The U.S. commercial printing industry generates around $90 billion in annual revenue. That’s a huge pie to split, and one of the primary ways printers are grappling for their share is through content marketing. That means web content and blogs for SEO and white papers, sell sheets, and other downloadable content to use as incentives. But printers aren’t writers, so coming up with content can be a challenge. Where do you find it?
Here are four sources of content that printers can use to fill their empty pages, along with some pros and cons of each.
1. Third-party content providers that specialize in the printing industry.
Different companies offer different packages of content. Typically, packages include a print newsletter, blog posts, and emails. Great Reach Communications, for example, offers multiple packages that include direct mail (newsletters, postcards), blogs, emails, and social media. Content is written by an industry professional, and in all cases, is specific to the printing industry. Topics stay current with industry trends, including data quality, ZIP code targeting, and print embellishments. Other providers tend to offer more general content of relevance to the printing industry, such as marketing and design tips and general business topics.
Each provider has its own mix. The level of expertise varies, as well. Some content is written by industry experts. Other content is written by generalists.
If you’re looking to position yourself as an industry expert, ask about the qualifications of the content writer and make sure to ask for samples.
2. Purchase pre-written content from a content aggregator.
An increasing number of companies are popping up that offer pre-written content of varying quality. One example is Constant Content, which has been around since 2004. The company provides reliably consistent, content, but you will be challenged to find a lot of copy that is specific to the printing industry. Topics will be more general, such tips on email marketing or choosing environmentally friendly paper. This option is cost effective (you generally pay by the word) and will provide useful and interesting content for your customers and prospects. In most cases, however, it won’t establish you as a printing industry expert.
3. Hire a freelancer.
As with content providers, you have a range of freelance options. You can hire a content developer from the printing industry who will write content to your specifications. This person can serve as an extension of your marketing department, writing content that is not only industry specific but that is unique to you. You will pay higher rates, but you will get exclusive, high-quality content to which you own the copyright and can use without restriction.
If you don’t have the budget to hire an industry expert, you can contract freelancers through companies like Upwork or Scripted. These writers will generally work for a fraction of the cost of a seasoned industry professional, but they generally do not have industry expertise, either. The quality can also vary widely.
You can, however, find talented writers on these sites who are willing to learn—if you have the time to train them.
4. Use artificial intelligence.
Increasingly, we are hearing about the use of AI to write content. Input a few sentences into an AI engine such as Jasper, hit “compose,” and out pops an article as if it were written by a professional (not really). AI is an amazing tool, but there is a learning curve to using it well, and it doesn’t do well with technical and industry-specific topics.
Where does AI work best? For general marketing content such as using color psychology in your designs or the differences between different types of recycled paper. You can input details for more technical content, such as “popular die-cut techniques” or “five different types of print coatings.” The output often sounds expert on the surface, but once you dig in, can contain significant errors that require an industry expert to identify and correct.
AI is a great option if you have someone on staff who can learn the program, then has the time and expertise to fact-check and revise the content before publication. Used properly, AI can save time and help you generate large volumes of content quickly, but it requires a high level of industry and writing expertise to ensure that the tool is useful for the purpose for which it is intended. Not having that expertise in-house is often why you outsource content in the first place.
Content Development Option Pros and Cons
Pre-written industry content:
Pros: Cost-effective, high-quality content designed for the printing industry that, in many cases, readers will recognize as authoritative.
Cons: Level of print-specificity may vary from program to program. Content may be exclusive within a specific geographic radius but is not unique to you.
Pre-written content from an aggregator:
Pros: Inexpensive.
Cons: Content is not exclusive, and the level of print industry relevance can vary. Good primarily for business and marketing content.
Hired industry freelancer:
Pros: Exclusive content that positions you as an industry expert.
Cons: More costly.
Hired non-industry freelancer:
Pros: Inexpensive
Cons: Generalist content with limited industry expertise.
Artificial Intelligence:
Pros: Inexpensive.
Cons: Does not work easily with technical and industry-specific requests. Requires industry expertise to review content and ensure accuracy. Reads well but lacks the personality and depth that comes from a human writer.
Have questions or want to offer your own experience with any of these options? Post them in the comments!
Discussion
By Patrick Whelan on Nov 16, 2022
Love this!
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on Nov 16, 2022
Thank you! I know AI copywriting is getting a lot of traction right now, but what I'm finding is that it takes a LOT of training before the workflow is smooth and accurate. So if someone is going to use AI, budget tons of time for the learning curve. Also, don't buy into the AI hype that Jasper or other AI writing assistant sounds just like a human writer. It doesn't. It is really close, but now that I know how Jasper works, it's easy for me to spot Jasper-assisted writing. Any AI assistant should be an adjunct to, not a replacement for, a professional or competent in-house copywriter.
By Bob Saunders on Nov 17, 2022
Great information, very helpful.
By Pete Basiliere on Nov 18, 2022
"What we lose when machines do the writing," says Jane Rozenzweig, author of the Writing Hacks newsletter, is "our commitment to the idea that we ought to believe what we say and write."
Filling presses with machine-generated copy is no different than students using AI to "write" papers. Both are mindless tasks that imply that taking the time to create compelling communications is not worth the effort, which tells a lot about what the author thinks of the reader.
Yes, coming up with content is a challenge. It should be!
Read the recent article "What We Lose" article that Ms. Rosenzweig wrote here: https://bit.ly/3UOSxnN
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on Nov 18, 2022
The first time I heard about AI-written copy was more than a decade ago when AI was being introduced to newspapers for beat writing such as weather reports, traffic reports, and obituaries, content that is written by formula, whether it is written by a human or a computer. For such things, AI or human makes no difference — it reads exactly the same. In a macro sense, I'm not sure much has really changed.
AI is really useful for straight-up informational articles that don't require true creativity or insight. "5 Reasons to Buy Solar Panels" — that kind of thing. I've also found it useful for generating ideas or coming up with examples I might not have thought of myself. "Generate a list of five tips for . . . " Sometimes, based on its analysis of 100 million web articles, social media posts, and chat room chatter, AI will come up with a new twist or example that is useful.
I have used AI to start the generation of short, simple, fact-based articles. But for industry-related copy, I find that the end product is 90% different from what Jasper generated initially. By the time I fact-check, streamline, and adjust the wording to sound like me, the article IS mine. Jasper was helpful, but ultimately, it required a human being to create a finished product.
By Paul Bobnak on Nov 28, 2022
I agree with you, Pete, that content writing is full of challenges.
One of the most important that I discuss with prospects and customers is defining their target audience or audiences. In some cases, that may vary by each blog post, white paper, etc.
When a printer/MSP/mailer, etc., is able to describe who that is - what they care about - what problems they want to be solved - you can then get started on creating materials that help them accomplish their goals for the content in their brand voice. Tone can be really hard to nail, and I've seen a lot of content that seems to have been written through some of the options above.