The world of self help is changing rapidly. As a content writer or marketing professional, it can be hard to keep up with the new terms and ideas floating around the Internet. Whether you’re writing a blog, running a marketing firm or producing a podcast, it’s important to understand the expectations of modern audiences. Staying informed about which ideas are on the cutting edge of the genre can help. These content marketing trends in the industry are of utmost importance to people who make their living via by producing self help content or by marketing self help products.
A Focus on Millennials
In recent years, millennials have earned a reputation for being a generation of self help gurus. As natural subscribers to the movement, millennials help shape the dialogue in the industry. Now many content providers craft their message for the millennial audience.
Millennials like their content delivered via modern methods, so modern writers must format their content accordingly.
- Blogs. It should come at no surprise that there are countless self improvement blogs for just about every audience. The movement lends itself well to the blog format. Blogs can be used to document personal journeys, provide tips and give daily reminders to promote success.
- E-books. Self help books have been around forever, and that’s not changing any time soon. Millennials love their books just like they love their avocado toast. Of course, they’re in the digital age now, so they read their books on their tablet or smart phone, or listen to their audio books through an online subscription.
- Free videos. Of course, the Internet is rife with free videos of the genre. Common videos include workout videos and guided meditation.
- Podcasts. Podcasts have grown massively in popularity in the last several decades. Podcasts are an excellent platform for delivering self help content. Serious content writers and marketing professionals often subscribe to many related podcasts.
It’s easy to see that millennials like to digest their content through a variety of mediums and platforms. True to their generation, millennials also like to integrate technology into their self help routine. That’s why there are so many apps aimed at go-getter millennials. Apps like coach.me, My Fitness Pal, and Day One App are all designed to aid self help-loving people in their journey to fulfillment.
Keeping these apps up to date on your phone or tablet, and using them regularly, is important if you do content writing or marketing for the industry. Knowing the apps inside and out gives marketers and writers more tools they can use when making suggestions for audiences.
It’s Not Self Help, It’s Self Care
Nothing is above rebranding, not even self help. In the last several years, the self help genre has gotten a makeover. New terms are used regularly. Other common terms include self improvement and personal development. Audiences like these plucky new terms because they’re inherently optimistic. The old term, self help, can sound a little despairing next to words like improvement, care and development. This new marketing of the old genre highlights the way that self help subscribers aim high to be their best selves.
Healthy Rituals Are In
New self help audiences like rituals that focus on self care. Healthy sleep rituals, healthy eating habits and healthy social development can help audiences to become their best, most healthy selves. Because of this, self help writers often focus on making basic improvements to everyday tasks. Get more sleep. Walk mindfully. Eat mindfully. Cook with healthy vegetables. Buy organic. Buy local. Take time for the small things. These everyday lessons enable self help readers to live comfortably.
A Focus on Wellness
Once upon a time, a huge part of the self help movement focused on diets for the sake of weight loss and money making schemes for the sake of, well, making lots of money. Today’s movement focuses on wellness and healthy emotional development. This focus on wellness represents a mind shift for readers. Quality of life is an important issue to new self help subscribers. Writers can meet expectations by focusing on small, everyday routines mentioned above and by discussing broader issues like quality of life and
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is awareness of your own emotions and the emotions of others. It’s said that high emotional intelligence can help you at work, at home and in everyday life. Emotional intelligence is trending right now because it helps people to navigate the world around them. When writing about emotional intelligence, it’s helpful to discuss the ways that emotional intelligence can be developed among adults. Not everyone has emotional intelligence, but exercises and practical suggestions make development of EI an attainable goal.
If you’re producing content marketing for the self help industry, it’s most important to keep reading and and watching the content being produced. To stay up to date on trends, immerse yourself in the world of self help. Watch for new interests as they pop up and learn about them as you become aware of them. Never stop reading, because this is the vehicle by which self help is delivered. By consuming more written content every day, you’ll stay ahead of the trends.
Leslie C has written hundreds of articles and blog posts on a freelance basis. Just a few of her interests as a writer include topics like home repair, home maintenance, home improvement, travel, cooking, baking, green living, gardening, parenting, decorating, party planning and generally running a successful and functional household. In particular, her passion for writing home and family related articles has only increased since she started a cooking blog in 2011 and bought a ranch-style “fixer” home, circa 1950’s. Everyday for Leslie is a new adventure in DIY home repair, family cooking and retro-style decorating, and her passion for these subjects shows in her written work.