We have recently been examining different ways in which bloggers have allowed their blogs to deteriorate. Today, I’d like to talk about something that might easily put a blog out of business: a lack of original ideas or content.
This is a frequent error that many bloggers commit to different degrees. There are many more subtle ways to fall into this trap than simply collecting and republishing other people’s feeds with advertisements on them, which is one extreme that we see with bloggers.
A blogger I previously spoke with confessed that he recently realised that his website had been lacking in unique content without his notice. Here’s a section of his email that he sent to me (uploaded with his permission, with the privacy request slightly altered to maintain the blog and Niche (from Recognition):
“I used to post my thoughts about my niche to my blog every day.” I would first research topics and the news before expressing my own opinions about what was happening. But as time went on, I began to let things go. I discreetly started writing a few blogs based on quotations from experts in my industry, adding a few of my own opinions along the way. In actuality, these postings were pretty nice, and I don’t regret them.
But after a while, I got used to it and started including more other people’s thoughts and less of my own. So, when I check my blog, I’m lucky if any of my readers notice. My personal opinions about our market at any given time.
Wow, what a strong and direct self-evaluation. Since then, this blogger has updated its website. They still direct readers to media articles by others in their field, but they now do it in a sidebar section of the blog. As the main focus of the site, they have started posting 1-2 unique opinion pieces about their industry each week.
Problem
The issue of a blog’s lack of originality is challenging because I am aware of how many bloggers fall into the “trap” of merely copying the ideas of others. To further complicate matters, some blog types can get away with it more than others.
However, in general, your content needs to be original and unique if you want people to find your site and come back for more.
Solution
Like all of the “solutions” to the issues we’ve been working on this week, today’s is rather obvious but challenging to put into practise. The answer is to try to provide original and distinctive content for your website. This “uniqueness” can manifest in a number of ways, including:
The topics you cover
Finding brand-new, interesting components of your industry or specialty that no one else covers could help you distinguish yourself.
The stance you take
One way to differentiate yourself is to take a different position on a topic that everyone is talking.
The voice that you write in
Finally, sometimes it’s beneficial to compose the piece in a distinct tone or style. Write about a subject in a lighthearted manner, for instance, if everyone else is approaching it from a profound analytical perspective. If everyone is firmly rooted in one opinion, take the devil’s advocate role and consider the opposing viewpoint. Bloggers who want to contribute original content to their blogs might use the following advice: Additionally, in a previous post titled “How to Add Value to Blogging Conversations,” I provided the following 11 pointers on how to contribute to blogosphere discussions without merely restating what has already been said (I’ve included just the headers of each point below; visit the post for more information on each one):
- What were they saying? well?
- What did they overlook?
- Respond to requests with what others are saying.
- In what ways does it concern you?
- Look forward
- backward broaden your thinking
- Ask what if, using the “opposite” tactic.
- Assume the role of the enemy
Expressing an opinion on your blog is another quick approach to make it more distinctive. Blogs that do more than just report breaking news and express their opinions on a subject tend to spark debate, catch the attention of other bloggers, and attract more readers. People are curious about your feelings, so express them.
