As regular bloggers, one of the main issues we have is the continued generation of new and original content for our readers. New blogs are appearing every day, and this means a massive generation of content which is getting published to the web continually. The pressure to come up with interesting and informative materials for our site becomes tougher, as the number of blogs multiply, and people seek to carve a niche within the mass of information out there.
Finding an original angle for your blog
In any industry or field of business, you can guarantee that there will be hundreds of internet entrepreneurs jostling for space and attention when it comes to blogging about it. Only a very few manage to create a site useful and interesting enough to put themselves ahead of their competitors and become an authority in their field.
This means that you have to select your topic of choice carefully when first setting up within your industry. For example, while celebrity gossip sites are notoriously popular globally, you’d have to have a real link to the industry to produce valuable content which is ahead of all the other sites out there. Similarly, technology blogs on SEO are hugely popular, which means that once again you need to come up with an interesting new take on the many ideas out there related to the industry.
This means we have a choice as bloggers. We either pick a niche market which has yet to be saturated, which is tough in itself, or we have to remain within a popular industry and try to make ourselves that little bit more competitive than everyone around us, who is doing the same thing. The disadvantage of blogging to a niche market is that you have fewer readers who will search out your content. This is where you weigh up the pros and cons of going mainstream, or selecting to target one single area of your industry.
How do we gain a competitive edge?
There is one simple way of ensuring you produce original content, amid a sea of other bloggers writing along similar lines. This is by choosing to write about things which you are passionate about. When you sit down to produce an article, you can only get really enthused if you care about your subject. When we feel enthusiasm, this transmits to the reader in the form of lively, passionate and engaging articles.
People who outsource the majority of their writing tend to lose passion on their blog. I am the first to recommend outsourcing some work to make your load easier as a business owner, but it is only by staying close to your blog and fueling your passion for your industry that you can create completely original work.
How good writing happens online
Good writing is intelligent, informative and interesting, and some of the best posts I have read have been produced by people who really really care about what they are saying. They want to inspire you, change your opinion about something, sell a product which they firmly believe in, and show themselves to be experts in their field.
What does this mean for you, as a blog owner?
If you are feeling disillusioned about the prospect of writing for your blog, the chances are you are not writing about something you feel passionate about. It may be time to change tack and go down a different route – the thought of which gets you flexing your fingers ready to pour out some words. This will ensure you stay lively and engaged with your blog, encouraging your customers to feel the same way.
"If you are feeling disillusioned about the prospect of writing for your blog, the chances are you are not writing about something you feel passionate about. It may be time to change tack and go down a different route"
Yes! Sometimes change is a good thing. Often people get stuck and don't realize that it's okay to make a change.
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