Human Content Strategists and the Goldilocks Zone

The Goldilocks zone… that interstellar sweet spot where a planet is neither too close to nor too far from the star that it orbits, and can therefore support liquid water and possibly life. Astrophysicists are hard at work as I type, scouring the skies for heavenly bodies that are not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

If you are a marketer, you should be looking to position your marketing content in that same kind of place. Too often, content is cold and lifeless, especially when drafted by an uninspired AI. It may be safe—meaning that it resembles all the other content that is flooding the internet, so it won’t get you fired—but it’s also unlikely to get you remarkable results.

On the flipside, some companies decide to break free of the content crowd and, in doing so, produce something that is—to continue the space metaphor—really out there. Their content is so “hot” that the target audience can’t grasp it. The marketers take great pride in their groundbreaking piece, but it doesn’t deliver great results. AI can also be guilty of trying too hard to create unique content.

What you want (and need) is to have your content in the “habitable zone” that is somewhere in between the two (and too) extremes. Clever without being too cute. Eye-catching without being obnoxious. Original without being obscure. It’s not an easy place to find, but it exists for every type of content on every topic in every market, and a human content expert can locate it.  

If you’re trying to find the sweet spot yourself, just loosen your grip a bit without taking your hands off the wheel entirely, and start exploring. You’ll know you’ve arrived when instead of getting bored, blank stares or confused, furrowed brows from your prospects, you start seeing grins and subtle nods.

Welcome home, Goldilocks.