Creating Sustainable and Interesting Content Your Audience Will Appreciate

Businesses, groups and individuals like myself all publish articles and/or blog posts with some intention behind it. We want to share our point of view, or some other relevant information to others. Our content and goal may vary greatly, but at the end of the day, we want to reach an audience, and hopefully, this audience absorbs our message, spreads the word, and comes back for more.

In order to keep your readers interested it is popular belief that you need to publish unique, and fresh content. After a while though, you may start to feel like you’ve run out of ideas to write about Somewhat like experiencing Writer’s Block. Like many writers, I often wonder how others come up with their content. Case in point, this is probably the reason you’re reading this article right now. Well, rest easy, I will be providing some tips and insight on what I feel helps authors create sustainable content your audience will appreciate.

In order to identify what you will be writing about, you should first clearly define your blog’s mission/vision. So the short answer for ‘How do you create sustainable and interesting blog content?’ is that It Depends.

Establish a Defined Mission and Vision

Creating sustainable and interesting content depends on your blog’s mission/vision. Use me for example, my business blog is geared towards people in leadership positions (or seeking to be), business managers, entrepreneurs, etc. seeking to enhance their productivity and effectiveness. My primary goal is to provide valuable content that benefits the reader by sharing some of my points of views, experiences and what I think are best business practices.

In addition to this business element, I share information on my experience as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) student (started training 2 yrs go). I hope to encourage others to take up a hobby, art, craft, and further develop themselves as a way to become well-rounded. I started training in BJJ a year after I finished my career in the Marine Corps. I wanted to join a group of individuals that shared a similar camaraderie to that which I experienced in the Corps.

So what’s in it for me? why do I care about sharing this content, and more importantly, ‘how do I come up with said content?’ you may ask. First and foremost, I hope that by reading some of my content I can help somebody avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made or observed others make. Secondly, if my reader enjoys my articles and they resonate, I may find myself with a new consulting client or a new customer, should they like the products showcased in my business page.

Write About Your Passion

I’m not sharing any earth shattering concepts when I state that I find that its easier to write about something you’re passionate about. Picking a topic that interests you will not only keep you engaged in the research part of the writing process, but this excitement will show through your writing.

I read numerous books and articles online or through print. In doing so I submit rebuttals, add information that may not have been shared on the topic, and even share what I learned from reading the article. If possible, I like to share my own personal experience in the topic.

I often search the news section for terms that relate to my blog posts. Some examples of the terms I may use are “strategic management,” “consumer behavior,” or “Martial Arts in the U.S.” Once I find an interesting article, I then take notes, and typically write my rebuttal or create new content if a certain portion of the article is lacking depth.

I write articles relevant to my career industry. As an aspiring and practicing subject matter expert in the field of Government property management, I write articles that detail best business practices, efficiency, and business compliance to regulations. In many cases I suggest writers choose articles that relate to their industry, therefore creating content that benefits readers interested in said field.

Determine a Frequency and Structure

I should also note, it is important to stay somewhat organized as our creativity levels aren’t constant. They usually involve peaks where we are motivated and can churn out content at will, while other times we experience a drop where we may lack the focus/motivation to create said content. How do I combat this? I have created a file where I make a list of possible blog post topics. As an idea comes up I simply add items to the list or include subcategories. This helps me focus on conducting the necessary research for the topics and even come up with alternative and related content. I invite you to consider check out this One-Page Social Media Checklist available for download by clicking here.

Frequency matters not only to the writer, but to the reader. Often times I will take a peek at the writer or the website’s frequency before I elect to subscribe to them. Depending on the topic I am reading, I may not want to receive an abundance of unrelated posts (if the writer posts topics that are not related to my interest).

I decided to schedule my posts once a week, as I did not want to overextend myself or burn out. I also decided to create a monthly schedule rough draft which illustrates the types of posts I will publish. See below:

1st week = Veteran information
2nd week = Marketing advice post
3rd week = Entrepreneurship tips and best practices
4th week = Acquisitions and Contract Compliance topics

This is only an example of what my schedule plan is. This allows me the opportunity to structure how my posts are published. Another benefit to creating a structured plan is the flexibility it provides. Whenever I create multiple articles under a similar topic I can choose to schedule one for this month, another for the next month, and maybe a third for the month after that. Another option is that I can schedule the post anytime during the month, so I may have two posts or more during a certain week. Your own frequency and structure may vary, as you may choose to provide content daily, or on specific topics that require more constant feedback.

Invite a Guest

Other ways to create content involves giving up some control. What do I mean by that? Invite a guest author to write an original article on a topic. Inviting a guest author often helps expose your audience to a different style of writing, essential in providing fresh new content to your audience.

In summary, decide on a mission/vision and write articles that support it; write about something you’re passionate about, choose a frequency you can sustain in the long term, and reach out to other respected authors as they too may enjoy sharing their unique ideas to a new audience.

Comments

Do you agree/disagree or have any other tips to share? We’d love to hear from you. Please share your comments below or contact me through social media.