SME or a solopreneur, when we share some of our emotions, talk about them, write about them and let people in, then we can grow. Grow personally and professionally. Grow our connections, our tribe, our brand, our passion for what we do and who we want to work with.

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All the stories I’ve mentioned here came about because I listened and only ever wanted to tell the person’s story in a way that felt right for them. When I was moved, I showed that I was moved. When someone said something they wanted to keep between us (and believe me, there have been plenty of moments like this), I put my notebook down and carried on listening.

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My mission is still this today. Your story, your words, your way. It’s come from years of listening and learning from those I’ve interviewed. I hope that listening and learning never stops.

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It’s a skill all of us could do with brushing up. When was the last time you truly listened to your customers, your clients, your colleagues, learned from them and used these experiences to create great content?

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Human interest stories. I first heard this phrase when I was a rookie reporter on my local paper. More than 30 years later and I’m just as pulled in by them, moved by them, inspired by them. We all are. It’s why I encourage my clients to tap into their own and those of their customers.

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In a folder tucked away in a box in our loft, is a thank you letter. Just a few paragraphs, but they mean so much.

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A gay couple who went through years of homophobic abuse, but were brave enough to tell me their story. I listened. I learned and I wrote. Their story moved me, it moved our readers and it led to an outpouring of love and support from a variety of local communities.

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There it is. That human interest. I think I prefer the term human connection. You didn’t have to be a gay man to be moved by the couple’s story. All you had to do was listen with an open heart and mind.

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When we listen, we learn, we grow and we connect.

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See your social channels, your blog, your marketing material as a place to demonstrate that you are listening to those around you, to your customers, the people that need your help and support, and never be afraid to show some of that emotion. Be more human with your content and let your words build that human connection. ?

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When did you last show emotion in your content and what was the response?

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