How to feel like you are adding value when there is basically already an article about everything?

14 replies
I'm in the sports/fitness niche. Basically whenever I need to know something in the niche, I can Google it and find it instantly. Same thing for most niches. Most of what we write is not groundbreaking, earth-shattering, but we write it anyways. How do you add value when that is the case? This is not something that is stopping me, but something that is lingering in my mind. I do feel like I can express ideas better than most people, but I still wonder if what I am doing is really necessary.
#adding #article #basically #feel
  • Profile picture of the author Vlad Romanov
    You dont need to have 100% visitors to make money... For example the fitness website you mentioned makes 1000000$ per year and is a huge site... Every day people look for such a site and if you can be the second best than you can capture a fraction of those people. So in a nutshell you can build a site which will capture some of the other visitors and you will make money. Without proper/expensive marketing it will be hard to compete with websites that were there for many years...
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6584973].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
      Great question. (great name, too, LOL!)

      When my eBay infomercial was running, there were tons of people saying: "You could get the same information (in Dave's book) for free on the Internet."

      That (unfortunately for them and the people they may have influenced) was a gross generalization.

      Without going into a lot of detail, there was no way they could find my particular experiences and the lessons I learned from them on the Internet. (they are my hard-earned experiences and they helped illustrate the concepts. Plus, I actually did have strategies that not many others were using / teaching)

      What you bring to the table (that others don't) is your particular experience, your particular stories that you learned from, your particular slant on a subject/ topic and your particular opinion about the topic, not to mention your way of teaching the topic which may be far better than your competition's.

      These are intangibles that determine who gets more traffic and sales.

      You could just as easily say, why does McDonalds exist when there is ____________? (insert name of favorite burger place here - mine is In N Out)

      Or, why drive a Toyota when there's Honda? (or vice versa)

      Not only are there "different strokes for different folks", but there are all kinds of different circumstances in which you would choose one article / product / service over another.

      Plus, you may be able to put together various elements into a "system" that is altogether yours and no one else can lay claim to.

      And, if you're in a big enough market, (and clearly you are!) you will find YOUR audience and get your share of those customers.

      But the most important reason is that the Internet is driven by content and you want that audience finding yours rather than your competition's...

      Hope this helps!

      Dave
      Signature
      I make several $1000s a month (passive income) on Udemy and here's how YOU can, too...

      Get your FREE UDEMY MINI-COURSE here:

      http://daveespino.com/FreeMiniCourse-Sig

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585045].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author DaveWarrior
        Originally Posted by Dave Espino View Post

        Great question. (great name, too, LOL!)

        When my eBay infomercial was running, there were tons of people saying: "You could get the same information (in Dave's book) for free on the Internet."

        That (unfortunately for them and the people they may have influenced) was a gross generalization.

        Without going into a lot of detail, there was no way they could find my particular experiences and the lessons I learned from them on the Internet. (they are my hard-earned experiences and they helped illustrate the concepts. Plus, I actually did have strategies that not many others were using / teaching)

        What you bring to the table (that others don't) is your particular experience, your particular stories that you learned from, your particular slant on a subject/ topic and your particular opinion about the topic, not to mention your way of teaching the topic which may be far better than your competition's.

        These are intangibles that determine who gets more traffic and sales.

        You could just as easily say, why does McDonalds exist when there is ____________? (insert name of favorite burger place here - mine is In N Out)

        Or, why drive a Toyota when there's Honda? (or vice versa)

        Not only are there "different strokes for different folks", but there are all kinds of different circumstances in which you would choose one article / product / service over another.

        Plus, you may be able to put together various elements into a "system" that is altogether yours and no one else can lay claim to.

        And, if you're in a big enough market, (and clearly you are!) you will find YOUR audience and get your share of those customers.

        But the most important reason is that the Internet is driven by content and you want that audience finding yours rather than your competition's...

        Hope this helps!

        Dave
        Dave, this helps me a ton. It is about my personal experience and what has worked for me and how I think that can help other people. That has been my angle all along I just hadn't realized it until you put it like that.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585207].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alcon
    You are adding value because as you said it "I do feel like I can express ideas better than most people" you have your value right there. If you can explain concepts in better terms than others can and provide a better user experience then you are providing "value"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585009].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author eslucky
    I agree that expressing your ideas better than most people is key. As we all know there are some pretty mediocre (putting it nicely) writers out there. In an area like fitness it always amazes me that new articles pass copyscape and aren't duplicate content. It is all in the way it is worded and how you come off to your visitors as the authority.
    Signature

    Elizabeth Crane

    “If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.” ~ Mario Andretti

    Web Designers Las Vegas

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585027].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author imgeek2727
    Thanks to social media tools like Twitter, I know for a fact that there is NOT AN ARTICLE FOR EVERYTHING. There are still many subniches and EDITORIAL POSITIONS you can take advantage of.

    Don't cause yourself to fail by thinking that opportunities are closed to you. The first step in success is in developing an attitude of POSSIBILITY and HOPE. The next step is putting in the work.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585039].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author A.Green
    I agree with what Alcon said except that you don't necessarily need to be better than most people. You have your own natural style of expression and that style will be perfect for a certain group of people.

    It's the same reason you may find you learn better from one teacher than from another, even though both are highly skilled.

    Your personality matters, too. Your target market may understand the other articles out there perfectly well, but feel drawn to your personality and prefer to read your articles.
    Signature
    WritingThatPaysYou.com: specializing in health and home improvement.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585113].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author textbroker
    Love Dave's post! But the other thing is that, while one person or site may mention or explain something, that's not the end of it. React to it! Do you agree with other training plans? Is there a fitness craze that you're suspicious of? Or maybe you're absolutely in love with the next trend and you have a moving personal story - better yet, your customers have a personal story - that you can tell. Go for it!
    Signature
    http://www.textbroker.com
    Custom Content Creation
    Starting at 1.2 cents per word
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585254].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
      Originally Posted by textbroker View Post

      Love Dave's post! But the other thing is that, while one person or site may mention or explain something, that's not the end of it. React to it! Do you agree with other training plans? Is there a fitness craze that you're suspicious of? Or maybe you're absolutely in love with the next trend and you have a moving personal story - better yet, your customers have a personal story - that you can tell. Go for it!
      YES! Great point - enter the conversation that is already going on in people's minds... (as well as in reality. LOL!)

      Dave
      Signature
      I make several $1000s a month (passive income) on Udemy and here's how YOU can, too...

      Get your FREE UDEMY MINI-COURSE here:

      http://daveespino.com/FreeMiniCourse-Sig

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585271].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dave Espino
    Awesome - I'm glad!

    Dave
    Signature
    I make several $1000s a month (passive income) on Udemy and here's how YOU can, too...

    Get your FREE UDEMY MINI-COURSE here:

    http://daveespino.com/FreeMiniCourse-Sig

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585256].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Dave Espino and I are on the same wavelength, but I will offer a slightly different perspective (see what I did there?)

    How often have you read something more than once, only to realize the text had magically been added to? In other words, you notice different things with each successive reading. This happens because you are in a different frame of mind each time.

    This also applies to writing what feels like rehashed information. You never know what frame of mind a particular reader will be in when they are reading your article. As long as you can make your point, there is a chance that it will seem new to the reader.

    Now, here's the MOST IMPORTANT POINT...

    It's not how many articles there are on a given topic, it's how many people are reading YOUR articles. They need to get the information from somewhere, so why not from you?

    All the best,
    Michael
    Signature

    "Ich bin en fuego!"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6585312].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author boutiquecontent
    If you skim through ezinearticles your eyes will begin to glaze over until eventually you come across something that stops you dead and compels you to read to the end. That is the kind of writing you need to aspire to. If you're just going to skim through some already published articles and rewrite them in your own words as so many people seem to advocate, then, I agree, you're wasting your time. But if you can bring your own unique experience, vision or talent to bear, then there will always be a place for what you write.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6586301].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author billthelord
    You need to find your niche. They are out there!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6586307].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Miguelito203
    Originally Posted by DaveWarrior View Post

    I'm in the sports/fitness niche. Basically whenever I need to know something in the niche, I can Google it and find it instantly. Same thing for most niches. Most of what we write is not groundbreaking, earth-shattering, but we write it anyways. How do you add value when that is the case? This is not something that is stopping me, but something that is lingering in my mind. I do feel like I can express ideas better than most people, but I still wonder if what I am doing is really necessary.
    I used to wonder the same thing. The answer is to relate the topic to your personal experiences. Point to specific events. For instance, we all know that "the money is in the list" when it comes to e-mail marketing. With that said, there is a big difference between reading about something and knowing it intellectually vs. actually experiencing what it's like for the first time. Does that make sense?

    Joey
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6586336].message }}

Trending Topics