Marc's Blog

This is a guest contribution from Andrew Howe.

Content creation has never been an easy thing to do. In the digital era, it has become even harder to write compelling and valuable content as the digital world is a bottomless sea of content.

Most niche blogs publish new content on a regular basis which means having fewer topics to discuss. It seems there is nothing new under the sun.

While blogging is getting more competitive, there is no way out for content marketers. Writing valuable content is a must. And most of us would agree that writing on the same topic over and over again takes time, effort, and inspiration.

Plus, being a blogger means having more things to do which include analyzing competitors, communicating with clients and readers, growing income, and creating content.

The sum up?

If you’re not inspirited, the writing process would take even more time, and it seems to be a closed circle.

A logical question appears. How can we write valuable content while being pressed for time?

First, you should know where to find time for writing.

Second, it’s important to understand the role of high-quality content for your website growth before we move forward. So, what does valuable content give your site?

• Improves SEO ranking
• Boosts traffic and, therefore, increases sales
• Helps to build brand authority

As we can see, valuable content is beneficial for your site, so you’d better know how to create it.

First things first:

If you know how to manage your time wisely, you’re able to write a lot daily without sacrificing the quality of your content and your personal life. Thus, there is no better way than increase your productivity and start being more efficient.

However, writing daily is not just about having time for it or having enhanced writing speed; it’s also about being full of ideas that rock.

The more great ideas you have, the better. Knowing what to say gives you an opportunity to keep on writing without taking pauses to wait for your muse to come.

Thus, you need to be interested in the topic you’re discovering and have a lot of stats and facts to prove your thoughts. This is another actionable way how to write 2,000 words a day without being about to burn out.

Content marketing plays an important role in your business growth. If you know how to create high-quality content, it’s more likely you know how to attract and hold your audience’s attention.

While everyone says that creating valuable content is a must, it’s important to find out what makes it!

What makes content valuable?

• Evergreen, unique and compelling
• Satisfies your readers’ needs
• Gives an actionable solution
• Teaches something new
• Boosts SEO ranking

Once you understand what is valuable content, it’s time to check out some methods how to write high-value blog posts.

The simple takeaway? The quality of your content matters. Here are some ways to write valuable content while being pressed for time.

#1: Be An Expert On The Topic

Although the number of writers is growing rapidly, just a few of them put quality over quantity, forgetting that the level of wateriness gives you nothing but a bad reputation.

If you want to grow as a writer whose readers value him, you need to be an expert in your niche. Thus, don’t miss the chance to do in-depth research in order to collect all facts and data, read a lot about the topic of your article and, therefore, find out what you can add.

Obviously, the easiest way to be an expert on the topic is to write about the field of your interest, your passion. The more interested you are, the easier to know all tiny details about the topic.

#2: Create An Outline

Writing a lot is hard, but it can be easier if you follow some guide. There is no better way to keep on the right track than use your outline where you’ve put down your brilliant ideas in a logical way.

A good outline gives you structure and logic, organizing your thoughts flow from A to Z.

If you believe that writing an outline is just wasting of time, give it a try. Once you create it, you can see how much time it helps to save. Although it seems simple, most writers skip this part of the writing process, relying on their practical experience. Your outline is a basis of a good article.

#3: Work On Your Drafts

No matter how good as a writer you are, you might have a big number of drafts that you haven’t use for publishing on the web. For many reasons, most of us pass on the idea to work on these drafts in order to find it a better home. However, it can help you save time and efforts.

It’s hard to predict when the next brilliant idea will strike you, but you can always come back to the ideas that you have already had! Look at your drafts, analyze the reason why it wasn’t a good fit, and work on the gaps. Maybe a new handy article just needs some proofreading.

#4: Focus On One Article

Most bloggers work on different articles at the same time. Although it may seem like a good idea in order to write more, more often than not it gives you nothing but a burnout. Shifting writing several articles is a way to sacrifice the quality of your content and, therefore, get a negative feedback from your clients and readers.

To write more, you need to complete the current assignment, no matter how much time does it need. Be strict with yourself, and never start doing another task until you complete the current one. It’s better to write one good article than produce a lot of mediocre publications on the web.

#5: Use Tools And Apps

Living in the digital era, we have a big number of opportunities to  make the most out of it, and using tools and apps is a great way out when it comes to writing. First of all, it helps you save time. For example, you can paste your text and check it for common typos and grammar mistakes and then proofread it more carefully. Plus, there are different tools that help you on every stage of content creation: headline generators, grammar and style guides, editing and proofreading apps, games for improving writing speed, etc.

#6: Find A Team To Join You

There is no better way to save time on writing than find a team of talented people to join you. You need to be focused if you want to write, edit and proofread your text like a boss, and it takes a considerable amount of efforts to do it. However, you can find freelance editors to help you or hire a team. If you’re on a tight budget, there are some forums that offer part-time jobs and you can hire professions from time to time in case of emergency.

#7: Draw Inspiration From Your Readers

A good blogger writers for the audience to provide solutions to the problems the readers might have. If you pay attention to your readers’ feedback, you can find insights what to write next. Many readers leave comments asking for further information, and it can become a new idea for your blog post.

No matter how much free time you have, there is nothing better to boost productivity than being motivated. Thus, you need to draw inspiration from one of the resources to keep on writing valuable pieces.

Inspirational Resources for Bloggers

It’s easy to feel discouraged at certain points within your blogging journey…especially when you are pressed for time. To combat feelings of discouragement, I have compiled a list of inspirational resources you can use to refuel your motivation.

• Successful blogs. I bet that every blogger draws inspiration from other blogs that have a big number of visitors and interesting content. Don’t spend much time on reading mediocre blogs; focus on your personal top list of the best blogs.
• Writing forums and communities. All bloggers face obstacles, and they need to do their best in order to overcome these problems. Being a member of a writing forum or community gives you an opportunity to find support and actionable ways out once you have some problems in the blogging niche.
• Reading. Well, it’s hard to write good content if you don’t read. Reading enriches vocabulary, develops creative thinking and creativity, and gives you insights!
• Offline conferences. What can be better than meeting other bloggers in person in order to share experience, knowledge, and tips! Moreover, there might be master-classes to learn something new.
• Traveling. What I love the most about blogging is that you don’t have to sit in the office to write content. There are no limits, and you can go whenever you want to write! Traveling can teach you a lot and boost inspiration, so don’t skip writing while going somewhere to explore new edges of the world.

Writing valuable content is an important task for every successful blogger who wants to stand out from the crowd. Your audience doesn’t take care about your time, so it’s you who should know how to keep on writing, no matter where your muse is, or whether you have time for it. Luckily, there are some good ways how to write high-quality content.

Do you have your secrets about writing valuable content if you’re pressed for time?

About the Author

Andrew Howe is a content writer at Edubirdie who loves everything in the digital world. Also, he has crafted AdverbLess tool to help people improve their writing skills.

This is a guest contribution from Kate Simpson

As a writer, you are indirectly employed by your target audience. It is not your job to appeal to every viewer/reader you receive, in fact, writers that try to “Please everybody” are typically easier to ignore.

Your job is to give your target audience something they like, something new, and something that challenges them. Here are a few rules that professional content writers live by in order to do just that.

#1: DO Overwrite And Then Cut It Down Later

Write way too much, then go back and cut out the fluff, then make it more concise. This technique is fairly new since computing technology allows people to write far more in a far shorter time. Companies like AssignmentMasters have been doing it for years, where the content is overwritten and then trimmed down so that only the best content is left behind.

#2: DON’T Forget That Habits Are A Friend And Enemy

Form positive habits and you will become a more productive writer. Fail to manage your habits, and negative ones will form. Stephen King writes ten pages every day out of habit. He is so afraid of breaking his habit that he even works on Christmas day. If you do not manage your habits, you will form bad ones, such as overeating, staying up too late, and failing to exercise.

#3: DO Add At Least Two Images To Your Text

People expect them on blogs, and people are starting to expect them on regular websites too. There are even people adding images to their terms and conditions on their website. The online audience has come to expect pictures, and they are ideal if you are selling something because around 65% of viewers retain an image for up to three days later. Plus, adding images may help you lead the eye of the viewer so he or she follows the website narrative that you laid out.

#4: DON’T Rely On Trends To Decide How You Write

This tip is a little unfair because some content relies on trends. For example, if you write about the entertainment industry (any of it), old information is often useless information. After all, are you really interested in what dress Angelina Jolie wore to the 2005 Oscars? Are you really hungry for a review of Prometheus (it’s terrible)?

Content based on trend has a very short use-life, and some writers are looking for more than a quick web traffic spike rather than a slow-burn trickle of traffic. If you wish to latch onto current trends in your niche, you may use the traffic spikes to build your email newsletter list, so that your efforts have a lasting benefit.

#5: DO Leave Your Article Three Days And Re-Read It

You will find that your proofreading read-through catches more errors three days after writing your piece than it did during your post-writing read-through. You are a poor judge of your own work (and its written quality) because you have formed an emotional attachment to your own work. The buzz phrase for this phenomenon is, “Pride of Authorship.” One of the reasons so many writers have editors and proofreaders is because such people have no emotional investment in the work, which makes it easier for them to spot its flaws and errors.

#6: DON’T Confuse Style With Adding Fluff

Is there a difference between fluff and style when it comes to adding fluff? Is all insertion of style a form of fluff? Should we all write like robots? Many people are concerned that their writing is all about style and less about content, which means that fluff is a tricky issue.

The previous paragraph was almost all fluff. It added neither useful information or entertainment value. Style is only applicable when/if it makes reading the article easier, more entertaining or more worthwhile. Look back on every paragraph you have written and ask if it could be omitted or summed up in one sentence. The fluffy paragraph above could have been rewritten as, “Do not write like a robot, add a little personality and style without being fluffy.”

#7: DO Write Specifically For Your Target Audience

This means alienating some people so you avoid alienating your core consumer. If you are writing about media studies, you should use terms such as structuring, framing and fourth-wall breaking, even if it seems a little esoteric. If you are talking about comic book movies, you should be throwing references that only movie lovers will understand, such as, “The Iron Man 3 rug pull with the Mandarin was as welcome as the true-love subplot in Hancock.”

Avoid alienating your core consumer. For example, if you are writing about gaming, you shouldn’t be writing about anything with an “ism” or it will alienate your core consumer. Gamers typically do not want to read the word, “Racism” in a Resident Evil 5 review, or “Sexism” in a Deadpool game review. Woman’s weekly magazine readers may like to read about how Link from Zelda has struck a blow for “Feminism,” but that is not typically what gamers want to read.

#8: DON’T Listen To “All” Of Your Commenters

Remember that your commenters do not speak for your silent majority. Your subscribers, page views and repeat visitors speak for your silent majority. Remember that your content “HAS to be disliked” by some people if you are targeting others, which means some comments are very unhelpful. Just look at the work of great writers such as Napoleon Hill, Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino and Guillermo Del Toro. There are groups that love them with all their hearts and others that hate them with a passion.

On the other hand, some users will lodge genuine complaints via your comment section, especially if you change something and your hardcore fans don’t like it. Be careful which comments you take in and which you ignore.

#9: DO Address Your Audience Personally

Use “You” instead of “One.” Your job is NOT to show off your writing skills, it is to appeal directly to your target audience. Writers are not like artists, since artists create work and then ask people to love it. Writers find what people love and then create.

Leave “One” for academic and poetic pieces. If you are a blogger, then use “I” because your blog is a personal statement from yourself. If you are professional article writer, use “you” and never reference yourself because content in the first person tends to sell for far less.

#10: DON’T Forget To Try New Things

Trying new things is tricky because you risk alienating your core target audience, and people tend to be very resistant to change. Think of all the times Facebook has changed, and think of all the times you have heard people say they do not like the changes and they are never using Facebook again, yet those same people are still using it today. Trying new things is the only way you will evolve as a writer, but you also risk turning away your loyal readers. If given the choice, try different styles and different topics when you are writing for other people (such as when you are guest posting).

In Conclusion

If you become a full-time writer, you are going to undergo several psychological changes as time goes on. Writing is a very solitary job where you are alone with your thoughts for a large portion of the day. Psychologist Timothy Wilson of the University of Virginia and Gilbert Quoidbach of the National Fund for Scientific Research in Belgium have proved that we change perpetually change on a psychological level. You need to appreciate that writing will change you in negative and positive ways. You can use this to your advantage if you repeatedly find new ways of improving your written quality and writing process, such as by reading advice articles like this one.

About The Author

Kate Simpson is the talented head of the editing team at the Assignment Masters. Alongside her vital editing duties, Kate also contributes her own insights as a writer of AM news columns.