Which Works Better: Positive or Negative Content?

Which works better in content marketing — positive messages or negative ones? Well … it depends.

On the one hand, as content marketers, we want to associate ourselves and our content with lots of great feelings — that’s what makes our audience want to spend more time with us.

On the other hand, negativity bias is real, and talking about audience problems can create a powerful bond.

How to balance the positive and the negative in a marketing message?

In this 25-minute episode, I talk about:

• How a simple copywriting formula can help us strike the right balance between positive and negative
• The dangers (and opportunities) in creating content that exposes audience problems
• The viewpoint that makes painful content less painful
• Physiological changes that make “going negative” effective
• The keys to relieving your audience’s pain with your business solution
• How to end your content with a delicious “dessert”

The Show Notes

• If you’re ready to see for yourself why more than 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — swing by StudioPress.com for all the details.
• Demian Farnworth wrote a great post for us on the Problem-Agitate-Solve copywriting formula
• Sean Platt wrote another great post for us on The 4 Words that Will Get Your Email Opened
• My post on Robert Cialdini’s Unity Principle
• Tim Ferriss’s podcast interview with my friend Susan Garrett, packed with lessons on dog training, positive reinforcement, business, and more
• I’m always happy to see your questions or thoughts on Twitter @soniasimone — or right here in the comments!