All Ping

Let me start by saying that I love writing. Creating content has never been a chore for me; I like nothing more that putting pen to paper (or more accurately fingers to keys) and letting my thoughts pour out of my head and onto the page.

I understand however that not everyone feels this way and I also accept that writing is not something that comes naturally to everyone. Quality will vary (although this is something that can be improved with practice), but this can be overlooked if the content and message is good.

What I do not accept however are those that do not even try to write for themselves and simply plagiarise other people’s content, particularly through the use of article spinners.

With this in mind, when I read a blog post this week extolling the benefits of using article spinners to rank your site, my blood temperature started to rise. Worse still the article had received numerous votes on blogengage (not their fault, they have a great service) and had made it onto the front page.

There were various comments from other members agreeing with the article and a particular one that got my back up was that no content is truly unique anyway -with the insinuation being that when we research a topic we are just becoming human spinners -so we may as well let a machine do the work for us.

This really hit a raw nerve with me, so today I am going to look at what I believe makes content truly unique and how you can produce blog posts and articles which are fresh, engaging and insightful – no matter how many times the topic has been covered in the past.

What Unique Content Is Not

First let me clarify that what I am talking about today is not what makes content unique enough to pass through google’s duplicate content filters. If all you care about is getting your page indexed then yes, an automated tool could possibly mix it up enough to get you by the algorithm (for now).

Once a potential customer is on your page however, do you really think a spun article is going to make them trust you enough to want to use your product or service?

Actually, let me rephrase that…

When a potential client is on your page then again, do you truly suppose a spun article is set to make them believe you enough to need to utilize your item or administration?

In case you didn’t guess I just put that paragraph into an article spinner as a test. I googled ‘article spinner’ and used the first one that came up, so would assume that it is one that is widely used.

Doesn’t read well does it and that is just one paragraph. If the whole page was like that I would certainly be heading straight for the back button.

Apart from reading horribly it is clearly not a unique piece of content, although as I mentioned before it might slip through the duplicate content net.

What Does Make Content Unique?

So if a topic has been done to death, how can you make your articles truly unique?

Well, to my mind there are four main ways in which you can write an article about a popular topic and bring something genuinely fresh to the table.

• Offer new insight
• Your own opinions
• personal experiences
• An interesting twist

I will go through each of these in more detail.

New Insight

The first one is easy. If you genuinely have something to say about this topic that no one has ever said before, then you have a golden ticket. Be it new facts, research or just a new perspective.

This is naturally going to make your article unique and people who are interested in the subject want to read it.

Your Own Opinions And Experiences

This is, for me, the key to creating truly unique content and also to writing compelling copy. Only you are you after all!

Write with a strong voice and give your opinions, even if they are contrary to the popular beliefs on the subject. In fact, in many cases, especially if they are contrary to the popular beliefs on the subject!

If your article includes lots of facts and figures, don’t just quote them without any comment – if people want just the facts they will go to wikipedia.

Explain why you feel these figures are important and what you believe they mean. And don’t worry if people disagree with you, that’s exactly what will start the debate and get your comments section buzzing.

Personal Experience

If you are writing about a topic in which you have personal experience all the better. Tell your readers about your experiences, what you learned from them and how they have caused you to form your opinions.

Not only will this ensure that your content is truly unique and valuable, it will help you to form a connection with your readers.

This works well with a standard ‘how to do this’ type article. For most topics there are probably dozens of these already, so using little anecdotes will help to separate you from the crowd.

An Interesting Twist

Find an interesting twist, or quirky take on a topic. For example, last week I was writing about the importance of writing great titles for your blog posts and in the article I compared blog posts to salt.

It wasn’t the greatest analogy in the world (I freely admit that!), but it did help to make the article unique to me.

Takeaway

I’m sorry for the serious tone of today’s post, but the claim that everything has been done before anyway, so we might as well just cheat gets me going! There are no shortcuts to success and creating truly unique content, which engages your readers takes time and practice.

Write with passion, infuse your own character and opinions into your articles and you will be well on your way to succeeding with your website and watching your subscriber count/sales grow.

If you have any questions, feedback or other tips on writing truly unique content then please leave a comment below. Join me on twitter, or subscribe by email or RSS for loads more internet marketing, blogging and SEO tips.

Before we begin, let’s set the record straight. If you are a webmaster or ecommerce website ownerwho cannot write… you need a good content writer. There are some very talented people out there that write wonderful content

And to keep the balance of the force, there are also some unscrupulous writers that will take your money (usually upfront) through less than dignified means then disappear into the vastness of the World Wide Web. With that said, once you find a talented freelance content writer, hold onto him or her as if they were the last one on the planet.

The good ones are either booked solid for months or have moved on to more gainful endeavors. Even talented content writers you can keep do not remain content writers forever. Just like everything else in life, if someone is good at something, other opportunities will open for them to expand and broaden their horizons.

Woes Of The Site Owner

Unfortunately, you as a site owner have little to no control over when your writer needs to take leave, and it’s almost always in some of the worst scenarios possible. You may be in the middle of a huge marketing or branding campaign that just took off, or you might have a large boost in readership in your blog and require a steady in-flow of content, next few week’s worth.

"I’m leaving for greener pastures" is the last and worst possible thing you could hear at this precise moment. So what do you do?

8 Things To Do Instead Of Panicking

1. Take Affirmative Action

As the Master and Commander of your ship, it’s time to take charge. Whatever you do, let it not be panic. Panic, at this point, would not only be counterproductive, it makes things that much worse. It is not the end of the world until the deadline, which means there is still time before the iceberg hits the ship.

If you are in panic mode, get a hold of yourself, then:

2. Hot Off The Press

New content writers are pouring onto the Internet each day and the demand is still higher than the supply. The US Labor Statistics department tells us that at least 14 million Americans were self employed in 2012. If even a small percentage of that is in content writing, (And it is) there is one out there for you.

Just stop worrying about getting one and go get one. Just be careful how you go about it. Weeding out the bad from the good is a delicate process.

3. You May Already Have A Replacement

Don’t have time to engage someone you can’t risk trusting? Have you spoken to your team or family lately then? Perhaps a friend in the writing business? You will be surprised at how many people you know that write or know someone who writes, dreams of writing, or are pursuing it already.

And you can get an inside look into the personality of new writer, if he or she is someone you can bank on for steady content, right from the horse’s mouth.

4. Go Social

Or you can go social with it. LinkedIn.com is the premier website for getting the word out when it comes to Business to Customer or Business to Business marketing as well as a wonderful brand recognition opportunity. One good content writer and six social media websites can create more buzz about your website than two dozen magazine ads. On LinkedIn, content writers abound.

5. Be My Guest

Guest posting is something that comes in handy from time to time. Put out a call for guest posts. Usually, all the guest blogger wants in return is a link in the content, and another link or two in their bio. Some guest bloggers earn for their submissions but for what it’s worth, you get good content at half the time it takes to find a long term replacement for your writer.

6. Editors Are Worth Their Weight In Gold

If you own an ecommerce website and blog, hiring an editor is a fantastic way to increase your ROI. They will not only ensure your readers see what they need to see, when they need to see it, they also edit the work of your content writers, and can even replace them temporarily. Just make sure not to take advantage of the editor’s writing skills too often.

7. Draw Ideas From The Web

The Internet is a wondrous place. It is filled with all kinds of information on just about every subject you could possibly imagine... including you and your ecommerce endeavors. If your content writer disappears, there is plenty of material on the Internet to pursue and from which to draw ideas.

Don’t however fall into the trap of copying content at liberty. Original content is still gold even in desperate times.

8. Unleash The Writer In You

Have you tried to write your own content? If anyone knows what kind if content you want, it is you. You may not write the best content in the world, but I can guarantee it will not be the worst either. In fact, you may write better than some freelance content writers out there, because no one knows what your readers want better than you.

The End Result

The point of all this is really much simpler than 8 reasons not to panic and how to help yourself. If you panic; nothing gets done. If you need a content writer, do not rush into anything. Take your time and find the one that is right for you. In the meanwhile, follow these simple tips to get through the rough patch and always keep your chin up.