Do you have a blog or e-newsletter that’s sitting dormant for lack of content? You’re not alone. Many a blog/e-newsletters are finding themselves abandoned for weeks or months on end, because their owners either don’t have the time or the inclination to keep them updated. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that when my blogs go “dark” or content gets thin (or in some cases missing), it’s because I simply haven’t had the time to publish my content. It’s sad, but even with most of my topics already prepared or mostly prepared, I still find myself occasionally caught in the abyss of never-ending chores that busy entrepreneurs face, and sometimes my blogs suffer because of it.
I get the feeling that I’m not alone, so today I want to share 3 Tips to Getting Content Written Now on your Blog:
- Option 1: Sit down and write: It seems a bit harsh, but sometimes the easy solution is the simplest one. If you’re finding that your blog is vacant for months on end, it’s probably time to evaluate if it’s something worth keeping in your marketing mix, and if it is, then you have to dedicate the time that it takes to build your audience and content. In order to do that, YOU MUST WRITE. Since most entrepreneurs never have enough time nor money, you have to take the initiative to place writing for your blog on your list of priorities of things that must get done to run your business. For me, I find that dedicating a pure 4 hour block of time per week works, when I’m really backed up. If I can’t pull that off, then I try to at least do 2 hours a day during the week until I’m able to catch up. I find that I have to make this time available in my schedule, because it is important to me and my business, and right now, there’s just no getting around it.
- Option 2: Pay Someone to Write for You: I start all my meetings with new clients by letting them know that despite the general perception that “Social Media is Free”, IT DOES COST! It’s going to cost your TIME or it’s going to cost you MONEY, but it will cost you! If you simply cannot find the time to exercise Option 1, then your next best bet is to hire someone. Prices for getting content will surely range depending on where you look. It can be a little as $5 if you can find someone to do it on FiveRR.com or it can be upwards of $500/hour if you hire a true ghostwriter from someplace like elance.com or a specialty website for content writers. For people that purchase Branded Blogs through me, I offer a competitive writing rate, but I always like to encourage people to write their own content to insure that their own “authentic voice” shines through.
- Option 3: Get Guest Writers: The jokester in me wanted to title this option “Sucker someone into writing for you for free”, but I opted not to. LOL. Instead, I’ve left the third option as “Get Guest Writers” because that’s probably the BEST way that you can get posts onto your site in a matter of a few days. Put out a call (typically privately, via email) to some of your trusted colleagues or up-and-coming people in your field and ask them to write guest posts for your blog. I find, it’s best to give them an array of topics to choose from, or guide them into a specific area, especially so that their content doesn’t become repetitive of your own. Ask for 2-3 post submissions at a time, that way, you have the opportunity to review them, and keep them for later, just in case you ever find yourself in another content shortage.
What other strategies can you think of for getting content written right away?
Kindra Cotton, Small Business Survival Specialist
3 Ways to Get Content Written Now on Your Blog
