If you are currently a Backstory world manager, or you’re looking to become one, then this post is definitely for you. Managing a Backstory world can seem like rocket science at the beginning, because there is a lot to learn and a lot to do. This post should help take the pressure off of you as you go about building a fantastic fictional world with your team.
As a world manager the onus is on you to lead your team of creatives towards success. They will be looking to you for guidance and you need to have the answers. It can be a tough job, but there are rich rewards to be had once you nail down the process.
How to approach managing a world
The best thing you can do when preparing to manage a Backstory world is to look for a role in the content industry that matches it. Luckily we can help you out with this one.
Imagine that you’ve just been hired as the Chief Content Officer for a new streaming service. Your job is to attract as many different demographic groups as possible, and get them to sign up to your service. So in terms of content variation, you need to hit as many different verticals as possible.
The first thing you would do is create a breakdown of all the different categories of content that exist. So, things like live action, documentaries, animation and so on.
Next you would look at genres. Romance, action, adventure, drama, crime, horror and so on. Cover as many genres as you possibly can, and don’t forget to dip into sub-genres as well.
Next it’s time to look at concepts. When we say concepts we mean social concepts. So for example homosexuality, female empowerment, transgenderism etc.
What you end up with is a matrix of categories that you then need to fill with content. The more categories you fill, the more demographic groups you can appeal to and so gain as customers.
Managing a Backstory world works in exactly the same way. Your world might have a high fantasy setting, but the types of content you put out shouldn’t all be about epic adventures.
To maximise your chances of success you need your content to appeal to as many different people as possible, so you need to hit your verticals. This doesn’t mean that all of your content has to appeal to everyone, you can, and should, specialise if necessary.
When working with your fellow world managers we strongly recommend regular meetings about the content your creative team is writing, what verticals they hit, and as a result, which verticals you are currently missing out on.
Steering the creation of content towards hitting these empty verticals will help you reach more readers in the long run.
What we’ve also noticed is that consumers will often move across traditional demographic groupings if they see a common bond between content aimed at different verticals. In terms of a Backstory world, that common bond is the world itself.
Takeaway
- As a world manager, you’re responsible for determining the content that gets created.
- You need to recognise the different types of verticals and what they represent.
- You need to approach content creation objectively, and sometimes push to achieve verticals.
- Your aim is to attract as many different demographic groups to your world as possible.
