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Thanks again for being a member of the RSSzine community. I hope you have been enjoying the Content Creation tips as well.  If you have some ideas to share with the rest of the community, please feel free to submit it to me, so everyone can benefit from your experience.  Of course, I’ll include the link to your business with your post!

Until next time, have a great and prosperous month!

Penny Haynes, http://RSSzine.com

Many people are worried about starting a blog or podcast, or writing a book, because they think they will run out of content ideas.

So I asked the kind and smart people on LinkedIn to share their ideas on content creation.  I’m going to start with this response, because it deals with a priority issue, which I call “psyching yourself out before you even begin”.   Many people let their fear of failure, or fear of being less than perfect, paralyze them into not doing anything. 

TIP #5

“If you think you can’t, you’re right.  If you think you can, you’re right.”  Pithy, but so true.    Your negativity can kill your projects before you even begin.  Here’s what Sid Smith shares:

“I’ve found that the problem isn’t that there isn’t enough content, but that they think THEY can’t continuously write killer content.  In other words, they don’t want to be embarrassed by what they write.

It’s a very similar experience as stage fright or fear of public speaking. The fear is that their blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, or whatever

• won’t be read;
• will receive negative comments;
• will make them look stupid or illiterate;
• will be taken the wrong way; or
• any one of a hundred different fears.

The key to success is this: simplicity.  The best approach is to simply brainstorm a long list of topics related to their niche market. The easiest way to do this is

• to do a search and find other blogs in that niche.
• Make a note of all the CATEGORIES.
• Then, for each category, note 5 to 10 questions people are asking related to that category.
• For example, take the category “Homemade Dog Treats” for a dog or pet owner niche. What are recipes you can cite or questions people are asking?
• Then, and here comes the hard part, just make ONE major point or statement that summarizes what you want to say to answer the question.
• Make it simple.  Example: Homemade dog treats are less expensive than store-bought treats.
• Next, just write about 400-600 words expanding on that one statement.
• Forget about grammar and spelling (use Word). Write like you’re having a conversation with the person. Don’t worry about how it sounds. You’re not writing a novel. Just write. Writers know that the first draft will be garbage. That’s OK.
• Do a second pass at it, then post. Get it done.

The ONLY way to get past the fear is to dive into the fear. You and I know that once they get past the fear of putting themselves out there - virtually naked for all the world to see - and that they don’t die or get hung by their thumbs, the writing will come much easier. So, address the fear of public exposure first. The rest of it is easy.”

– Sid Smith Web Copywriting, B2B and B2C internet marketing, social media and SEO strategist

So start with a positive, can-do attitude.  Once you remove that obstacle, you will be surprised how much you can think of.  Stay tuned to the next tips in this series for even more ideas on how to create a continual stream of content for your blog, podcast, magazine or ebook series.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

Many people are better speakers than they are writers.  If you are one of them, then talk away - just get your audio or video transcribed for people who like to read.

Just because I am an audio lover doesn’t mean other people are.  I admit that I have been lax in getting transcriptions done, and now I am regretting it.  I’ve had some fabulous Marketing With Audio And Video shows, with tons of great insights and tips, but you have to listen to the entire show to get them.  I will end up having someone go back and at least get all of the tips and information out so I can use it elsewhere.

TIP #4

If you are a podcaster or speaker, then I bet you have an archive of content that has not been transcribed, and therefore the content has never been searched by a search engine.   It has also never been read by ebook fanatics.  How about people who don’t have an MP3 player and still listen to CDs? You get my drift?

 “You can have your podcasts transcribed and turned into articles. Some people have turned the transcriptions into ebooks. Some people sell their old episodes on CDs or DVDS. Some people take their old content and take it offline and make it available for “members only” and set up a member site. You can do this last one with One To One Podcasting (http://www.121podcasting.com).”

–Dave Jackson Podcast Consultant, Web Designer, Adult Education Specialist, http://www.SchoolOfPodcasting.com

Expand your mind to the many possibilities of taking your multimedia and transferring it into searchable written word.  Also consider re-packaging your audio and video in other formats like CD and DVD.  The possibilities are limitless.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

People are spending more and more time on social networks, so make sure share your content in conversations.

Where do you hang out?  Facebook? Twitter? Ning?  Wherever it is, use the opportunities there to answer questions and enter conversations where you are an expert in that topic.  Make sure you link to content you have elsewhere, share your basic knowledge whenever possible. Establish yourself as an expert in that niche.

TIP #3 

From press releases to natural conversations, there are opportunities every day to share what you know.  There are also sites dedicated to allowing you to show off.

“If you have social network profiles, post the content there to alert your fans/friends (e.g. Facebook “updates,” MySpace “bulletins”). Also, use the blog article as a way to introduce a topic that you want to write a longer article about, and use the blog article to pitch journalists or other bloggers. Furthermore, expand on the topic/turn it into a white paper & offer it for download, or publish as ebook and syndicate the content that way.

If it is topical and newsworthy, or otherwise controversial or interesting, use the blog topic as a press release to establish yourself as an expert on the topic. Finally obviously you should get it noticed & bookmarked by your Digg/StumbleUpon/Del.icio.us, etc. friends.”

– Erica Forrette, Online Marketing Consultant at http://www.Swell.com

“Besides Erica’s great suggestions, you can also promote your blog entries by submitting them to online magazines like ezinearticles.com and blog magazines like blogcarnival.com.”

–Alisa Masson, Versatile Marketing Professional, http://www.BluevisionPI.com

So keep these places in mind when you are creating content.  Think about what snippets would make good Twitter tweets, what would make a good article, what would make a good blog post or white paper. Then set those aside in a project folder as you create and come back and compile your clips later.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

 Many people don’t realize they are short-changing themselves by only posting useful information once, in one place.

If you have some valuable information, why only show people who go to one particular site?  Or why only share it with people who read blogs, or listen to podcasts, or read articles?  Why not go where the different people are and offer your information in the different formats THEY like?

Tip #2

Take me, for example.  Don’t give me a book to read.  Chances are it will never be opened.  BUT, give me an audio book, and your chances increase 100 fold that I’ll listen.  Why?  I don’t have time to sit around and read, but I can listen while I drive or exercise, or lay in the hammock. 

Think of the different ways that people learn, and create content in those different formats.  Or find out where they hang out, and create the content to fit that place’s format.  If they like Twitter, create posts that are 140 characters or less. 

“If you’re creating content for your firm, a client, yourself, a brand, or any purpose - do the work once and then use it wherever you can after the fact.

Let’s say you have a blog entry on cats, here are a number of ways to stretch that content and get more link juice and attention for your writing and blog.

• Comment on cat blogs and reference your post with a link.
• To find similar posts, use Google Alerts or similar search tool.
• Find forums and communities about cats and share your information - USEFULLY - to the members and readers.
• Leverage Facebook’s fantastic search engine and see if there are Fan pages or people with cat-specific pages.
• If you used photos in your post, toss those on Flickr and link back to your blog from those shots.
• Use the blog post to write micro-blog tips.
• Call in to cat podcasts or video shows featuring cat content and position yourself and your post as expertise on that topic.
• Turn the blog post into one chapter of an ebook on pets.
• Share your content with cat product manufacturer sites.
• Break the post into installments and run it as three posts instead of one.
• Reference the post in your other blogs and other posts.
• Submit it to Cat Fancy and other pet-specific publications.
• See if the local ASPCA accepts freelance submissions

And there’s much more. What if the topic was technology and not cats?”

- Jeff Cutler, Social Media and Content Specialist, http://www.ideas2words.com

So stop thinking that everyone else likes the same things that you do, and goes to the same places that you go.  Widen your horizons, and think outside of your box.  Then create content in every format imaginable.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com