It sounds easy enough to say “build and they shall come”. But what happens when you build, and there’s nothing? If you’re just getting started in the blogging sphere, it’s important you know what mistakes to avoid as a blogger. If you’ve been doing this for a long time, and you’re still seeing limited results, it’s time to consider your content. The most important thing to consider when writing any kind of content is: quality is the key. All the networking in the world, all your content and marketing strategies won’t help if your content lacks allure. So, how do you write content that people are sure to love?
It’s not such a difficult task, to be honest. You just need to keep a few important things in mind. People often call this as a ‘blog content strategy template’. Well, I am not going to share a template, per se, however, I am going to give you some tips on blog content ideas.
Blog content ideas that drive organic traffic and revenue
1) List Posts
You’ve seen them popping all over the internet. Buzzfeed and Listverse are drawing attention from all age groups. Regardless of interests or hobbies, there’s something there for everyone. Why are lists so popular? Because they’re simple. To the point. No one wants to read paragraphs, regardless of how amazing they may be, when the same information can be provided in bullets. Of course, just having your content in list form isn’t enough. The subject you’re writing about has to be interesting, fresh. It has to catch the attention of your audience.
2) How-to guides and tutorials
These days, tutorials and how-to guides are very popular on the internet. There’s a huge market for teaching in this unconventional way. I’m sure even you have looked up a “how-to” video on YouTube or stumbled across one. These are extremely useful to any audience. Whether it’s how to apply beautiful mascara, or how to have a professional-looking website, someone needs to know. There is always someone looking for an answer to a problem. If you’re a good problem solver, share your skills. Share your resources. Share your time. Your audience will share theirs. If you’re good at this, you’ll see repeat visitors, and your audience will start to grow.
3) Interviews
This one may be tricky, but, interviews are a good way to generate traffic to your website. It could be anyone, from a software designer to a big time celebrity. People are interested in the “behind the scenes” of life. It’s increasingly popular. Besides, you’ll attract your own audience, as well as visitors who are interested in the individual you’re interviewing. It can also be fun for you, and a lasting experience for everyone. It can be a little tedious if you’re doing a larger interview (for example: 20 of the highest revenue generating bloggers).
A word of warning if you’re considering interviews: make sure the individuals you’re choosing to interview are actually skilled in their field. It would be awful to put together an interview with someone who claimed they were good at special effects make up, but knew nothing about the subject. Do your research.
4) Catchy images and memes
Images, especially memes, are drawing traffic from all over the place. I’m sure you’ve gone to a website you knew nothing about because a captivating image, or hilarious caption, brought you there. I bet you even looked around. After all, if one thing brought you there, there’s probably more content like it on the website. Now, a word of warning on this is that you don’t want to overuse the memes and pictures, especially on your own website. There are a few reasons why, but I’m going to say it will likely slow down your website, and decrease optimization. You also don’t want the page to look cluttered, and overdone. Now, if you’re sharing anything to social media, an image is always a good idea. They are quick to catch attention, and will likely draw in more of an audience.
5) Reviews
Reviews are a good way to generate traffic as well. It’s a little like posting how-to content. For both, you have to have personal experience on whatever the subject is. The content is coming from your perspective, and what works or doesn’t work, for you. That being said, informative reviews are likely to attract an entirely new audience to your website. I know from personal experience I’ve searched the internet for days for reviews of certain products, or places. When I found one good review, I stuck with the writer, checking out their other reviews. Good advice builds a loyal audience. A loyal audience will not only continue to come back but recommend your website to other people.
6) Videos and podcasts
Finally, I think the greatest content on the internet right now are Videos and Podcasts. Audiences love to feel like they are engaging with the content writers. YouTube is so popular, and many of the users are just verbally blogging, or giving reviews, making lists. Pretty much every type of content we’ve covered in this article is up on YouTube. It’s easy to amass a following with video posts. Once you’ve amassed a following, the revenue is a piece of cake. For example, if you have 14000 subscribers on YouTube and you’re about to launch an exciting new product, guess who will be the first to check it out? Podcasts are great too, for the same reasons. Both cover a much broader audience than text or even images. Many people are more inclined to listen/watch content then they are to read about it.
I’ll close the article with the same sentiment I opened it with. The most important thing about writing content is that it be engaging, and original. No one is interested in reading the same subject over and over, and no one wants a monotone inner dialogue. Be creative with your content. After all, you’re putting all your time into it, you may as well have fun with it. Do you have any blog content strategy to share with us? Do let us know in the comment sections below.