In our DiscoLink AMA with Scott Hanselman, we talked about two types of content: shallow and deep.
But which is best for driving creator growth?
It’s not either or – the true magic happens when you can effectively balance both shallow and deep.
Shallow content reaches a broader, varied audience and increases your visibility.
Deep content shows off your expertise, builds trust and offers valuable insights.
Today, we’re taking a deep dive into content strategy – from planning to systemizing and execution. We’ll learn how to use the shallow to capture attention, and the deep to solidify your brand and core audience; complete with ideas and examples for each type.
Let’s get started.
Defining Shallow and Deep
Shallow Content:
Defined as:
Brief, surface-level content that provides introductory insights or thoughts on a given topic. It aims to give a basic understanding and drive short term traffic; it’s quick to create, posted frequently, and designed for a wide audience.
Characteristics:
Quick to consume, easy to create, and posted at a higher frequency.
With the goal of appealing to many, it might include summaries, basic definitions, or general tips.
Benefits of shallow content:
Accessibility: Makes sense to a larger audience, giving them quick and digestible knowledge or answers.
Quick Learning + exposure:
Designed to interest people who don’t know you yet.
Engagement and Reach:
Scott explains that the algorithm favors more basic content.
More effective at expanding your audience base + boosting brand recognition than in-depth content.
This type of post is more likely to ‘go viral’.
Deep Content:
Defined as:
Thorough and detailed exploration of your given topic (or subtopic within your niche). Includes analysis, insights, conclusions, and extensive information + outside resources.
Characteristics:
Longer, more complex, and includes other sources.
Examples might include case studies, analysis, and bringing in external data. (Blog posts, newsletters, Linkedin articles)
Benefits of Deep content:
Establishing expertise + authority:
A thorough, well-researched piece helps establish authority + credibility in your field, allowing you to demonstrate expertise.
Created to build trust + deepen your audience’s understanding of a topic or solution.
Value:
Offers significantly more value, insight, and detail than introductory content.
More long-term: Content meant to be referenced, updated, and revisited by your core audience over time.
When you update + reference + promote your in-depth content, you can bring in traffic via social media and search engine.
Deep content (intended to teach, educate, inform) stays relevant to your audience for a longer period of time than social media updates (meant to start conversations + drive engagement).
Using The Pyramid of Interest to Create a Content Strategy Framework
Now let’s use our understanding of shallow and deep to create a content strategy framework you can replicate.
A simple breakdown to map this out: What we lovingly call ‘The Pyramid of Interest’ (from Scott Hanselman). A great way to think about this is like the food pyramid.
As Scott puts it, you “need the basic, complex carbohydrates at the bottom… the algorithms favor the engagement, so it drives people to shallow content… use the shallow content to encourage your viewers to delve deeper.”
The Pyramid of interest is split into 3 categories: → Basic (100 Level) → Intermediate (200-300 Level) → Advanced (400 Level+) content.
Using these 3 categories as a guide, you can engage people at every level of interest.
You’ll now have content aimed at:
Attract the attention of those who don’t know you yet.
Take things a level deeper with those tuned in.
Demonstrate expertise + authority with your more advanced audience.
The pyramid of interests borrows the same logic as a classic sales or marketing funnel.
Basic level content is going to be the simplest, with the widest reach.
Scott uses the example of “that open ended java script question guy or gal” on twitter. Asking open ended questions or sharing opinions on basic ideas.
The goal is to start conversations and introduce information – don’t be afraid to take a stance on something. Characteristics of shallow content described above apply to the basic category.
Performance note: Basic will likely be the best performing content (favored by algorithm + more applicable to wider audience = higher views, engagement, impressions, etc.)
Intermediate level content takes a step up in length and depth, but should still be accessible to a wider audience.
Scott continues that the intermediate level is where we find a “balance between early and career. 100 level, base of the pyramid… stuff, and then occasionally digging into deep dives and stuff for the interested folks.”
Instead of posts that could be for anyone, we zoom in a little more – without getting deeply technical or covering highly advanced subject matter. It’s a mix between shallow and deep.
Advanced level content is your true long form, in-depth analysis meant for those who are already experts in the field or topic you’re creating content on.
Here we get into what Scott would call the “let's look at how electrons move around a circuit board” type of content.
Advanced level should be highly technical, well researched, and zoomed in on a narrow topic or subtopic. You should be speaking to a smaller, more knowledgeable audience. Characteristics above for deep content apply to advanced level.
Framework for frequency + scheduling
When, and how often should you be posting content in these 3 categories?
When growth is the goal, basic content will have the highest frequency, followed by intermediate, then advanced. Draft a realistic weekly schedule that fits your goals.
Two things to consider when creating your weekly breakdown:
What your audience wants to see.
For example: lighter, simpler posts might be preferred for weekends, saving the in-depth for during the work week (when your audience would be in the mindset to take action + implementing).
What you enjoy creating.
Scott’s suggestion: Go with basic content 70 – 75% of the time, and slowly try to nudge the community towards the things that you’re excited about (and want to talk more about in your intermediate + advanced content).
Get started with something like this:
Start with a plan that feels good to you, stick to it consistently, review your progress and tweak as you find your best mix of content.
Looking for more content tips and resources? Find the full recording of our DiscoLink Club AMA with Scott Hanselman on our Youtube channel, and check out DiscoLink for additional resources, upcoming events, and all things tech side hustle.
Learn more about our DiscoLink Club community + apply to join here.
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