Content Creation: a guide to writing content on unfamiliar topics
As a content marketer, people often ask me how I am able to write content without being an expert. In any given day, I’ll be writing about SEO, photography, auto repair, and pharmaceuticals. And other than SEO, I know very little about any of those topics – but I am still tasked with crafting quality content about them.
If you go out and hire the cheapest freelance copywriter out there, you will most likely get poorly copied content. Because writing high-quality content takes a lot of work. But it doesn’t require me to be an expert in the subjects I’m writing about. So, to get back to the original questions – how can write quality content without becoming an expert on your subject?
I follow a relatively simple three-step process to handle content creation when I’m unfamiliar with the topic. My process follows the simple pattern of research, writing, and verification; let’s dig in.
Careful Research
The first should be obvious: research. And not just a quick browsing of a few blogs, but a deeper dive into the nitty-gritty of your subject. For me, this research typically looks like this:
- Browsing content on competitor sites
- Reading popular industry blogs
- Consulting forums or discussion groups (if applicable)
First, I will do a quick browse of competitor sites. This gets me into the right mindset, while I start thinking about questions of tone and voice. Then I will turn to the most popular blogs that are industry specific. From this reading, I start taking down notes about topics, questions, and ideas. From there, I get an idea of any quickly developing trends from industry message boards and discussion groups.
It is tempting to let this stage get out of control. Researching these topics could take months, but generally, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours. Researching in this way is a skill that takes practice, but it gets easier with time.
Questions over Answers
So, how do you turn a few short hours of research into high-quality content? You accomplish this by prioritizing questions over answers. You don’t have to be an expert to have questions – in fact, it often helps if you are not. Take the questions that arose during your research process and turn them into topics to cover in your content.
These questions will not only provide the backbone of your content, they also help with your search engine optimization, as you will be addressing questions that potential customers have as well.
Armed with this list of questions, I begin to craft my content. A google search of your exact question will give you relevant resources to inspire your answers. In this method of content creation, asking questions is always prioritized over answering them.
Verify and Publish
The final step in my content creation process is to verify my information. Because I’m no expert, it is important to make sure that the information I’m providing is accurate. To accomplish this, I will run my content by an expert in the field for review. I take any notes from the expert (usually the client) and revise my work to ensure that is providing top quality information to customers.
Verifying with an expert isn’t always possible. If there is absolutely no way to get your content verified by an expert, then spent a few hours combing through your content and comparing it to existing expert writings in the field. The process of verification isn’t absolutely necessary, but I always sleep a little better at night after an expert has given it the thumbs up.
Content and Copy that Converts
Quality content pleases both the reader and the search engines – and that’s a win-win for your business. And whether you’re a writer or an expert, there are ways to get top-notch content on your website – it just takes some hard work.
If you need help with your website, consider a package from Fusion Group USA that includes everything you need – from design and development to copywriting and content assistance. We love helping businesses grow, so contact us today and let’s get started together!
