How to Create Great Content and Keep Things Fresh

Having trouble coming up with content ideas? My friend Rick Loomis, author of The Content Rules, says there are two keys to finding the right ideas: 1. Write down your biggest pain points, then write down ways you can solve those problems. 2. Then come up with the best headline for the solution you just created.

Follow the 80/20 rule

If you want to create a consistent stream of high-quality content, the 80/20 rule can be your best friend.

The 80% refers to having a writer (or team of writers) write most of your blog posts for you, while the 20% is reserved for you and should include:

• At least 1-2 paragraphs per day (this is assuming that you have an editorial calendar).
• At least 1 complete article or post per week.

Practice writing in different styles

You should practice writing in different styles.

Write from the perspective of a child, an old man, a dog. Write about things that are important to you as well as things that aren't important at all. Write about how much you hate writing and how much you love it (and everything in between). And then write some more—for fun or for profit—until it feels like second nature.

Involve your team

The first way to keep things fresh is to involve your team. You know what you want to say, but you don't know everything about your industry or audience. Involving others in the creation of content allows them to share their knowledge and experience with you. It also gives them opportunities for growth by allowing them to make decisions and have autonomy over small projects.

Your team can also help make sure that what is being published makes sense for your brand identity, i.e., it's on-brand and consistent with previous work that has already been produced by your company (or agency). This will help build trust with readers who are familiar with the types of content that appear on the site, increasing their confidence in new pieces as well as making sure that there isn't any confusion about where information came from—which could lead people away from trusting what they're reading because they think it might not be true or accurate

Keep a content calendar

When you have a content calendar, you can stay consistent in the frequency of your posting. Consistency is key for long-term success—and consistency is easier when you plan ahead!

A content calendar helps keep things organized and running smoothly. It's a tool that helps you plan out what type of content will go on which days and how often it'll come out; it also lets you know whether there will be gaps between posts so that you're not publishing too frequently or too infrequently.

If you don't already have one, here are some tips for creating one:

Test different types of posts

Test different types of posts.

This advice gives you permission to experiment with different types of posts, like images, videos and links. If you haven't been doing this already, it's time to start! Try out new things and see how they perform on social media.

Use a variety of lengths:

Sometimes long-form is best for engagement, but sometimes short-form is better (and maybe even other times). You don't want your audience getting bored or feeling like they're just hearing the same thing over and over again—so keep things fresh by varying your content length.

Test different headlines

You should test different headlines when writing your content. The headline is the most important part of your post, so give it some extra attention. Your headline needs to be short and snappy, specific to the topic at hand, relevant to the post’s subject matter and written as if you were talking directly to the reader (in other words: don’t use “I/me” pronouns).

Find your unique style

Now that you've got your audience's attention, it’s time to do something with it. As we mentioned earlier, the content on your blog should be unique and tailored to your style and personality. So, what does that look like?

It could be as simple as writing content from scratch or curating existing articles into a new piece (also known as repurposing). Either way, there are some things you need to keep in mind when creating great blog posts:

• Don't try too hard to be someone else. If you're a cool kid who likes rap music and rainbow shirts but publishes articles about international politics and finance, don't expect readers or search engines alike to take notice of how different yet relatable they are. The same goes for people who try too hard at being funny—the jokes aren't funny if they don't come naturally! Find something close enough so that others can relate but still make sure that YOU'RE YOURSELF!!!
• Don't use buzzwords or jargon unless they fit naturally into the conversation (and even then...maybe not). This is especially true with SEO-related terms because they quickly become dated!

You need to plan and experiment with your content to find what works best for your brand and audience

• Plan and experiment with your content. It’s a good idea to plan out your content before you start writing. This will help you stay organized, save time and make sure that the final product is as strong as possible. But don't get too attached to any particular idea; if something better comes along during the process of creating the piece, be ready to change it up!
• Don't be afraid to try new things — even if they seem crazy! The best way for us all to grow as marketers is by learning from our mistakes so don't be scared by failure - instead embrace it!
• Don't be afraid to ask for help: If there's something you can't figure out or need advice on then reach out via social media channels like Facebook Messenger or Slack groups (we run an awesome one here at HubSpot). You'd be surprised how many people are willing offer advice if they think their input could benefit others too :)

Conclusion

Once you've found your sweet spot, you're ready to create truly great content that resonates with your audience. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. The more you try, the better you'll understand what works for both your brand and audience.

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