Cliffhangers Are for TV, Not for Blogs

Our Principles at Play posts are written to point out lessons we’ve learned firsthand or adapted from other people doing it right and wrong around the web. Today, I turn the sights of bad web content practice on myself.  I learned this principle the very hard way. I tried it.

I don't know. I don't think they'll make it.

To me, the cliffhanger seemed like such a great idea. I mean, as a kid, I remember waiting eagerly for a whole week after the General Lee was left hanging in midair. Would Bo and Luke make it across the gully to stop Boss Hogg from whatever shenanigans and tomfoolery he’d been up to that week? I would just have to wait and see. And boy did I tune in.

‘To be continued’ doesn’t work

We’ve tried two different multi-post blog articles, and neither of them found much success as a series. A few of the individual pieces gained traction and saw a lot of comments and forwards. However, no one really viewed either series as a whole. Here’s what I learned from my mistakes.

Content needs to stand on its own

A cliffhanger requires people to wait for the next thing. But by then they’ve probably lost interest in whatever you were talking about. If your reader is that interested in the next post in the series, they’ll subscribe to your RSS, which means they’re going to read everything you publish anyway. So what, exactly, are you waiting for?

Idea too big for a blog? Diversify!

If you’re like us, you decided on a blog series because you had an idea that was too big for one post. This might be a sign that you’ve selected the wrong medium. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with breaking a big idea into smaller, digestible pieces. But if you have it all in your head and you know what you want to say, maybe you can make it an eBook or white paper.

The blog concept works best when a single post presents a whole idea. That doesn’t mean you can’t build on ideas in future posts. But when you imply that there’s more to come or you leave someone hanging on your point or takeaway, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll come back.

Finding a silver lining

One result we found in the cliffhanger strategy was that new visitors to the site who picked up a series midstream were more likely to go back and read the earlier posts in the series. Certainly not a bad thing, but something that can easily be replicated with prominent “related posts” links.

This blog, like many others, groups related stories into categories. What I’ve learned is that this is about as series-oriented as blog posts should get. By doing a “six-part story about marketing budgets,” I was actually just making a sub-category within the Forward Thinking category. That’s plenty confusing.

What I should have done was just link to other posts related to marketing budgets.

Takeaway

Don’t artificially segment your content. If you have an idea or a point to make, present it all at once and in the right medium.

About the author

Brad Schwarzenbach -

As an analyst on the Tippingpoint Strategy team, Brad explores new opportunities for clients to build relationships with their customers. He’s always testing new social media channels, poring over analytic data, and identifying emerging trends. He also speaks at conferences & events about uncovering powerful messages hidden within brands' unique values.

Brad’s research has contributed to the development of content & contributor strategies for such clients as Breville, Rodale, Long’s Jewelers, and Fusionapps, as well as being a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint blog. He’s been “listening” to the way we communicate online since the old AOL People Connection days and watched the way that digital communication has evolved.

An English and Creative Writing major at the University of Connecticut, Brad’s spent most of his career creating web content and becoming intimately familiar with web theory for Bayard, Inc. and TomTom Inc., giving Brad keen ears and eyes to what, exactly, makes web content valuable.

Outside the office, Brad feels most at home with his beautiful wife-to-be Kristina, or on the golf course. “There’s a distinct pace and rhythm to the way people communicate online.  Understanding and taking part in them yields amazing opportunities for my clients to not only grow but to improve their business. I’m constantly looking for those opportunities.”