My Secret Formula for Creating Super-engaging Blog Content

This guest post is by Kiesha of WeBlogBetter.

Many of my readers have asked how in the world I come up with such creative ideas for my blog content.

If you’ve read:

“The Walmart Guide to Increasing Time spent on your Site,”“Can your blog Pass the Salad Test?”“Attract Readers to your blog like Mosquitos“What the Sims Taught me About Social Media”“How to Solve the Blogging Puzzle” (a post that compares blogging to a jigsaw puzzle)

…then you’ve probably figured out by now that there are no limits to the subjects I’ll squeeze a blog post out of.

I often challenge myself to find the most unlikely subject and see what blogging lessons I can squeeze out of it. While some things are a complete stretch and really won’t work, there are some surprising lessons you can pull from just about anything, if you’re creative enough.

I’m going to be honest: I’m using the phrase “creative enough,” but really what I mean is this. If you have a brain that has the capacity to think deeply enough to write a coherent paragraph or two, then you’ve got “enough creativity” to pull this off.

I’ll tell you how, but first let me tell you about a book that I read that really informs how I write today. It’s called The Medici Effect. This book talks about how it’s not completely new ideas, but the intersection of two seemingly unrelated ideas, that make a real difference in innovation.

I’m really simplifying the complexity, so you’re going to have to check this one out yourself to really get this and fully grasp the secret to creating meaningful and engaging content.

Here’s my secret formula for creating those zany analogies and surprising comparisons that I write about.

Every good writer is so because they pay attention to the details of life around them. They use those details and describe them with words that evoke the five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch.

Being able to describe an experience is key to hooking readers and keeping them engaged.

This is a direct extension of step one—if you’re paying attention your environment, you’ll discover that life’s lessons are everywhere. Blogging, like Kung Fu, is in everything!

You can pull lessons from any subject and then think about the ways they are similar to your blog topic.

This is easier if you make a list. For example, think of all the ways your experience in college is similar to your blogging experience. If I were to list mine I’d say:

Both were baffling at first.Both required time studying alone.Both required commitment and dedication to a schedule.Both required one to stretch his or her thinking beyond the ordinary.

This list could go on and on. I might start with a really long list, but then I would narrow it down to the most important points, since only so much can go into a blog post if it’s to remain engaging.

This step is extremely important. If you’re sitting there worrying about how crazy people will think you are or how much someone might think your analogy sucks, you’re not going to be able to do much writing. When you kick your inner critic to the curb and decide to just have fun with writing, it will come through in your writing. Confidence or lack thereof can be sensed and can weaken your credibility and authority.

If you’ve selected an interesting topic, then half of the work is done for you. At this point you just need to think of ways you can capitalize on those phrases that people love and that are also search engine friendly.

This works best if I’ve allowed the post to sit for a couple of days. This gives me fresh eyes and since the mental load of revision is far less than writing, it also allows me to think of ways to inject humor, think of details I’ve left out, choose better words and also consider ways to extend the post if possible.

Randomly pick two items and think of ways they are similar and can complement each. Then boldly consider ways you could use the combination to your advantage. You may need to try this exercise a few times before you arrive at something you believe to be true genius that you can passionately use to separate yourself from your competitors.

It was the combining of seemingly random, unrelated ideas that sparked the idea to change up the blog contest game and do something different. I suddenly got the idea that I should host a reality blog contest where bloggers will team up and work together while simulaneously competing for a Grand Prize. I got that idea while reading The Medici Effect, specifically a passage that talked about what makes a good contest. It discussed the evolution of the game show over the years until it eventually turned into reality contests and shows—that immediately sparked a eureka moment for me!

That’s what combining unusual ideas should do for you and your readers. It will help you create super-engaging content that your readers won’t be able to resist.

Kiesha blogs at WeBlogBetter, offering writing, social media and blogging tips. She’s currently holding an exciting new type of contest on her blog—the first ever reality blogging contest called “Surviving the Blog”. Visit her blog for details.

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3 Commandments for the Next Online Content Leaders

September 13, 2011 by Dermot McCormack

Dermot McCormack is the executive vice president of digital media at MTV Music & Logo Group.

The electronic and egalitarian publishing era ushered in by the blogosphere has created a unique set of problems. Digital publishing volume continues to expand, and in its growing wake, users are left in a constant state of uncertainty.

In an age when anyone with an iPhone or a Twitter account has essentially become a broadcaster, users must navigate the clutter of digital content to arrive at trusted sources.

The answer is simple: Confirm authority through curation and context. On the other hand, the process has changed quite a bit.

As new delivery mechanisms and distribution platforms emerge, both new and established media are able to reach a mass audience. Those media outlets now find themselves contending with hundreds, possibly thousands of competing brands. And the lines only continue to blur for consumers.

Therefore, authority will become the next sought-after currency for the app-social generation.

What is authority? Who has It? How can it be earned? How can it be proved? Simply put, an authority is an accepted source of expert information or advice. For example, I trust BBC News when it reports on a story about UK politics (and even U.S. politics sometimes). I trust MTV’s Matt Pinfield when he directs me to a good song or cites a band’s influences. I trust ESPN to provide accurate sport scores.

In today’s fragmented media landscape, trusted and authoritative brands run the gamut from traditional media companies like The New York Times, to small niche-specific music bloggers like Arjan Writes.

However, it takes time to build this type of trust, and consumers are quick to skepticism when information is reported inaccurately or presented in an inauthentic manner. While there’s no blueprint, remaining relevant and trustworthy requires ongoing work and periodic self-evaluation. Brands must frequently ask themselves:

Who is my audience?What do they care about and believe in?Is my voice authentic?What distinguishes my brand from my competitors?What do my competitors do better than I do, and how do I fix that?

Brands committed to honestly answering these questions and fine-tuning accordingly will gradually start to feel their influence rise. While the transition may not immediately translate to traffic spikes or press coverage, influence can be measured non-traditionally — for instance, a rise in the number of retweets and link backs.

It’s through link banks and social media sharing that we’ll start to actually measure authority. And with advertisers eagerly looking to lock arms with key influencers, the importance of building authority is more important and critical than ever.

There’s an overabundance of distracting media clutter. It seems everyone has a megaphone and access to a million or more channels they’re using to share their thoughts, spanning everything from world politics to their lunch menu.

With all of this noise, people have begun seeking safe havens in the form of trusted sources. Those sources provide a valuable, curated experience that selects and spotlights the best news, sports, music, technology, etc.

Simultaneously, however, new technologies and algorithms have allowed a variety of services to attempt to recommend the same news and information. While innovative, the technology alone isn’t enough to service a super savvy consumer market. Nor can crowd sourcing, since the general public is not professionally trained in reporting or branding.

The missing and always relevant piece is experts — human experts. Yes, humans still have a role alongside technology. The future of curation is one part experts, one part crowds and one part algorithms.

Over the past 10 years, much of the movement in the content world has been driven by machines and crowdsourcing. It’s time to bring the human expert back into the mix, but to give him or her the companion toolkit of great technology and access to crowd wisdom. That way, he or she can truly curate thoughtful content that will cut through the noise, and ultimately rebuild the trust and authority severely damaged by content overcrowding.

The element of surprise and delight is also key to the art of curation. Human experts still have an edge here. An algorithm may tell you what song you are “most likely” to enjoy. An expert has a chance of surprising you with a tune you never expected (“Wow, I didn’t know I liked German opera music!”).

Fans are pleading for their favorite brands to help them cut through the media mess, to provide destinations that highlight and showcase valuable information. If your brand relies solely on algorithms or on inexperienced and unknowledgeable editors, don’t be surprised to find your install base quickly deteriorate — if you ever had one to begin with.

While authority and curation are important, without context, they mean nothing.

Context adds essential meaning to information. It answers the questions: Why should I care? What does this mean for me and for society?

Brands that can clearly articulate the proper context around curated information will build authority by bringing the big picture into focus for their audience.

People are tired of scratching their heads, feeling like they’ve received fragmented, re-hashed or irrelevant information. Social media provides brands the amazing ability to not only speak to, but also to listen to their audience. By asking questions and then implementing feedback, brands can increasingly contextualize the information they present. Failure to do so will frustrate and deplete a brand’s fan base.

Finally, social networks may allow for super distributed data, but humans crave context, the knowledge of how information relates to a larger scheme. The brands that put the effort into providing context will win in the app-social media future.

Build your content future around the three pillars of Authority, Curation and Context. No brand is exempt from these rules. If you think you have time to coast, even just a little, you’ll soon find yourself and your brand out of vogue.

Taking an internal audit and implementing change is not easy, nor is it cheap. But in the end, the payoff will be felt all around.

Image courtesy of Flickr, AppleTone ??, HumanAdventure.

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Using PLR Content with Success

This guest post is by Laurie Neumann of Internet Marketing PLR Content.

Being the co-owner of a PLR content business myself, it’s important that I believe in the product and the results it can bring. I have seen first-hand the benefit that using good quality PLR can produce. Let me share my personal experience with you.

Previously, I thought I had to write every word myself and keep it completely original. I did that, but the problem I ran into was that I was not able to produce as many products as I wanted to. It takes time to come up with a topic, do the research, write the document, and then prepare it to be sold.

I found some PLR offered by a successful internet marketer (who wishes to remain anonymous) on some topics that I thought my market would be interested in. So, I decided to give it a try. The result? Lots of sales!

With PLR you can still give it your voice, so no one even need know that you are using PLR unless you decide to disclose it for some reason. In fact, you are advised to do some editing to any PLR content you purchase so that it is different from others that are also using it, and so that it comes from you.

Some of the advantages that I found using PLR were:

The topic is already decided on (something that has always been a challenge to me).The research has already been done for you, so you save a lot of time.The writing is already done—you just need to do some editing and adding in some of your own examples/experiences.With some PLR, the graphics or sales page may be included, saving you even more time. In my case, the sales page was included, which was a big help because I don’t consider myself a copywriter.The PLR was organized into sections, so I had a ready-made outline to follow.

What was the real key to the PLR I used being successful? It was good quality writing and information, so I could really stand behind it and promote it. It wasn’t something that had been just thrown together by someone who didn’t know what they were talking about. It was written by someone who had done internet marketing for years and now was sharing some of their valuable information.

Another important element of the products being successful were that I spent a month blogging about the topic before introducing the product. So I had “warmed” up my readers to the topic and got them thinking about it, and had given some great information out during the month. Then, I began talking about the product I was working on that was soon to be released. I believe that really helped in the whole process, and I was able to produce the product rather quickly because I was using PLR.

Using PLR content can be a great way to produce some quality products or boost your numbers of blog readers. Whatever you are using it for, remember the key—get good quality PLR created by people who are actually in the niche they are writing about. I did, and benefited greatly from it.

Have you ever used PLR content? Tell us how it went in the comments.

Laurie Neumann is the co-owner of Internet Marketing PLR Content. The PLR is written by herself and Rhonda White, both whom have been internet marketers for over six years. They share the information they have gained in the PLR they write, so you can take it, use it, and benefit from it. You can try before you buy by signing up for their email list and getting ten FREE PLR articles. Visit internet marketing PLR to get yours!

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