When I started out on my personal blogging journey, it was hard. In fact, I failed to write consistently for years despite my best efforts. I kept trying because I knew that creating valuable blog content would help me grow my brand — and because I’d taken to heart the sage advice of famous content producers who stressed the importance of trying again after failure.
Every time I failed at blogging and began again, I tweaked my processes, honed my subject matter, and learned something new.
Over the years, I’ve become truer to my interests and passions and more real about the commitment regular writing takes. And, like many things in life, when I created a good (writing) habit, I started to reap the rewards (increased traffic and social engagement).
I recently spoke about my content creation journey at WordCamp Switzerland. I shared my struggle to create relevant websites and quality content, and talked about how I broke through the failure cycle and discovered that writing and creating websites based on passion is always the path of least resistance.
Here are some key things I've learned about creating content that resonates with readers:
Start with your passions. That excitement will translate to more compelling blog content for your readers.
Connect those passions to what matters for your business. Make the connection between your passions and the value your organization provides to its customers.
Get organized. Use categories and tags to logically organize your content (and your site, of course).
Write for your readers AND yourself. Write about questions you Google — if you're wondering about it, others are, too.
Be bold. Write like you care, because you do.
My WordCamp Switzerland presentation included some of the worst and best iterations of my personal website, plus actionable ideas and reminders for creating and organizing your content in WordPress. Check it out:
Every endeavor is easier if you’re passionate. Seek out the business ventures and content topics that you feel strongly about, focus on those, and ignore the rest. You’ll have more fun, and making money won’t be a chore — it’ll be a side effect of doing what you love. Go here to see more photos from WordCamp Switzerland.