Content Creation Doesn’t Have to Be A Pain

Is Content Creation your Favorite part of Blogging? Do you love writing all day, every day?

If you didn't answer “YES!!!” to both of these questions, then you may be thinking that blogging just isn't for you. After all, if the thought of writing all day scares you, like it does many people, you might think that there is no way that you can create a successful blog. Content creation is critical to your success, but if you think that means writing all the time….

Today, I want to Blast that LIE right out of your Brain Forever!!!

Sadly, belief in this lie stops many great people from sharing their ideas with the world.

Let's face it, you don't have to WRITE your blog posts in order to have an amazing blog.  Although written posts are a good thing to have, there are tons of people out there running successful blogs, with little or no writing at all.

Your blog is about content. You have to have it in order to be successful. But you don't have to be  typing away all the time in order to create really amazing blog content. Today, I want to explore content creation a bit deeper than just writing articles, which I frankly get bored with, and explore new ways to create blog content that doesn't leave your fingers an aching mess.

What is Your Favorite Way to Express Yourself?

Before you dive into content creation for your blog, think about what kind of content you want. Your goal with content creation should be to find a way to express yourself doing something that you enjoy. Otherwise, all you are doing is creating a JOB for yourself, which frankly SUCKS!!!

Instead, find your own expression, and share it with the world. If you can't find a way that is already popular, CREATE your own form of expression, and see how people react to it. Today, I will explore a few forms of content that are already wildly popular in the blogoshere, and some tips that you can use to start creating your own content strategy today.

Pictures Are Still Worth 500 Words

Art content creation
Image by A.Currell via Flickr

This economic depression sucks. Even pictures aren't worth what they used to be. But, there are loads of photo blogs that express themselves by sharing photos that they have taken.

Even ProBlogger's Darren Rowse runs a digital photography blog, where he teaches how to improve your photography skills, and he is one of the biggest and best bloggers in the business.

IF you love photography, you could share some of your best work, taking pictures and sharing them on your site. Perhaps you write one or two paragraphs describing the picture, which is a lot easier than writing a full article.

You can even share OTHER PEOPLE's photos (with proper permission and credit of course).

Video Blogging Is On the Rise

If you have lots to say, but just can't seem to get it on paper, video blogging is a viable option as well. You can use screen capture software or a video camera, and record yourself saying whatever you want to say. I have recently done a lot of video blogging myself, and you can even check out my video marketing strategy, which is a great way to brand your business.

Here is an example from one of my recent videos on YouTube about networking with influencers in your life…

This is part of an 18 part video blog post serries that I am doing right now on my personal development blog. So far I have 3/18 videos posted. Just started it this week, but the reactions are starting to look good.

Podcasting Your Way to Successful Content Creation

So, maybe you have lots to say, but you are a little camera shy, or don't have a decent camera. Don't worry, I know just how you feel. I know LOADS of camera shy people who still manage to not wear away their fingers by typing articles all day.

Content Creation is still possible for you!

Well, another option is Podcasting. In fact, I recently got into podcasting, and Ms. Ileane has tons of great tips on Podcasting here! I have been following them myself, and she has done an amazing job getting the word out on how to do podcasting effectively.

You can talk your audiences ears off, and share tons of value with simple recordings.  Audio is really popular and is an easy form of content creation, that you can master pretty easily. You can even start with loads of free sites and recording software, although you might need to make an investment in a microphone (I got mine for $15, shipping included on Amazon).

Run a Community Blog

There are tons of really great community blogs within the IM niche, all of which have loads of great authors contributing articles, without the blog owner having to do much writing themselves. These are always looking for new authors, and they build loads of content, and a huge following. Even Basic Blog Tips is quickly becoming a community blog with more posts from guests than from Ms. Ileane, and they are generally great posts shared by some really smart marketers. Ileane doesn't have to spend all her time on content creation for this blog. Instead, she can focus on doing other things like guest posting, and networking with other bloggers.

But, guess what?

There aren't that many outside of this niche. You could be the first.

Get out and start putting together a community blog for your niche. There are tons of advantages to allowing guest posts on your blog besides not having to write them all yourself! Find people to start guest posting, and build up a following. Then, you can focus on site promotion rather than content creation, while other people beg you for the chance to share with your community.  It's a win-win-win situation.

You win by not having to create content, but still having an awesome blog, the guests win by having a place to submit their articles, in exchange for a backlink or two, and most importantly, the customers win by finding great information time and time again.

Find Your Own Unique Voice

Don't limit your content creation to just writing articles, and don't try to do it all alone. Get out there and find your own voice within the niche. Creating blog posts shouldn't be a trial. It should be fun and enjoyable for both you and your blog following. Network with other people, and take full advantage of the opportunities that you have. You can do whatever you set your mind to doing, and achieve all of your dreams!

How have you created content for your blog besides slapping together articles? Share your ideas and experiences with different content creation tactics in the comments below. Questions are welcome too….:)

94 thoughts on “Content Creation Doesn’t Have to Be A Pain”

  1. My biggest problem with content is TIME. I have so many ideas that I’d love to write about, but I have a very full non-blogger life — which, of course, provides MORE things to write about…

    1. Ballancing your time is a critical aspect of being successful. I have so many ideas, there is NO WAY I can ever do them all. Some I write down and keep in an ideas folder for future reference, and some I give away in my blog posts so that maybe someone could run with it if they have the time.

    2. I used to have that problem as well but now I just use Dragon naturally speaking software. So all I have to do speak my thoughts and software does the rest. This software has allowed me to write two 800 word article in under hour.

      It is quite pricey but you can buy second-hand copies on eBay.

      1. I have DNS version 10. I love using it as well. However, I can still do the audios and videos faster than I can do articles, even with DNS to help me out.

      2. man that’s an awesome idea Robert, I used to use Dragon naturally speaking years ago when it came out but its accuracy wasn’t all that great, gonna give it a try now. Time is definitely a problem for me too.

        Thanks. 🙂

        1. DNS takes a few months to train really well, but once you do it is great. Last night, I did 5,000 words in an ebook that I am working on in less than an hour.

  2. Yet another article that helps people with their blogging. Thank you for sharing. My content are pretty much written blogs. With your advice, I am looking into how I can diversify my blog in the near future.

  3. Diversifying is a great way to get out of the dulldrums that sometimes hit as a blogger. I find that when I can’t think of something to write, I start recording, either audio or video. some I publish as video and audio, and sometimes I just use the recordings as a boost to get me going. Sometimes, I start recording something, and I get into a flow that I can’t seem to hit when I write. I have actually had some really great stuff come from turning on my recorder and just letting myself talk for about an hour or two.

    loving to listen to the sound of my own voice helps 😀

  4. There are times when I do struggle to find inspiration for my blog posts. What I do is close my computer, go out and smell some fresh air. I then do things that I love like eating at my favorite restaurant or watch a movie. By tomorrow, my mind is ready to write.

    1. Sometimes when my mind goes blank I go to Yahoo answers or a few forums and see what questions are being asked I then Use That question as a foundation or outline for an article

      1. I love hitting the forums myself. Often I can find inspiration for a blog post just by answering a few questions in the forums. I also use that as a way to get some traffic from the forums onto my websites.

  5. I love the idea of guest blogging but I wonder if it will be difficult to attract writers until you have a following. What’s the best way to attract guest bloggers?

    1. If you want to attract guest bloggers and have a following you have to become a guest blogger and join in the conversation. Go to the place where everyone hangs out within your niche and contribute and as you contribute people Will start to Visit your site.

      Because I have given you a few tips you will probably now go to my website to check me out.

      So by this example you can see that contribution to the conversation Can build a following

    2. Hey Danny, getting guest bloggers to post on your blog can take a little work, but there are sites out there to help you. First I would put together a “Guest Posting Guidelines” page on your blog. This is where you will send people who want to guest post. You can create your own rules, or follow what some of the other popular blogs are doing.

      Personally, I don’t like leaving my blog open to registration, so for my guest posts, i have them submit via a contact form. I will post their guest post under a user I created named “Guest” and will give them an authors byline at the end of the post.

      I like this method myself because 1, my site is more secure without registered users, and 2, it gives people who guest post multiple times the opportunity to deep link to relevant pages on their site rather than just having 1 bio link that shows up on all their guest posts.

      Next, I would go to other blogs and blogging communities and network with other bloggers. One that I like is http://www.MyBlogGuest.com. I go there to find blogs to guest post on, and I also have my blogs listed there looking for guest posters.

      You can also hook up with people looking to guest post on sites like BlogEngage, BlogInteract, BloKube, Comluv, and other community blogs where bloggers hang out and network with other bloggers.

  6. Great suggestions, James! Just reading your article gave me a few great ideas for my blog. Gonna try them out right now.

  7. For me, finding the time to create content is hard some days. When I do find the time, I scheduled as many posts as possible just in case I don’t find as much time the following few days.

    One thing I have been thinking about is creating videos, especially for my tutorials posts. When I do have some time in the future, I am hoping to do that. I do have screen capture software installed and ready to go.

    1. Hey Paul, screen capture videos do really well. I enjoy doing them, and often they are faster to create than writing articles on the same topic.

  8. Blogging about a topic that interests you makes it a LOT easier to write. It’s not always the most lucrative, but for my niche sites I don’t have a personal interest in I just hire writers! 🙂

    1. Spme people can do that, but for most newbies just starting out, hiring a writer is not possible in the beginning.

      Personally, if I am not interested in a niche, I don’t get into it with a full time blog. its too expensive, and you waste so much time on something that just becomes a job. i started blogging to get out of having a job, not to create one for myself.

  9. Great post

    You’re so right content creation doesn’t have to be a pain you just have to be creative. When I create a piece of content I then convert it into video, PowerPoint presentations and podcasts.

    It also works away round if I create a video I turn into an article etc.

    I created a guest post at comluv.com called “4 Simple Ways To Get More Mileage Out Of An Article” There’s quite a powerful article with some great ideas for anyone who wants to get more from one piece of content.

    1. hey Robert. Thanks for all your comments, and for that reference to your article. I just want people to start thinking Content rather than just articles. Creating content is what powers the web, but I see a lot of people who limit their content to just writing articles all the time.

      Diversity in your content gives a lot of benefits besides just being able to come up with fresh ideas. Some people can express themselves in other media formats better than writing.

  10. lovely blog, i enjoyed it, personally i think balancing your time is a huge aspect of being successful. i find writing down my ideas to use in the future helps too

  11. Jim, “slapping together” articles made me laugh – until I realized that I was doing exactly that on all my failed niche blogs.

    These are great alternatives to typing. It so happens that I love to write; however, on my main blog, I vowed to never post for the sake of posting. Content creation is about having something you’d want to re-read yourself! Now, with your suggestions, that can be generalized to your summation:

    “[Content creation] should be fun and enjoyable for both you and your blog following.”

    Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers,

    Mitch

    1. You hit the nail on the head with that one. It should be fun and exciting. if it isn’t, you will get bored with blogging, and give up before really giving yourself a chance to succeed.

  12. Awesome! I think many times, in the past, I’ve made excuses, but really, content should be fun and joyful to create. I so agree with your points above. If you don’t like to write, you can use other mediums of expression. Content is so important (I think I just made an understatement! LOL!). I like how you offer ideas–it really can silence the voices that say it’s a pain to create content or that you don’t feel like writing. Thanks for sharing this.

    1. LOL, silencing the voices of doubt is really important to successful blogging. I am acutally working on an ebook on queting the voices of doubt and finding your true self expression to succeed in life goals for my personal development blog at the moment.

  13. Today video blogging is getting importance as in less time we can covey and get more knowledge. One video can be watched by a group of people but one post on single computer can’t be read by a group.

    1. That is so true as well. There are lots of advantages to video blogging, not only for you, but for your readers as well. One thing that i see a lot is people trying to build a YouTube channel, yet they never share those videos with their blog readers.

      Those are people who want to hear what you say, and they will be more likely to help you get the word out about your videos than some random stranger who has never heard of you.

  14. Rock solid tips James. You are so right about people sometimes “backing” up due to the lack of or inability to create content. There are just so many ways to create content nowadays that the only thing thing required is a bit of creativity. The list you provide above are definitely a good path to follow 🙂 Thanks!

    1. Thanks DiTesco! learning to think outside the box and find new ways to express your ideas can be fun. Unfortunately, people get stuck in a rut from time to time and lose sight of how they can connect with their readers.

  15. Good thoughts! Content creation should be bred of passion not need. Of course, it’s good to make a job out of it too. I run a content writing service so our basic function is to write but… I do dabble with podcasting and vlogs just to spice things up.

    And as long as you have a plan or consistent theme your audience will go down rabbit trails with ya.

    1. I have run some content services myself. It was okay, but I found that my best writing is when i am passionate about the topic. Most of the stuff I was doing for clients bored me, and it became too much like a job, which showed in the work I was doing. i get much better results (and make more money) building my own sites with my content.

  16. Thanks James this was a great post. I appreciated that you talked about finding your voice. I think the key thing is not to let your fear keep you from doing it. Also understand that when it is new, it is going to be uncomfortable no matter what type of content you decide to create!

    1. Hi Lynda, thanks for your compliment. Fear is one of the biggest killers of success. Unfortunately, most people are being trained to hide from their fears, and this gives the fear more power to control them.

      Let go of the fear, and do what you have to do. Courage isn’t about facing challenges without fear. its facing the fear, and doing what you have to do anyway.

  17. What a great list of ways to create content. Another tip I use is interviews. Just interview an expert and you can use the audio or have it transcribed or just use the juiciest nuggets in a post.

    1. Hey Martha, thats a great tip. I haven’t done any expert interviews yet, but I plan to add that into my mix over the next few months.

  18. awesome blog…Diversifying helps us bloggers a lot,if i have writers block i change and start recording an audio or video, when i get stuck on that i go back to writing, it always helps me

  19. Videos are great to convince people to buy a product. You can more easily demonstrate a new program, a plugin or a gadget when there’s a video to accompany your article. They are also useful for how-to types of content. But if you are blogging about poetry and short-story writing, you won’t need them much.

    Pictures are great with just about anything, but especially when you want to express yourself, as you say. I use photos to illustrate my point and to create interest in an otherwise boring text content.

    Ebooks are very popular. If you have a great idea, you can encapsulate it in PDF form and give it away for free–making sure there’s a backlink to your blog embedded in it.

    As the Web becomes more advanced, I think more and more bloggers will find it necessary to diversify their content in order to survive. Aside from the benefit to oneself and one’s readers, I believe Google will lean toward sites with multimedia content anyway, since these are less likely to be “scraper sites” and “made for AdSense sites.”

    1. multimedia content is easy. you also don’t have to create it all yourself. Curation blogs are really doing great. You can find other people’s videos on Youtube, podcasts, and articles that you find really helpful to get even more content for your blogs.

      As long as you credit the source and add your own ideas with one or two paragraphs, instead of just scraping content, you are becoming a valuable resource for sharing good content within the niche.

    1. You might look at curation for your blog. There are several plugins for wordpress and other tools available to help you with that.

      Check out the post in my CL link, and you will find a video from Mari Smith with 8 ways to find content to curate on your blog. Also, you can use Zymanta, which has an addon that you can use for your browser, there is a plugin for your blog called “Insights” which you can find through the Plugin directory inside your dashboard. CurationSoft has a free version that you could use for finding blogs through Google Blog Search, although I prefer the paid version because it gives you more options of sites to curate from such as YouTube, Flickr, BlekkoSearch, and RSS feeds from your favorite blogs.

  20. Content creation is something I feel is extremely important to the success of a blog.
    I however struggle with content creation, and as far as video blogging goes, it’s something I’d love to (have to) start doing, but have neglected as it lies outside of my comfort level. (I know, it’s something I’m going to have to change)

    The great thing about content is it comes in so many different forms. 🙂

    1. just keep in mind, stepping outside your comfort level is how you grow. the only reason you CANT do something is because you have a negative belief stopping you from doing it.

      Just get out there and do it. If you watch my videos, they aren’t perfect. I make a ton of mistakes every day. Let go of your fear of not being perfect, and just do it. You won’t be perfect, but you don’t have to be. most of the viral videos out there weren’t perfect. The message is often more important than the quality of your video. Is it engaging, informative, humorous, or controversial? these are all keys to any content going viral, whether its a video or an article.

  21. I do believe that the authentic content creation is what most bloggers are lack of. If there’s some originality then it’ll be good. These days, most bloggers reuse and recycle their content.

    1. really, there isn’t much being said that is truly new or original. What makes your content original is by adding your opinions and insights into your blog posts.

  22. If you don’t read and write then creating content will be hard. You mentioned video blogging, this is a great way to get your audience to really listen to what you have to say instead of they reading it. People like to see who they are getting tips from. I need to take up that part of blogging.

    Sometime why we struggle to come up with our own content is because we might be tired. So having guest authors can be a great way to rest our brains so that we can brainstorm for new content.

    Thanks for the lovely post 🙂

    1. most people I know do read and write, they just aren’t as great with the writing as others are. I know some people who struggle with writing but have a lot that they would like to say. The main point was adressing these people, but I do agree with you. It will be harder to blog full time if you struggle with putting your ideas down in writing.

      I love having a guest poster on my blog. when I was gone last month, the only posts that were made came from guest posters, and it helped me stay going.

  23. I think the most important point in your article is that there aren’t many outside the IM niche who are doing guest posting. The possible exception could be the travel niche.

    1. That is true, but there are people out there looking for guest posting opportunities. However, they struggle to find blogs to guest post on. I have people asking me all the time if I know of any blogs in their niche that they can use for guest posting.

  24. Great post, I love creating content and sometimes it’s the bundling ideas together in the form of an ebook or filming a few videos that is more exciting than just writing posts.

    But I still think writing articles is a great foundation of a good content creation strategy especially given the SEO benefits as well.

    Thanks for the summary.

    1. hey Dan, writing articles can be fun, when you get in and allow it to be. However, some people struggle with it still. There are SEO benefits to it that other forms of content don’t have. For example, just posting videos on your site still needs to have some written content in order for the search engines to read the page, it just doesn’t need as much.

  25. I agree with everyone, make sure everything fits into your blog niche, if there are guest posts, they should adhere to your niche in order for your readers to keep coming back. I have a new blog and I want it to be like BBT and the other big dogs in the niche and hoping that some of the great minds here would be interested to share some at my blog 😀

    1. Thats great. Starting a new community blog can be beneficial. However, it can be hard to attract experienced guest posters to a new blog, especially if you are an unkown within the niche. Will definitely check it out, but as a guest poster, I am more willing to guest post on a blog that has a good following than an unknown blog that doesn’t see much traffic.

      As a guest poster, I look for blogs with at least double the traffic that I currently have to guest post on. I am not sure what others look at, but that is one of my criteria.

      Once I establish a relationship with a blogger, (like I have with Ileane here) I will continue to guest on their blog, but to begin with, I always look for someone who is already an established authority within the niche.

  26. Hi James,

    Love your ideas, I think it’s really important to find what’s your best way of expression.. writing, videos and so on, then you can create one to share with your audience. Video blogging is quickly taking place as you won’t have to read something instead you can hear it comfortably and implement it too.

    1. hey aanchal, thanks for reading my post. Finding your own way of expressing yourself is the key. You don’t have to do things because others tell you to, do it because you enjoy it and it adds value to your community. Those two criteria should be the basis for everything you do. other than that, have fun with it and be creative.

  27. Hi James, love the way you elaborated all the key facts to make content creation so easy, I agree with everyone that it is necessary to inform a guest blogger about the status of his/her submission. Ive also seen a lot of bloggers doing good stuff at video sites.

  28. Don’t forget to add live blogging to your content creation list. As you attend events or are just out and about, we can brand ourselves as experts and resources while providing information in real time. Be sure to tell a story as you do it and not just divulge boring details. Become the coolest, possibly the ONLY, live blogger in your niche.

    1. Hey Marcie, thats a great tip too. thanks for sharing. I haven’t done any live blogging yet, and I always write these from my own experiences. Glad to hear that this works out though. I will have to try it out sometime.

      I haven’t really been to any big events. Usually it seems when one is going on, I am always in the middle of something else outside of blogging that keeps me from going.

  29. I think writing articles is a great foundation of a good content creation strategy especially given the SEO benefits as well.

    1. although articles are great, my point was not to limit yourself to just writing articles. Thanks for your comments 🙂

  30. even if you fill your blog with guest posts, you still have to be able to create content to get traffic to your blog. Content is what makes the web work, and it is critical to having a real business.

    If you are in a niche that you are passionate about, you should know enough to be able to create some form of content for your readers. If you aren’t in a niche that you are passionate about, look inside and find a new niche.

  31. thanks for the motivation and tips.I struggle with content creation and takes me a bit to get in the groove of writing. I will get better 😉

    1. Sometimes it is difficult to get into the groove. I have had that problem several times myself. Usually, I go browse other blogs, see if I can curate something that someone else has said, look for an inspiring video on youtube, or work on something else for a while. Usually, while I am doing that, something will click.

  32. This is a really interesting perspective. Personally I love writing content but like all bloggers can sometimes find it a bit of a chore!

    1. Many of us love writing, but not everyone does. I talk to people all the time who think they can’t run a blog because they struggle with writing articles. I wanted to give them alternative ideas to running a successful blog.

  33. Awesome post. I am not a great writer, to say the least. However I do find a lot of content (pictures, video, etc) that is worth sharing. Your post has inspired me to start posting what I feel like, and not worrying so much about writing in length.

    1. Thats the spirit. Get out there and post something. find something to share with your readers and inspire people through images. You don’t even have to share your own stuff. there are a lot of great curation tools that you can use to build your business.

  34. Content creation can be an absolute nightmare sometimes. Some days I wake up and can think of absolutely nothing to write, and my hands refuse to type! I’ve found browsing sites for guest bloggers can be a productive thing to do on these days. I may use your idea of creating a video blog though, that may be a good alternative to just text.

    1. hey Ovation, I know how you feel. some days, I want to rip my hair out when I start trying to come up with something to say. But, if you are passionate about your niche, you will always have an opinion to share, or a new experience that you can talk about.

      Ask yourself what excuses are you using to stop yourself from doing what you want. I recently learned that excuses are self imposed lies that stop us from realizing our dreams. if you work on eliminating those, you can do anything that you want.

  35. Nice post James. There are days that I can’t explain why I’m not inspired for writing. When such day comes, I’ve learned to not push and use my usual offline relaxation techniques. I go for a long walk, read a book or do some house works that wait on me for weeks or months. After few hours I’m definitely back on track.
    Totally agree that picture speaks at least 500 words, every blogger should learn PhotoShop basic to edit and create interesting images. Video blogging is future, we all should start thinking in that way. I’ll read your article once and try to implement your tips in my personal strategy.

    1. Using Non Resistance to the problem usually helps a lot. I find that when I try to force it, it just makes it worse. Instead, I do something else. One of my favorite sources of ideas is going and helping people on forums. through answering someone’s question on a forum, I usually find something to say. A lot of my blog posts are inspired from questions I answer on forums all the time, including this one.

      I genreally find that when something is being asked on forums, people are also searching for that information elsewhere, so it is a great way to brainstorm ideas

  36. Content creation is not a pain, what’s more painful is the writer’s block. When you just have nothing in mind to write a content. And then I’ll fight back by finding a great motivation to write. When I’m motivated I tend to become more effective, imaginative, and productive.

    1. For a lot of us, that is very true John. But, most newbies that I talk to, the fear of writing stops them from giving it a shot. I usually have a few videos, prewritten blog posts, and podcasts sitting on my computer for those days that writers block is hampering me getting something out.

  37. these tips are great to go with and video and digital photography is a awesome point as this really matters for the readers to keep them interested.

  38. Hi James,

    I think try out a mix of content is great to test the water, to see how the readers respond. Content in words are still the greatest for Google as you will attract of people target different search terms. However, video indeed is the current “in thing” given that bandwidth is wider and cheaper everyday. There are tons of traffic to be harnessed from video sites!

    Good stuff!

    Cheers,
    Ming

    1. I am finding that my video posts and podcasts which have a lot less text on a page are getting higher rankings, and faster rankings than my articles. they also get a lot more social sharing and natural link building, which means I spend a lot less time actually promoting them.

  39. This is really interesting James, I always thought that content creation is not a big deal, I came across outsourcing, but not so comfortable with it, I feel it’s not me! I prefer write short posts that has my own ideas and voice instead.

    Just thought to share!

    1. hey Hesham. I outsource some of my content for mass syndication, but my blog posts and guest posts are always written by me. however, there are a lot of tasks that outsourcing can help with so that I have time to create content for my readers. I agree, everything that you post needs to have your own voice.

  40. The problem I face mostly is the lack of topics. At times I don’t find any topic for writing a blog post. Can you give me any idea how to get new ideas for my blog posts?

  41. Hi Shree, if you browse through the other comments, I have already shared a few of my ideas for coming up with content ideas. However, I will give a few of my favorite for you here as well.

    First of all, it comes down to niche research. Every month, I do a brainstorming session, and lay out about 20-30 ideas that I want to blog about. Through that, I will pick ideas, write potential headlines, and do my keyword research.

    At the end of each day, I pick out a topic for the next day, double check a few things, and hammer out the headline for the post. then I go to bed. this gets my mind mulling over the blog post as I sleep.

    Sometimes, I also look for inspiration around the web. I will browse forums (one of my favorite sources of traffic, research, direct networking, ideas for content, and generally everything I need for creating content), browse my favorite blogs, bum around on youtube, etc..

    I also have those days where I am really inspired, and days where I just can’t get the brain going, or maybe I have a full schedule and don’t have time to sit down and hammer out a post.

    on those days where I am free to write, I always try to do multiple posts. I will go a head and have them put into WOrdpress, and format them, then save as draft, so that I have posts ready to go. Right now, I have about 15 drafts saved, ready to just go in and hit Publish.

    I love browsing Youtube. there are tons of videos there and often I can find inspiration that way.
    Get involved with the community, and help other people.

    I rarely have a day where I really can’t come up with SOMETHING to say. I always have questions people are asking me, emails from readers, and other things that give me topics to blog about. If you are blogging about something that you are actively involved with in your life, you will always find something to say about it. Find a recent post from another blogger that you read a lot, curate their post, and share your opinions.

    My problem tends to be finding the time to do it. I am really busy, and often work 10-14 hour days trying to get it all done. if you really know your niche, and are actively involved in it, you can usually find something to talk about.

  42. There are so many blogs nowadays, blog owners and writers need to figure out ways to stand out from the crowd. Soon enough if not already, that is what is going to set the big dogs ahead of the pack.

    1. I haven’t found any curation software for doing audio yet, although the recommendation has been made to Jack Humphrey of CurationSoft. Not sure if they are working on that idea or not.

      I generally use podcasts that I find through blogs that I read and follow, on the rare occasion that I do someone elses audio. Most of the podcasts that I post though, are my own.

  43. For me it is very interesting to browse blogs and see how they are more and more specialized dependent on niche – f.e. many network marketers and affiliate marketers are already using podcasting or video blogging and it really benefits their business, but Adsense marketers could harm their business using these tools.

  44. And if all else fails you can publish a curated post containing snippets of all the awesome stuff you came across that day or past week 💡

  45. Hey James,

    Great post. Really at the right time. For me, at least. Day by day, I am finding it harder and harder to write content. I have tried video blogging and it really worked out for me (didn’t take much time to do it). The problem, I think is that we don’t have that much unique content anymore (or its becoming harder to write unique content since there is a lot of competition). I think that is also the reason why guest blogging has grown so popular. I also like the idea of “community blogging”. But, there are problems with having more guests posts than ones of your won. It is your blog and you would want to write more than your guests (because, most subscribers subscribed to your newsletter or read your blog because they liked the content that you provided them).

    There is also another advantage to video blogging. You can get a back link to your site and blog post through you tube (Plus it is also easy to get videos on first-second pages of Search engines).

    I will surely try to implement the techniques to my new blog. Thanks for the awesome read James,

    Jeevan Jacob John

  46. hey Jeevan, thanks for your comments. Although I personally agree with you on having more of your own content, I know some people who don’t. Look around here. Guest posters provide a lot more of the content than Ileane does. There are a lot of really great blogs that run almost completely on guest contributions, with a little bit added from the blog owner from time to time. BasicBlogTips, ComLuv, and FamousBloggers are 3 that come to mind pretty quickly.

  47. Thanks James. This is really helpful, especially for someone as myself just getting started with blogging. Keep up the good work!

  48. Hey James, I just featured you along with snippets of this article as a part of a curated post I recently published…thought you and your fans might want to check it out 😉

    Keep the content flowing man!

  49. Marketing is my big problem. If you build it, they don’t necessarily come so I’m glad to ‘meet’ you. I also find that after I have written content, I don’t have the mental energy for the other stuff you need to do. Your latest project sounds like exactly what I need.

  50. I think the key thing is write naturally, with passion and to take a stand. People are more interested in content that inspires. I guess writing when inspired or having something important to share is possible in the initial stages.

    But then, for a blogger whose site has become mainstream, the readers EXPECT some kind of blogging schedule. This is when it can get tricky.

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