I do not know this of course – your content may be breathtaking. My life may be worse for not being aware of its existence.
But even the most brilliant of bloggers should periodically ask the question, “Am I boring my audience?” If you are publishing a few articles a week, then it is all too easy to fall into the trap of writing tedious, monotonous, bog-standard tripe (please forgive my British vernacular).
It is easier to spend money than make it. It is easier to fail than to succeed. And it is easier to write rubbish than inspirational content. So, how do you stop yourself from doing what is so easy? Consider the following.
Be Good At What You Do
In order to produce great content, you need to be a good writer. I use the word “good” very deliberately, as you do not need to be a great writer. If you can string a sentence together with good grammar, spelling and punctuation, but Shakespeare of our age you are not, you do not need to worry unduly.
If your audience can understand your message, you are half way there. You then need to make your message compelling. That topic deserves an article all to itself, which it will get in the future.
Be Ruthless With Your Writing
Seth Godin writes rubbish. It is what he does next that is the key to his success – he discards it, and keeps going until he produces something brilliant. Trust me, he doesn’t sit down and simply allow his daily nuggets of wisdom to flow unconsciously onto the page. He considers the quality of what he is writing, and separates the wheat from the chaff. You need to relinquish the emotional attachment you have to your content, and publish only what is worthwhile.
Produce Quality Through Endeavour
Ask any experienced writer for advice. They will tell you to do two things – read, and write. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it is. No matter your talent, the more you read, and the more you write, the more you will improve. So just start writing. Don’t worry about subject matter, just go for it. You never know, you might uncover a new niche for yourself.
Be Astonishing
If your readers want anything from you, it is uniqueness. There has to be a reason why you are compelling. So, you either need to have something astonishing to say, or you have something to say in an astonishing way. Or both, if you really want to hit the jackpot.
It’s All In The Mix
You need to combine a healthy mix of the above elements in order to produce content that will engage your audience. Ultimately, If you feed quality in, you will get quality back. If you feed drivel in, you’ll likely get nothing back.
Photo courtesy of Simon Hucko