“The first messenger, that gave notice of Lucullus’ coming was so far from pleasing Tigranes that he had his head cut off for his pains; and no man dared to bring further information. Without any intelligence at all, Tigranes sat while war was already blazing around him, giving ear only to those who flattered him.”–Plutarch’s Lives.
It’s no secret that businesses use blogs and press releases to communicate with their audience, but most will find that their content fails to generate the engagement they were hoping for.
One reason is that they focus too much on sharing good news and positive developments–sometimes because they fear their customers will want to shoot the messenger. But instead, they end up neglecting to address issues and problems that are concerning their customers.
Most of your customers, or audience, are different from Tigranes. They do not live in the fantasy world you may be trying to paint. They are confronting real issues and problems daily and need help dealing with them.
The reality is that good news can be tedious. Celebrating success and sharing achievements is great, but if that’s all you talk about, your audience may tune out. People are more likely to engage with relevant, informative content that addresses their concerns.
To improve engagement with your business blogs and press releases, it’s important to confront issues and problems head-on. This doesn’t mean airing your company’s dirty laundry but rather acknowledging challenges and presenting a plan to address them.
When you address issues and problems, you demonstrate that your business is transparent and accountable, building trust and credibility with your audience and increasing engagement and loyalty.
Additionally, addressing issues and problems allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge. By presenting solutions to challenges, you can position your business as a thought leader and go-to resource for your industry.
Of course, it’s important to strike a balance. You don’t want to focus exclusively on problems and negativity, as this can be off-putting.
However, you can create a more well-rounded and engaging narrative by addressing issues alongside positive developments.
In conclusion, if you want to improve engagement with your business’s blog and press releases, don’t avoid addressing issues and problems. You can build trust, credibility, and engagement with your audience by being transparent, accountable, and informative.