From zero to hero: 8 blogging tips for making great content

08/16/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Content is king – it’s been over 20 years since Bill Gates first coined the phrase, but the meaning behind that statement still rings true, especially in today’s digital landscape. In an interview with tech website CIO, Shai Aharony of Reboot Online explained that exceptional content is the backbone of web traffic and improving a customer’s experience. “Content is the backbone of any drive to interact with your readers or customers,” Aharony added. “It is the most important opportunity you have to impress the reader with your knowledge, expertise or ethos.”

Even search engine optimization (SEO), a key tool in effective digital marketing, is heavily reliant on “high-quality content,” with Google ranking it as one of the three ranking factors for organic search.

Of course, this may seem challenging for those who are just starting out with content creation or digital marketing, but having valuable content is a must to survive today’s digital world. In his video, Sotiris Bassakaropoulos of Ask Sotiris reveals some helpful types of content that you could include in your blog or website. (Related: Predictions for Content Marketing: Scaling New Heights.)

Watch the full episode from REAL.video here:

Creating killer content for any occasion

For people who are foraying into digital marketing, the idea of content creation can be daunting. A recent interview with content creators indicated that the main challenge in creating good content is making one that gets web traffic while being uniquely valuable at the same time.

If you’re one of those people who find idea generation to be especially challenging, Bassakaropoulos suggests getting ideas that are closer to your blog’s intended target market.

“It [content creation] depends on the niche of your blog,” he added. “Different people [will go to] different niches.”

After getting an idea, the next step is presenting it and making sure it gets read by people. Here are some ways to write your content, depending on the topic and intended distribution outlets.

Write a how-to blog post

According to experts, Google’s latest algorithm updates rewards sites with content that answer user-generated questions in a search. If you’re writing an instructional “how-to” blog post, make sure that it answers a specific question that a person may ask in their search bar. It’s best to start with opportunity areas that need more detailed and informative answers.

Get content out of your video captions

If you have an interesting video about a subject that’s already up in a video-sharing site, try to determine if it offers captions. If the site has captions (or adds it) in the video, you can simply copy the video captions and use it for your blog. One thing to look out for is that not every word in the caption may be correct; therefore, it’s best to look at the captions to see if there are possible misspellings in your blog.

Go for an interview

The thought process that goes into making an interview isn’t easy: It’s time-consuming, costly, and difficult to control (especially in terms of what the person will say during the interview). However, getting the right resource person for a particular subject is one of the best things you can ask for in content creation. A key consideration in setting up the interview is the length of the video: A shorter video will net fewer questions and vice versa. Keep in mind, however, that there are certain questions that can have very long answers.

Try your hand with podcasts

Podcasts, for the uninitiated, are episodic series that can be viewed during a person’s own convenience. For one, it’s relatively inexpensive – you will only need a decent voice recorder for this one – and it can be delivered to multiple distribution points for consumption after it has been published. It can also be farmed for content – just write the episode and tweak it for blog publication.

Learn to like listicles

The “listicle,” a form of writing popularized by Buzzfeed, refers to any article that appears as a list. In making a listicle, remember that it’s an exhaustive process, despite the list. It’s also heavily used: A lot of subjects that you may think are unique probably have a listicle about it already. Getting the right angle, mapping out your subheadings, and striking a balance with images are just some of the ways that you can use listicles to create great content.

Make a to-do list for specific topics

The to-do list article is similar to the how-to blog post, only that the to-do list is a checklist for specific things that must be done to achieve a certain goal or execute an activity without a hitch.

Get some inspiration from quotes and sayings

While it’s not for everyone – it’s quite a farfetched idea to consider that a blog or a site dedicated to academic research, for instance, would publish a compilation of quotes and sayings – adding a quote (or even making up your own) offers a positive spin on your content and allows you to connect to your audience personally by giving your take on it.

Record live events and share it

Anything that’s recorded live is a treasure trove of content waiting to be explored. Before you go to a live event, such as a training or a meeting, prepare a small camera, so you can record what is happening during the event and publish it. You can also transcribe it and upload it to get even more content.

Bonus: Check the competition

A simple search of your subject in your search engine will present the top sites about it. Look at the sites, and try to get some inspiration from them for your own article.

This is Part 11 of an ongoing feature on 101 Blogging Tips, which can be viewed at Real.video..

Looking for examples of great content? Head over to FutureScience.news and learn about mind-blowing advancements in science and technology.

Sources include:

InternationalPodcastDay.com

Bustle.com