Content can make and break brands, businesses, careers, personal images, governments and much more. The power of content gets underlined every day in different shapes and forms around us. This is especially seen when mighty businesses and people try to put their resources, minds and money behind creating and manipulating narratives. The most recent example is the Hindenburg Report on the Adani Group of companies alleging accounting fraud and stock manipulation.

The question today is not whether the report is true or false. Realistically, the question is how far content can reach in destroying established businesses in a snap.

Let’s look at how in three different ways the Hindenburg-Adani saga puts in front the power of content and its marketing:

Writing Influential Content

How to write compelling content that can influence? To get an idea, let’s understand what Hindenburg does to put together a report or a research paper that looks trustworthy and leaves a wider impact. If you see, Hindenburg’s financial model involves identifying “bad” firms, investing to profit from the company’s price collapsing, and then publishing a negative report about the company. They scout for companies on the stock market that are overvalued and have shaky fundamentals. They dig out every piece of information and find out whether their stocks are moving out of bounds due to manipulation or feigned facts. Any sensible person with an analytical mind who understands financials can figure out from a company’s filing with the SEC or SEBI if there’s anything fishy underneath.

Supporting Arguments with Substance

Your report or article can’t be a figment of your imagination. You’re not writing a piece of fiction. Understand that each word you write needs to have a basis or substance. In the same way that the Hindenburg report is full of examples of stock manipulation by the Adani group when it supports its claims, it is vital that you gather information on the target entity in order to leave a lasting impact. Support your claims with facts and figures.

Analyze Facts – Slice and Dice Info

Remember that information is already in the public domain. By bringing it together, you’re not doing an earthshaking job. The differentiator would be your analysis. Your ability to analyze, slice and dice information may open up a can of worms or a goldmine of facts and truths that can set your report apart.

For example, in Adani’s case, a lot has been said for years. No one really bothered to cut data into pieces and bring out relevant insights which are now keeping the market abuzz negatively.

Broadly as content creators, it is our job to see beneath the surface to make an impact. Content is far more powerful than it seems. Content creators need to be investigative, analytical, fact finders, patient and seekers of the right moment to benefit from their work. Gartners and Forresters of the world do the same when they come out with their reports on market opportunities and when they see that companies are willing to back their research with big investments.