Do These Three Things for Content Success

What makes an article or blog post successful? Success is ultimately in the eye of the writer. (Or, if you are the writer-for-hire, the eye of your client.) Writing takes time, and time is, as I hear all the time now, something we will never get back. What makes writing this content worth the time? What leads to content success?

We usually write because we want to share information, thoughts, or emotions with our reader.  But why? What result do we want from this interaction? You may be creating content purely altruistically, with no expectation that anyone will read what you have written, or if they do read it, take absolutely nothing away from that. That is doubtful, though. Even if you are out of touch with your goal, or maybe haven’t thought about it, you probably have a goal or a dream that’s buried deep down. 

Success Step 1: Monetize

Maybe you want to build your personal brand and develop a reputation as a thought leader. Your aim then is to grow a following that you can contact regularly with more of your writing. That can eventually lead to income, or fundraising for a cause you care about. Or, your goal may be to make money sooner rather than later from your content. For your content to be a true success in the monetization arena, you have to build in your call to action as you are writing in an intentional way.

Success Step 2: Publish 

Once you’ve written your article, it isn’t done. You have to make sure that it is  enjoyable when read by humans. You have to make sure that Google and other search engines can read it too, and they can place it in the right classification so that it gets read. You want it on the “A” pile, not the “C” or “D” pile. Before you click Update, do your best to polish up the writing. Then, add metadata, make sure your keywords are used appropriately, and add the other things that Google factors into its algorithm when determining content success.

Success Step 3: Promote

It’s possible that once you publish a new post that it will “get found” eventually but who has time for that? Give your writing a better chance at making an impact by actively promoting it. Sure, tell Mom, tell Grandma, tell your 1st grade teacher. They will be proud! But also share with the list you are building of people who are the most interested in your niche. 

These three little steps might seem obvious, but if you take action with them consistently, you will get more results from your content creation efforts.