What is 10x content and how can it fit in your content strategy?

As Google’s algorithms and user expectations continue to mature, the strategies to clinch a top search ranking need to evolve in tandem.

Gone are the days when simply peppering your content with keywords and backlinks was enough to ascend search rankings. Now, the crown is given to those willing to invest time and effort into crafting truly high-quality content.

This is where ‘10x Content’ comes into play — a breed of content that surpasses the leading piece by a factor of ten in quality, offering exceptional value to your readers.

Let’s delve into the realm of 10x content and understand its pivotal role in the dynamic landscape of digital marketing.

What is 10x content?

The concept of 10x content, first introduced by Moz’s Rand Fishkin in 2015, encompasses all forms of content, including blog posts, videos, and landing page copy. The idea is not just about creating content, but creating content that profoundly surpasses the norm. It’s about crafting pieces that are more detailed, more engaging, and more enlightening than anything else available.

The reward for this endeavor? Your content stands a higher chance of cutting through the noise of an oversaturated market, attracting more views, provoking more engagement, and earning more shares. 

Don’t just settle for repackaging your content –– your audience is craving content that can stand on its own merit, independent of its original context or format. This way, even those who missed the initial piece of content can still appreciate its value.

The beauty of 10x content is its cascading effect: it can fuel further content creation, boost SEO, populate your newsletter, and beyond. Put simply, it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

On the other hand, the opposite of 10x content, thin content, is content that’s shallow, barely matches search intent, and doesn’t serve any real purpose. Content like this is rarely liked by people, which is why trying to rank a website with thin content is nearly impossible.

Benefits of 10x content

Creating comprehensive, engaging content positions you as an authority in your niche, signaling Google’s algorithm to make your website rank better. Here are some ways in which 10x content can help your brand:

Improves visibility and search engine rankings

10x content is high quality and offers significant value to your audience, meaning search engines are more likely to rank it higher in search results, therefore amplifying your visibility. When your content is easily accessible, you can attract more traffic to your website and enrich your online footprint.

Fosters engagement and cultivates conversion rates

When you prioritize quality, you resonate with your readers’ needs and pain points, which fosters engagement. More importantly, this quality-centric approach ensures your brand or company remains in your audience’s consciousness when they’re considering a new product or service. And over time, this increased mindshare leads to a surge in conversion rates (great!).

Establishes your brand as an industry authority

In the content creation industry, trust is cultivated through the consistent delivery of high-value content. The outcome? This trust translates into authority, solidifying your position as a subject matter expert. This makes 10x content a cornerstone strategy for brands who strive to become a market of one –– or in other words –– an industry authority.

The key characteristics of 10x content

High-quality content is more than just providing great information –– it contains specific characteristics that set it apart from other content pieces. These include:

1. Originality and uniqueness 

Here are three examples of content that cannot be replicated: original concepts, groundbreaking research, and personal experiences. This is also the reason why these types of content form an emotional connection with the reader and always leave a lasting impression. 

10x Content reframes the narrative, offering unique insights and fresh ideas that set it apart from the commonplace. It strides beyond a mere reiteration of common knowledge and instead breathes a fresh lease of life into a subject.

For example, instead of composing a generic listicle piece on “Tips for Healthy Living,” hone in on lesser-known methods or share compelling personal anecdotes that spur readers into action. An improved title could be “Are You Missing These Insider Tips for True Wellness?” This query-based title presents a fresh perspective on the topic, piquing the reader’s curiosity and making your content stand out in search results.

2. Superiority 

The difference between exceptional and mediocre content is that the latter only provides surface-level information, whereas the former delivers in-depth knowledge, actionable advice, and valuable takeaways. These comprehensive insights in 10x content help you demonstrate expertise and provide genuine value to your audience. 

In action, 10x content doesn’t just grab attention but fosters meaningful dialogue, fortifies audience knowledge and growth, and sparks word-of-mouth referrals. Who could say no?

3. Quality and comprehensiveness

Ask this question — does the reader need to refer to another page to understand the full context of the content? 

Above maintaining high-quality content, 10x Content also checks the point of being comprehensive about the topic at hand. It dives beyond superficial content and offers expert-level insights. Typically, this also involves conducting thorough research, sourcing reliable information, and ensuring accuracy. 

4. Intuitive user experience and engaging layout

Ever faced the daunting task of sifting through a solid wall of text with nary a line break in sight? Excruciating, huh?

A thoughtfully designed user experience, coupled with an engaging layout, is not just about aesthetics or comfort –– it serves as a powerful engagement tool that keeps users immersed in your content. So, a stellar 10x content piece should harmoniously weave together plaintext with multimedia elements like images, videos, infographics, and interactive features. That’s how you transform the reading experience from monotonous to memorable.

A screenshot of an engaging layout.

5. Trustworthiness and authority

Think of large content companies such as TED or National Geographic. Most consumers who know these channels typically trust them because the firms have maintained high levels of information accuracy and reliability over a long period. 

This is easier said than done, though. A few options that may help are conducting interviews or studies, or outsourcing to subject matter experts to produce the content. 

How to create 10x content 

Now you understand the power and characteristics of 10x Content, here’s how to effectively integrate it into your content strategy. 

Research and understand your audience’s needs

Creating 10x content requires a deep understanding of your audience –– knowing their needs and preferences will guide you in creating relevant and engaging content that resonates with them. 

Start this journey by identifying your target audience. Then, create vivid buyer personas that echo the different segments of your audience. It’s the play of colors in these portraits –– the demographics, behaviors, and preferences –– that brings your audience to life in your mind’s eye. With this clarity, you’re set to create content that feels tailored just for them.

Tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights are also instrumental in providing useful demographic and psychographic data about your audience, such as bounce rate, conversion rate, and engagement rate. These insights are your secret ingredients, enabling you to whip up content that aligns with your audience’s interests and needs.

Here’s an example: Let’s say your analytics reveal that a significant portion of your audience are working parents aged between 30-45, primarily interested in time-saving hacks and wellness tips. This insight becomes a guiding light for your content strategy, allowing you to produce targeted articles like “A Wellness Guide for Busy Parents” or “Time-saving Life Hacks for Working Parents”.

Your next move:

1. Use data-driven insights to build out detailed buyer personas.
2. Tailor your content strategy based on these personas, ensuring relevance and appeal.
3. Continually update your personas and content strategy based on evolving audience insights.
   

Identify content gaps in your niche

Content gaps are referred to as low-hanging fruits –– the content that no competitors are focusing on. 

Consider this: If your competitors are only producing blog posts, then certainly, you could introduce more visually captivating formats like videos or infographics. However, truly identifying content gaps means delving deeper. It involves uncovering neglected topics or aspects in your field, and creating content around these underserved areas.

Read more: How SEO Topic Clusters Help Your Site Rank. 

Develop a memorable, authoritative voice

In 2004, Dove introduced their “Real Beauty” campaign, which aimed to celebrate women’s unique differences, and that physical appearance should be a mark of uniqueness instead of causing anxiety. Quickly after the launch, this became the identity of Dove and consumers started perceiving the brand as a firm that prioritizes inclusivity. 

This is an example of a unique voice that sets a brand apart. The tone, style, and language used are what distinguish your content and remind consumers of your brand.

Check out more on how to find your brand voice here: 4 Steps to Set Up Your Brand Voice Guidelines

Focus on quality over quantity 

The mindset behind 10x content is about creating a piece of content so good, that even the next best competitor wants to take on the challenge. This, at the very least, gives you an unfair advantage as it significantly raises the bar. 

Utilize multimedia elements

Infographics turn complex data into easy-to-understand visuals (especially for visual learners), videos make a piece of content more easily consumable, and interactive components improve user participation. 

With multimedia elements, you can make the content viewing experience much more pleasant for your audience. This not just helps in engagement retention, but also maintains a great user interface for consumers. 

Constantly update and refine content

In the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Google stated that content freshness is among the top criteria for SERP rankings. This simply means you should ensure your content is relevant, up-to-date, and accurate – even after it has been published. 

Incorporating 10x content into your content strategy

Creating 10x content is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and improvement. Let’s take a look at how you can incorporate 10x Content in your strategy. 

Identify your goals and objectives

Before you start creating 10x Content, it’s important to identify your goals and objectives. 

What do you want to achieve through your content marketing efforts? 

• Are you looking to increase brand awareness?

• Are you focusing on customer retention?

• Is generating leads your primary goal?

For instance, if you want to increase brand awareness, having 10x Content enables you the opportunity to show your customers who you are as a business and what your brand represents. It’s more than just the name and logo recognition. It’s how well customers understand the qualities that set your business apart from the competition. 

Integrate 10x Content into your content plan

One of the best ways to ensure you consistently create 10x content is to integrate it into your content plan. Start by identifying the topics that resonate with your audience and align with your goals. Then, create an editorial calendar to plan out your content and ensure you’re being consistent. 

Use multiple channels to promote your content

including social media, email marketing, and influencer marketing. By reaching out to other industry leaders, you can gain access to new audiences and generate more backlinks to your content.

Here’s a key note: while SEO is often pivotal, it may not always be enough to catapult your 10x Content into the spotlight. With this in mind, diversifying your distribution approach is crucial, allowing you to tap into new audiences and accrue valuable backlinks for your content.

Measure your success

Finally, it’s important to measure the success of your 10x Content. Use analytics tools to track metrics such as website traffic, engagement, and ROI. This will help you identify what’s working and what’s not, and continuously improve your content strategy.

The challenges of creating 10x content

Embarking on the 10x Content journey presents unique challenges. Balancing complexity and readability, maintaining consistency in high-quality output, navigating a competitive landscape, and measuring success are just a few of the hurdles that creators and marketers often encounter.

Taking this further, 10x Content is not just about investing in manpower, expertise, and tools –– it’s about keeping your finger on the pulse of emerging trends, honing unique perspectives on popular topics, and maintaining originality without diluting complex concepts. These elements converge to create content that stands tall in the crowded digital sphere.

Key takeaways 

In the long term, having as many pieces of 10x content will supercharge your brand and will almost always outlast surface-level content. This is because it puts consumers at the core, providing superior quality and originality that cannot be found elsewhere. With that said, it comes with its set of challenges (which may require additional investments) that every business needs to figure out. 

Incorporate these insights into your content creation process and unlock new avenues of audience engagement. Don’t let your valuable insights go unnoticed.