This is a guest post by the Fit Jerk.
In the world of online content creation, the one sentence that’s been repeated ad nauseam is “content is king”. And you know what? This used to be true when there were only a few major players in the game… which meant you had a limited choice. But now, in today’s world where any random chump can set up a WordPress blog within minutes, things are a bit different. And by different I mean competitive as hell!
Then we had the marketing experts who came along and said that content isn’t king… “marketing” is the new king. I duno about you, but the last time I checked, marketing utter garbage isn’t a great business model. I mean sure, throw a million visitors on a site that resembles the aftermath of a college kegger and few visitors might stick. But why would you want to go through so much effort just to fail horribly? I sure as hell wouldn’t.
So, what is the new “king”? Quality Content.
Plain old crap like the silly 500 word general articles on Ezine isn’t going to cut it anymore. Just like any other market which starts to get saturated to the point of ridiculousness… the ones that rise to the top are the ones that are the best of the best.
Are you the best? If not, here are a few steps to figure it out and how you can BE the best.
Step 1: Figure Out The Best Medium For You
Let’s be real… some people are just not meant to put words to a page. Their content reads like a calculus text book and they wonder why no one re-tweets their shit or comments on their posts. They might be exciting human beings in person, but they are unable to show this through words.
Consequently, there are others who just don’t have the face for video or can’t speak clearly enough to release pod-casts. Seriously… YouTube already has a boat load of sleep-inducing videos and we don’t need you adding to the pile. Put the camera down! Let me give you another real-world example: My bio mechanics teacher who had a PhD couldn’t give an exciting lecture if her life depended on it. Life sucks when you realize that the Power Point notes are more educational and informative then seeing her babble on.
The problem isn’t that these people don’t know their subject matter… it’s that they chose the WRONG medium to deliver it. Figure out what you’re good at… actually no, figure out what you’re BEST at. Then go ahead and use that. Your content deliver vehicle is just as important as the content itself.
Step 2: Figure Out If Your Content Is Good
Ok, so you figure you’re just born to ramble in front of a camera – it’s what you’re best at. Great! So now you need to know if what you’re pumping out is actually worth a damn. To do this, the very first thing I’m going to do is list things you should NOT do…
Do NOT ask the opinion of your family members – Family members are usually going be caring, loving and supportive, so anything that you put out is going to be met with enthusiasm. Save their ego-stroking opinions for when you’ve made it big time and you know you’re the shit.
Do NOT ask the opinion of your friends – Again, same reason. Although there is a little more leniency when it comes to this rule. Out of all of my friends, there are two that will actually look at my stuff and will be completely honest with me. I’ve had times where they were like “this is shit dude… I think you could do better”. If you have friends that are this honest, make sure to keep them for LIFE!
And now, here are a few things you should do…
DO ask the opinion of experts in your niche – The benefits of this are obvious. Successful people usually love helping those that are just getting in the game. And since there is no reason for them to kiss your ass, they will set your straight and their honest feedback is worth it’s weight in gold.
DO invest in yourself – Marketing courses, web-traffic ebooks, copyrighting training… I’ve spend a shit load of cash on all of these products and while I did have to return one or two, most were fantastic. The best athletes in the world have mentors and coaches… so what makes you think you’re an exception? You not. If you aren’t growing, you’re dying.
DO see what’s working – Visit the top websites in your niche and see what’s going on. Why is their content kicking ass and yours isn’t? Are they better at it then you or do they just market it better than you do. I’m not saying COPY and regurgitate… I’m saying find out what works then spin your own angle on it or provide a thoughtful opinion. Big difference. One example is supplement reviews. I found that most supplement “reviews” online are fake and riddled with affiliate links. Now I’m all for monetizing and using affiliate link but… c’mon! These “reviews” were obviously fake, none of those writers spent a week USING the supplement while spending actual time in a gym monitoring it’s effects. Lame.
So I decided to put and end to this and started reviewing supplements for REAL. Digging into the science behind the ingredients and testing it out for weeks before throwing up the review… needless to say that I’ve trashed so many supplements that I’m “blacklisted” by a few companies from ever sending me samples. But do I care? Nope, because the ones I praise love me, and they love be because they know I was real about it.
Step 3: Practice, Practice, Practice!
Even if you’re good, you’re not the best. Even if you’re the best… trust me, there will always be someone better. So you need to stay on your toes at all times. This means releasing content on a regular basis, over and over again. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t write a crap load of content for 30 days and then coast… you’ll never win. Keep writing (or taping or pod-casting). Doing the deed hones your skills, solidifies your style and generally makes your work tight as hell. People like tight.
It’s just like sex… no matter how much porn you watch, the only way to get better AT sex is to HAVE sex. If you’re not getting laid, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll suck in bed. The same goes with blogging. You can’t write a few posts and become awesome… you gotta keep doing it. Basically what I’m saying is the more you blog, the sexier you’ll be. How’s that for a conclusive statement? *wink*
Now go out there and make it happen. Remember, competition is fierce… which means the perceived value of content is at an all time low. So to win, you gotta be good. Quality is the new king, all hail!
Author Bio: “While he has a passion for writing and oozes the entrepreneurial spirit, the Fit Jerk is a Fitness Expert first, and focuses on impeccably accurate advice that is delivered it in a straight forward, No-BS style. Check out his popular Fitness Blog and E-Training program!”
