Sometimes it helps to start big and work your way down to the details.  This allows you to look at the bigger picture (and purpose) of your post, and work out the finer points later.  This also sets you up for a series of posts or a book.

TIP #12

Is your point helping people and society to improve, or helping people make money?   How about interviewing people on these subjects to create more content?

“There are many subjects to podcast about. They are mainly in two categories.

Spiritual i.e. ways and means of becoming a better person and helping to improve the society- virtues takes a big part of this section and our relationship to our Creator and those around us;

Material i.e. how to make money and help others to make money.

In both categories there are few good books that you can review and even Podcast about each chapter.

Perhaps you can also interview the people you admire and have recommended.”

–Vafa Motlagh Owner, Wellspring Sourcing

So include the bigger picture as a part of your posts to expand your topics and your audience reach.

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

Some people say mental blocks are “all in your head”, and that actually is true.  But getting past a mental block is still a real challenge.   Below are some tips to break free.

TIP #11

Don’t be afraid to use outside tools when your inside thoughts aren’t enough.

“Honestly, sometimes there is that mental block! Don’t let everyone tell you differently!

I’ve found that checking my website’s statistics for popular search phrases gives me ideas for things to write about, which in turn gives me great content that people are obviously interested in.

I’ve also found that when I’m in the mood to write there’s no issue. When I’m not, it’s like torture. It’s those torturous times that I write about what’s happening around me - so the reading tips from these other experts are great - use them.”

– Linda Lullie, Inspired 2 Design, LLC, http://www.inspired2designllc.com

“New content is often awkward. I am having a bit of a slow period myself at the moment on my website, but that is due more to pressure of work than dreaming up new content. What I have done is a few things.

First, look at LinkedIn answers in the area and use it as research material - there is often something controversial commented on. Please give credits, where they are due.

Second, leverage the professional press in your area of expertise. Find an article to critique.

Third, expand a point in an earlier article (thanks to Darren Prowse for this one). http://problogger.net/ ”

-Peter B. Giblett CITP, LLB Volunteer at Happen
http://cio-perspectives.com ”

 All great techniques for moving past any barriers that get in your way!

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

Sometimes, less is definitely more.  Some people think they have to pack in a ton of content at one time to be “legitimate”, but that’s not true. 

TIP #10

Share short tidbits of information instead of volumes of knowledge.  Dave Jackson gives some great, practical advice below:

“While the average commute is 20 minutes this does NOT mean your podcast has to be 20 minutes. You can provide a quick tip in less than 5 minutes. Do this instead of cramming 5 tips into a 20 minute podcast.

You can use a tool like Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) to search the internet for topics of your choosing and report back what is being written about that subject. This goes the same by subscribing to RSS feeds of blogs about your subject. This will keep you up to date with the latest information. ”

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

One to three minute “tips” are just as good, are easier for a listener/reader to consume, take very little time to create, and help your content go a lot further.

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

Everyone is at a different level of knowledge, and in a different situation.  Therefore, information that may be “old news” to one person can still be revelational to another person who is not that advanced.  So make sure that every post, podcast and page offers something of value to the people that will consume your content. 

Tip #9

Make every word and post count.  Give people something of practical value to use immediately every time you share something.  And don’t assume that they already know what you know - they probably don’t!  Gary Susman shares the following:

“If you’re blogging or podcasting to promote a business or your own personal brand, the questions you should be asking yourself are:

What can I post that will add value for the reader?

What do my readers want to know that I am equipped to tell them?

Which ongoing discussions of issues would be enhanced by the addition of my 2 cents?

Blogging, like any other social-media activity, is really participating in a conversation; it requires listening as well as speaking. That said, the adding value part is pretty easy, even if it’s just a quickie post linking to something posted elsewhere that you think would interest your readers.

You don’t have to be eloquent or long-winded, just enthusiastic about your subject. Whatever is topical in your field will keep you supplied with subject matter. It’s not important to blog frequently, just often enough so that readers know you’re engaged in what’s happening in your field, and that you have something new to offer whenever they visit.”

- Gary Susman Arts and Entertainment Journalist/Social Media Consultant, http://popculturewarrior.wordpress.com

Remember that what you post today could change someone else’s life tomorrow.  It could provide their “aha” moment and alter their business or personal direction.  So make the most of your knowledge, and share it as often as possible.

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

We are bombarded by tons of information every day, but sometimes something just sticks out and you suddenly pay attention to it.  Personally, I believe that our subconscious is always at work, seeing everything and filtering out the things we don’t want to pay attention to.  In the previous tips we talked about changing your mindset to see things you normally don’t see.  In this tip, we’re talking about following your instinct - and a topic - that just seems to come to you.

TIP # 8

Go with your gut (and interests) and start there.  Then cluster related words and expand your ideas.  Before you know it, you’ll have a series in the works!

“There’s never a lack of subjects to write about. Keep your eyes open and trust your instinct. If something interesting jumps out at you, take note. Literally.

Read the newspaper and circle “faits divers” noteworthy items that catch your eye. Ask yourself why it is those particularly snippets of news made you stop. See if there’s a link to an area of expertise you, or someone else has, take it from there.

“Clustering” helps. Circle a word and write as many associative words around the central one. Next do the same for each of those words. Go on until there’s a shift in your consciousness, the AHA! moment - the instance when you know what it is you want to say.

If you want to stay ahead of local reporters, read newspapers of countries in a different time zone. Always trust your guts and instinct and you’ll hook’em baby!”

– Judith Van Praag author/journalist, artist/designer, public speaker http://hopefilledjars.blogspot.com/

I like Find-A-Word puzzles - always have, since I was a kid.  I like to look at all of the words in the list and then look at the puzzle to see what “jumps” out at me.  I clear out as many words as possible that way. 

Then, I systematically look for each individual word, BUT I do it with the thought that my subconscious has already seen that word, and will show me approximately where it is. 

95% of the time, it works, so I know the subconscious is accumulating information that the conscious mind is not paying attention to.  So why not put that to work in your content creation?

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

Sure, some topics are timeless, and people will always want to know “how to” do something. But other topics cause spikes in interest AND in search engine hits, and capitalizing on those areas of interest can help bring more traffic to your content.

TIP #7

So find out what people are talking about and searching for and try to incorporate that topic into your post.  Remember when Britney Spears shaved her head?  If you put “bald Britney” in your posts, you would have gotten hits you otherwise wouldn’t have had at that time.  Just make sure that the lesson you attach to the time-sensitive topic is NOT time-sensitive, and will make sense and be relevant when people find your post at a later date. 

But don’t take my word for it - listen to these experts:

“Topical and timely topics get a lot of reads, so before you blog, ‘cast or write, do some reading. Check out your Twitter feed to see what your community’s buzzing about. Read your local paper and a few industry rags. Then get to work with comments, observations, additional insight, etc.”

– Margot Carmichael Lester writer, consultant, activist, rabblerouser http://www.thewordfactory.com

“I use social media sites like Twitter to see what people are talking about. It usually sparks an idea for me, often several of them. I also subscribe to many RSS feeds, and they help me with research and idea generation.

Someone might post in their blog about how to find a good graphics designer. That might jog my memory, reminding me of how I shopped around to find a great PHP developer. That might prompt me to right about tips for finding a good web developer. It might also help me find a person to network with who might be willing to do a guest post on my blog.

Finally, I think the fear of running out of ideas is worse than the experience of it. So I keep a notebook where I jot down random ideas that occur to me, ones I don’t intend to act on right now. When I feel stuck, I turn to my notebook and find that an idea has been hiding in there, just waiting to be explored.”

–Monica Willyard Research Assistant at Veterans Administration  http://scannersguild.com/

So keeping abreast of timely topics can give you great content creation ideas.  And if you keep the lessons timeless, but the topics relevant, you can double your visibility and hits.

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

Sure, there are particular ways to exercise your brain or fill your vision with subject matter, but I like Mike Klassen’s take on content creation. He talks about expecting to find content in all areas of your life, and actually finding what you need.

TIP #6

Always be ready to find new inspiration and ideas, no matter where you are or what you are doing.  I actually found a great business podcast idea from a trip to the amusement park 6 Flags.  Andrew Lock once did a podcast from Disney World, sharing business principles he thought would be profitable for every day entrepreneurs.  Here’s Mike Klaussen’s take on this idea:

“I suggest doing away with the myth that one can’t come up with enough content.   I had those same feelings before starting a newsletter, which then morphed into a blog. At least for me, once you’ve settled on the area that you’d like to cover (generally your career field or area of expertise), the ideas really do start flooding in.

Recall the example people give about thinking of buying a green car of some model. Suddenly, you start seeing those cars everywhere. It wasn’t that they weren’t there before, but you weren’t keyed into it.

Same with content… once you start thinking about it, suddenly just about everything looks like potential content. You begin filtering what you see and hear through the idea of “how does this apply to my field that I can use to help others?”  Then, somewhere down the road, all those posts/articles have the making of an eBook.

Also, many of my blog articles started from questions that I saw here on LinkedIn Q&A. They weren’t always directly related to my field, but I was able to address the topic and spin in such a way that it was relevant for my audience. Same thing with articles I read in my field.

It’s somewhat of a leap of faith… you just jump in and trust that the ideas will be there. If you really have a mission about providing people with useful info, the ideas will come.”

–Mike Klassen Direct Market Layout & Graphic Design Professional http://www.mikeklassen.com/

So start looking freshly at tv commercials and shows, a trip to the supermarket or gas station, what your spouse or kids say or do, etc., to spur you onto new and fresh ideas for your content.

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

If you have created an RSSzine and want us to share it with the rest of our community through our library, blog andnewsletter, please send me a link to the PDF, or I can host it on our site.

Click on any of the publications below to view them.  

101 Things To Do With Audio And Video (To Promote Your Business)	The Treasury Of Infopreneur FAQs	WE Magazine Spring/Summer 2009
Women Of Today Magazine Spring 2009	Jason Hartman’s Financial Freedom Report July 2009	Self Creation Workbook (Excerpt) by Yvonne Brown
MELTA Spring 2007 Newsletter

From August 1 - August 9, 2009,
we are offering a special
50% commission sale for our affiliates. 

If you know of anyone who may be interested in creating a PDF from their blog or podcast, or a turning page publication from their PDF, please send them our way.  Just remember to sign up as an affiliate first, and use your affiliate link and/or banner.

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

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

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

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

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

Many people choose to do it via info products, such as ebooks and recorded classes or webinars. This series will share with you ways you can get more mileage out of the content you already have, and also help you get the right mindset before you start your next series.

Tip #1

First, get your mind wrapped around the overall concept of re-purposing and re-packaging your content. 

Then, think about the different ways your content can be distributed before you even write (or say, for podcasters) a word.  Keeping the end goal in mind before you begin can help you be more creative.

Peter Wilson’s overall strategy sums it up beautifully:

“Start with the idea that you will produce your content once and publish multiple times - you will then start to think about all the various ways you might use that content at the very start - for example you might then take photos of the podcast being recorded for use on flickr.  You might post questions on twitter to help you create the content and then feed it back into your blog. Write once, publish multiple times - can’t remember who I stole that off but they were spot on.”

– Peter Wilson, Digital Strategy Manager at Sage

This response is appropriate to mention in this tip because this series of blog posts will eventually become an RSSzine ebook, but it started out as a series of questions I asked on LinkedIn.  There’s no better way for me to get the answers to the questions people might ask about content creation than ask others who know more than I do.  And I can first pass the information to my subscribers in online posts before compiling the answers into an ebook I can later give away. (Of course, always give credit where credit is due.)

What else can I do with this blog series?

• I can go through my Marketing With Audio And Video podcasts and see if there are any audio clips with great tips that I can use. 
• I can compile those clips and create a short audio book and attach it to the ebook or sell it separately, and
• have those clips transcribed and add it to this ebook and blog. 
• Then I can create videos from the audio clips and post them on video sites. 

I think you get the point.

So the next time you start a project, think about the different places you can get the information from, the different places you will be able to display it, and the different formats you will be able to use.   It will exponentially expand your income potential.

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

1. Import a copy of your Blog or Podcast feed, so you can edit your posts without touching the originals. Many of us:
   - write time-sensitive material in our posts, or
   - have automatic signature lines that are fine for live blogs, but would look funny in an online book, or
   - have several blogs or podcasts we’d like to combine, or
   - have posts we want to remove that don’t fit our present subject matter. However, few of us want to edit our original posts, because they are achieving their purpose as they are.  So we have provided a solution -
   we give you a free feed upon purchase of any RSS to PDF package so you can import your blog or podcast and clean out what you don’t want in your book.

   You can even import multiple feeds, so you can combine several of your blogs and podcasts to achieve your desired results.

2. Image Resizing for your RSS to PDF ebook. You upload your Header Logo, and/or Cover Image and Author Image, and then we let you save  to your computer whichever resized image you choose to use in your book. Then you can upload images with the correct dimensions. 

   Not everyone knows how to resize an image, and for your RSS to PDF to look its best, you need to have correctly sized images.   Now, our form actually helps you do that. 

3. Play a Special Audio Message to your recipients in your Downloadable Turning Page Magazine. You can record and send in an audio recording to be included as a part of your Downloadable Turning Page Magazine.  It doesn’t have to autoplay, as that annoys a lot of people, so readers can just click play to listen. This gives you the opportunity to add something fresh to your compilation of blog and podcast posts, or perhaps an update since you last published your ebook.  In either case, you get to add your personality through your voice to these downloadable ebooks.

I’m trying to think of everything that people would need to make this service easier, quicker, more enjoyable, and provide more valuable benefits.  So if you have any suggestions for the service, please let me know.  Just use the Contact Us form to share them with me.

Thanks for joining me for the launch of RSSzine.  I’m hoping that those of you who are affiliates are busy promoting the 1/2 off sale on Thursday, June 25th.   I really need your help, as I’m a creator much more than a marketer.

Have a great day, and I look forward to seeing what you accomplish on Thursday!

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

I will also be giving away a coupon for 10% off of unlimited purchases for the next 6 months. People can purchase as many specials as they like on June 25th for future use, as the Passcode that they receive never expires. 

I’ve decided to add to the Grand Opening Special an EXTRA BONUS.  I will also create an excerpt of their book for them if they like, so they can market their ebook with a sample of the turning page book.

I am not directly advertising the site’s Grand Opening to the public - only through my affiliates, so you get first dibs on new clients.  Then I will start a social media and marketing campaign to the general public.

If possible, I would love for my affiliates to run one of their feeds (or someone’s feed) through the RSS to PDF program in demo mode, and send me that (or another) PDF to convert as an excerpt / sample.   You can use that as a marketing tool to the people you are promoting to. 

If you have any questions or comments (and thanks for the feedback you guys have been giving me - it has been invaluable), please contact me at info@rsszine.com.   But until then, I’ll be programming my little heart out and creating instructional tutorials…

Thanks again for everything!

Penny Haynes

1. When you unzip your downloaded book, this is what you should see:
2. Double-click on the red box with the F in it.  The name of that file should match the name of the book you downloaded.
3. Once you open it, this is what you will see:
4. From left to right, these are your Control Panel Options:BookmarksThumbnails

   

   Permanent Link

   

   Print

   

   Save

   

   Full Screen

   

   Zoom

   

5. You can also jump to any page by typing in a page number at the top of the screen.
6. You can turn pages by clicking in any corner, or on the gray borders around the pages.  AFTER you have turned the cover page, you can use your right (->) and left (<-) arrow keys to turn the pages!  

If you would like to learn how to create your own turning page book or magazine, or create a PDF ebook from your blog or podcast feed, please go to http://www.RSSzine.com.