The Five Biggest Mistakes in
Content Creation
Stephen Jackson
Director of Content and Communications, TechSoup
January 18, 2023

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Presenter
Stephen Jackson
Director of Content and Communications,
TechSoup

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Our Mission is to build a dynamic bridge that leverages
technology to enable connections and innovative solutions
for a more equitable planet.

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What is TechSoup?
We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization in the US, and part of a global network.
Our goal is to support nonprofits as they work with technology to help build a more
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We host a catalog of affordable technology products from major tech brands like
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We offer services to help nonprofits choose, install, and manage software and hardware.
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Million
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Billion
236 39
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Together, We Build a Stronger, More Resilient Civil Society
TechSoup and the 60+ partners in the TechSoup Global Network have enabled 1.4+
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the retail value of $19.1 billion of technology tools, resources, and funding.
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Metrics updated July 2022

The Five Biggest Mistakes
in Content Creation
1
Creating Content Without a
Purpose in Mind
2
Ignoring These Acronyms: SEO
and CTA
3 Using Content Only Once
4 Avoiding Video
5
Not Marketing or Promoting your
Content

8
• Think clearly about what your content
needs to accomplish:
• Raising awareness
• Encouraging donations
• Thought leadership
• Advertising
• Education
• But whatever the format is,
remember to get to the point
1. Creating Content Without a
Purpose in Mind

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Purpose, Format, and Style
The purpose of your content is the main driver in terms of format and style.
For example:
Video to raise awareness of your mission and encourage new volunteers
● Series of short clips
● Personal, inspiring
● Mission in action
● Showing insight into working with your organization: interview
current beneficiaries, etc.
Blog to encourage donations
● Shorter, written content with a specific goal in mind
● Stay on topic and clearly state your purpose
● Insights into your nonprofit’s work, with an emphasis on how
significant even a small donation can be

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Purpose, Format, and Style (Continued)
The purpose of your content is the main driver in terms of format and style.
For example:
Thought Leadership Post on Medium
● Written by leader of organization or movement, mission-area
expert, etc.
● Meant to jumpstart a conversation in the space
● Intended to be shareable, both on social media and directly with
others
● Opportunity to demonstrate insight and expertise as it relates to
your focus area
"Traditional" Video Ad
● Short, 30 - 60 seconds max (can be even shorter)
● Clear CTA
● Tone/music, etc. must match purpose of ad

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Purpose, Format, and Style (Continued)
The purpose of your content is the main driver in terms of format and style.
For example:
Educational Content
● You’re the expert - share your knowledge about the sector or area
in which you work
● Answer common questions about your cause, the issues you work
on, and how you go about doing so
● Combine written content with video interviews, interactive timelines,
photos and anything else that might help to bring the topic to life
● Providing authentic educational resources is one of the best
way to build connections with supporters, beneficiaries, and
the public at large

12
• Giving a little thought to search engine
optimization (SEO) can boost the
number of visitors to your site
• Thoughtfully-placed calls-to-action
(CTAs) encourage users to continue to
the next step of the journey
2. Ignoring These Acronyms:
SEO and CTA

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13
Consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Links
Link to reputable sources, and between your
own blogs and web pages
Content Considerations
Create content that needs only occasional
updates, which will continue to accumulate
views over time
Keywords
Include relevant keywords in your titles,
headings and the first 100 words of your copy

SEO Best Practices
• Ensure that your site operates well on
mobile and isn't slow to load
• Include plenty of internal links within
your site, as well as linking to reliable
external sources
• Create unique content
• Translate your content, if you work in
countries or communities where
different languages are spoken

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Calls to Action (CTAs)
Brief
Use short, punchy CTAs to get straight to the
point
Strong Language
Create a sense of urgency by using strong
language such as ‘donate now’
Relevant
Include CTAs that are relevant to your content

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17
• Extend the lifespan of your content by
repurposing, revamping and
crossposting
• One interview can become a blog,
video, social media post and newsletter
item
3. Using Content Only Once

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Identify a top supporter,
client or volunteer and
invite them to be
interviewed
Livestream the
video on
Facebook
Reshare the short
snippets to Instagram
and TikTok
Send interview guidelines
and a media release (to
give the interviewee’s
permission to share the
content
Clip the video into
around 30 short
snippets
Conduct the video interview
Turn the content of the
video into a blog post
Repeat!
Example Campaign Using One Interview
198
7
Share the blog on
social media, in your
newsletter, and in
marketing and
fundraising emails
Create a sharing kit and
ask the interviewee to
reshare the content on
their social media,
newsletter and website

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Example Campaign: TechSoup Superfan Interviews

20
• Creating videos may seem
overwhelming, but tools are getting
more user-friendly by the day
• There are many different forms of
video content, and each serves a
different purpose
• There's no question that video content
more immediately engages an
audience
4. Avoiding Video
Source: Johns Hopkins University

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Different Kinds of Videos at TechSoup

23
5. Not Marketing or
Promoting Your Content
• Avoid the "if you build it, they will
come" pitfall
• You can create great content, but
that doesn’t guarantee anyone will
see it
• Email marketing, social media and
paid ads will help you to get more
eyes on your content, bringing in
new contacts and helping you
reach your goals

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Areas for Marketing and Promotion
Email
Share content in email
newsletters and messages
to your existing subscribers
Social
Media
Share links and snippets
of your content across
your social media
channels
Consider using
Facebook and
Google Ads to
promote your content
more widely
Paid Ads

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Examples of TechSoup’s By the Cup Newsletter

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Examples of TechSoup’s Social Media Ad Content

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Example of TechSoup’s Google Ad Content

Thank you!
Any questions?

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More Questions?
Email Me!
sjackson@techsoup.org

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