Does the thought of blogging give you shivers? You’re not alone. For a lot of people blogging will likely rank right up there with bookkeeping and cold calling. With few exceptions, a lot of people simply do not like to write blog posts on a consistent basis, so they find any excuse not to do it. And as a result, their organic traffic can suffer for it.
We are guilty of this ourselves. We spend a lot of time working with our clients that we love, but it didn’t leave much time for something else we are passionate about, and that is teaching and sharing what we’ve learned. A couple months back, we made a conscious effort to write more than a handful of blog posts a year. The feedback we’ve gotten so far has been great. Organic traffic is up, leads are up and it’s great to know that these posts are helpful.
But what if you don’t like to write? The good news is, if you hate to write or feel you’re just not good at it, there are plenty of other ways to create shareable content on a regular basis without ever putting your fingers to a keyboard (much).
Curate Content You Like
If you’re like most people, you very likely share a variety of content on your social media accounts. You point out articles you’ve read, videos you’ve enjoyed, infographics that explain a complex idea in a simple way. It’s part of what makes social media fun and informational.
But what if you took your sharing one step further, and posted your thoughts on your blog first, before linking on social media?
The result of this curation technique, where you add your opinion with a link to the original article or video, is that you drive traffic to your site rather than someone else’s. Not only that, but it gives you more opportunity to start a conversation with your readers about the content you’re sharing.
Relying on Google or the other search engines to send you traffic can be an exercise in frustration. A better method is to encourage sharing on social media. But if you’re not a wordsmith, creating content can seem an overwhelming task. Rather than giving up and letting your blog languish, explore some other ways to create content your readers will enjoy and share.
Audio and Video
Podcasting and video blogs are more popular than ever and they’re perfect for those who don’t care for writing. With either type of content, all that’s required is you, sharing your thoughts. You don’t have to do anything as involved or complex as interviews, and you certainly don’t have to hire a studio for a day to record a series of “professional” videos.
You can create podcasts and video blogs with nothing more than your laptop with its built-in camera or a headset and an audio recorder. Just fire up your computer and share your thoughts. Don’t worry about perfection, you may be surprised how much your visitors will love a chance to see the real you!
One of our favorite tools for audio is Audacity. It’s been around forever, is completely free and lets you record and edit audio on your computer. It can be as simple or advanced as you’d like it to be.
There is also a fantastic app called Anchor that lets you record any type of audio or music and turn it into a podcast, right from your phone! It’ll also let you add real music from their Spotify partnership and makes it easy for you to publish your podcast on Apple and Google directories with literally a couple taps.
“Starting now, to make a podcast, all you need is the Anchor app. If you’ve ever wanted to make your own podcast but didn’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how it works.1. Create audio for your Anchor station. 2. Choose which segments to add to your episode. 3. Name your podcast. That’s literally it.”
– Anchor.fm
Guest Bloggers and Interviews
Despite Google’s apparent dislike for it, guest blogging is still a fantastic way to both generate content and get in front of a whole new audience. Other bloggers, marketers, coaches and service providers are looking for ways to grow their audiences, and many of them would jump at the chance to appear as a guest on your blog, especially if you have a good setup that links back to their site. It’s a win/win for both of you.
Not into guest blogging? What about a text interview or cross-blog conversation? Simply supply a list of questions to your interviewee, and post her responses. The interview format is perfect for introducing your audience to someone they might want to get to know better.
A cross-blog conversation requires a little more work on your part but it can be a fun way for your readers to get to know you a bit better. A cross-blog conversation is exactly what it sounds like: a discussion that takes place on two different blogs, with you and your blogging partner both offering opinions about a topic, just as if you were having a chat over coffee.
Hire Freelance Writers
You can jump on freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork and find people who will write blog posts on topics you request for a small fee. The only issue we’ve seen with this method is some of the writing can be low quality. You’ll really need to spend time looking through the profiles of the writers selling their services and check their examples, grammar and first language. You’re looking for people who enjoy writing that can produce good articles for you – those will usually cost more than $5. Try to avoid the writers that promise blog posts crammed with keywords to the point that the post doesn’t sound normal when you read it aloud. Also, don’t be afraid to tweak or re-write portions of the finished product it before posting if it helps make it more authentic to you and your message.
Hopefully these methods will help you fill your blog up with quality posts quickly and easily!
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