What Can “True Detective” Teach us About Content Marketing?

March 13, 2014

Lessons in Content Marketing from True Detective

I recently finished my binge of HBO’s new crime drama series, “True Detective”. If you haven’t watched the series yet, I fully recommend that you go sit on your couch for 8 hours and enjoy this work of art. The series follows the detectives of Rust Cohle played by Matthew McConaughey and Marty Hart played by Woody Harrelson over a span of seventeen years as they hunt down a serial killer in Louisiana. The storyline is gripping and grabs your attention from the start, while the acting of McConaughey and Harrelson is nothing short of award-winning.
Naturally, as I watched this series, I started to think about how this show relates to content marketing and I started to see some parallels between the content marketing world and the hit HBO series. Below are three “True Detective” inspired tips for any content marketer — and don’t worry there aren’t any spoilers!

3 Lessons in Content Marketing from HBO’s “True Detective”

1) Bring in the Big Hitters for Big Content

1389202787000-XXX-TRUE-DETECTIVE-Matthew-One of the biggest reason for “True Detective’s” success is that they had the big names of McConaughey and Harrelson. Big time actors like these two, undoubtedly brought in more viewers and notoriety to the series. Normally, actors of this stature would not turn to television roles, however in this golden age of television actors are now embracing television roles. With that being said McConaughey and Harrelson can teach us a valuable lesson about content marketing.
What makes engaging content is having notable and high-profile people in the industry contribute to your efforts. Ask well known influencers in your industry to write a blog, sit down for a podcast or even contribute to an eBook. Its imperative for your content marketing success to include the big hitters. Bring in the experts and provide worthy content for your readers.

2) Start asking the right F’ing Questions About Your Audience

One of my favorite lines of the “True Detective” series came at the end of episode one, watch the clip below:

What can the wise crack from Rust Cohle teach us about content marketing? As a content marketer you need to get down to brass tacks when it comes to your audience. You really do need to start asking the right questions. Who is your audience? What sort of content are they looking for? Is our content resonating with our audience? As a content marketer you need to constantly be asking yourself these questions to make sure your efforts are worth the while.

3) Make Your Content Special

True_Detective_finale_carcosa.png.CROP.promovar-mediumlargeOne of the many reasons why “True Detective” was so popular was the feeling of exclusivity it brought to its audience. In order to watch the series you have an HBO subscription (well, technically). Being able to watch the series is almost like being in the “in” crowd at high school except you aren’t wearing a varsity letterman jacket and you’re probably wrapped up in a snuggie on your couch.
HBO embraces their gated content and makes their audience feel special. The content marketing lesson here? Make your audience feel like they are in the “in” crowd and sell the point that they are getting something that nobody else is. Gated content such as eBooks are a great way to make your audience feel special. Remember that feeling of exclusivity is something that everybody chases.

Alright, Alright, Alright

So there you have it, three quick “True Detective”  inspired tips that can vastly enhance your content marketing efforts. Want to talk “True Detective” or content marketing? Leave me a message in the comments below.

Alex is Senior Associate, Social Content Systems at Arnold Worldwide <a href="http://arn.com/">Arnold Worldwide</a> . Alex specializes in identifying influencers for multiple brands and campaigns to create multimedia content in the form of blog posts, social extensions, and video content. Before Arnold Worldwide, Alex was a Media Business Representative at <a href="http://patch.com/">Patch.com</a>.