The success of Irish amateur golfer Paul Dunne at the recent Open Championship provides three valuable lessons that content producers should be aware of.
In many ways the Open Championship is just like content production: it is open – open to the old and established, and to the up and coming; open to Goliath, and David.
Unlike other, closed tournaments, past success means little at the Open, and the spoils go to those who deliver the results. It allows giants to be slayed and the smart up-and-coming guy to win out. In the Open Championship – as in content production – if you produce the goods, you can win big.
With this in mind, here is what Dunne’s success tells us about content.
1. Qualify
“If you’re not in, you can’t win” rings true in the content world. Although there’s plenty of room for everybody’s content clutter on the internet, qualifying for content success takes more than that.
Just as Dunne got to the Open via the Woburn Qualification Series, so too the successful content creator must ‘play the game’, ensuring favourable search engine visibility, to put your content in the running to achieve your objectives.
An effective strategy of search engine optimisation is essential for this purpose – only if your audience can see your content can it achieve its purpose.
2. Endure
Dunne’s success in this year’s Open has followed a less than perfect amateur career, including missing the cut for the final day at the 2014 Open and finishing a disappointing fifth at the 2015 NCAA Championship.
Nonetheless, endurance and learning from past failings has been key to his newfound success, and has certainly paid off, causing him to rise more than 700 places in the World Golf Rankings!
This can be applied to content production: one great performance can completely change your fortunes, and having the endurance to persevere through the difficult times is essential to reach the rewards.
3. (most importantly) Monetise
The final lesson? Ensure you are reaping the rewards of your content success. Unfortunately for Dunne, he won’t receive a single penny for his incredible performance: due to his amateur status, he had to turn down a six-figure sum.
To avoid a similar fate, a content producer must ensure they have an effective way of monetising their success. There is no one-size-fit-all solution to this problem, but just as great content is no good without sufficient audience visibility, so too all the visibility in the world is no good without effective monetisation.
