As a content creator, you have a choice. Either you create content that is great, or you waste your time. Seriously, that is your choice. I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes we need a bit of tough love, otherwise you are going to keep making this kind of common mistakes. You see, only great content will have you earning serious money. Average content in comparison, will not get you social media traction, will not be back linked to by other websites and it will not generate traffic.

“But,” the stereotype of a lazy content-creator that lives in my imagination stutters in an affronted manner, “Isn’t it about more than content? That’s what all the sites say.” And they do say that. And they are not wrong. You have to market it correctly and get it out there. But that will not matter if your content isn’t up to scratch. Because if your content is poor, it will not be Veni, Vedi, Vici, but, Veni, Vedi, backspace key.

So let’s look at what you need to do to write great content.

Make it original

Obviously, we all know that copying the text from one website onto another is bad news, as it will damage the SEO of both sites. So do not do that. It is more than that, though. Your content has to be original in the sense that it is not all over the internet. That means you either look for articles that other people have not found for inspiration, or you write about something that you know about personally, rather than trying to rehash old hats.

This is hard. Of course, it is. Otherwise, everybody would be doing it. That does not change, however, that this is the first step to creating catch user-generated content.

Head the headline

It is the first thing (along with the picture) that anybody will see. For that reason, it needs to be good. What does that mean? Well, it does not mean that you should head off into the forest and try to come up with headlines all on your own. You should re-invent the wheel. Instead, be aware that there is a science to headline writing and you really should follow it most of the time. Yes, this is boring for you, but the thing is, you are trying to engage your readers, not yourself. And to do that you have to use the science.

Not doing so is like a painter who refused to use paint.

Make it actionable

Whatever your writing should allow the reader to take something away that they can do. It does not matter if you are writing about the characteristics of great writers, or how to get high on paint thinner. There should be at least one idea that they can take away and apply in their own life, work or social circle.

This might be how they can develop such habits, or what kind of paint they should buy, or anything else, really, as long as it moves your audience to action. Because if you do not have any action, then the most likely thing your readers are going to do at the end of your text is a shrug.

Answer Questions

Most of us spend our time on the internet to get questions answered. That means most of the people clicking through to one of your articles (especially if they do so via a search engine) are looking to get an answer to something.

So supply some! That way this group of people does not feel gipped.

Be accurate and source

One bit of bad publicity can undo months of the good stuff. For that reason, make certain that you are accurate and do not get caught misrepresenting information. For when people find that out they might well never come back. That can be devastating to your fan base. If, on the other hand, you are accurate then people will come to believe you are an authority and when they think of you in that way, then they will link to your arguments to support their own. That is a good place to be. To build this reputation more quickly, source the stuff that you are referencing. It is not hard to add a hyperlink to support a claim.

Chances are, people will feel that just having that link there will already make your text seem more convincing.

Use stories

Talk about personal experiences in vivid colors and with real emotions. Talk about how you overcame hardship, how you beat a Goliath, or how you learned from your experience. We are suckers for that kind of stuff and it really is the key to create catchy content with Essaysupply.com. The more senses you engage, the more likely you will be able to draw your reader in. Also, remember to focus on needs and wants that everybody shares, such as love, belonging, sex, power, respect, dominance and community.

Use negative space

Big blocks of texts are just not the way to go. Instead, concentrate on short sentences and short paragraphs. This will be far more restful for your audience and will make it far more likely, that they will read past the headline. After all, if we want dense text we will go read a book. We are online because we want something quick and bite-sized before we go back to what we are actually supposed to be doing.

It doesn’t need to be a river, but it does need to constant

And finally, find a manageable level that you can sustain in the long run, so that people come to expect you to write. It does not matter if this is twice per day or once per week, as long as it continues, unabated. The trick to having your material catch on is having a large enough audience that actually reads it. And the only way to do that is to be constant.

Also, sometimes less is more. One piece of great content is worth dozens of bad pieces. So make certain that you do not push yourself so hard that you cannot the pieces the attention they deserve.