How To Create Good Content: 4 Questions To Ask Yourself

 Have you ever wondered what makes good content, or how to actually create content that people want to read?

The reality is that there is SO much content out there nowadays. Podcasts, YouTube videos, blogs, ebooks, courses, digital downloads, Facebook ads, and the list could literally go on and on.

So the question is: How do you make your content stand out? 

How do you ensure that people are going to come to you? 

There are 3 main types of content out there:

• Inspirational
• Education
• Entertaining

You can be primarily known for one or a combination of them. But chances are, the type of content you create falls into one of those 3 categories. 

 

When it comes to creating good content, there are 4 questions to ask yourself.

1. Is it helpful? Does it solve someone’s problem?

We’ve all done those ideal client avatar worksheets. And if you haven’t, I suggested doing one.

One common mistake people tend to make (and I’m definitely guilty of this myself) is forgetting that the content isn’t for you, it’s for your reader.

It’s to help make their lives easier - figuratively or literally.

Maybe you make their lives easier by filming your dog, which is entertainment. Truth to be told, I LOVE watching this dog on IG. Owners do a really good job of narrating her in her IG stories.

Or maybe you provide step-by-step tutorials on how to set up a blog for beginners.

Or maybe it’s something like this, where I help you with creating good content that people will want to read and share with their friends.

At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re creating content that’s solving someone’s problems. And to do that, you first need to know who you’re helping. Because from there, you can figure out what they’re struggling with.

 

2. Is it detailed / valuable or just fluff? Does it have depth?

I’m sure we’ve all read those fluffy articles, where… by the end, you realized they actually haven’t helped you with anything. It’s worse when they try to sell you at the end without first providing any value.

Have you ever attended one of those webinars that showed up as a Facebook ad? Where they spend the 15 minutes talking about their story, another 15 minutes about what they’re going to talk about, maybe 10 minutes of actual information, and the last 15 minutes are about this product that they’re selling you and why it’s soooo awesome.

Yeah, don’t do that.

It’s easy to think that someone won’t buy your products if you give all your information for free, but that’s not true.

Case in point? One of my online favorite creative souls, Caroline over at MadeVibrant, wrote this absolutely incredible and in-depth post about creating your first online course.

Caroline’s article just goes to show that you can give away a lot of valuable information for free and still sell products.

Isn’t it better to first build trust with your audience?

Also, I wanted to note something that I hear Gary Vee say a lot: If you don’t do it, someone else will. When you choose to keep “all the good stuff” to yourself, remember that someone else is willing to give away what you’re not.

 

3. Is it organized and easily digestible? Is it easy to follow?

If you are creating a how to list or any tutorial of some kind, please make it organized.

Example:

Step 1 is...

Step 2 is...

Step 3 is...

Because what I've found is that most people like (and need) structure.

Think of it as creating a recipe. First, people need to know what to get at the grocery store. Well, actually, I guess the first step would be writing down a list of all the ingredients they need to get and seeing which ones they already have at home.

But you wouldn’t tell someone to add seasoning when they don’t have anything to add the seasoning to first, right?

It’s the same thing with your content. You want to prepare people and guide them through.

Take another look at Caroline’s blog post on “How To Build And Sell Your First E-Course” again. Not only does she break it down into steps with clear dividers, but she uses headings and subheadings as well.

Make it clear what step 1, step 2, step 3 is. Use formatting. Write an introduction and summary.

Also, make it easy for people to skim.

 

4. Is it shareable? Do people want to share it?

The best kind of marketing is word-of-mouth.

When people share your content with others because it resonated with them or made them feel some type of way.

Maybe it helped them learn a new skill (education).

Or maybe it made them laugh when they were having a bad day (entertaining).

Or maybe it made them feel motivated to do something with their lives (motivation).

Because the truth is… what’s the point of creating content if no one ever sees it, right?

You want to create content that people see and want others to see.

So to recap, when creating valuable content, make sure it’s:

Helpful - it solves someone’s problem and/or makes their day better.

Valuable - not just fluff. Provide real information that people can use and apply.

Organized - people aren’t here to go through a maze. Make your information easy to digest and read.

Shareable - word of mouth is the best marketing. Encourage them to share it with others.