Blogging in a content saturated market
The difficulty in creating regular, quality, consistent blogging content
As I sat down to write my latest blog for the week, I found it difficult to figure out a blog idea
- Did I actually want to/care enough to write about the topic?
- Did it match my theme of blog topic I had already posted about?
- Would the blog topic attract a good number of reads?
We are surrounded by content in every corner of the internet so making something “good” with value isn’t always easy leading to creating content for the sake of it.
“This goes back to stepping up your game and not writing content just to have content out there. If you don’t have enough to say in a 3,000-word post, don’t write one. Posts like the kind Neil Patel writes are extremely useful and provide hands-on tips, which make people stick around to read them”
Motivation
I think the motivation behind what you are writing is crucial. At the end of the day readers will be able to see through your intentions and the level of creativity, thought and care that has been put in to a blog post.
It is a natural tendency to want to create a consistent blog to maintain momentum but if that is creating a mind blocker that this is something you “have” to create rather than want to. Don’t do it.
It’s only your brand that will hurting!
Noise vs Helpful?
A great measure and question you should ask yourself, is am I offering helpful information that isn’t readily available from a reputable source? Is my particular audience going to find this helpful? If I gauge myself against the rest of the Internet, I would never end up pushing the publish button.
I ended up contemplating writing a story on Facebook dying or the user-base getting older but with no real intention or desire to explore the problem, to provide relevant insight and a cultivated opinion on the matter. There is too much noise on the internet already with click baited titles and little thought for the reader to provide value.
The more value you provide the more likely people are to subscribe, share and engage with your content.
Think about who might read it
This is a great point and often something we don’t consider. You never know who might end up reading your blog post. It could be a business owner whom might consider you for future employment to media owners who wish to use your blogs as apart of their site.
The point is make every blog post as a reflection of your craft and personal brand. Your name carries weight and you want to be renown for the quality you produce. Imagine it was Bill Gates or Tim Cook who end up stumbling across your blog.
Helpful ideas
So for those who are facing this situation and want some ideas to help overcome this creative dry spell. Here is an extract and link to a great blog post which provides some great solutions.
“Go on a journey instead of a lecture
I used to be pretty arrogant with my blogging. It wasn’t until it was pointed out to me that I started to consider what my voice sounded like, and the impact it might have. It took a long time but now I try to cultivate a kind of side-by-side feel instead of one where I talk “at” people.”
Content Saturation
Content Saturation is a complex topic which plenty of marketers have studied and played about with. Ranging from different strategies to playing with different forms of content to varying lengths of content.
Ultimately it comes down to the bloggers discretion what they post and how they deem to overcome the adversities of increasingly noisy world of content production and consumption.
To conclude I believe creating content in any form should always be about what value you are giving to your audience. If it enhances your life in creating, learning and making the blog post. It is likely to do the same for others. It is as much about intention, creativity and constantly trying to improve to provide the best for your audience.
Sources Used:
https://medium.com/swlh/are-you-producing-content-just-for-contents-sake-1454424400c9 (Tim Rettig)
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/09/content-bubble-burst/