Andrew is Co-founder and Group Publisher at Asia Online Publishing Group. SE Asia's top tech news publisher and digital engagement platform.
getty
People used to think that goldfish could only retain memories for around 10 seconds. By the time they swam around their bowl, the sight that greeted them would be like a whole new world.
Some people even say the same thing about online audiences: Instead of short retention spans, some say they have short attention spans.
We can spend hours, days, weeks or even months creating amazing content that consumers may dismiss with a flick of their finger within seconds as they search for something else that will catch their attention.
How do we contend with this, and how can we create content that keeps an audience's attention?
If you are still with me, reading this, then I achieved that goal with you.
Think about why that might be: My educated guess is that the following factors combined to get you this far into this article.
1. The title of the article caught your attention. It made its point forcefully and did so quickly.
2. You are a content creator and identify with the issue this article addresses—so the piece is well targeted and on a topic that's of interest to you.
The good news is that short attention spans probably aren't hard-coded into your audience. They have the ability to maintain their attention on content for hours at a time. Rather, I think that instead of having short attention spans, people are actually using a filter to sift through the content that floods their feeds and decide what they will ignore and what they will stop and consume in detail.
Once you understand this and its implications, you can start creating content accordingly.
Here's a personal example. Like a lot of people, I enjoy TikTok. When I am bored, I open the app and start "flicking" until something catches my attention.
It could be a 50-second video featuring a restaurant that might be worth trying. With my interest awakened, I dig further.
I might open YouTube to search for more in-depth reviews. I might Google the restaurant for written reviews or online copies of the menu. I may look to see if there is a professional write-up available about the restaurant.
The point is that once my filter has been breached, I become hungry for more detailed content.
Your content strategy should slap people in the face and breach their filter. We have to create content that fans the sparks of interest in the few seconds we typically have to get noticed.
The starting point is coming up with a clear, snappy and engaging message that can be consumed and comprehended in seconds.
Format doesn’t matter: Whether your content is focused on writing, images, video or audio, the same approach applies. The first few seconds are your golden moments to send more people down your content journey.
Think about how much time and resources you spend on creating detailed and amazing content compared to how much time you spend on creating the title for that content. Yet it could be the title that makes or breaks whether someone "flicks" past you in those golden seconds.
So what are the critical aspects that you need to focus on? How do you pass people's initial filter?
It's all about the subject line, tag line or opening sequence.
I can't overstate how important this is. Your opening line on a social post or the title of your article, video or podcast really is the most important copy for getting people to stop flicking and read on.
But even the title or tagline is a digital journey in itself. Consider the title of this article you are reading. It is split into two parts.
Part One: The 'Goldfish' Marketing Problem
It's quirky and short but grabs attention. It doesn't completely describe what the article is about, so it may catch the attention of a lot of nontargeted individuals, but most of them will lose interest when they read the second part of the title.
For marketers and creators who read these words, the quirkiness is likely to catch their attention. They may even suspect it's talking about their digital content needs based on just these words.
Part Two: Creating Content That Stands Out In Seconds
This is really clear and concise, but there is a lot packed into the second part of this title.
Anyone reading this will understand that the article is for content creators. If that's not you, then you'll flick to the next item on your feed. That’s great; it's done its job. This is a targeted article, so it's fine if you move on.
For those who I am targeting, the title spells out a complex issue that many marketers are grappling with but does so in the space of a few words.
The impact is that content creators will instantly understand what this article will cover, some with a passing interest will still read on, and those who are struggling to engage people's attention online will be engrossed.
Job done: You've breached their filter.
Whatever format you're using, you should first "grab attention," then "explain why it matters."
Think of effective YouTube ads.
A presenter talks directly to you.
"Do you have problems sleeping at night?
Learn how my drug-free program has restored a deep full night's sleep to thousands who suffered with the same problem as you."
It's the same construct—just for a different platform.
Breaking through the filter is critical, but remember that just as creating content of substance without focusing on the golden first seconds is only half the job, the same is true the other way round. You can do a great job of capturing interest and driving consumers to your more detailed assets, but if that content is dull, mundane or doesn’t deliver on the promise of your catchy title, you will likely lose them just as quickly as you got them.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
