How to Flip Your Best Ideas to Freshen Up Stale Content

April 14, 2017 by jennifer mcgahan 1 Comment

Some of the best content is written by thought leaders with a distinct point of view on a subject.

I’ll give you an example. What do you think of when you hear the name Gary Vaynerchuck? Hustle. Brene Brown? Vulnerability. John Maxwell? Leadership.

The reason people voraciously consume opinionated, and highly “niche-y” content is because it offers such a clear and compelling reason to practice, think or try something in a specific, detailed way. Along the way, these content-creating thought leaders even build systems and communities out of their ideas. They get invited to give TED talks. Their methods go viral and they become known in their industry for a unique perspective.

Now, flip these thought leaders’ mantras.

What would people think if Gary Vee pondered taking the slow road? If Brown advised you to be balls out brazen, and admit no weakness? If Maxwell instead taught his people how to be good followers?

And what about you? What would it look like if you went against your own grain? If just once, you contradicted yourself?

I’m throwing out this curveball today because of an article that sparked an idea that was new to me. It inspired a thought that went against everything I preach about building an email list and creating free opt-in offers. It made me think about content creation in a new way, one that could potentially help my clients reach a broader audience.

The problem is that this enlightening idea contradicts certain beliefs I’ve held for a long time.

Uh oh.

Has that ever happened to you? You’re rolling along, perfectly happy with your established mindset about a certain topic, when all of a sudden you get a glimpse of a logical, and opposite reality?

This is a problem for a lot of people, whether they consider themselves thought leaders or not. As a culture beholden to a range of personal beliefs, we expect a one-sided perspective from the most dominant figures. In fact, it’s unpopular these days to embrace ambiguity. We expect the loudest, most distinct voices to race to extremes. A single-minded point of view is memorable, at the very least, and it can be the glue for a following of true believers.

What would happen if you were caught in careful consideration of a dissenting point of view? Would your readers flee if you openly explored all opposing opinions? What if your next paragraph began, “On the other hand…”

I wonder if your most loyal followers and readers would think you’d sold out, become lazy, or deluded? Probably not. Chances are, people who read your blog or listen to your podcast, etc. are there because you offer an interesting point of view in a given field. They enjoy your deep and thoughtful exploration of your subject matter. You’ve carved out a space for yourself by focusing on developing content with purpose and clarity. (At least that’s the best recipe for success if you want to plant a flag in your corner of the market or the Internet.)

But I’m playing Devil’s Advocate on this today. If you really want to explore a topic, why not turn one of your long-held beliefs on its head, and try to uncover a different angle?

If you think that might be a fun project, then read on. I’ll give you seven great reasons to explore an alternative viewpoint on something you profess to believe, and then you can decide for yourself. You might discover a worthy and desirable outcome by taking the less traveled road once in awhile.

Even if it’s just as an experiment, contradicting your usual stance and arguing the other side could help you solidify your established thought leadership position.

But first, you may be wondering, what was this firmly held belief that took a tumble?

Stephanie Flaxman, an editor at Copyblogger, recently wrote:

Content marketers can create mini packages for their audience members to share with their friends.

For example, you could offer a beautiful PDF as a free download that summarizes who your site is for and how you help them, with some snippets of particularly useful advice. You’d then encourage your visitors to share the PDF rather than just share your website link.

It’s a more direct way to show what you’re all about, rather than hope a first-time visitor immediately clicks on the most engaging parts of your website.

Now, you’re a savvy content marketer, so you already know that one method of building an engaged following is with content that’s good enough to trade for an email address. You offer a freebie in exchange for subscription to your list. That way you don’t lose your interested tribe members, but rather build a relationship through email.

But this one tip got me thinking that you could easily create content designed to find people who might not normally follow you. The big difference is that you’d rely on folks to share it with their tribes freely, no strings attached… not even an email address.

A good-looking, downloadable PDF carries a bit more clout than an article or blog post. So if you can design it to appeal to someone who might not normally subscribe to your list, yet still offer a compelling reason to view it, then you’ve opened up your world to a whole new segment of people.

This idea flies in the face of the age-old tenet to always be building your list. Instead, it’s geared more toward an SEO goal of driving more traffic. This strategy relies on influencers in an overlapping audience to spread your content to a new-to-you audience for your website. Once they’re on your site, then it’s up to you to create an offer to grow your list — something juicy that appeals to this new audience segment.

While this idea may not be rocket science, it’s something I hadn’t considered before. In fact, it goes against what I’ve preached and practiced for years about email marketing.

And I love it.

The takeaway: Keep your eyes wide open for opportunities to read between the lines of established practices in your field, and then flip them upside down with gusto. Really dissect these new, foreign ideas. Open wide your thought leadership eyes and see if they can pass muster. Put them through the paces and see how they stack up against your deep-seated (perhaps stale?) beliefs.

Newsflash>> In some circles this is called critical thinking. A-ha!

To encourage you to flip your best ideas upside down, let’s move on to the reasons you should do it more often.

The most obvious reason is that you will keep your content fresh as a daisy for both old and new followers, but there are seven “sub-reasons” to venture into this uncharted territory:

You might find that advocating for the other side is fun. It breaks boredom, helps you overcome discomfort, and makes you feel lighthearted and brave. Breaking away from the rut you’re in is just plain refreshing.
You broaden your audience. Maybe you’ve been so used to saying the same old thing that you’ve neglected a group of people who can’t find you. Finding and exploring a different angle of an established practice, idea or policy is a great way to speak to a new audience and widen your appeal. Exploring doesn’t mean you have to marry your oddball idea. You’re just turning stones over. But you might be amazed by the people and ideas you bump into in the process.
The results of thinking deeply from an alternative viewpoint may surprise and delight you. Creativity sometimes falls flat, but it’s always an education.
The new results may surprise you. You may find that they have validity you had not considered before. You might find that you extend the foundations of your platform, or that you discover and share nuances no one else is talking about. Or…
The opposite could occur. You may decide that the flip side is hogwash. This is actually good news, because it means that you’re able to reinforce the solid ground upon which you’ve built your long standing belief. (And now you’ll have proof to back it up.)
It’s always a good idea to challenge yourself. When things get too easy, you should be very afraid. If there’s anyone more obnoxious than “the smartest person in the room,” I can’t think of whom. Don’t be that guy. If you think you’re that guy, you should probably take a long vacation or switch careers altogether. Never get comfortable.
I’m going to say it. It’s also good to challenge others sometimes, too. Without being offensive, start a discussion. Get your reader or listener to start connecting points of light within her own mind, based on her experiences. Then ask her to share them with you and your community. IMO, discussion is a blessing. And as a thought leader, it’s your job to start interesting discussions.

Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.

~Chinese Proverb

Of course, there are times when it’s not in anyone’s best interest to go against the grain, just for the sake of mixing things up. I’m thinking of physical laws like gravity, biological reality, etc. Laws in certain established fields should be respected, as should others’ values. Use your best judgment when people’s livelihoods, their human dignity, and good health are concerned. Why should I even have to mention thoughtfulness? To cover my bases.

And you should cover yours, too. Just because you have a platform to stir the pot to freshen up stale content, doesn’t always mean you should.

A final note: a good debater or trial lawyer can argue the case against her own. You don’t have to necessarily go all in, heart and soul, when you flip your ideas. Fresh content naturally flourishes when you explore a topic thoroughly, like a pig digging for truffles in the woods. When the time’s right, you can always come back home.

Can you think of ways to overturn long standing beliefs in your field to broaden your audience or keep your content fresh? Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.

Content Triggers for Every Week in 2018

December 13, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Usually, when I tell people what I do, it goes something like this…

“I write copy and content to help businesses reach their markets: blog posts, newsletters, emails, sales pages, that kind of thing…”

If the person I’m talking with owns a business, I usually get one of two responses:

I could sure use your services.
I need to do that… But YUCK! Then they go on to tell me why it’s “yucky.” They dislike writing. They don’t have time to do that. They are in a boring industry and they don’t know what to write about, etc.

Well, if you’re one of those folks, now you don’t have to get creative. Just follow these writing prompts. I use these content ideas myself when I get stuck.

Scroll through these 54 content triggers and get your content calendar filled up for 2018.

My Team Connects Lucky Deck of Content Ideas from Jen McGahan

By the way, this task is easy peasy when you use CoSchedule to organize and share your content. Check out this app that has saved me tons of time and brought lots of new traffic to my website this year. Click this Coschedule link to learn more.*

2018 is coming, ready or not. There are new opportunities and unseen twists and turns ahead.

Time to get ready for a great new year!

Now, if you’re still wary of doing this writing, I’d can help. Give me a call, or simply fill out the form below and let’s set up a time to chat.

*Co Schedule has a referral program. If you sign up I may get a free month or some other small compensation. Just know that I would never refer something I did not absolutely LOVE and use myself!

And if you want more free stuff about content marketing and how to get your book, course or product out there, you can access the free content library here.

Warmth and Authority Keys To Irresistible Posts People Share

October 14, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Authoritative Content + Charisma = Warmthority

Do you love audiobooks? I admit I’m addicted to podcasts and audiobooks! Sometimes I wish they didn’t exists, because when I pull myself away from my computer — to walk the dog, hit the gym, run my leg of the carpool, or any of the other non content-related activities in my freelancer’s lifestyle — I probably should take a break from, well, content.

Nevertheless, if I can’t be reading, I can’t resist pulling up an audio file of some sort. It’s usually a business book or a podcast on marketing.

Part of the reason I like podcasts and audiobooks, besides great information, is hearing the inflections in the speaker’s voice. To me, as an auditory learner, the best voices are those that radiate warmth and authority.

Though a charismatic voice has intangible characteristics, you can decipher some qualities that give the listener a reason to subscribe and learn more. You also know pretty quickly whether the host or read’s voice is one you want to hear for 300 pages or several episodes.

The question is, how do you transfer that charisma, warmth, and authority to your content to achieve that same vibe?

“Charisma + Warmth + Authority = Shareable Content”

Authoritative content is achieved by being passionate about your subject. You create it by siting other sources and building on their ideas with original ideas of your own. You also focus on the right audience.

Doing so increases others’ social sharing of your content, which increases your rank in search engine results and makes your brand one worth following.

When you’re just starting to build your authority online, you probably have a new business blog or website, and you are trying to increase your visibility and influence.

Here are some specific things you can do to increase the warmth of your content so that you are truly a charismatic presence that people want to follow and share.

Rules for “Warmthority” in your Content

Today I’m coining the word “Warmthority” because too many people try so hard to provide authoritative content, when all they need to do to increase clicks, likes and shares is to add warmth. Adding the human touch is one way to get off on the right foot with your audience by mentioning a personal story within your post. This can be especially meaningful if you show vulnerability, some point where you failed or made a mistake that helped you ultimately hone your expertise and authority. People need to know the steps you took to get to the place you are now.

Teachers, coaches, and other purveyors of information know that sharing the rough patches in their journey builds trust. If you just stick to the facts, ma’am, then your blog feels cold and barren. You can get facts and figures anywhere. People are searching for a connection.

Warmth doesn’t come only from sharing personal stories. There are other ways to convey warmth PLUS authority — Warmthority — in your content.

Warmthority comes out in ways that seem intangible, even chemical, but in reality it can be broken down into actionable chunks. Eye contact, listening, and positivity, are noticeable, specific ways to increase your charisma in life. You can attain that same vibe online, too.

The Root of Authority

Authority has the same root as Authenticity and Author. Genuine, original, principal… Auto (self) + Doer (accomplish, achieve).

When you are an authority, you know what you know and you act on it. You are self-intact. As an authentic author, you tell the story inside you. You are comfortable in your skin, and you act on your own authority.

Being an authority doesn’t mean you have the last word on any particular subject. The warmth sneaks in when you fear no competition — because you genuinely have none.

Qualities of “Warmthority” Content

Questions and opinions are welcome and shared!

Genuine authority also means you understand and respond to your audience’s worries and concerns. You ask questions to understand your audience better. You are also familiar with, and unthreatened by, other’s authoritative voices in the same arena of knowledge. You’re even willing to share by linking to other related content and sharing it with your followers.

Once again, sharing others’ authentic content has the benefit of bringing links to your content, too.

Open

A real Warmthority’s voice is open-ended. It’s not always about pinning the customer down to the one topic that directly makes you money or sells your product. Warmthority content bounces different ideas around one core subject, but the reader never feels trapped within your company’s content, even if it is entertaining. Sometimes content creators do this by bringing their user’s stories into the mix, or by curating content that their readers appreciate.

New business owners looking to create content for their audiences sometimes think they must start and end with content about their product or service. However, it’s been proven time and again that good content is what people want to consume, not what you want them to know. That means taking into consideration the whole person, not just the part your business serves. Once you have the whole person engaged, they’ll remember your business when the time comes.

Empathetic

Some of the most memorable content I’ve ever seen was in the form of a genuine caring message sent late in the night on Facebook. Late night is a time when a lot of online business owners are trying to get stuff done, when willpower may be flagging, and they’re possibly feeling tired, lonely, or depressed. It’s a great time to hear an encouraging word from a trusted authority.

While I like these types of messages, encouraging memes are not something you can fake. Create and share content that feels right to you. If you are compelled to lift up others, encouraging social messages can be a powerful way to increase your authority and become a memorable leader in your field.

Real and Visual

You know how people are always saying they remember faces?

Most people are visual creatures and want to see your face before doing business with you.

Video is a great way to exude warmthority in your content. Don’t worry if you are not a natural at this; it takes practice!

Guy Kawasaki says in his book Enchantment that you should always smile so that your smile lines show. It’s just one of his many tips on being a memorable presence, both live and online.
Daniel Lapin advises in another good book, Thou Shall Prosper that if you tend to have a stony face, practice smiling in the mirror until your muscle memory knows how to get that friendly look! Yes, you can practice warmthority!
Rand Fishkin’s famous Whiteboard Fridays sets the bar for consistent, quality content.
Kim Garst recommends starting with live Facebook videos because people don’t expect perfection here, they just like seeing the real you.

Conversational

Authority conveys your perspective on related subjects that may not be directly tied to your profits. To build warmth and uniqueness into your content, add a dimension that your competitors don’t. Relax a bit on the selling.

For example, say your business is about teaching moms ways to get their kids eating healthy food and liking it. What else could you provide that hinges on this subject that no one else is offering in your field? Some ideas to spin:

You could review children’s books that show kids making healthy choices.
Post international recipes that kids can make.
Even showcase restaurants where children’s preferences are catered to, while at the same time offering healthy choices moms like, too.

What do your readers, viewers, and listeners want? Reviews and list posts often become your popular pieces of content that attract new readers every time they’re shared.

Are you ready to increase both your warmth and your authority in the content your business creates? How have you come up with ways to show warmthority?

Want more content like this?

Get access to our free content library for freelancers, blogger, and solo-preneuers here.

Four Free Tools For “Type A” Blogging Consistency

September 16, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan 1 Comment

You’re working hard to get your business off the ground, and you know you need to put “something” online about who you are, how you do what you do differently, and why someone should care.

A blog is the way to go for getting your marketing message out there, but for it to stick, you must blog consistently.

Regular, consistent posts on your blog or social media pages, are necessary to keep readers interested and engaged. They also ensure that the search engines naturally push your content toward the top. Aim for twice per week at the beginning. This will solidify your status as an expert and get Google recognizing your keywords and content.

You may see this regular care and feeding of your blog as a necessary evil of you’re not into marketing or creating content. (I get it; you just want to do your work!) But the fact is, you can’t live in the past and hope to send a postcard to your neighbors every few weeks, or post a tweet once a day, and call it good.

Instead, people are looking for social proof, why they should do business with you, and what you’ve done for them (or someone like them) lately. Furthermore, you need to be in front of your online audience on a regular basis so they remember you amidst all the other marketing noise…

How do you stay consistent?

A few online tools keep my team and me on task. These tools are all free until you decide you need an upgrade, and I recommend them to help you stay on track. These are the ones I really couldn’t live without. If you’re getting started managing your content in house, check out these tools today:

Feedly

…for regular story ideas and curation. Not sure if you remember Google Reader, but I’d been saving blog posts and online articles from newsites for years when Google stopped this service. Almost immediately, Feedly burst on the scene to replace it. And wow, what an improvement! Add the feeds you like to categories you define and you’ve got your content creation made in the shade. I check in daily and hit the categories I like to tweet about and share.

Buffer

…is the next step for social sharing. This SaaS was made for social sharing of your content or others’ content. Add the Buffer extension to your browser of choice and simply click it every time you find an article you want to share. (You can even add stories to your Buffer right from within Feedly.) The idea behind Buffer is you set up your social profiles and the times you want to share content. Then, all you do is click your Buffer icon extension and add text to go with the link. You can use the title, which automatically populates, or you can delete that and add your own words. In the paid version of Buffer, you can even queue up your best-performing social shares (analytics provided) in a library for easy, one-click re-use.

Coschedule

…for free and paid content calendars. OK, these worksheets are sweet. CoSchedule is a SaaS we use here at Content Boomer and My Team Connects, and we’re big fans. They’ve created free content calendars to help you get some direction regarding your website posts. If you’re at a loss as to what to post; what subjects you need to cover for your ideal audience; and how to schedule your content throughout the coming months and year… these help you think it through. Download these helpful content calendars and get to work. (By the way, as an affiliate, I get a tiny compensation when someone purchases a paid calendar that links to your WordPress site, and enables you to share your blog content to your social sites. But you can use the downloadable calendars for free.)

Trello

… for organizing your thoughts and managing projects. Organizing your ideas, sources you need to cite, images you’d like to include in your next blog post, and random thoughts you may or may not use in the article you’re writing… can be a big, hairy deal! Trello helps you get all your ducks in a row by allowing you to create separate boards for each blog post on your content calendar. You can add cards (like notes) to each list you create. Here’s an example (below) of a typical board. This one is titled Content Boomer Posts and each list includes links to articles and ideas I want to explore. Some lists include book links, pictures, etc.

Trello is great because it has tons of features like folder colors, the ability to add team members to a list or a card within a list, and assign due dates to cards. You can organize your boards in any way you like. I’ve shown you how I use Trello to collect content ideas, but I also use Trello to manage projects. I can easily move tasks from one list to another (I particularly love to move cards to a “Completed” list) and even assign them to members of the team. You have to try Trello if you do not yet have a project management system in place. It’s a great option for basic project management — and it’s free.

How about you? What tools have you found that you couldn’t live without?

P.S. Some links in this article are referral links, and I may receive payment if you click on them. Just so you know!

Five Reasons Your Article Doesn’t Work, And How To Fix It

November 16, 2015 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Can you write your way out of a lost cause?

How long do you stay stuck before abandoning your work?

Many writers or content creators ask themselves these questions sooner or later. Do you try to salvage a project gone bad? Or should you drop it and work on something “more productive?”

Picture this: you start writing something, an ebook, a blog post, or story. You believe you have a great idea. You dive in, maybe even devote a week or two to the project before it begins to dawn on you… It’s not working.

Very soon, the curtain of gloom falls over the whole thing. You start thinking, “This is never going to work.”

Then self doubt sets in. You begin to wonder what made you think it was a good idea in the first place…

You can’t get the thing to stick together. No matter how many angles you approach it from, it just won’t gel! You even have an outline or a mind map guiding your creative process, but when you put the words down, it falls short. Either it feels hollow, like something’s missing; or your draft is uncontrolled, as if you have a tiger by the tail.

The Problem: Three Common Reasons Writers Want to Quit

Where did the love go? Let me count the ways. These are the most common situations in which I second-guess the quality of my article, and my ability and desire to finish it. Can you relate to any of these?

You decided the project wasn’t needed anymore. You started researching, and discovered that the topic had been covered thoroughly. You can’t see the value in adding your voice to the lexicon of knowledge already out there, and you lost confidence in your ability to add newness or charisma to the subject. Maybe you realize the project is similar to another completed piece of content you already have. Why bother?

You got totally embroiled in it. At the onset, you believed it was an interesting topic you could write about, but then discovered it was a little too personally demanding. Your involvement pulled your life off course, as if you had embarked on a journey that was too long and required more commitment than you were able to give. Maybe your topic was too large; you had trouble breaking it down into do-able chunks, and couldn’t see the finished project in a completed form. No amount of editing could streamline this hot mess. It simply got away from you and you’re ready to cut the cord.

You had a fast start but you lost interest. You’re so bored, you can’t even stand to work on the project. You wonder how you can expect your readers and viewers or listeners to stay with you. Your distaste for the project rears up every time you sit down to your computer. Bleh.

The terrible truth: You’ve already invested a ton of time…

If only it were easier to walk away! The thing that always gets me when I’m feeling any of the above, is the time I’ve invested. Even when you know a blog post (or a scene, or ebook, or an entire chapter of a book) is a lost cause, it’s natural to want to save at least some of your hard work. The words “Kill your darlings!” chants loudly in your mind, but dang, it’s difficult!

Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Throwing In the Towel

What you may want to ask is “Should I cut my losses now and start something new, or am I just quitting?” Neither of those extremes is usually the reality, and neither of those questions is productive! Don’t go there yet.

Before you delete the whole shebang and walk away, or file it under “Ideas” somewhere deep on your hard drive, you need to get some perspective. Here’s my thought process when I get lost in the woods with my writing. Instead of feeling like a loser, and cowering to that voice saying you were never meant to write anything more involved than a grocery list, you need to ask yourself a few specific and constructive questions about your project. (Key word is “constructive!”)

Most of all, beware self sabotage that comes from a) abandoning a perfectly good concept before it’s complete, or b) wasting any more time on a pice of content that’s doomed to fail if you’re not objective.

Putting these ideas down on paper helped me get my arms around what feels like a desperate situation when I’m in it. I ask myself these five questions when I’m stuck in the muck. Maybe they will help you, too.

1. First, ask yourself if the “Good Idea” was legitimately good.

What was it at the outset that made you think so, and what changed?
What was the purpose of the piece in the first place?
Was it a problem you identified that needed solving?
Was it a story you wanted to share about an experience you had, or that your company or customers had?
Was it an enlightening or heartwarming tale, or groundbreaking expose?
What was it about the project that had you excited about it when you started?
Do you still believe in these kernels of inspiration?

Get back to that place where it all began and ask yourself if you still feel it.

2. Whom does it serve? You, or your readers?

Has this ever happened to you? You want to solve a problem, so you assume it’s a problem others need solving, too. (I’d say about half of my good ideas start from problems I’m having in business or in life.) The investigator in you wants to get to the bottom of the issue, so you dig in to find the answers. This, you think, is something you should write about. As long as you’re discovering the truth about fill-in-the-blank, you will share the wealth of information with your readers.

Not so fast! If a topic has easy answers, then you may not be adding to the common good by writing about it. Instead of writing, perhaps you should simply read about it, take stock of the solutions for your own personal use, and then get back to the business of adding value for your readers and clients. Regurgitating information from dozens of well-read articles doesn’t help anyone. There’s no harm in linking to these articles, however, as you write content that includes your personal viewpoint on the issue.

Also, save the more introspective pieces for your journal, or at least until you have enough distance to provide wisdom and perspective. To write about problems too soon just takes you swirling down to that icky place. You need to resolve certain issues before you can be any help to someone else. You’re probably not ready for publication when your feelings are too raw, or if you are currently in the heat of the battle.

3. Do you know enough about the topic to write about it?

If you answer NO to this question, don’t worry, it’s not a deal breaker. Sometimes the best articles come about because you’re curious about a subject and decide to learn about it. (See above.) The question that matters is, are you willing to do the research?

Furthermore, how does your knowledge or interest affect the tone you want to convey? If you know a lot about a subject firsthand, you can write without doing much research. It comes from the heart, like this article did for me, in fact. Sure, you might have to find supporting articles to link to, but the original idea rolls out easily for you.

But if you need to go looking for answers from other experts, then you’re in for a double whammy. Not only must you find resources, but make sense of them, and compile facts and ideas into a cohesive piece of writing. It takes more work and time, but I’ve found so often it’s worth it. If you’re naturally curious by nature, as most writers are, it’s a good fit.

Other times, when you find you’re having trouble writing about something, you need to assess whether your curiosity is enough to keep the fire lit until the very last word. When a project isn’t working, it could be because you just don’t know or care enough about it. Sad but true.

4. Does it fit with your goals?

You get to choose what to write about! That’s the good news. Assuming that you’re not freelancing for businesses and industries you hate; or only writing on assignment for a job, then you do have some leeway on your topics. If you’re writing for your own business or pleasure, or if you’re involved in the content editorial process in any way, then you definitely need to evaluate the purpose of your content piece before you start writing. Your time and resources are an investment, so spend them wisely!

Every business owner has pet projects they want to finish, but the content you are creating for your own business really needs to achieve some end. Either it must draw new readers; teach or entertain your current readers; or it must move your business forward in some way. If your work does none of the above, and you begin to sense that it’s wasting your time, then you’ll find it difficult to stick with it when the going gets rough.

You want to see that your work meets your goals, either professionally or personally. If not, then it’s easy to become resentful of the time and effort it’s taking to finish it.

You’re far more likely to abandon work if you can’t see the point of it. Now that I’m working on a novel (my first attempt after decades of writing nonfiction), I ask myself all the time if the scene helps a character achieve his or her goals or if it has any purpose to move the story forward.

This is the question every business blogger or content creator should ask, too.

In a business, each piece of content should have a distinct purpose. Does this ebook or blog post further your business goals? Does it contribute to the “plot,” or story of your business in any way? If the answer is no, you should probably ditch it. If yes, then find the first thing about it that has meaning. You might even write that down and keep it front and center while you’re writing.

What is the end goal? Don’t lose sight of it. If you have to put a sticky note at the top of your screen to remember it, then do that. Some examples of content goals you might write:

This article, (Title), will attract the ideal client to my website because it solves this initial problem and helps them see that I am the obvious solution to their woes. An appended web form will invite them to learn more.
This ebook will convince a reader that my method of doing (whatever you do) is clearly the way to be successful. They will naturally want to attend my next class or read my next book, and these links will be included in the ebook.

A content calendar or roadmap clarifies topic ideas. If you’re stuck, your mind should be clear on one overarching thing … the health and growth of your business. Every choice you make, including how you spend your writing time, contributes or detracts from your success. If your writing time is wasted, then your business is probably not going to do very well.

When you stumble, stop and ask yourself, if I had to feed this baby (this blog, this business, my readers) one more day to keep it alive and help it thrive, what one thing would I do, write, or post? What is the goal?

Is your article time sensitive? — Hands hold clock with gears. Blue background

5. Is your project time sensitive?

Time is the great equalizer; everyone is working with the same 24 hours. When you’re stressed about time constraints, your heart palpitates every time you look over the cliff of your failing project. Ask yourself these questions to help you decide whether to continue working on that difficult project. Trendy topics can be the most interesting to your readers, so add some weight to your consideration if the content is trending. (In other words, don’t miss out on a hot topic!) If you’ve already put in some good energy on a topic people are currently talking and reading about, then consider giving that last push to the finish.

Ask yourself:

Are you on a deadline?
Is someone else depending on you to finish?
Does completion of this project impede the progress of the next one?
Does your project cover a topic that is trending now, or does it have sticking power for the long term?

Shoot your sights far ahead of where you are today, this week or this month. If you can let the project simmer, even for a few sleeps, then do so!

But if you are on a deadline, or if the topic has a definite shelf life, then you have a decision to make; whether it is better to start over, or if you can work with any original kernels of greatness and restart your engine.

Sometimes you don’t have a choice but to pour it on. It’s the old college effort… just write something you can turn in.

Ok, so your content idea may not seem to be working now. Step back and ask yourself these five questions I shared with you, and don’t lose hope… That great idea you were so gung ho to work on, may only need some tweaking.

The next blog post addresses how to mentally regroup and rewrite your content – if necessary. It’s all part of the content writing process. Don’t give up!

Ever notice how some people always seem to crank out interesting content that appeals to their readers and customers? If you want to write content more easily, head over to the Content Quiz and find out how you can streamline the whole content creation thing. Click the image below to get started.