Creating Amazing Content

Learn the trick to creating content your readers really want to read. The content that will keep them coming back for more day after day!

Brainstorming Content People Want to Read

Most of us started out blogging as a way to keep up with family and friends, or just as a place to journal our lives.

However, when it comes to creating great content, our mindset has to shift away from us and onto our readers.

Ask yourself “How does this help my reader?”. When you can answer that then you will be able to write a great post!

Here’s an example of what I mean…

If you took a trip to the beach this summer, don’t write “Our Summer Beach Trip” filled with photos of your family and a journal-type post covering everything you did.

This would be great for a family-only journal-type blog, but when you’re trying to reach a wider audience it needs to change focus.

Instead, write “10 Tips for Taking Your Kids to the Beach” or “5 Must Have Beach Accessories for the Summer” or even “How to Survive a Day at the Beach”.

Those titles promise to add value to the reader’s life. They know that clicking on your post will enrich their lives once the post is read.

You can still have tons of photos of your family, and you can still include plenty of personal stories if you choose… however, the focus of the content has been shifted from you-centric to reader-centric.

Take a look back through your content and make sure that at least 90% of it is reader-centric. If it’s not, go back in and edit it to be so. Make sure you create new images to reflect the changes and then pin them to Pinterest!

Note: Be sure NOT to change the URL for the post or you will have broken links going to your website. Just change the title, content, and images if needed. If your old URL no longer fits, you might write an entirely new post and forward the old post to the new one.

Actually Writing Quality Posts

Now, I’m not talking about the actual content that you write about… but rather HOW you write the content.

What I’m talking about is the professionalism you show when you write.

Triple-check your posts for spelling and grammatical errors, and make sure your sentences flow nicely and are not cumbersome to read.

These issues will quickly turn off the reader and keep them from viewing you as an authority in your field.

Always reread your entire post before publishing, including the text on your images!

Finished Post Checklist

Here are the things you need to make sure EVERY SINGLE post has before you hit publish!

• At least 350 words (over 1,000 words is better and will help you rank higher in Google searches)
• At least 2 images. Make sure all images are at least 1200px wide.
  • 1 Image for Pinterest (see examples here)
  • 1 “featured” image that is 1200px wide for Google ranking
• Affiliate links for products mentioned.
• Backlinks to related posts within your site.
• A related post recommendation at the bottom (I like to use the Content Views plugin for this in WordPress).
• Proofread for spelling and grammar (including text on photos).

Don’t get hung up on which topics are best as every site has something different to offer. Instead, focus on enriching your reader’s life with your content!

Even More Blogging Growth:

Ready to grow and learn? Here are 3 courses you can take at your own pace that will help you achieve your blogging goals quickly!

• Crystal Clear SEO – Grow your SEO rankings with ease!
• Truly Evergreen Newsletters – Set your newsletter up with simple automation that will free up your time and grow your reader loyalty!
• Crystal Clear Products – Create and sell products that your readers will THANK you for!