One thing you should be doing in content

Here is a prediction on how you will beat AI, build authority, and stand out in content:

Let me explain.

The way I see things, there are two types of content: Informational and Authority-building.

Informational content is close to ToFu, where you answer broader, simpler, generalized questions to reach the masses.

Authority-building content thrives on nuances, experiments, and subject matter expertise.

What you’re doing here is digging authoritative studies.

Studies that are experimental, are from people who did real work, and actually know what they’re talking about. You will look for a persona or simulation that matches or is similar to your current state.

…and that’s where I believe content is heading.

Okay, the health example might be a little extreme, but it is true for as simple as marketing.

Think of it. There are already a thousand resources on copywriting frameworks, how to drive action, what data to track, the paradoxes and psychological effects of design, words, placements, etc.

In a way, these are proven but generalized facts.

This information is widely available; you have access in seconds. And it’s great to receive your first-level information - when you’re only getting familiar with a concept.

But when you want to dig deep into it to apply in your business, you will look for case studies similar to your niche.

What does it mean to brands and creators?

Consuming content from multiple sources and curating, moulding it to your audience doesn’t work anymore - unless it’s intentionally informational.

If you want to build authority, do your own studies and form your thesis. It’s not a safer option or the one that yields immediate results, but it will build authority over the years.

The scale of experiments matters of course, but if you want me to rank (in terms of building authority):

Experiments with large groups > Small, self case studies > Citing large case studies

Another nuance: Citing large case studies is great if it’s not directly related to your work. You can present your copywriting experiment and cite larger resources/studies on, say, consumer psychology. Something like, “This is what xyz university says, so I implemented it on 100 readers.”

How do I do it in Cognition?

I always try to present my thinking and draw information from close circles. I form a thesis from proven studies and check if it makes sense in the Indian context. Niches, consumer level, etc., are other contexts I dive into.

Few examples:

• I manually studied the 3221 newsletter subject lines

• I watched all the Tanmay Bhat ads and discovered patterns in virality

• Lessons from 1411 days of freelancing

• How I made $4000 for a brand in three days

• I fixed Audible’s copy

This is a thesis I am bullish about.

It’s already important to produce content from a specialist’s lens. But the importance will only increase with the amount of AI-generated content.

I hope this was helpful.

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