1_Tiny_Content_Framework.md

Tiny Content Framework

About the Project

This is a tiny content strategy framework focused on goals, messages, and branding.

This is not a checklist and these are not templates. Use what you need and scrap the rest. Or rewrite what I wrote. Or add to it. These topics should help you get to the bottom of things with clients and people you work with.

Contribute

There's more to come, and I'd love to hear what you think. Give me feedback on Twitter (@nicoleslaw) or by email (nicole@swellcontent.com). We all benefit from sharing our ideas and creating standards. Onward.

Contents

• Starter Questions: a few questions to get the appetite going

• Product Mad Libs: a quick exercise to help you start writing with your client

• Case Study Questions: things to ask when writing case studies or customer stories

• Message Strategy Outline: a skeletal creative brief of sorts

• Editorial Calendar Fields: fields for a magical spreadsheet

• Style Attributes: words to describe good writing

2_Starter_Questions.md

Starter Questions

Work

• In 1–3 sentences, what do you do?

• What's your favorite thing about it?

• Can you describe your industry to me? What is it and how does it work?

Mission and Vision

• Why did you start your company?

• Why are you building this product? Or, what led you to the idea?

• What are your goals for the next 3–6 months?

• Describe where you want to take people. What does the world look like if you're successful?

• For this part of the flow or website, what are the top three goals? What do you want people to do?

Audience

• What do you know about your customers? What do they care about?

• Why do people use your website or app? Why do you want them to?

• How do most people find out about you?

• Are there any specific things that your audience is sensitive about?

Brand & Personality

• Who do you see as your competition? How are you different?

• If your brand was a person, how would you describe them? List as many characteristics as you can think of.

• Who inspires you online or elsewhere? Who do you want to emulate?

• Are there any associations that you want to avoid?

3_Product_Mad_Libs.md

Product Mad Libs

Write down several words for each of these and discuss them with your client.

{product name} {helps/lets} {audience noun} {verb} and {verb} {object} so they can {verb} {adverb}.

{Sign up for/Join} {product name} to {verb} {plural noun} with {secondary audience noun}.

4_Case_Study_Questions.md

Case Study Questions

• What is the customer or client's name and web address?

• What did you do for them?

• Who was the audience for your work?

• What was unique about the project? Did you solve any interesting problems or do something differently?

• What were the results of the project? Did you improve any metrics?

• Do you have any quotes or press mentions about the work? Feel free to include links or bulky text.

5_Message_Strategy_Outline.md

Message Strategy Outline

Introduction

Summary

What is this project about?

Recommendations

What are the high-level recommendations?

Company

Values

What does the company care about?

Mission

What does the company want to do?

Character

What defines the brand? What traits does it have?

Narrative

What do we want to say about the product? What is the marketing story?

Messages

Why should people care? Content should communicate these ideas without explicitly stating them.

Rational Messages

Why does it make sense to use the product or hire the company? Why does this matter?

Emotional Messages

How does the product or company improve your life or lift your spirits?

Style

Voice

What does the company sound like? How does its personality come through?

Tone

How does the company feel about their audience? What is the mood? Who is speaking to the audience?

6_Editorial_Calendar_Fields.md

Editorial Calendar Fields

Pick the ones that work for you.

• Title
• Topic
• Content Type
• Audience
• Purpose
• Writer
• Topic Expert
• Review Date
• Publish Date
• Keywords
• Calls to Action

7_Style_Attributes.md

Style Attributes

Words to describe good writing (or things to avoid, depending on your style).

• Accurate
• Alive
• Articulate
• Calming
• Challenging
• Clear
• Clever
• Compelling
• Concise
• Confident
• Conversational
• Crisp
• Direct
• Eloquent
• Engrossing
• Fascinating
• Fast-paced
• Fluid
• Flowing
• Friendly
• Generous
• Heartfelt
• Honest
• Illuminating
• Incisive
• Informal
• Insightful
• Inviting
• Joyful
• Layered
• Light
• Lively
• Luminous
• Moving
• Nuanced
• Open
• Organized
• Precise
• Provocative
• Purposeful
• Readable
• Resonating
• Rhythmic
• Riveting
• Simple
• Slowing
• Solid
• Straightforward
• Strong
• Thoughtful
• Transcendant
• Trustworthy
• Useful
• Vibrant
• Vivid