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Welcome to the eigth post in the series “Write Killer Content” for your blog.
The best way to stay tuned to this series in a more systematic way is to take up the course (free!). The course also includes the free audio version of the course material plus “home work” tasks with every module to help you get the most out of it.
Killer content is usually highly favoured by readers who are in need of information or solution.
It is because killer content usually gives the readers what they want. And this is one of the most important characteristics of killer content – “killer content should give the readers what they want”.
But how can one find out what the readers want?
In this post in the series, I’m going to discuss the very same.
Finding what your readers want is neither an easy nor a hard thing. It lies somewhere between easy and difficult and the crucial part is to find that sweet spot.
Let me explain.
Most bloggers create content hoping that their readers will read it with passion and interest just because they wrote it with love and passion.
If they don’t get what they want they will simply close the browser tab and seek the same information elsewhere.
After all, there are thousands of other places to look for; it is not that hard for them.
It is therefore highly important that you write for your readers and not for yourself. Of course, this applies only if you blog to build up a business which is customer centred. If you blog for fun or hobby, sure you can proceed with whatever pleases you.
Without further delay, let me briefly present you the ways with which you can identify what your readers want.
Run a survey
There is no better way than asking your readers what they want. I mean they only can tell you exactly what they want!
You can ask your readers in various ways.
1. Ask your list – your list is your close circle. You communicate with them quite often. Indeed there is a more personal relationship between you and your list subscribers. They are the number one choice to ask for opinion. Plus they are your loyal readers anyway.
2. Ask your blog readers – This will help cover all your readers, not just your loyal readers and subscribers. Write a blog post on the topic and cast a question at the end of the post so that your readers can answer in the comments.
3. Ask your blog readers by putting up a form on your sidebar or on a pop-up (this might convert well, but keep it un-obstructive!). You can also use the footer contact form from KissInsights or use Qoate Scroll Triggered Box plugin which gives an option for a pop-in (from the bottom corner of the screen; can also be used for optins by the way!).
4. Ask everyone (even those who are not your blog readers) in social media. Places like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ are great to call upon your friends/followers and their friends/followers to get an opinion.
The good thing about asking everyone what they want is that, it will create a curiosity among them. They will be actually waiting for your killer post.
Once you write a killer post if you just intimate your readers and followers that you’ve written the post, they will seek it eagerly.
You can already develop a readership for your (yet-to-be-written) post.
Observe other blogs
Observing popular blogs in your niche can teach you a lot. Apart from helping you to build relationships and helping you to as an idea generator other blogs can also tell you what your readers want.
The chances that the readers of those blogs will be readers of your blog as well are very high (if those blogs are in your niche, apparently).
You can observe the following things –
(i) Popular posts – which posts get popular at those blogs?
(ii) The comments in those popular posts (just skim them to get an idea).
(iii) The structure of popular posts.
(iv) The common trend or pattern in all those popular posts.
Sure you can learn a lot by observing these factors. You will also come to know what the audience in your market need.
Keyword research
No, I’m not going to give you a lecture on SEO. But keyword research is not just about SEO.
Keywords are the words or phrases that readers in your market type in to the search box (of any search engine) to find what they want.
So finding the apt keywords will tell you what your readers are looking for.
You may use the Google Adwords Keyword tool which is free. Study the keywords that have a high search volume and are highly competitive.
Alternatively you can also look for what people are searching for at the Wordtracker’s keyword question tool.
It is a great way to find what kinds of questions are being asked by readers based on a keyword.
So yes, keywords not only help for SEO but will also tell you what people are eager about and hence helps you to deliver exactly what they want.
Takeaway
One of the most important factors that make a killer post successful is that its demand.
If you write about something that no one cares, no matter how good your post is, it won’t be received well.
Hence it is vital that you first do your research to find out what your readers are seeking and then write on that topic so as to make it useful for the others; your hard work will also be well received this way!
I’ve also noticed that asking your readers works well, especially when I add a Poll plugin and ask them some questions. I usually use these results to craft my next posts which they look forward to.
Thanks for the info Jane.
Simply making a poll can provide a wealth of information that you can use to pin point what’s in demand. I do that with my list as well.
Yes Nathan, when readers are encouraged to participate or give feedback, it works well. Thanks for stopping by!
Yay! Thanks for the kissInsights idea. What a great way to figure out what your readers really want.
As a side note: I usually answer surveys that pop up on the lower right or left (unobtrusive), especially if they are just a quick click of a button or two, but if I get a pop up in the middle of the screen that stops my reading process, then I usually just close the page. It makes me that annoyed.
Very reasonable Bellaisa
See? When it is un-obstructive readers like to respond (unless and until you don’t annoy them :)) - glad that you’re a great proof
those are some great points Jane.
giveaway and keyword research have worked a lot for me , but i think i am gonna try survey soon.
Yes try out surveys Saad; you’ll be surprised to know your reader’s responses.
This is a fantastic story for each writer. I honor you and thanks for your creative thoughts.
You’re very welcome Dario
Great tips Jane,
Observing other blogs is really something new to me. I think that it is really a good thing to do. Observing other popular blogs can teach us a lot of new things.
Thanks for the awesome post Jane.
Indeed Ehsan, it gives us a fresh feel and is a great motivator too!
Recent article about how Huffington Post checks out trending items on Google before submitting new content. If something is trending and they can modify their title to better match the trend, they do so.
Not saying this is always doable, but keeping an eye on what your readers are reading can be helpful.
Bracken, this is an awesome idea - called piggy back technique; making use of what is already viral/killer to make one
Thanks for your valuable input.
Thanks for the keyword tips, that will help me out!!
Hello Jane,
Another killer post from this series. Very nice ideas are covered to know readers need.
And I am completely agree with your statement:
“One of the most important factors that make a killer post successful is that its demand”
Thanks:-)
Indeed Veer! This also applies to product creation. If no one is interested in what we create, the product or the blog post will certainly be a failure.
Yes Jane, I completely agree with you. Writing A good post or Creating the product is not sufficient, all depends on reader’s interest or need.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Hi Jane,
I like your all post and i am 110% agree with your all points. As i also provide survey report in my article and i am observing improvement in my blog and also i am getting good visitors everyday.
Really nice and helpful posts especially for newbies.
Thanks for sharing with us.
You’re very welcome Avinash.
I like the post very much. It is our job to find out what our readers want, otherwise they will automatically move on somewhere else.
I think New Google Analytics tool can also help us in this case very much.
Exactly Rakesh, that’s the point!
The need for killer content is everywhere and for that an awesome taste of topic and information is required in the author! I would like to get the free course of Killer content! Thanks Jane
You can get the course free here Adrian - http://www.writekillercontent.com
If you have a bit of a readership to glean information from, conducting a survey like you say is really a great idea. It can be difficult to get any decent information back if you have too small a group to survey, but if you do have enough, you can get a strong idea of exactly what your readers want, which is great. Why not just ask what your readers want? Your site is for them! I think something like a survey can be easy to miss, something so direct and to the point can seem counter-intuitive.
Yes that’s an important point Paul. The audience you ask should be decent enough (in number) to get some useful feedback.
Excellent topic! When writing a blog, you have to sit down and really understand who your reader is and how you can create content that is appealing to them. Doing a little competitive analysis on other niche blog’s content will not hurt either!
Hey Will, yup, doing a bit of research is very vital for content creation.
Jane i am already implementing your suggestion of understanding your audience and started a giveaway of IDM 6.11 on my blog. You are also welcome.
Glad to know that you are taking action Mohsin. That’s good.
You style of writing is working on me, You Seem like Jane you plan properly before you write
Yes Khabza, from idea conception to hitting the publish button, I have a crucial step in-between where I write the outline (plan) of the post first before writing the draft.
I’d look at analytics and check what users are searching to arrive at my site. I’d then write an article based on those searcher.
Good tip!
Jessica, yes analytics is a wonderful tool for free which tells us what our potential readers are looking for. And its from the God of search engines
thanks jane. I am big fan of your blog.
Thank you for that Nitin
One item of potential use from a SEO perspective - look at the top 10 items listed for your target keyword; now, find something that will be relevant to a potential searcher but isn’t like the top 10. Google does seem to rank that content faster…
I’ve done this for an emerging web-framework by writing a solid introductory level how-to presentation - was ranked in the top 10 resources for that space within a week, passing by several items from much older / deeper domains like github, sourceforce, etc. My theory, proven in other areas, was this was because my offering was not like the other 50…
Interesting. Thanks for sharing this Hangman.
The problem for me is that my website(a driving School) does not fit into typical blogging categories so finding killer content is pretty difficult
Stephen, I don’t think killer content is confined to blogging related blogs. You should be able to produce quality, useful content in all niches.
Readers always appreciate those topics in which they have interest.There are many things to learn in famous posts. The main thing is that what’s special in this post that everybody is liked it. Comments of people and feedback all these things are very helping in improving one’s skill.
Ayesha, thanks for pointing out the comments. The comment section of any post (if comprised of valuable comments) always gives more room for improvement of any topic - not to mention “killer”.
Yes, there are indeed a lot of options that a reader has to turn to for obtaining the information that they are looking for so ensuring that they find what they are looking for when they come to your site is very important. If you are targeting a niche that you are interested in, then it is easier of course, as your thoughts and opinions are likely to resonate with those of your readers but otherwise, think from their mindsets and write they would like to read and be interested in order to retain their patronage to your site.
-Jean
Hey Jean, overall it is so mandatory to have a focused niche/topic to blog about. This makes life much easier.
Great post, but sometimes it’s so hard to find a topic to write about and still give value to our readers.
And sometimes if we only write about what readers want than we will just repeat ourselves, cause we need to evolve and sometimes change the writing style and the content itself.
thanks for sharing
You’re so right James. Always writing in the same style will be boring both to the writer and the reader. It is often necessary to change style and try something new. Same goes with the post idea!
Great examples of ways to find exactly what your readers are looking for. I especially like the idea of running a survey, to allow you to get the information directly from the horses mouth. Keeping your readers happy and providing what they want should be the main focus on your writing, so this list is a very good tool.
Agreed Kevin!
As with any business, tools are important to have good insight. You should have the right keyword research tools to judge what kind of keywords you should be able to use to rank higher in SERPs. Knowing what your readers want to read is important, but knowing what keywords your readers use to find what they want to read is also useful to help them redirect back to your blog.
Innovative ideas. The best part what i feel always is to analyze other blogs when i am blank. Running a survey would mostly work if you are already popular, being a beginner better keep your eyes open and work as spy!
Hi,
I agree with Nathan’s comment. It is wiser to know from the readers what they expect from the blogs. Half the issue is fixed that way and then we can start writing as per the guidelines we chalk out. Observation is another useful and successful way to move on the right track.Thanks.
Amit from ItechCode
Indeed Amit! And most of the times, it is quite surprising and interesting to know what our reader’s interest are. Not knowing this would be really stupid of us (bloggers).
I think survey idea works better than other because it creates a direct contact with readers, by the way other points are also very good.
This course is increasing my ability to write killer content, all because of you Jane. Thanks
I like the survey part. I have tried asking my readers but didn’t actually consider their suggestions. I will give this a try. Thanks a lot!
Hi Jane,
I know I am fairly late but hey, good write up on this! I like the part about survey. For me, I usually refer to Alexa, Google Webmaster and Analytics for the information.
Also, visitor’s commenting could be a great hint too!
Well written and thank you for sharing.