How to AMP Up Your Content

How to make truly engaging content the Dan Pink way

As content creators we’re lucky, according to Daniel H. Pink – author of the best-selling book “Drive, the surprising truth about what motivates us”. We get to do non-routine work ‘creative, conceptual, right-brain work that can’t be reduced to a set of rules’. But the risk is that the creative stuff we are lucky enough to do, isn’t always easy to produce. Sometimes, when we’re in the zone or in a state of what Pink calls ‘flow’ things are easy. They go smoothly, the writing just comes, it ‘flows’.

But sometimes things block that flow. It could be any number of reasons, or as a result of what Pink calls, a lack of ‘autonomy, mastery and purpose’ – or what I refer to as AMP.

Pink’s book is hailed as transformational – it will ‘change how you think and transform how you live’ – but to creative types (like us) who get to live in a flow-filled environment most of it isn’t new, really.

We know that when we’re writing we need to have the A of AMP – ‘autonomy’ – over the tasks we do (what subjects we choose to write about, for example). But having independent control, or autonomy, over the time, the team, and the technique we use while being creative, might be what causes us to get ‘stuck’ and frustrated occasionally.

Pink also talks about having ‘mastery’ over our areas of interest – becoming better at something that matters. Ask yourself this: if you’re a writer, paid to do a ‘creative’ task, are you working towards becoming a master of your art? Are you aware that you’re constantly striving to be better, to write better content, and to create something that meets with that personal drive within you? I know that sense of satisfaction that comes with producing a piece of work that I’m proud of (something I share with my Mom). But it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I just have to ‘deliver the goods’ and that can be as masterful as brushing my teeth.

The last letter in AMP talks about ‘purpose’; and this is arguably the biggest missing ingredient in modern companies. Humans inherently know that life is (or, arguably, should be) about more than just plodding through, from day to day. We’re looking for something that gets us up in the morning, and that makes us satisfied to go to bed at night.

Fortunately, times are changing, and businesses are changing with them. We're entering the era of marketing authenticity and as content marketers we get to produce genuine, engaging, and authentic content. 

So what should content marketers take from Dan Pink's book?

Let’s take a lesson from Pink, and a step back from our day-to-day content activities. Let’s ask ourselves – do we have autonomy, mastery, and purpose over our writing? And if not, why not? Is there something we can change?

Pink offers some suggestions on how to AMPlify our content.

Autonomy

One of Pink’s ideas is the concept of ‘20% time’. The idea is simple, let your employees spend one day a week (20% of their time) on any problem they want. It worked for 3M – in fact, that’s where the post-it note came from. It worked for Google (we got Gmail, Google News, Google Sky and Google Translate from it), and the chances are that it might work for you. It’s a strange a scary concept, but it’s all about finding the ‘flow’ by doing something that truly motivates and inspires you. And the results are beneficial, for individuals, and for the business. If 20% seems overwhelming to you, why not try it in smaller doses – say one afternoon a week. Test it out for a few weeks and see if it helps. But choose a time when you’re most likely to be at your creative peak.

Mastery

Pink suggests that instead of being motivated by extrinsic rewards, having a desire to ‘do better’ is what really drives success. What he calls ‘Type I behaviour’ is a way of living, and working, that focuses on producing results that are meaningful – and it leads to ‘stronger performance, greater health, and higher overall well-being’ (p.207). His book is full of examples of why this works... So what does this mean for content creators? It means choosing ‘goldilocks’ tasks (that hit the sweet spot – where they are ‘neither too easy, nor too hard’ (p.209)) for yourself and your team in addition to regular, less inspiring tasks. These can help inspire ‘flow’, create a sense of pride, and provide the challenge that creative types need in order to remain inspired.

Purpose

This might be the hardest part of ‘AMPing’ your content because, as a small cog in a big machine, your ‘purpose’ is largely determined by the organisation for which you work. The good news is that more and more businesses are turning their backs on the profit-only model. However, even if you can’t always find deep meaning in the purpose of your organisation, try and find purpose in your team, or in your work. Ask yourself “Why am I writing this?” the chances are that, if you’re doing content marketing the way we know it should be done, you’re writing it to educate, inform, entertain, or empower your audience. Whether it’s by helping them understand a new feature of your product that makes their life a bit easier, or by providing advice on the subject that makes them think about things in a different way. Your writing will likely, in and of itself, have a purpose. And if you’re still struggling – try the ‘Sawyer Effect’. Remember how, in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” he persuaded his friends that painting the fence was desirable, not a chore? Try thinking about your content creation in a different way. Even if it’s the most routine of tasks, focusing on making it better than the last time can help you shift to a mindset of wanting to ‘master’ the task. And that, in turn, helps you find meaning in the work.