How to Produce Great Content (Even if You Are a Terrible Writer)
#Content, #Blogging
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Content has been
king for a very long time, and that doesn’t look like it will be changing
anytime soon. And that’s all well and good if you’re an A+ writer, but what
happens if you want to pack your business blog full of great content when you
think you suck at writing?
Plenty of business
owners find themselves feeling frustrated with their writing abilities – either
because they think the quality of their writing is poor or they simply hate the
thought of sitting down and writing.
Fortunately, there
are a lot of ways to create great content –
even if you think you’re a terrible writer. Here are four of them to get you
started:
Tell
a Story
Great written
content isn’t so much about volume, amazing grammar, or technical expertise.
It’s about connecting with the reader. So, sit back and try
to tell a story that will engage one of your customers. Pretend it was
just you and your ideal customer at a table. What story would you tell to draw
them in?
Once you have your
story, start writing. Don’t worry about editing, grammar, layout, or any of
that fancy stuff. Great content is all about the heart of the writing. If you
tell a great story about a time your product or service helped someone, or
about why your product or service is important to your consumers, you’ll be
creating great content without even knowing it.
If you struggle
with editing, spelling, or grammar, have an administrative person clean up your
writing for you. The real meat of it, the story itself, is what will engage
people and help them connect with your company. Anybody with a red pen can do
the clean-up you need, but it’s the real meat of the story you’re creating that’s
important.
Try
Video
“Content” doesn’t
have to mean dozens of blog posts. If the thought of writing article after
article leaves you wishing for something less torturous, try producing a video
series for your blog or YouTube channel instead. According to Forrester
Research, one
minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. That’s a lot of writing you
can make up by making the switch to video.
In addition, when
used in email marketing, video vastly improves your click-through rates. Video
also tends to rank higher in Google’s search results than text content, and
people who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy the product than
those who don’t. Those are some pretty powerful benefits you can take advantage
of – all without the stress of writing.
If you’re looking
for video ideas, consider a “top tips” video series for customers of your
industry, or a walk through video series of the products you sell. You can also
do behind-the-scene videos of your company office, introducing viewers to the
real people who create the products or services you sell. All of these types of
videos are engaging and will help create relationships between your brand and
your followers – and that’s the goal of great content, no matter what form it
takes.
Create
a Podcast
Podcasting is a
great outlet for leaders who want to share their ideas but don’t enjoy writing.
A verbal medium, podcasting allows you to put out content on a regular basis
without having to worry about spelling or Oxford commas. That said, just like a
blog or other written content, this should be a consistent outlet for you and
your team – you can’t abandon it after three episodes unless you want to hurt
your brand.
Podcasts can be as
long or short as you want, but they generally aren’t the best medium for
long-form reports or presentations. The best podcast episodes are either short piece
where you share some specific information, or interviews that help people gain
insight into your industry and product offerings. You can also use podcasts to
highlight customer testimonials (as long as you do it in a manner that’s
informative – not overly self-promotional).
Creating a podcast
can be as simple or as complex as you’d like. Recording the audio is easily
accomplished on most computer mics, but you can then dress it up with a custom
introduction, podcast artwork, and other features. If your series is successful
enough, you may even attract sponsors who pay to have their brand names
mentioned in your episodes.
However far you
decide to take things, though, the key to remember is that podcasting not only
allows you to connect with audience members on a personal level, it’s a great
way to create engaging, informative content without writing a single word.
Outsource
or Hire
If you feel that
your writing skills aren’t up to par, remember you don’t have to be the one
doing the writing in the first place! You can always enlist other people within
your company to do the writing for you. In fact, if you’re a business owner,
that might be the best use of your time. That way, your writers can focus on
their areas of expertise, and you can focus on yours – making your company the
best it can be.
If hiring
internally doesn’t make sense for you or your organization, consider
outsourcing. Quality freelancers will dig into your industry, your business
model, your products and your services – learning everything they need to know
in order to deliver relevant content.
You may even be
able to find a writer that’s specialized in your field before, which will
enable him or her to provide in-depth content that readers will think comes
directly from you. Searching Google or LinkedIn for writers who fit the bill
can be a great way to start, but if nothing comes up, job boards such as ProBlogger, Media Bistro, or Online Writing Jobs are
also great places to post opportunities.
When you hire
someone to write content for you, make sure you communicate all of your
expectations clearly – especially about deadlines, pay rates, and communication
if work is delayed. Having these conversations ahead of time will prevent
future challenges down the road and will ensure the content you receive meets
your expectations (or, alternatively, that you have an option for revising
content that doesn’t).
Final
Thoughts
Being a
terrible writer is no excuse for not creating content. In
today’s crowded digital environment, it’s an absolute must, so consider
storytelling, videos, podcasts, or outsourcing as viable options for your
content creation needs. However you create it, your content is the story your
brand shares with the world. Tell it!
How
do you create great content that doesn’t rely on great writing skills? Share
your favorite tips and tricks in the comments below!
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