7 Steps To Create Content Through Product Managers' Mind

Most content marketers don't realize that they can find great stories by merely mining the Product Manager's mind.

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Let me back up a bit first.

Note that I'm not talking about "viral" content. That's a different beast altogether.

It seems these days the more bizarre, polarizing & shocking a story is, the more it gets shared - especially on mediums like Whatsapp & Facebook.

The raw "virality" of a content piece is proportional to the emotional displacement it creates.

What I'm alluding to is authentic perspectives that inform & educate audiences or at least amuse them with a novel point of view.

Such ideas certainly may not catch wildfire like the latest Tiktok challenge or celebrity gossip, but they will win high appreciation in intellectual circles that you probably care the most about.

And for the SEO buffs, such content also gets shares & tons of backlinks.

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So, as a content marketer, how can a PM/PA help you?

1) Setup an interview with them

Ask them about recent user behavior trends, anecdotes or strange incidents they have observed in the past few months.

Examples

⇒ Grocery delivery app:

• Explore how seasonality changes order volumes for an item
• How average order size has changed over time
• Top 10 oddest/unlikely items ordered in the past
• An unexpected category on the rise
• How payment preferences have shifted over time
• Strange cash-on-delivery incidents

⇒ Health tech app:

• Top 10 diseases people lock in appointments for
• Average length of a tele-health appointment vs. total time spent for an in-person appointment
• Popular online pharmacy categories in terms of order volume
• Most searched criteria on the app when searching doctors etc.

⇒ Prop tech app:

• Top neighborhoods being looked at for rent/buy in recent past
• How lead generation for properties varies with resolution of pics (file sizes)
• How seasonality affects property interest in a certain location
• Regions with quickest sales cycle etc.

2) Ask the PM to pull the raw data for the story you like

By using their analytics tool, SQL queries or dashboard and slice the data in different ways while sitting next to them.

3) Decide on your story angle & headline

Test it with a few people to see whether it resonates with them.

4) Draft a story outline for your content writer to weave a narrative around it

5) Get your graphic designer to create branded infographics around this data

6) Plan out a content repurposing pipeline

i.e. turn the same into a blog, podcast, video, social posts, drips etc.

7) Distribute these pieces on all your promotional channels like Facebook, Twitter, Email etc.

Product Managers & Analysts that hustle are usually a goldmine of data & insights waiting to explode.

Harvest them right and you've got a relatable story that many will want to read & share.