17 Secrets to Keep Your Content Fresh and Engaging

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Part of successful web marketing is creating fresh and irresistible content. However, it’s easier said than done. First, there’s a vast pool of information readily available on the Internet today and standing out is harder than ever. Second, there will always be instances when you will run out steam and the only ideas that you can think of are outdated or just plain stale.

The struggle with content creation is real, but you can’t simply give up on your goal and keep your audience hanging. Here are 17 secrets to generating fresh content to keep your market wowed and engaged.

1. Follow a content calendar.

Make a content creation plan to keep track of your posts, publish dates, contributors, and keyword usage. It will also let you know when you can update an existing piece. Setting a schedule makes it easier for you to diversify and balance your posts to provide variety to your audience. When readers always get something new from you, they will tend to stay tuned for your future posts and even share your content with others.

2. Know what’s trending.

You need to know what your audience is currently buzzing about. Build content about the things that piques their interest at the moment. To stay updated on what’s new in your niche, you can set up alerts, subscribe to feeds, participate in forums, and visit social media.

3. Create an idea inventory.

On a regular basis (once a week or twice a month), gather with your team and brainstorm. Exchange ideas with each other and write down concepts you can use for content in the future. When you’re running low on ideas, you can always refer to this concept database. This can help spur inspiration or provide an idea that you can develop into new content.

4. Invite guest bloggers.

Accept contributions from other bloggers and writers and publish them on your site. Doing so is a good way to offer a fresh perspective and different insight to your readers. It also helps increase your exposure, which is beneficial to your marketing campaign.

5. Take advantage of factual data.

People are inclined to trust content that’s backed up by facts. That’s why presenting statistics, reports, and latest studies will always spur interest and build your credibility.

If you have data from studies you conducted or you found research findings relating to your niche, you can turn this information into an article, infographics or use it as supporting data for an e-book.

6. Create a list-icle.

List-icle or an article that is structured as a list is one of the most effective ways to engage your audience and deliver new content. This type of article offers a win-win situation for both the author and the reader because, it’s easy to create and it’s not hard to digest. It is on-point, focused, and fun to read, which are essential qualities most readers are looking for in web content.

If you’re looking for an example of a list-icle, search no further because you’re actually reading one now.

7. Provide answers.

People turn to the Internet to look for answers and information that can help them. Find the commonly asked questions about your niche and provide answers through your content. You can do that by being involved in the community, conducting twitter chats, or by adding a Q&A section in your site where people can submit their questions.

8. Produce how-tos and tutorials.

People surf the Web to find solutions or ways on how to do something, and when you give them that, you’re on the right track. Create content that teach your audience how to do something. For instance, if you have a cosmetic brand, you can do a step-by-step make-up tutorial on how to achieve a specific look.

When you provide essential information such as tutorials, people will love you because first, you helped them, and second, you provided necessary information free-of-charge. As a result, you build trust and cultivate relationships among your audience, which are things that ultimately boost your engagement and relevance.

9. Go for timeless content.

Timeless content or what’s otherwise called as evergreen content are materials that always stay relevant. If you’re running out of new ideas, go for topics that will not go outdated easily and can be promoted again in the future. Readers will always find value in them, regardless if they stumbled upon it months after the date of publication.

10. Try newsjacking.

Newsjacking is the process capitalizing on industry breaking news and using it for new content. It is a good way to provide latest information to your readers and let them know that you are in the know and constantly updated about what’s happening in your industry.

However, the key to newsjacking is to produce quickly and accurately. But more than that, you should always add your own spin or touch to the story to make it stand out and different from the rest.

11. Convert existing data to other shareable content.

Content is not just limited to articles, it could be videos and slideshows. These content are equally loved because they provide information without requiring readers to go through huge chunks of texts.

For instance, if you have existing material from an event where you conducted a talk or presentation, you can make it less formal and turn it into a slideshow or a quick video presentation.

12. Revisit your old posts.

Look for old posts that performed well in the past, and see if you can use them again today. In most cases, you can turn them into new content by simply updating the information mentioned in the post and promoting them again to your readers.

13. Do round-ups or recaps.

Round-ups or recaps can be a good way to generate new content by aggregating existing information found on the web. For instance, you can conduct a survey among your followers and recap their answers in one post. Another example would be to look for helpful articles from other authors in your niche, and compile them in one article. More than creating fresh content, this technique can also pave way for link exchange opportunities.

14. Interview an industry expert.

Conducting interviews with experts not just gives you insight on the industry, but it also provides you with new content to share. In fact, you can simply publish the interview, whether in written form or podcast, and use it to spur interaction among your audience.

15. Use idea generators.

Idea generators are tools that typically create possible working titles for content based on the keywords you input. The results you get can either be a hit or miss, but it can help spur inspiration or get your creative juices flowing.

16. Focus more on value, and not so much on length and frequency of posts.

When you write articles, your goal should be to provide information that will help your readers. Focus more on the comprehensiveness of the content and don’t worry too much about the word count.

On the other hand, this shouldn’t be an excuse to publish 250-word rushed articles just to make your site appear like it’s constantly updated. Readers would rather get quality content from you once a week, than see posts everyday that lack depth.

17. Relax.

Live a little. Hardwork is important, that’s true, but you need to take some rest too. Take some time off to relax both your mind and body. Sometimes, the reason why ideas don’t seem to come is because you’re too caught up with work and you don’t see anything new to inspire you.

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