Proven Ways to Test Your Content

All the content you develop for your audience can be made better by user testing. Yet, this is a step we often skip because it seems hard to do. Here are some strategies to consider to test your content in a way that gets the best results.

Recruit the Right Participants

You should always aim to test your content with people that align with your target audience. The people evaluating your content should truly be representative of your audience demographics, mindset, situation, and goals. Whether content works well depends heavily on who it’s written for.

The best feedback comes from people who react from their first hand, actual experiences. Asking people to imagine something applies to them is not nearly as effective.

Tailor Tasks

You don’t have to give every tester the same content. Consider the tester and give them content that they are best able to react to. Prepare some generic questions, but be willing to modify or craft new ones on the spot as you learn more about the participant’s situation. Pertinent questions will lead to the best insights and feedback.

Similarly, allow the focus of the user input to change. You may want to focus on one piece of content, but if the user’s interest leads to other items explore those as well. You don’t want to frustrate someone whose interest your have piqued. Share what they want, and be open to the additional insights that will bring.