Creating quality content is the surest path to sustainable web traffic. But quality content takes time and money — two things usually in short supply for any new company establishing a web presence.
(Note: Anyone here looking for shortcut strategies, marketing automation software “hacks,” or other corner-cutting measures should probably leave now and take your black-hat SEO tactics with you — they don’t work. In the long run, there’s simply no substitute for a high-quality piece of content that is genuinely useful and/or engaging to your site’s users.)
According to 2014 research from the Content Marketing Institute, the top three challenges with content marketing include:
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Lack of time (69 percent)
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Producing enough content (55 percent)
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Difficulty creating engaging content (47 percent)
We know that the first and the last numbers are all too true, especially when you’re trying to scale content generation the right way, but the middle part — not producing enough content — is troubling.
If you think there’s a number that’s enough— a magic number, top secret Google trick, SEO hack, proven tweak, etc. — there’s not. More for the sake of more helps no one either, except for maybe your content writers. Research shows the quality of what you provide to your users is far more important than the quantity; according to an InboundWriter study, 10 to 20 percent of your website drives 90 percent of your traffic, and 0.5 percent of your content drives over 50 percent of your traffic.
With all of that in mind — limitations, challenges, and potential pitfalls — the following are some strategies to help you scale content generation. Strategies that aren’t going to get you penalized by search engines.
1. Hire a Full-time Content Writer
The most obvious of all strategies to scale content generation is also the best. There’s simply no substitute for an engaging writer who can quickly assimilate the core concepts of your business or product, do research, and churn out piece after piece of engaging, high-quality content: blog posts, whitepapers, email newsletters, etc. Just make sure to keep them well fueled with coffee and you’ll be producing more and better content in no time.
2. Hire Freelancers
If you can’t afford to hire your own full-time writer, sometimes a freelancer is the way to go. Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and others make it easy to find a freelancer, but the quality of the content produced can, at times, be suspect. As is the case with many things, you get what you pay for when it comes to hiring freelance writers. A good one won’t be cheap, and few cheap ones will be any good.
If you do decide to go the freelance route, make sure to evaluate several options. It may take some time, but you’ll eventually find a handful of writers you feel comfortable working with and who can match your brand’s voice. You can expect to pay anywhere from $0.25 to $1.00 per word, depending on how polished of a piece or writer you need.
Using freelancers to scale content generation is an especially attractive option if you’ve got a quality editor on staff — your freelancers get the content to a ‘B’ level and a good editor can push it to grade ‘A’ work.
3. Accept Guest Blogs
Despite reports to the contrary, guest blogging is still very much alive and well, both from a content generation and an SEO standpoint.
It’s one of the best ways to try and grow your content and your traffic, provided you do it for the right reasons. The right way to use guest blogging is as an introduction. By having other writers contribute content to your blog, you will (hopefully) capture a portion of their audiences as well. Getting their audience to visit your site and read a piece from a thought leader they respect isn’t the hard part, though — it’s getting them back.
Always make sure that any writers you invite to guest blog have audiences that will find your content and your site relevant. For example, it would make little sense to have a guest blog on business-to-consumer marketing best practices on your business-to-business focused site.
Additionally, you should never guest blog or publish a guest blog for a simple link exchange — especially if someone comes to you offering to pay you to link to their site. Paid links are less of an issue when you’re small and just starting out, as your domain lacks the authority and the benefits passed on will be minimal, but it’s still something to keep an eye on — if Google even suspects you’re paying/being paid for links, you won’t like the results.
4. Try Content Syndication
If you can’t create your own engaging content, you can always use others’. No, no — we’re not talking plagiarism. Syndicating content from successful writers or sites is one option to help you scale up the amount of content on your site.
Sure, the original post will likely always rank better than your syndicated version, but if the topic adds to the discussion and benefits your users, isn’t that the primary concern anyways?
Properly curating and disseminating content that your users find valuable can sometimes even outperform the production of your own original content. For example, consider the Drudge Report. Editor/webmaster/curator Matt Drudge writes almost no content of his own, yet his site — a conglomeration of links to breaking news stories — is one of the most visited on the Internet.
If you do decide to start syndicating content, make sure to reach out and discuss it with the site owner/writer ahead of time. While the conventional wisdom says it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission, no one likes getting DMCA takedown notices or paying lawyers to defend against claims of copyright infringement — valid or not.
5. Seek Out Content Partnerships
Closely related to syndication, partnerships are arrangements between two (or more) organizations that share audiences or interests. Partnerships are quid pro quo arrangements — give me access to your website data, and I’ll co-brand the resulting study with you — but usually benefit everyone involved, including your users.
Marketing organizations are especially great to partner with, as many of them have spare writing bandwidth and a nigh-unquenchable thirst for useful data. If your business or site has data that interests marketers, consider offering them access to the data in exchange for co-branding and co-marketing the resulting content.
6. Use Content Generation Services
The ever-increasing need for content is spawning a new industry. Companies like eZdia, Content Equals Money, and Content Runner are the ‘Uberization’ of content production. Companies that need content submit their requirements, then these content generation services will find writers that can fulfill them.
There’s a fair amount of growing pains at the beginning of a new content generation campaign, as you’ll need to make it clear what is and isn’t acceptable content. But once the right writers for your company have been found, campaigns will go much more smoothly. Prices can range anywhere from $0.05/word to $0.50/word and up, but you can usually negotiate a volume discount.
7. Leverage HARO
While HARO — which stands for Help a Reporter Out — isn’t a source for completed pieces of content, it can still be quite useful when you’re scaling up production. HARO is an invaluable resource to content creation; it not only connects you with sources that want to contribute to your articles, but it can also help you build credibility in a new space by connecting you with experts who want to be quoted in your work.
Using HARO is simple. Once you’ve signed up for an account, create your article query, set a response deadline, and wait on the contributions to start rolling in. A few tips to help you HARO:
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Don’t set too short of a deadline, or you’ll miss out on quite a few responses.
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In the same thread, don’t set too long of a deadline, or HARO won’t put your pitch out in the thrice-daily email newsletters until much closer to your publish date.
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Be transparent. Even though HARO gives you the option to seek quotes as an anonymous publication, response rates are better when people know who they’re pitching, so always identify your publication.
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Be explicit. When creating your query, be as specific as possible with your pitch requirements; you’ll get more responses if you make it clear what you need/expect, like the contributor’s full name and title, Twitter handle, link to their website, target word count, etc.
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Share the love. When you share the content a HARO source helped complete, make sure you tag them, link back, or otherwise acknowledge their contribution.
When scaling up content production, whether for a new site or just a new topic, it’s important to do it the right way. Remember that quality is far more important than quantity — your users want engaging content that answers their questions and solves their problems. Don’t be afraid to seek help, whether from freelancers, HARO sources, or guest bloggers. And when asking, never forget a little flattery can take you far — everyone wants to be a thought leader.