It's giving me a headache. I know that the most important thing for a successful blog is to provide value for your readers, and that generally means not re-hashing something that has been written 20 times before, but how on earth are we supposed to come up with unique content?
If I were writing in one of my other areas of interest, it may not be such a problem. And perhaps those of you who run blogs on cross-stitch, supercars, tennis or hiking in the Andes may struggle slightly less than I do. When you write in a niche which is saturated, it is very easy to make the mistake of repeating what has been said before, identified by Caroline Middlebrook in her list of blog posts that are little more than time wasters.
Vandelay came up with 13 ways to create unique blog content which I think is a good start. The first point there - be independent is probably the most important, and the most difficult one. Why? Because in many internet related niches, most of our information comes from other blogs. And when you write about something we have found in another blog, you are at risk of...well...simply repeating what that other blog has said. See? Even I have done it already without even meaning to.
So, with the aim of being independent in mind, I am going to list some of those alternative resources which will help you find something unique and interesting to say...
- Books - remember them? The ones with paper pages, dog ears and actual cardboard bookmarks with tassels on them. You don't always have to go for the latest releases either. Plenty of lessons, information and ideas can be gleaned from older books, which can give you ideas to write about from a slightly different viewpoint. Have a look at Life Optimiser for some great tips on reading older books effectively.
- Word of mouth...with spoken words coming from real mouths - go to a talk, seminar, group or just down to the pub and have a chat with someone. Not everyone blogs and there are some incredibly knowledgeable people out there.
- The library - I am fortunate that I have a readers ticket to the British Library, which is a massive repository of knowledge both ancient and contemporary. Whatever your feelings about libraries (I love them) there is no denying that they can offer a ton of information for you to write about.
- Magazines, articles and offline publications
- You - believe it or not, you are often one of your best sources of ideas. Turn the PC off, put on a pair of walking shoes, grab the dog (if you have one) an go out for a walk. Let yourself just think. Let ideas come to you, sparked by what you see, what you overhear or what you feel. I think you may be surprised at how much information you have stored up.
So, now that I have written the formulaic list and I have re-written what is more than likely already out there in the blogosphere, I think I might go and read a book. The last thing I want to do is bore you all (and me!). My quest for unique content is on...
Thanks to Pickersgill Reef for the image