As we’ve emerged from the COVID disruptions that defined 2020 and 2021 and adjusted to a “new normal” of hybrid work environments and ever-changing online behaviors in 2022, digital publishers and marketers recognize that, throughout these tumultuous times, content has remained critical. As such, in order to boost relevancy and bolster audience trust in 2023, content must be prioritized as the heart of the digital publishing business.
I think the theme for 2023 is doing more with less, and we've seen some success being able to repackage certain content on other platforms.
During our recent interview with several content experts, in thinking about predictions for the year ahead, that’s precisely the theme they returned to time and again.
Featuring independent marketing expert Julie Norquist Roy, executive director of product management at POLITICO Danielle Feldman, and Amazon Science’s in-house editor Stephen Zorio, our discussion focused on insights gleaned from 2022 and the content-experience trends that our panelists have on their radars for 2023.
While our panelists don’t have a crystal ball, their combined digital content creation toolbox is well-stocked with a variety of valuable, time-tested industry insights. Based on decades of experience and informed by the new, often unexpected lessons gleaned over the past couple of years, here are some key takeaways from our discussion, including reflections on 2022 and content prediction trends for 2023:
We think carefully about the content that we create and try not to produce pieces of content that are just essentially single-use. We want longer-term value.
- While facing resource constraints, aim to do more with less by thoughtfully repackaging certain content across platforms.
- Attention spans are short, so content must meet readers where they are at precisely the moment they want/need it.
- In the face of economic tightening across the industry, know where your readers are—whether that’s LinkedIn, TikTok, your website or any other emerging channel.
- Avoid the pitfalls of “content debt;” in other words, don’t create content—especially single-use content—simply for the sake of creating it. Instead, produce thoughtful content that has long-term value for your readers.
- Active content management requires a concerted focus on ongoing updates and maintenance.
