9 Things The Bachelor Taught Me About Content Marketing

Another season of ABC’s The Bachelorette has infiltrated our screens. This time, we’re putting on our content marketing goggles.

The Bachelor has seen over 30 seasons and 6 spin-off shows since its 2002 debut. Each season, millions of people tune into the drama to watch gorgeous singles find “the one.”

If you’ve never personally experienced the addictive entertainment, think of a train wreck – it’s hard to look away. In short, one bachelor/ette dates 25-30 people at the same time.

As if that concept isn’t bonkers enough, imagine the fuel that social media and the press add to the fire. Be it laughable, mind-numbing and next-level absurd, the Bachelor can actually teach us some lessons about content marketing.

Quick Takeaways:

• First impressions matter.
• But so does retention.
• Be memorable.
• Be authentic.
• Know your worth.
• Nurture your brand community.
• Repurpose your brand assets.
• Build anticipation around your content.
• Don’t think too hard.

1. First Impressions Matter

The Bachelor‘s season pilot is accompanied by the ‘First Impression Rose,’ which renders an ego boost, immunity from the first rose ceremony, a target on your back and/or the first sloppy kiss.

Fortunately or unfortunately, first impressions will leave a lasting impact on your brand and company. Evaluate your own behavior and that of your employees. Are you all in alignment with your brand goals and values? What might an outsider think?

Remember, you never know when a conversation could generate a lead! Aim to get the metaphorical ‘first impression rose,’ beating out your competitors and gaining the spotlight.

2. But So Does Retention

Ritualistic rose ceremonies are the building blocks of the show. Each week, one or more contestants get the boot based on connections formed (or not) and gushiness felt.

In the Bachelor and the content marketing world, winning someone’s attention is just the beginning of the race. Now that your clients trust you, how do you plan to make them stay? Don’t just sit there, look pretty and ugly cry when you’re fired.

Go after what you want! By implementing a retention plan, utilizing employee activation tactics and reading the rest of this article, you’re off to a great start.

3. Be Memorable (In a Good Light)

The Bachelor provides its contestants innumerable chances to make a fool of themselves. Let’s see, there are: the staple drunks, the ugly criers, the ones with significant others back home, the villains and so on. Don’t be that guy.

Find ways to stand apart from your competition by providing relevant, high quality content. Position yourself as a thought leader by offering tips and ideas that your audience cannot find elsewhere.

You’re not the only one lacking a content plan. In fact, only 1% of businesses are actively creating new content. These folks have a decent following and are considered thought leaders. Meanwhile, the rest of you are clicking around on content you wish you had created.

Once you roll up with class (or in a cupcake car), you’ll easily win the hearts of your clients by creating inimitable content.

4. Be, Authentic, B-E-Authentic

If you’ve ever seen a milli-second of anything Bachelor, you’ve probably heard the host, Chris Harrison, chirp: “Are they here for the right reasons?” Basically, Chris is calling out contestants for their shadiness.

After appearing on the show, contestants’ list of social media followers can grow by the thousands, even millions. So is the guitar-strumming-cowboy here to market his mediocre country music? Is the loud-mouth-villain here to fall in love or get into cat fights? You get the gist.

The moral is to always be yourself. Avoid fluff, false claims and insincerity. Be authentic, because your audience will see right through you.

Believe it or not, the Bachelor thrives on the relatable, human experiences of finding love and tasking risks. Even if it seems scripted and unrealistic, viewers always come back to those beloved 2-3 months of airing.

5. Know Your Worth

Each season, true Bachelor fans are able to spot top contestants immediately. Though excessive on-air time and magical background music might be a tell-tale sign, the confident ones stay winning.

You are your own best advocate, especially on over-saturated search engines. Understanding your worth won’t take two months and end in a fat diamond ring. However, imagine what you could accomplish on your own terms.

6. Nurture Your Brand Community

Long-term success requires a strong foundation. To nurture their community of fans, the Bachelor utilizes hashtags: #Bachelor, #Bachelorette, #BachelorNation, #BachelorFamily; a strong social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; and live viewing parties hosted by fans across the world.

How do they manage to keep millions involved? Because they care about their viewers’ opinions. They track each season’s favorites and gain leverage from haters’ comments.

You, too, should please your audience. After all, our clients keep us standing. Encourage engagement through the strategic use of polls, surveys, comments, or any other forum you use. Welcoming criticism can be vulnerable!

When you cater your content around your audience, you’ll notice a significant increase in engagement.  Don’t just seek out clients’ constructive feedback, but implement change to demonstrate your appreciation for their loyalty.

7. Repurpose Your Brand Assets

It’s no wonder why #BachelorNation favorites tend to reappear on spin-off shows, ABC live-streamed weddings or even become the next bachelor/ette. Viewers are invested in past contestants’ love stories, so the Bachelor Franchise tries to keep up that momentum.

Maybe an article of yours went viral, or a verified account gave you a shoutout. Repurpose top performing content to suit today’s timely trends. After all, 60-70% of content created goes unused. That’s a whole lot of creativity wasted!

If these Bachelor contestants can turn their 15 seconds of fame into a lifestyle, the least you can do is try.

8. Build Anticipation Around your Content

Lying, and sneak peeks and tears, OH MY!

The Bachelor‘s consistent sneak peeks create talk and anticipation around the show, before and during its airing. Fans know to tune in on (now) Tuesdays at 8PM EST and when to expect peak entertainment. What are you doing to create demand for your content?

A call-to-action will only get you so far. With consistency, strategy and relevant content, you will not only increase your web traffic and subscribers, but you’ll make viewers look forward to your regularly scheduled post.

9. Don’t Think too Hard

The Bachelor is mindless, reality television – and it manages to make it onto the TV screens of millions. When people turn off their busy brains, they’re ready to soak in anything… even the Bachelor.

When creating content that converts, consider your own attention span and scrolling habits. Do you always go for the scholarly articles? Are you fluffing the fluff to meet a word count?

Your readers, 6 seconds in:

We can create click-worthy content and save you precious hours of your life drafting and dreading it. I mean, take us for example. We’re analyzing the Bachelor and having fun doing so.

If you’re interested in learning more about how a content marketing plan could help you, reach out to me on LinkedIn and we can set up a call!