Chapter 7. Stoke the Campfire
Have you ever had the joy of building a campfire and then sitting around it with friends and family, enjoying its warmth, the camaraderie, and the instant community? It is the perfect place for giggles, sharing stories, and forming lifelong friendships. It doesn't matter if it is at summer camp or in your backyard; since people first discovered how to make fire, campfires have brought us together.
Are you wondering what exactly setting wood on fire has to do with the subject of this book? Well, a campfire is an apt metaphor to embody the step that so many companies skip over. When they do, they are left wondering why no one is engaging with their awesome content.
Just because you create welcoming content does not mean that people are going to immediately sit next to it to be warmed. Even when people start gathering, you will need to keep their attention so that they don't leave. If you are still skeptical about the metaphor, stick with us for a few more pages and it will become clearer.
How to Build a Fire
Before you can embrace the metaphor, you need to know the basics of how to build a real fire in five steps. Content and survival techniques in one book? Bet you didn't expect that!
Start with small, easily ignitable branches and twigs (tinder) and pile them in the middle of where you want to build a fire.
Surround the tinder with bigger sticks in a teepee fashion, allowing plenty of space for air to circulate. (Don't forget that fire needs fuel and air ...
Get Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.