Should you be writing that?
It’s a simple question, but so many get the answer wrong.
The result is a huge number of people producing content about topics they don’t really know, and it shows.
That’s because they do “research” before they “write” – but looking at the top N results and rewording them is not research nor writing.
When creating content, you should meet certain requirements first: know the business goal, the audience, what they should take away, and the subject matter.
Instead, what’s normally covered is finding a preferred keyword and “inspirational” content, leading to problems like topic at volume, high similarity, missing intent/stages, low value, and low quality.
When producing content, you should have a target audience with a certain level (uninformed, amateur, experienced, expert) and match or exceed their level.
The audience’s needs should inform what to cover – you likely don’t need an explanatory piece for experts or a “what is” section for higher levels.
Focus on the audience’s primary reason for consuming your piece, and ideally cover secondary questions too, linking to additional resources if needed.
If you don’t know the audience, their reasons, the topic, terminology, or have the right information, you should not be producing that content unless you own up to it being a “learning” piece.
Secondary research is acceptable if you make it clear it’s not your own and provide more sources/insights than others.
Creating valuable content is not meant to be easy – it should be based on your own knowledge, skills, experiences and insights to provide value to others.
Ask yourself key questions about the business goal, audience, what they gain, if you know the topic better than them, and if you can outline it yourself – the less “yes” answers, the less you should be producing it.
If you need content but can’t produce it well yourself, find someone to produce it for you or work alongside you – a reputable, proven writer or agency.
Churning out content just to make money means the net is full of copies and poorly paraphrased pieces.
And if you hire someone else to produce it but don’t know the topic yourself, how do you even know if the information is correct or possibly dangerous?
But if your business is based around content, then you need to improve your game!
You also need to get to grips with the fact that your concept of “original” may not be accurate.
(rewording != new)
