Content development - the life of a WA affiliate

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Why do we write?

Writing is pretty much what we do as WA affliates - blogging on WA, creating content on our websites and social media platforms and doing reviews just to name a few. As amateur writers (or even more seasoned ones), it can be a challenge to keep the ideas flowing or even finding an idea to begin with.

Thankfully the internet, with its infinite access to everything under the sun, can provide the pathway through which we can more readily develop content because of the plethora of information and resources at our fingertips from which to draw. However, having the information or data is only one element of the process, knowing how to integrate and structure it into a piece of writing that will capture an audience, is a whole other ballgame.

As affiliates with varying niches, we must also be aware that what we write and how we write, also depends on who our target audience is. Knowing this will also inform what platforms we choose to use, if any. For some of us, a website or blog, or Pinterest may be the way to go vs Instagram or Facebook and YouTube as a combo. It's always valuable to keep in mind that your content speaks for your brand - either via written content, graphics, videos or a combination of two or three, Generally, an audience's attention span is short so however you decide to display your content must be concise, appropriate and to the point – this holds true regardless of whether the content is a blog post on the best brand of pooper scoopers for our four-legged friends or a how-to video on beard dying using organic hair dye.

The essence of blogging

According to Wikipedia, “The term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on December 17, 1997. The short form, “blog”, was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase 'we blog' in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999.” Regardless of its origin, blogging was born out of the need for people to express their views on the worldwide web – a place where their views and opinions could be read by thousands of people across the globe. Blogging is an activity that is available to everyone and it is a relatively inexpensive and available means of expression. That's no secret for us in the WA community.

For bloggers, the art of blogging carries with it a very different meaning and purpose. In case you haven't realised it yet, as affiliates who write blog posts for our websites or other platforms, we are or have become influencers of our brand, with the purpose of identifying and satisfying a need i.e. the potential to make money. In its training, Wealthy Affiliate has propelled its membership into becoming content developers and website managers. For the majority of us, that thought may not have entered our thoughts before - but here we are!

  1. How many of us have actually discovered that you can actually write?
  2. How many of us have honed that skill and have improved by leaps and bounds during our time at WA?
  3. How many of us never before gave a thought to actually developing your website yourself?
  4. How many of us didn't think that we would actually have an up and running business or brand?
  5. How many of us have now diversified and gone into videos and podcasts? .

Embrace and understand your limitations

For those of us on this journey, I'm sure there have been several times when you've written a

blog, website content or a review and it just fell flat or received little to no feedback? I’m sure it made you question where you had gone wrong in what you had said or how it was said. You may very well be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to your niche, either because you have been working in or have experience in the product/service for a while. What many people who are writing content for one platform or another tend to overlook in their quest to become 'experts' is the need to own their expertise.

What do I mean by that? Simply, make sure you know what you know and know what you don’t know if you want to exude confidence in the content you put out there. Trying to fill a lack of expertise with fluff can only lead to the opposite of what was intended and may very well send a potential customer or lead to a competitor. Therefore, for those things you don’t know but need to include to add relevance or attractiveness to your content, I encourage you to not be afraid to refer to online resources, gurus right here in the community AND check out what your competitor is doing. You might be surprised what you might learn about how best to position your brand, how and what to say by scoping out the competition.

I hope you've found this blog post of some interest. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know how your content development journey has been thus far and what has made the process better for you. Knowledge is power!

Cheers!

Maria

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Recent Comments

19

Maria, awesome post
I always make sure that when I do read over my content, I am reading it from my customers' point of view.

I also sometimes get my friends or family to read it to get feedback to see if I am connecting with the audience.
Thank you for this great reminder

Hello Simone. Thanks for taking the time to read the post. I think it's an excellent idea to have other people read your post before you publish, precisely to ascertain if it resonates with them. Creating a buyer persona is important and when we write, it's with them in mind because we want their business. Have a great week!

Maria

You too, Maria

This resonated with me. I'm just starting out, been at it for a month. I love to write. I know it takes time, but I put my all into a blog post, and that feeling when it seems to fall flat. Yeah, I get that. I think that we want to see results right away. I just need to keep at it and be patient. I try to do at least one thing every day for my blog. That's helped me to keep going. Thanks for the post!
Rich

Hello Rich. I'm glad that the post resonated with you. Starting off writing blogs or any kind of content can be tough sometimes, especially when it's not something that you're used to doing. It's a work in progress. Like you said, be patient and try to plan your blog on paper first to get a structure down and then fill in as you go. Wishing you all the best.

Maria

What a wonderful blog! I like how you write and I like all the ideas you presented. Thanks for sharing!!
Nina

Thanks so much Nina. Really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and read the post. Hope it was helpful. Best wishes.

Maria

I like this post because I am at the beginning of my journey and it is encouraging to know that beginners will become better and better with more time and experience,
Thank you Maria

Alex

You're welcome. It will take some time. Just keep focused and practice, practice, practice. Don't get discouraged if the first few times your writing isn't as you would like. You'll get there. Good luck!

Maria

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