Pop-Up Video’s Lesson for Content Creators

It’s wild to think that TikTok has become a vehicle for people to discover music. Growing up, everyone older than Gen Z turned to traditional media to fuel our passion for music — radio, print, and TV. 

One TV show I always gravitated toward was VH1’s Pop-Up Video. Although it only aired from 1996 to 2002, there are so many takeaways from this show that we can apply to content creation today. 

If you don’t remember Pop-Up Video, it was a mini music video marathon where fun facts would pop up onto the screen. As you watched, you’d learn various things about the musician, the video production, or other relevant factoids.

Here’s an example from the beloved Spice Girls video for “Wannabe”. 

My favorite pop-up reveals some Spice Girls history: each member was hand-selected out of 400 women who responded to a newspaper ad for a girl group audition. 

Before we move on, I just need to shout from the rooftops that I've been to the hotel where the Spice Girls filmed their iconic Wannabe video... the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London!

A Content Creation Must: Education

The mark of any interesting piece of content is that it serves a purpose. Whether it be to entertain, inspire, connect, or educate, you want to publish content that feeds your audience. Although the factoids shared on Pop-Up Video are far from academic, they still educate the viewer. These fun facts provide context and insights that make the music video more enjoyable. From your email campaigns to social content and YouTube videos, incorporating facts is a surefire way to enhance your content. Here’s why:

Facts illustrate your brand’s WHY. 

As Simon Sinek always says, start with why. Sharing facts with your audience can illustrate how your company got started. 

For instance, after learning that 14 billion pounds of plastic end up in our oceans each year, two friends took action. Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze created, 4ocean, a company committed to removing plastic from our oceans. Publish the facts about your industry that inspired you to make a change.

Facts help establish credibility.

One way to instantly build your credibility with facts is to do a myth-busting content series. This will educate your audience while you show your expertise.

For example, imagine you are an interior designer. You could debunk a design myth, such as “everything in your house should match.” Then, explain how to pair various colors, patterns, and textures. Better yet, illustrate it with photos and videos.

Facts show your brand’s personality.

Your audience doesn’t choose to work with you solely based on reputation or impressive accolades. Personality is what sets you apart from the competition, especially if you have similar credentials.

Perhaps you’re trying to choose a financial advisor to help you set up a college fund for your small children. A candidate whose “About” page touches on personal details, like the fact that he or she is also a parent, may influence your decision. The other advisors you’re considering may be just as qualified, but you relate to this one more.

Facts boost engagement. 

We all know that the purpose of social media is to be social! Positioning your factual content in a trivia-style format is a simple way to open things up for conversation. 

You can ask your audience to make a guess about a statistic, fill in the blank, answer true or false, or build intrigue with a “did you know” series.

Facts bring you closer to your audience.

A small fact about you or your company may be what inspires a potential customer to work with you. We like to buy from companies we are proud to support.

Share facts about how your brand gives back to the community. If you are a corporation that has also raised thousands of dollars for charity, let your audience know. These details can be the push your audience needs to hear before conversion.

Facts inspire your audience to share.

In his book Contagious, Jonah Berger says that audiences like to feel smart. When we’re in the know about something, we’re more compelled to share this information with our social circles, both on and off social media. 

Going back to Pop-Up Video as an example, facts make for interesting conversation. The next time I’m out and hear a Spice Girls song on the radio, I may feel compelled to mention their backstory, which I learned from Pop-Up Video.

It’s Easy to Face the Facts

Content creators can breathe a sigh of relief because interesting facts are all around us! Rather than banging our heads against the wall to come up with creative content ideas all the time, all you have to do is a little research.

Start by asking questions and you’ll learn of countless interesting facts to share with your audience.

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