What the Heck is Weird Content?

There’s a lot of advice out there about how to do content marketing. Like, A LOT-a lot of advice.

(And just to be clear, when I talk about content, I’m primarily talking about written content, although it’s also true for other formats—like video—as well.)

Here are just a few examples:

Find a topic that's already trending to get an SEO boost. Create some kind of content calendar. Use AI to come up with new things to write about so you can keep up with said content calendar. Speak to your target audience. Address pain points. Tie it back to your offerings.

I could go on and on until the end of time.

If you’re reading this, I have a feeling you’ve had enough of all that advice.

Me too.

I stopped thinking about all the things content is “supposed” to be according to all the “experts” and started thinking more about how I WANTED content to be. What kind of stuff do I want to read? What kind of stuff do I want to write?

I spent a lot of time thinking about adjectives to describe this kind of content. I am a writer, after all. Adjectives like “unique” and “personality-driven” and “authentic,” but doesn’t that all just sound like the same advice we’ve already heard before? It isn’t working.

We need another word. A less safe word. A word that doesn’t tiptoe around what we’re REALLY trying to accomplish with our content.

It’s time to get WEIRD.

First, let’s talk about the word WEIRD

Most of us have a knee-jerk reaction to the word “weird.” You either identify with it or you don’t. Some people spend a lifetime trying to avoid being perceived as weird. That makes sense. Being weird can mean you're strange, odd, or bizarre. Those aren’t good things if you’re trying to fit in, which humans, to some extent, are wired to do.

Weird also suggests the supernatural, unearthly, and uncanny. That can be uncomfortable and scary. Also, not good.

These descriptions of “weird” require a disclaimer. Because weird content can also be all those things: strange, odd, bizarre, supernatural, unearthly, and uncanny. Some of us identify very deeply with the concepts behind those words. I’m here to support the strangest, most bizarre, uncanny content you can come up with!

But, whether you identify with any of those describing words or not, I find there’s something deeper to uncover when it comes to weird content.

At its heart, the word “weird” means UNEXPECTED.

Before we talk about WEIRD content, let’s talk about NORMAL content

There are things we’ve come to expect about the content we interact with on the internet. Things we unconsciously or consciously do when writing our own content according to conventional advice.

It can be a hard thing to put your finger on, but it all kind of comes down to one thing:

When you read a piece of content on the internet, can you tell who wrote it without looking at the author or URL?

Or, like me, do you notice that it all kind of sounds the same?

The topic doesn’t matter either. A health article can sound just as blasé as an article on tarot cards. It’s like we’re all channeling professors. Knowledgeable, but also old and slightly boring, professors who have to write a certain way in order to get their findings and opinions published in a scientific journal.

It really isn’t all that surprising, if you think about it. Especially for those of us who went to college. It’s just the way we learned how to write. And you know what? It works for some of us. Some of us lean towards sounding more formal. Using complete sentences, proper punctuation, and avoiding passive voice like the plague.

But we’re about to back ourselves into a corner because AI is writing content too. And what kind of content is AI the best at writing?

You guessed it. Normal content.

And it’s going to start churning out content at mind-blowing rates.

That’s a good and a bad thing.

First, it’s bad because you have to compete with even more content on the internet. Second, it’s good because it’s easy to compete with that content. As long as you’re willing to write WEIRD CONTENT.

How to write weird content

At its heart, weird content is unexpected (see above). It’s the kind of content that stops people in their tracks, even for just a moment. The kind of content that makes people think. That makes people reread. The kind of content that they want to bookmark or share with a friend. The kind of content that wiggles into people’s brains and makes a little nest that they will stumble upon sometime in the future.

Because SEO isn’t enough. It’s a great first step to getting found, but you have to move people. You have to make people care.

Sounds hard? I promise it isn’t. What matters is that you find a way to make weird content work for you.

Here are a few strategies that can help you get started:

·        Choose a weird topic

·        Use unexpected words

·        Write like you talk

Choose a weird topic

The quickest and easiest way to take a crack at weird content writing is to choose a topic that's weird. Course, that’s easier for some of us than others. If you’re a ghost hunter, you’ve got an unlimited supply of weird topics to choose from. Dentists, insurance brokers, and lawyers? Not so much. But it’s not impossible.

Say you’re a dentist. There are a lot of animals out there with some weird dental facts. Did you know a tiny snail mouth can have over 20,000 teeth? Or that narwhal horns are actually teeth? And heck! Did you know most animals don't get cavities because they chew rough material and don't eat sugar? There's a great opportunity there to talk about ways to get better dental health!

Maybe you’re an insurance broker. Did you know celebrities insure their body parts? You might have to do some fact-checking, but Gene Simmons apparently has a 1-million-dollar policy on his tongue while J. Lo's covering her booty for 27 million.

Don’t even get me started on the weirdest lawsuits ever filed.

No matter what it is you do, there’s a weird topic that you can write about to get more attention for your business.

Use unexpected words

We’ve all come to expect certain words from “experts,” and when you read them, your eyes gloss over. Words like “value” and “strategy” and “collaboration” come to mind, but even overused casual words have become dull. “Dropping” links and “Let that sink in” are things people say a lot online, but they aren’t necessarily things they would say in real life.

I’m not saying these kinds of words are wrong or bad or that you shouldn’t use them. Words only become boring because they’re overused—not because they aren’t accurate. Use them if you have to, but I want to encourage you to also use unexpected words.

Any chance your brain glitched for an instant after reading “booty” in the section on choosing a weird topic up above? That’s a good example of an unexpected word that’s unexpected for its own sake. You probably didn’t think you’d read an article with the word “booty” in it today.

Unexpected words can also just be improper words. Use "ain't." I dare ya. Use a weird expression, like "hold your horses" or "monkey business." Find a way to say something in a way that people aren’t expecting and you can make your content a little weirder.

A word of caution, though. Take this advice too far and you could end up sounding pretentious. The goal isn’t to use big words that no one knows. It’s to use seldom-used words that people recognize right away.

Write like you talk

Sometimes, weird content doesn’t have anything to do with the topic or the words being used. Sometimes it’s weird because the weirdness of the author shines through.

Most of us have a tendency to write things that we wouldn't say in real life. I'm guilty of this. I love a good "however" when I'm writing. Do I say it in real life? Nope. I sure don't.

I don’t always speak in complete sentences. I almost never use "simple" instead of "easy" and I'm definitely gonna say "good" instead of “beneficial,” no matter what my fancy grammar checker tells me.

Be willing to break the rules and experiment with writing the way you talk. Use commas and ellipses to invite readers to pause and capitalize words you would emphasize while speaking. Use em dashes and italicize words. The more you sound like you when you write, the more readers will be able to tell it’s you, and the more they will feel like they’re talking to an old friend.

Join the weird content revolution

I don't care how much money he claims to have made. Don’t feel like you have to do content marketing the way some self-proclaimed marketing shmuck on the internet tells you to. Have fun with it. Get weird. Experiment. Start small. Use words in your content that make you smile. Write about a topic you thought was off-limits because it seemed too weird.

Make content marketing something you look forward to doing—not something you dread.

Let’s make the internet a weirder place. Who’s with me?