What are the risks and rewards when it comes to publishing controversial content? In other words, when does sharing content that may set off a debate outweigh the risk of offending people?
Captivating headlines and attention grabbing content is always the goal. It’s great when a post ignites a lively conversation. Debatable topics can often accomplish this.
They can also backfire. Nothing is worse than posting something that comes across as insensitive, offensive, or marginalizes people to the point they bail on you. Not to mention, people are sick of reading really bad content shared only to spark outrage.
What’s the difference between controversial and bad content?
There are big differences between controversial and bad content. Good content provides quality information, even if it’s controversial. Bad content serves no purpose except to get attention.
Controversial content covers topics that are emotionally charged or debatable. Bad content is low on substance and disappoints its readers. Both can be offensive to some people.
Good content serves the audience its intended for. It’s well researched, interesting, and educational. It may become controversial when it’s about topics such as politics, the environment, dog food choices, or flu shots.
If you’re going to share controversial content, be sure you’ve done your research.
What makes content good quality?
All good content starts with research. It’s impossible to produce without it. It requires knowing what the prospect is searching for and dishing up that information in a way that’s interesting and factual.
Good content resonates with readers and rings true, because it is. Good content doesn’t lie. It doesn’t need to. It’s conversational, transparent, and honest. People gobble it up, even if it sparks debate.
Good quality content is:
- Original
- Helpful
- Informative
- Improves SEO rankings
- Generates leads
- Puts the reader first
What makes content controversial?
The topic or its delivery method can make it controversial. Controversial content usually covers an emotionally charged subject that people have strong opinions about. Content can also become controversial when it goes against what your audience expects.
It’s possible to write about controversial subjects without being too risky by staying informative and not taking sides. Yet, not everyone will read the content before loudly voicing their opinion about it.
Styles of content that can become controversial include:
- Humor or jokes
- Language that evokes strong emotions
- Asking for opinions
- Taking a stand
- Introducing with new concepts
- Taking people off guard
- Being politically incorrect
- Swear words
If you want to use this type of content, be darn sure you know your audience. You’ll want to avoid coming off as a “jerk,” as this well known CEO called himself after publishing this controversial ad .
Risks that you should always avoid in your content include:
- Making light of a serious problem or struggle
- Throwing shade, such as this ad by Subway
- Coming across as a bully
- Marginalizing a group
- Over-complicating an issue
- Trivializing issues of race, sex, mental health issues, etc
- Using dirty jokes or sexist puns
The Reward of Posting Controversial Content
Posting controversial content can get you lots of attention. It can get people talking and charged up about a subject. However, controversy for the sake of controversy is never a good idea. The subject should always serve your audience.
If you share a debatable topic, be sure you get your facts right. Be ready to back up your position. For instance, in the pet food industry, there has been a lot of debate about grain free dog food and heart disease (DCM) in dogs. There’s been an ongoing passionate discussion between the pet food industry, customers feeding a grain free diet, veterinarians, and those whose pets became sick or died.
In this instance, there are lots of content opportunities to educate and reassure pet owners. However, no matter what your position is, there’s no room to trivialize the death of dogs whose diet has been linked to heart disease.
How to use controversial content
If you choose to take a risk and publish something that is controversial, follow these guidelines:
- Be honest
- Don’t mislead for clicks
- Use facts to back up your statements
- Avoid blunders by examining your idea from all angles, Pepsi had to pull this controversial ad because the imagery was insensitive
- Use caution when using swear words or keeping it real
- Respond to positive and negative feedback within 24 hours
- Stay professional
- Plan your responses
- Expect a backlash
- Don’t publish anything you don’t want to go viral
- Be ready to listen
How to handle negative comments
No matter how safe your content is, it’s impossible to please everyone. There can be fall out over the most innocuous post. How you handle it is what matters most.
When you get negative comments:
- Stay professional
- Set clear boundaries
- Never allow spam
- Encourage respectful debate
- Agree to disagree
- Invite opinions or solutions
- Avoid pointless debates
- Ignore insanity
- Delete disgusting or overly hostile posts
Please tell us about your content hits and misses. We’d love to hear what you’ve learned. For fun, here are some famous content fails. Enjoy!