Innovate or Die.

Back in the mid-90s, this credo became popular to describe the innovations that were taking place with technology and the Internet.  Today, when you think of innovation, you’re likely to think of well-known innovators such as Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, formal think tanks, senior-level management programs or even new vehicles such as the popular TV show, “Shark Tank”.

When you think of innovation, content isn’t likely the first thing that pops in your head.  That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised to learn that the Chicago Tribune, my home-town news provider of choice, is making innovation a priority.

Last week, the Chicago Tribune launched Blue Sky Innovation, a new premium digital site focused on keeping up with the entrepreneurial scene in the city and serving the needs of innovation-minded professionals.

Tribune editor Gerould Kern explained, “We’ll carry news about Chicago’s emerging business development landscape—startups, technology, innovative new products, services and entrepreneurial best practices.”

He added the new content offering will explore how innovation is shaping the Chicago economy including who the people are who are turning a creative spark into a market reality, lessons learned and sources of the most creative ideas.

Much of the content will be original reporting from the Blue Sky news team but the site will also curate content from other sources and experts in the field to form an information hub for an innovation community.

A sampling of Blue Sky content will appear each week in the Chicago Tribune’s print edition in the Monday Business section.

“You can be on top one day and then knocked from that pinnacle when someone comes forward with a better idea more in tune with consumer needs and tastes,” Kern stated.  “Innovations propagate fast through the marketplace and they can change our lives.”

Among the first week’s Blue Sky content offerings is an interview with Dyson CEO Max Conze who talks about his company’s successful culture and commitment to product innovation. Conze noted that “We have a big belief that if you bring in people young, if you give them responsibility, and you want to recruit for aptitude, intelligence, as opposed to experience, you will be continuously amazed by what young people do.”

The Tribune’s new site is an innovative move in its own right.  Not only is the news provider focusing on an engaging subject matter that has the potential for wide reach, it’s only slating it as premium content, all the better to increase digital subscriptions.

While the technology, medicine and science fields seem to garner all the headlines when it comes to innovation, content creators and marketers can take a page from their playbook.  Content could—and should—be creative and innovative.  Here is my to-do list for incorporating more innovation in the content process.

• Take a risk. Avoid “safe” leads, headlines and subject lines. Incorporate engaging and provocative quotes rather than the usual standard fare.
• Curate people and content. Introduce new and different perspectives into your content through the curation process.
• Follow through on feedback. Don’t just ask for reader feedback; actually take action on it. Sift through reader’s comments to identify any suggestions that can enhance your content offerings.
• Try something different. Commit to trying something new at least once a month.
• Expand your horizons. Look to other industries and other types of professionals for ideas and inspiration. My personal go-to sources include those who are not only writers, editors and content creators but also technologists, designers, architects and psychologists.
• Keep an “inspiration” journal.  Keep track of key phrases, books, quotations, images and other content that gets your creative juices flowing.  Refer to it often so you can think of ways to develop content around it or incorporate it into other content offerings.
• Iterate, iterate, iterate.  Some of the most creative and innovative people are able to take a germ of an idea and grow it into something new.  There’s no need to start from ground zero.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, “Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation.”

The truth is that most organizations today don’t value and encourage imagination and innovation.  But innovation can only happen when people get out there and just try a lot of different things.

Next time you’re looking to craft a new content offering, take the time to be creative.  Be fearless, be innovative and have the courage to try something new.

Read more