Spain has Euros, America has dollars, while Bloggers have content. Our currency is the content that we pour our heart and soul into.
Before I dive into how to create killer content for your blog, it’s worth remembering that when we say ‘content’ we are referring to so much more than simply blog posts.
Creating killer content for your blog, isn’t content just blog posts?
Er, no. Content goes way beyond just your blog posts. Content is any information you put out there into the world. This could be;
- Blog posts
- Social media updates
- Tweets
- Facebook statuses
- Google+ posts
- Pins
- Instagram images/videos
- Videos
- Snaps on Snapchat
- Instagram/Facebook Stories
- Facebook live.
- Your profile picture
- Photos
- Graphics/Infographics
- Every page on your blog.
- Your responses (email/social media/blog)
- Email broadcasts and autoresponder sequences
- Workshops/eBooks/classes/webinars
Content can be broken up depending on its purpose. There are three core types of content;
- Tuition-based: These are tutorial “how to” posts, tips & tricks.
- Heart-based: These are updates about you and your life. Lessons and stories.
- Promo-based: These are promoting your products or services.
Key points to remember when creating content
- Emotion plays a huge part in helping you to create killer content. A study by the Wharton Business School of 7,500 New York Times articles showed that there was a strong relationship between virality and emotion. The most-shared content evoked a strong connection in the reader, igniting one of six key emotions: sadness, anger, surprise, fear, joy or disgust.
- The most popular types of content are those which are linked to health, wealth or love. These can apply to so many different areas. Think of a post idea and I bet you can link it to health, wealth or love.
- In addition to this you should create content that either informs, entertains or inspires action in those who read/watch or listen to it. It should ‘do’ something for the person consuming it.
- When creating your content plan, try to ensure you focus on the congruence of your message. You must ensure all fragments of content lead people to the same message.
Blog post formats
When you are creating your post you need to choose the most appropriate format for the information you have to deliver. Here are some options you might like to consider;
- Epic valued-driven: These sorts of posts can raise your profile and help you to become considered an authority in the niche. They are in depth, lengthy and give lots of value. Often include more than one type of media. e.g maybe a video or audio version and a printable download.
- Standard: This would be the most common type of post. Giving information, but not as in-depth as the Epic value-driven post
- Recurring feature: This could be on a timescale to suit you, maybe once a month or once a week. They could be interview style.
- One-off series: a group of related posts on a specific topic.
- Quick update: Shorter posts in which you share bite-sized inspiration, news or tips.
So how do you create killer content?
Help them take their pain away
Knowing exactly who your ideal reader is and having a good understanding of what they are struggling with in their lives gives you the opportunity to help them remove it. By knowing what keeps them awake at night you know what problem you have to create a solution for. Also by being the one with the solution you will be positioning yourself as the expert.
Stand out
Do you go with the crowd? If you do chances are you won’t stand out or be that memorable. So embrace your quirks and the characteristics that make you unique. If you think of doing something in a certain way, but no-one in your niche is doing it, why not give it a try.
Keep it clear and actionable
You don’t have to write War and Peace or create content that gives the reader everything there is to know about the topic. In fact, that would probably me overwhelming. Instead think about how best to make the information valuable, easy to digest and positioned so it gives the reader a quick win with clear next steps.
Types of blog posts
There are so many types of blog post, but here are a few popular ones you might like to incorporate into your content strategy.
- Lists
- Reviews
- Comparisons
- How to/tutorials
- Motivational
- Commentary on news event/topic
- Beginners guide
- Complete/Ultimate guide
- Case Study
- Interview
- Round-up
- Definition post
- Personal story
- FAQ
- Industry/niche predictions
- Guest posts
- Giveaways/Competitions
- Behind the scenes
- Quiz
- Q&A
- Awareness posts
- Life lessons
- Humorous post
- Reader feedback/testimonial post
- Top picks post
- Showcase a customer
- Favourite things
- Announcements
- Problem solving
- Update post
- Crowdsourced post
These are all possible ideas. However, there are 17 types of blog that every blog should contain, whatever the niche. You can hands on my download detailing which posts these are here.
Do you struggle to create killer content for your blog? Is you content strategy a little lacking?
If you want to join my mailing list and get access to my epic Blogger’s Resource vault of cheatsheets and downloads as a welcome gift, you can do that here.
