YOU MUST CREATE REMARKABLE CONTENT.
I’m writing this because it has to be the foundation of every other question I answer. We won’t get anywhere dealing with all these ancillary problems if we aren’t getting to the root of the matter.
Dana does lots of wonderful things, but she has one job that matters above all else: She creates remarkable content.
That’s the heart of our blog. That’s the reason people visit. That’s the reason we have an audience.
WHY GREAT CONTENT MUST RULE
To make a website worth visiting, you must have content worth seeing.
This isn’t easy. To make great content, it will take time and skill.
I’d guess this is one reason so many bloggers give up and think it’s just too difficult to make a blog work. In the same light, I think it’s why it’s so easy to believe there’s some sort of “magic pill” the best bloggers have attained that simply isn’t available to everyone else.
If you want a flourishing blog, if you want followers, if you want something worth your readers’ attention, you have to make incredible content. A blog is worthless without this one crucial thing.
A GREAT BLOG IS GREAT CONTENT.
Let’s put it this way. Think of your blog like a machine. If it’s well-oiled and in tip-top shape, it should operate more efficiently. And having a stronger or bigger machine is great as it will make better use of your time and talents.
But what’s the most important part of the machine? Its ability to produce.
Your blog works the same way. The proper tools are helpful for running your blog by making everything work a little bit more efficiently. Your content might go further because of it. However, it’s all worthless if your content isn’t great to begin with. If you aren’t producing, nothing else matters.
YOUR TOOLS ARE ONLY AS VALUABLE AS THE THING THEY SUPPORT
The concepts I discuss within Blogger Resources are only valuable if you are working on your blog and content first. The entirety of what you are building only works if all these little things pour back into one big thing: Your blog’s content.
THIS APPLIES TO SEO
Want to know the real “trick to SEO”? You have to be the answer to what people are searching.
Google aligns its search rankings by ordering posts as though there were answers to the problem that’s being searched. To be at the top of search results, you must be the best answer.
The only way to be the answer is to have the best content with the most comprehensive solution to the question.
Your blog and content must be the answer.
THIS APPLIES TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter are NOT the secret to making your website work. This is the entirely wrong way to think about social media.
What good is it to have 10,000 followers on social media if you have nothing to show them?
On Minimalist Baker, we’ve seen social media work the opposite way. We build social media followings because we have a blog following. There will be exceptions to this rule, but I think this is a much more accurate view of how social media works.
So, the “trick” to social media is making great content first, then building social media strategy to keep followers engaged.
Think of using social media as if you are meeting people at a party. Typically, you meet people first and have a conversation about something interesting. Then, if the interaction was pleasant, you follow each other on twitter or facebook.
It’s the exact same framework for blogging. Having a great blog post is like having a great conversation. If it was a pleasant interaction, you want to keep in touch with that person. And what’s the easiest way to do so? Whatever social media platform you are both using.
THIS APPLIES TO BUILDING A TRIBE
Want a blog following?
Give your tribe a reason to follow your blog.
Make content that’s worth sharing.
Take photos that are delicious.
Write engaging posts.
Provide value to your readers, and they will want to share your content.
It never works (in the long-term) to force-feed content. That’d be like making a child eat vegetables when they have a Snickers bar within arm’s reach.
However, if you can BE the Snickers bar, the child can’t help but tell their friends about the delicious snack they just swallowed. (If you can’t tell, we love Snickers bars.)
WHAT TO DO FIRST
So, you know you want to be phenomenal and create remarkable content. What should you do first?
Or, in the same light, you worry the things you currently create are less than phenomenal.
What should you do? Just start. Do something, deliberately practice, and keep starting.
Let me encourage you with three very short points:
TIME
It takes time to get good at making good content. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t take off right away. Learn, practice, and be willing to fail. Put in the work.
SKILL
Making remarkable content doesn’t just happen. You have to learn and grow with time. You have to deliberately practice your craft. Over time, your skills will develop and improve.
STARTING
Very simply, just do something today. Don’t wait. Don’t make excuses. Do something right now. Do something tomorrow. Keep showing up.
YOUR CONTENT COMES FIRST
Making great content should be your priority if you want to make your blog grow.
It takes time and hard work, but it is very possible.
You can make this work, you just have to put in the time and effort.
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