How to find and write content for your blog
We are all struggling to write quality content for our blogs. If you are in a niche with high competition it's even harder to produce unique content.
But does it really have to be unique content? Not really. It just needs to be better than what else is out there. So let's see how we can do that.
Write a lot and read a lot
I write a lot. I think I on average produce 2-3000 words per day. But I only publish 2-3000 words per week. On a good week. The rest is stored as uncompleted drafts, filed under various topics, and taken out for finishing whenever I feel on taking up that subject again. Some, I later read through and delete, based on a 'what the h*** was my intention with this one' conclusion. Some things I write is not even related to anything, I just wrote it down because it sounded good in my head. It may be a word, a phrase or a whole article or story.
Stephen King, in his book 'On Writing' says that in order to be able to write at all, you need to read. And you need to read a lot. That book is a 'must read' for everybody who wants to write.
It is only when you read you can find inspiration for your own writing.
Competitor analysis and benchmarking
So what should you read? You should read the blogs of your competitors. As many as possible. Read their articles. Sign up for their newsletters to find out how they do things. I have a special Gmail account that I use for this.
In all my years in business, we called this Competitor Analysis, and it was one of the most important things we did. We benchmarked our competition against our own products, plans, and strategies. And then we tried to do better than our competition.
Your blog is your business, and you should do the same.
If you are in a competitive niche, it is more important than ever to do better than your competition. And you can't do better if you don't know what the others do.
By reading content that is relevant to your niche you learn what is relevant topics, what is trending and you learn the jargon of the niche. When you analyze all that you read, at some point you may even be the first to write about a trending subject. Your article may even be the reason that subject trended.
So how can you do this writing without stealing or copying content? If you read a lot and write a lot you will eventually get enough practice to find the words to write it all in your own words. You pick up angles and argumentation from other blogs and make your own statements. You combine an angle from one blog with an angle from another, and suddenly you have your own content. This is all because by reading a lot you have gained the knowledge to draw your own conclusions and make your own statements about your niche and tour topic.
Can I write about what has already been written about?
Yes, you can. And you should. But you should make sure to do it better than the articles that inspired you.
Imagine a movie company. They have a meeting about what movies they should make. Some guy suggests that they should make a movie about a sports team that struggles, they hire an underdog coach, and then they win. Apparently, that suggestion is never turned down. But the movie is made with a new angle. Something is different from the other 58 movies. The story is the same, but it's told differently. And hopefully better (but not always).
You should do the same. Never avoid writing an article just because somebody else already wrote it. Tell the same story, but tell it better and tell it your way. Put your own angle on it. Add your own personal experience to the subject. Make a better presentation, more readable, better graphics.
Write down your ideas immediately
If I visit a blog that is relevant to anything I write about, I immediately write a few words if I find something that I want to put my own angle on. I need to write it immediately while it's fresh in my head.
The same thing if I get an idea to something else to write. I write down that idea at once. Or else it's gone, or the perfect pitch is lost. Right now there is one thing that I intended to include in this article, that is gone because I did not make a note earlier today when it blew through my head.
Always do it better
This is the key to your success. Always do it better than your competition. The topic may be the same, but your content should be better.
And always try to make your new article better than your last one. The only way you can achieve this is to write. Write articles even if you have no intention to publish. Write for the sake of the writing.
And then you will see that it gets a little bit easier for each article you write.
Recent Comments
89
Hello Jorn,
Great article and very helpful. I am thinking through my website as I am constructing it (how it should look and how it should flow). I consider my website to be an extension of myself that will be available for public viewing, so I would like it to be the best it can be for the sake of the reader.
Can I ask you if you could recommend to me a website that you believe to be a good example of a website that is in the vein of WA? I am looking at many sites in order to differentiate high and low quality construction and would appreciate your advice.
Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Curtis
Thanks for reading.
It's hard to recommend a site. I have done some investigation on the successful sites here, and I find that the approach is very different for each site regarding design, content, and everything.
So I will not mention any particular one.
What I have learned, however, is that a high converting website very seldom has a design that I like. And that is a bitter pill to swallow for a design geek like myself :)
Doing research before writing a post is, in my humble opinion, always the best way to go whether it's a niche website or a website where you promote WA and do reviews on other products or even Website training.
If I want to write an article for one of my sites I will always look for other website articles that talk about the same topic and hand write a bunch of notes, in my own words, before typing it out as content.
So far so good. I haven't had any issues and my content seems to be unique to me. So far I have gotten the loverly green checkmark when I publish from "Site Content".
So, I think you are right on. Read a lot, do your research and, write in your own words as much as possible.
Thanks for this post. It assures me that I have been taking the "write" approach.
Wayne
You are spot on. I have been reading the content across all my competitors and even articles of interest on related sites. I take the best of formatting and layout and content layout on my competitor's best sites, combine them into a new product with my spin and bam...there you have fresh content with your special spin.
I agree with you that the facts and outcome may be the same but you can tell the story differently from a different perspective. This will help you with unique content and build authority/trust with your visitors.
Enjoyed the post.
Great strategy. I have a question: my website is focused on self development books and digital products. I want to review self development books and digital products. I want to promote products on Amazon. I just opened an account. But, I seem to be stuck on what to write about because self development is so broad. Here's my website link.
http://inspirational-book.com/
Could you please help?
You are right in that you need to narrow down to one segment of self development. There's some reason why you chose this, some aspect of this topic which especially interested you. Focus on that to begin with. You can add another tab sometime in the future, but you do need a focus right now. Congrats on your progress so far!
Hi Zam
Thanks for reading and commenting
Regarding your site, I completely agree with Jeannine, that you need to narrow down in the beginning, to the topic that is closest to your heart.
Then you can widen the topic later, and when you do you should choose the topic that is closest related to the one you started with.
In that way, it is easier to connect and 'freeride' on the users you already have because they will find this topic interesting as well.
And then you use this strategy every time you widen the topic.
Excellent post and some very good advises Jorm. I also get a lot of inspiration from articles written by others. It’s a great way to formulate your own views and opinions on the subject at hand. I also find that there are so much to write about by just observing things in our every day lives such as things we see and hear in stores, at work, or when we are recreating. Thanks again for your helpful post.
Jerome
Was it Yogi Berra that said; You can observe a lot by just watching.
That is sort of relevant here :)
(There was also a local sheriff near where I live that said something like this when he saw his son commit a small offense: "You don't have to watch everything you see". The crime committed was that his son had built his own airplane, and he took off flying before it was inspected and approved by the relevant authorities.)
I had a short-lived marriage with someone who did not read books. And every time I came up with a little-know fact, he would ask me how I knew that. I always said I read it in a book. He was very intelligent, but had so many gaps in his education. He loved to go out dancing, but I had no rhythm. That was a deal-breaker for him. The moral of this story is that you can be suave and debonaire, but if you don't read, you're missing out on so much. Reading lets you connect with someone else's mind and ideas.
That's why I read about a book week. I just love connecting with people that way. I often share a book review on one of my websites and then put the affiliate link from Amazon under my review. Reading does help me to write.
Deb.
I totally agree with you.
I used to read a book a week, but in my most active online period, I am down to one every 2 weeks. Mainly because I spend so much time reading blogs and articles online and on my iPad after my work sessions
This is a bit like the old joke about a Bear coming at you and a friend.
Your friend drops down to tie their shoes a little better and you ask him if he really thinks he can outrun the bear.
Then he tells you that he does NOT have to outrun that bear; he only has to outrun YOU!
Read, take notes and outrun any competition out there!
Love this. I am an avid reader of everything and I actually laughed out loud when you said that you go back to posts you have written and say what the H.. was I thinking. I use site content editor and have posts in there I have no idea what I was going on about too.
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Thanks Jorn,
I'm such a novice at this but with high enthusiasm and determination to do the best. So much a novice that I had to look up the meaning of "high converting websites"
Thanks for your your input. As you have said that you have investigated on the successful sites here at WA, I also will try and find out how to check out sites from other members. Evidently that is possible but I guess I am not far along enough you know how to view them.
I also am critical when it comes to website design (to my fault not to my credit) but seeing the creativity of others helps me form my own.
Thanks for your time
Sincerely,
Curtis
The main rule seems to be: If content is good, design doesn't matter :)
I would like good content wrapped in good design.
Good rule, my kind