{"id":24146,"date":"2017-03-07T21:29:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T21:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iteratemarketing.com\/?p=24146"},"modified":"2017-03-07T21:29:24","modified_gmt":"2017-03-07T21:29:24","slug":"evaluate-content-ideas-pick-best-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iteratemarketing.com\/blog\/evaluate-content-ideas-pick-best-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Evaluate Content Ideas (And Pick the Best Ones)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have a massive list of content ideas. Maybe you\u2019ve stockpiling them in Evernote for months, or you just met with your team and came up with a surprising amount of new ideas. You\u2019re in a position that content marketers envy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But how the heck do you choose what to do produce?<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to start thinking critically<\/i>, in a structured way. I\u2019ve compiled seven of my favorite exercises for narrowing a large list of ideas into just the great ones. Along the way, you\u2019ll discover better versions of your great ideas, and you\u2019ll kill a few of your favorites.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some of these exercises can be done alone, and some need to be done in groups. You don\u2019t necessarily need a special meeting to run these exercises. All of these exercises can be used at the end of an ideation session, or can be done virtually, instead of face-to-face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Swap Sort<\/li>\n
  2. Value Mapping<\/li>\n
  3. Dot Voting<\/li>\n
  4. The Murder Board<\/li>\n
  5. That Will Never Work<\/li>\n
  6. NUF Test<\/li>\n
  7. The 10-Point Test<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    1. Swap Sort<\/h2>\n

    The Swap Sort<\/b> is a structured tool for creating a hierarchy of ideas within a group. It can be done individually but is best done in groups, to get further feedback on ideas, but also to help make decisions that your team will be on board with.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    First, make sure your team is clear about the criteria with which you’ll judge your ideas and the objectives of this cohort of content ideas. Bring your 10 best ideas to the Swap Sort exercise.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Exercise<\/b>:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Place your 10 content ideas on sticky notes vertically on a whiteboard in no particular order.<\/li>\n
    2. Ask your team if any of the ideas are duplicates or can be combined with other ideas on the board. Swallow any duplicates or combined Ideas into a new sticky note.<\/li>\n
    3. Compare the first two sticky notes at the top of the board based on your criteria and content objectives. Move the best idea to the top of the board.<\/li>\n
    4. Compare the next two ideas on the board, and swap them if they’re in the wrong order.<\/li>\n
    5. Repeat the process until you can go through the entire list of ideas within reprioritizing any.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      You now have a prioritized list of your best ideas based on a criteria you have selected. If you’re lucky, your entire team will have reached consensus. Regardless, you have majority buy-in to execute your top ideas.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \"Swap<\/p>\n

      Credit: <\/i>Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it Notes<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      2. Value Mapping<\/h2>\n

      When armed with a lot of ideas and a large group of participants, Value Mapping<\/b> is one of the most efficient exercises for determining which content ideas to focus on.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Value Mapping asks participants to narrow a content Idea list, of say, 20 or 30 items, down to 10 or so of the best ideas. The goal is to identify a thread or topic that your team or organization believes is most worth pursuing.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Exercise<\/b>:<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Bring a list of 20 or 30 content ideas to a meeting.<\/li>\n
      2. Write each idea on an index card.<\/li>\n
      3. Group the items in a way that makes the most logical sense to you.<\/li>\n
      4. Designate a notetaker to keep track of everyone’s choices.<\/li>\n
      5. Color the cards based on how many times they were chosen. Don’t color cards that weren’t chosen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Present the findings to your group. Showing a visual of the results is a powerful way of gaining consensus on an area of focus.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        If you’re looking for consensus from a large group, this exercise can be done outside of a meeting environment, via email, with very large teams.<\/p>\n

        \"value<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        3. Dot Voting<\/h2>\n

        Dot Voting<\/b> is a simple tool you can use to help gain control over a very productive ideation session. It relies on the intuition of the group at the end of a group session, not based on carefully selected criteria or content goals.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Sometimes, in a group setting, participants find it easy to generate dozens or hundreds of ideas very quickly. Dot Voting can help cut a list significantly and get your participants focusing on only the best ideas.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        The Exercise<\/b>:<\/p>\n