Creating content

All I do is research a keywords for my niche website, I get about 20-30 different high searched keywords and Just pay for the articles to be written for me.

Like $3 per 500 article, they do all the research...

You're gonna get a LOT of different answers for those specific questions and chances are all of them will be right. There are lots of ways to write articles and it depends on the individual and also the purpose of the content.

There will be those who just hire others to write the article for them.

There will be those who spends hours, days, even weeks working on a single content.

There will also be those who can churn out contents within 30 minutes or less.

But in general, the only tool you really need is one that lets you type your content - word processor, blog platform, etc. There are other useful tools you can use on top of that such as grammar and spell checker. I'm personally a fan of After the Deadline.

Research materials can be easily found on Google and Wikipedia. Even if you're writing based on your own knowledge, it's never a bad idea to double check your facts unless you're 100% sure or if it's based on your own experience. You can also do your research by asking people questions, picking up a magazine or visiting the library.

Having a template to follow can be useful, but again, not necessary. Just make sure you know how to segment your writing so it flows.

The time it takes to complete an article can vary. But the general advice I would give is, as long as it takes, but don't take too long. If you're writing daily contents you obviously wouldn't want to spend 5-7 hours a day for a single 500 word article. Save the effort for when you're writing key contents. At the same time, you would want to avoid just slapping 500 words together in 10 minutes just for the sake of having new content.

It takes me a little over an hour to write an article that is 530-550 words. I read and research a LOT...I like to know that what I'm writing is actually factual and not full of "fluff".

I use the Google Keyword tool and find keywords that are high in search volume. These keywords give me ideas for sought-after content.

You can also use content curation software. It's really starting to take off. Here's a site that has it available for free. Here's the link.

Hi,

I often rewrite PLR articles. What I do is take the best parts from them and then add extra paragraphs myself, so in the end I have a completely new article.

To research I often use Google News to see if there is anything fresh in the niche I am interested in, this can also give you ideas for new articles.

Best Regards
Ged

14 Steps:

1. Settle On An Idea And A Platform For The Piece (Written, Infographic, Video or Podcast)

2. Brainstorm The Idea

3. Research

4. Fact Check Your Research (Go Through Your Research As "The Opposition")

5. Outline

6. Write Your First Draft (Overwrite This. Write Everything.)

7. First Edit (Clean Up Grammar, Continuity, Remove Weak Points/Arguments)

8. Second Draft

9. Second Edit (Attack It From An Opposing Point Of View. Rearrange, Add, Remove Until Ironclad)

10. Third Draft

11. Final Cleanup (Grammar, Continuity)

12. Add In Supplemental Content (Videos, Images, Links, Products, etc.)

13. Insert Into Publishing Platform (e.g. Wordpress) And Cleanup

14. Publish, Market, Pray

Well, I don't write articles/content for others and so when I write, I only write about topics I am knowledgeable about, or I hire a writer if I don't have the time. Ofcourse research and reading different type of articles about the topic before writing is better and required as it increase the value of your articles/content.

If you're going to be creating your own content the best thing you can do is figure out what works best for you and what methods help you write creatively and effectively. I'd recommend just getting started and trying a few things - you can spend forever trying to work out the "perfect" content creation method - only to later try it and find it doesn't work for you.

Here are a few other things to consider:

*The internet isn't the only source of information and inspiration - try looking in related magazines, books (libraries can be a goldmine!) and speaking to people you know have an interest in your topic.
*Whenever you get a good idea for content write it down. This way you'll never sit down and face the pressure of needing content but not knowing what to write about.
*Some writers enjoy using speech recognition software like Dragon Naturally Speaking. I don't - but you might!
*Content creation (whatever the format) is a skill - never stop looking for ways you can improve.

James

When it comes to content creation, you have three options. You can write content yourself, hire a professional, or use PLR. If you decide to write your own content, search for articles and eBooks on the topic you're interested in. Highlight the most important points and write them in your own words. Don't be afraid to bring your own perspective to the topic. In case you use PLR, simply rewrite the content so it looks unique.

The only tools which I use to write articles is an rss feed sent to my email address altering me of new publications within a specific field. Articles are like an art, they shouldn't just be smashed out in an hour, they shouldn't be restricted to a word limit, they go along as they need to go. The articles I like to write are constructed over a few days based on the fact that I need to find publications which support the facts presented.

Your get a multitude of answers and depending on your field you will get different answers. For example...

- Market = Girls shopping, it should be fun to read, enticing, critiquing the product etc...
- Market = Medical, Hard facts supported by solid publications.
- Market = Self help, it should be encouraging the reader to do better, inspire to change etc...

So how do you write an article, you write what your audience wants, and generally its common sense what they actually want.

Everyone writes at different speeds, but here are the two things that made me a faster writer:

1) Every minute I spend on research saves me two minutes during the actual writing. Do your research in advance. Don't just research the facts--research the way other writers are handling the same topics. Then you can choose how to handle them yourself. And also pay attention to the buzzwords they're using, and the audience to/for whom they are writing.

2) Outlining will save your life! Even if it's just a few sentences, it will give you a scaffold to hang on to. For me personally, this often relaxes me and lets me start spilling out a lot of content in a little bit of time.

My first question is "Who are you writing for?"

Many "site creators" have a tendency to write for Google. Quite frankly, that SUCKS.

Spend some time researching your topic on the most popular blogs and forums in your market. Find a few keywords you want to sprinkle in. (Watch for the phrases your MARKET is using most frequently in asking questions.)

Focus your writing on providing value and using your own voice.

The most important tools you have are your personality and your brain. Make them shine through.

Unless of course, you are trying to make one more dry, boring, keyword oriented blog that everyone will ignore.