5 Different Content Types That Will Help You Save Time Blogging

#ContentType

Would you really like to produce more and more content for your blog, but you just don’t have the time? I know I would. And some weeks, although I know my audience is eagerly awaiting my next masterpiece (or even a blog post), nothing gets published.

As you probably know, publishing consistent content is key when establishing an audience, so if you often miss your blogging schedule, you could start losing your hard won fans.

To help you overcome this challenge, I want to share some ideas for different content types that can help save time when facing the looming monster of your next blog post deadline.

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1. Curate Infographics From Other Blogs For Your Own Blog

Curating infographics is a great way to create a new post without spending days on content research and creation. Some people see  this as lazy content, but the key here is to find relevant infographics that your audience will love. So always keep that in mind.

You don’t want to simply find and use the first infographic you come across, as poor quality or lack of value will not reflect well on you or your blog. Instead, search for something that provides a ton of value for your audience, summarizing a whole swath of information that you perhaps would have written yourself, if only you had the time.

How to curate super amazing infographics.

The first thing you need to do is find the infographic. Depending on your topic, you can use one- or two-word searches on websites like:

• Pinterest
• Alltop Infographics
• Huge List of Infographic sites

Be very picky about the quality of the infographic, and be sure to give proper attribution. Look at the following below.

• The website or author of the infographic
• Link to the original

And if you want to make an infographic yourself, check out these resources:

• How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools And Design Theory
• How To Make The Best Blog Graphics (For Non-Designers)
• 5 Super Easy Ways To Create Images for Your Blog Posts

Put the infographic on your blog.

Some people like to link to the original infographic using their embed code (if they have one). But I recommend always hosting a copy on your own site.

There are two reasons for this:

1. You should never rely on anyone else for content or hosting (the site could move, they could move the infographic or they might drop the website in the future).
2. It is also not polite to “steal” someone else’s bandwidth. If you are benefiting from the graphic, you should also host it.

Not everyone will agree with the above two statements, but I always like to keep content on my site and never rely on other people.

Use infographics to back up your claims with research.

Always add value to the infographic. Some of these infographics out there are truly value-packed and are certainly worth sharing with the world. However, be sure to add your own introduction and some kind of content as a lead-in to the graphic. How far you take this is up to you, but this can be done a couple different ways:

1. A summary of the most valuable points in the infographic.
2. A full blog post on each point (this obviously takes a lot more time, but the research is already done for you).

Whichever you choose, don’t simply cut and paste the graphic on your blog, add a title and publish. Your audience might be a little disappointed.

Here are a few of successful examples to give you an idea:

• How To Share Infographics On Social Media
• How Much Copy Should You Write On Your Homepage?
• When Is The Best Time To Publish A Blog Post?

2. Make Your Own Quick, Raw Videos

Video is exploding, and social media platforms are taking advantage of this in a big way in 2015.

You might have noticed that the most engaging content on Facebook these days is video, with Facebook even challenging YouTube now with more than 1 billion views per day. Not only that, but the hottest new platforms on social right now are video streaming apps you have probably heard about: Periscope and Meerkat.

Leverage this massive trend by producing more video and sharing it on social media, and also by using it on your blog.

How to make your own videos for your blog.

Some folks may tell you to use professional video recording equipment to produce high quality video or not to bother at all. However, these days, with the popularity of video on smartphones, the bar has been lowered.

Now you can take very high quality (HD) videos on your smartphone and quickly edit/cut them and upload them to your favorite hosting company.

One way to really open up to your audience is to create some very personal content in your office (webcam) or while on the go (smartphone) and share it with your audience in a very “raw” fashion.

Here are a couple examples of successful quick videos:

• Jay Today
• Moz Whiteboard Friday

Your audience wants to get to know you, and creating these quick videos is a very easy way of showing them your true self and adding value at the same time.

Note: Whether you decide to use Youtube or Vimeo for hosting depends on your goals, your budget and a number of other factors. You can see a full comparison here.

Tools and tips to help you shoot your own video.

Here are a couple blog posts to help get your started with smartphone video (like Jay Baer does with Jay Today):

• Shooting Video with an iPhone
• Shoot great marketing videos with your iPhone

There are also a variety of different tools out there to help you process your video and bring it to the next level. Even without a Hollywood budget.

Here are a few you should definitely take a look at to inspire your next video:

• Video Hance for post-producing video on your phone.
• Hyperlapse from Instagram for creating amazing time-lapse videos.
• Stop Motion for iPhone, also for creating time-lapse videos.
• QuickCast to make, publish, and share 3-minute videos.
• ScreenFlow to record your computer screen, use your computer camera, and edit awesome videos easily.

3. Be The Resource For News In Your Industry

It’s great if you can crank out an epic 2,000-word blog post every week, but sometimes, you just don’t have the time. This is where the next few post ideas come in handy.

No matter what niche you are in, there is bound to be breaking news that you can jump on and share with your audience at least once a month.

Be on the lookout for such breaking news and other updates that no one is really talking about… yet. Sure, you won’t always be the only one, but the sooner you can get onto your blog and share the news, the more likely you are to be appreciated by your audience. And you will get a lot more social shares, too!

How to keep up with news in your niche.

You can get your news from anywhere, but here are some of the ways I use to find, and keep up with, industry news:

• Alltop: Find your niche on here.
• Feedly: Subscribe to your favorite blogs and news here.
• Twitter lists: Create Twitter lists of your favorite bloggers, so you can catch their big news.
• Sign up to email lists where people typically share useful information in your niche.

There are other ways of doing this of course, but having tools in place to keep up with your industry news is key.

Create the industry news post.

As soon as possible, and keeping to your blogging schedule when possible, create a post that is as long as necessary to get across the meat of the news.

Also, link to any further resources you have read that will allow the reader to learn more where necessary, as well as any other posts you have on related topics.

Examples to get you started:

• Twitter Direct Messages: This Week in Social Media
• SEO Update: Google Makes More Changes to Mobile

4. Create Weekly Post Roundups Of Other People’s Awesome Content

The weekly roundup is another great technique for creating valuable content for your audience—without spending days on it.

It is, in some ways, quite similar to the news style post, since you need to keep your finger on the pulse in your industry. However in this case, it will be a summary of the best content you have seen in your industry.

Some bloggers do this on a weekly basis, but if you want to start out a little lighter, I recommend trying it once a month. That way, there is not so much pressure to constantly find amazing content in your niche.

How to create weekly roundup posts.

Simple! Keep track of the industry blogs using the same kinds of tools mentioned in the last point on news updates, and make note of the best content in your niche. Try to not choose just any old content, but instead go for the stuff that really amazes you, and will amaze your audience as well.

Then you simply add them to a post, in a list, with a paragraph or more of content describing the highlights of each post. Roundup posts position you as the place to go for all awesome content from your niche.

Such posts are a valuable addition to your niche, and if done well over time, can become a talked about collection that people want to receive in their inbox (that will boost your email list) or be a part of, too.

So don’t just dismiss this as an easy win style blog post, try to create a valuable, consistent resource instead. Examples to get you started:

• Ana Hoffman’s Weekly Marketing Skinny
• Adrienne Smith’s Magical Monday

5. Use What You’ve Learned From Books To Write Great Content

If you are reading any great books at the moment, and I am talking about ones relevant to your audience here, then this is also a perfect way to get a quick blog post out the door.

Book reviews are usually not so in-depth that they go beyond 400–500 words, but are long enough to give your readers a feel for:

• What the book is about.
• The main things you learned in the book.
• Why the book could be of benefit to them.

How to use a book for inspiration in your next blog post.

This one does not require so much explanation, but here is my short process to help you along:

1. Read the book from cover to cover, perhaps even twice, but at least once.
2. Make some notes as you are reading if you know beforehand you will review it.
3. Plan out your post with an intro, main learnings, best discoveries, etc. (this will depend on the book).

And then amaze your readers with your thoughtful prose convincing them to spend more time reading than watching cat videos on Facebook. Once they start discovering amazing book titles from you, they will become addicted and look forward to your next one!

Saving Time And Providing Value—Do Both

As you can now see, there are more than enough ways for you to share awesome content with your audience, without writing a 2,000-word post each week.

Keep in mind that variety is the spice of life, and that should be your motto on your blog as well. It will keep both you and your audience interested and coming back for more.

So next time you are looking for an idea for a post, but just don’t have the time, take another look at this post (you bookmarked it, right?). I am positive you will find something you have not done before, or in a while, that will provide your audience with value and keep them coming back for more!

Don’t forget to get your free infographic checklist to use these different content types the next time you’re blogging.

 Source: Ashley Faulkes