APNIC Policy Roundup, presented by Sunny Chendi at the 5th ICANN APAC-TWNIC E...
How a briefing can ruin or win your content results
1. How a Briefing can Win or
Ruin Your Content Results
Jochen Mebus
General Manager
Textbroker
2. Why are we competent to talk
about content briefings?
Jochen Mebus
articles written since 2007
Over 100k orders per
month on average
approx. 65k
approx. 20k
approx. 8k
2017: ~300 Million words written
Unique Content
in 30 languages,
Translations in
all languages of
this world
>
3. All Article Types, Quantities, Quality Levels
and Languages
3
ArticleQuality
Article Quantity
Advisory Articles
Theme Worlds
Landing Pages
Category
Product
Languages
You need specific writer briefings for each
of these article types
Jochen Mebus
7. You need to express what
you want to get
Jochen Mebus
8. Be Logical (1)!
Don‘t try to maximize several things at the same time
„This text is aiming to be the best text
in the Web for this topic.
Please also use exclusively the h1, h2
and h3 information given in the
briefing.
And please note that all keywords
must be included in the given quantity.
Furthermore, the word count for each
paragraph in the briefing is
mandatory.“
Jochen Mebus
9. Be Logical (2)!
Don‘t request things that are controversial.
„The Keyword quantity is a minimum
quantity. Keywords should appear in the
text exactly as stated in the briefing. But
please also don‘t use them too often.“
…
Keyword list states:
„Paris“: 5x,
with 1x of these 5: „Paris with
child/children“
Jochen Mebus
10. Be Realistic (1)!
You can‘t have it all – sorry!
Briefing Extract: Product Description for
stylish furniture
„Article length should be 80 to 100
words, funny, juvenile style, please
explain furniture forms and origin
+ the most important product
facts“.
Jochen Mebus
11. Be Realistic (2)!
If the author will only make little money,
don‘t give him big briefings!
Jochen Mebus
12. Be Realistic (3)!
Can you see the pattern?
Samples of Textbroker orders that do NOT get written
Order ID Order title
Classification Time
placed
Words
Author
Payment
Status
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
Not yet picked
available to authors
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
2,60 €
4908193 Kurzripp-Polydaktylie-Syndrom 4
15.09.2017 -
14:27:50
200
4898525 Konnatale Hyperekplexie 4
12.09.2017 -
11:28:46
200
4898519
Kongenitale bilaterale Aplasie des Vas
deferens
4
12.09.2017 -
11:28:46
200
4898513 Komplette Androgenresistenz 4
12.09.2017 -
11:28:46
200
4898403 Keratitis-Ichthyosis-Taubheitssyndrom 4
12.09.2017 -
11:28:46
200
4898389 Kawasaki-Syndrom bei Baby und Kind 4
12.09.2017 -
11:28:46
200
4888859 Jirásek-Zuelzer-Wilson-Syndrom 4
08.09.2017 -
12:25:50
200
4870473
IgG4-assoziierte
Autoimmunerkrankungen
4
05.09.2017 -
13:14:50
200
4852315 Hypophysenvorderlappeninsuffizienz 4
29.08.2017 -
11:59:03
200
4852309 Hypophysenhinterlappeninsuffizienz 4
29.08.2017 -
11:59:03
200
Jochen Mebus
14. Be Polite – or even nice!
- Tell your writer how you would
like to have the text, but don‘t tell
him/her how he/she has to do
the work.
- Don‘t explain the obvious; assume
that your writer knows what he/she is doing.
- Be polite in your wording, don‘t use extreme
phrasing. Otherwise, your order will likely not get
picked by any author.
Jochen Mebus
„I need a text without
spelling and grammar
mistakes!“
21. But: do you have to write
briefings at all?
• Only if you have concrete requirements in your mind
• Once you do, you must be able to concretely express
those needs
• If you don’t have an idea what you want: don’t start
at the lowest author price and quality level
• If you don’t have an idea, it might be wise to look at
your content strategy first
Jochen Mebus
22. Good Briefings derive from a Good
Content Strategy
Content-Strategy
Definition
Keyword
Research
Content-Calendar
& Briefings
Content-Creation
Content-Seeding
Success
Control
Jochen Mebus
23. Content Strategy
- Target audience,
Personas
- Find out where they can
be found
- Analyze competitors
that target the same
personas
- Define what a
„Conversion“ is for you.
- Research keywords.
- Step 1: Level par to competition
- Step 2: search for uniqueness
- What goes into SEA, what into
SEO?
Jochen Mebus
24. Content Strategy
- Build an editorial
calendar
- …and execute it within
given budget availability
- Ensure you produce
content regularly
- The better your strategy,
the easier it will be to tell
the writer what you want
(briefing).
- Publish content, on own or
external sites
- Build a thought-through in-
and external linking concept
- Ensure your website is
technically set-up the right
way and doesn‘t violate
Google best practices
Jochen Mebus
25. Content Strategy
- (Almost) Everything is measurable
- Content success measurement i.e. through A/B-tests
- Force yourself to question the strategy, every time you
look into the numbers
Jochen Mebus
