content creation workflow - Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Designing Your SEO & Content Creation Workflow with Diana Richardson

December 31, 2020November 6, 2020 by Rachel Moffett

Let’s talk about creating optimized content. How do you ensure you’re choosing the right topics? What can be done to increase the chances that your content will rank? And how can you incorporate keywords into your blog post without it seeming unnatural? Well, we covered all of these questions (and more) in this #ContentWritingChat. Now, the tips you need to know are packed into this handy recap. #ContentWritingChat Recap: Designing Your SEO & Content Creation Workflow with Diana Richardson Hey, friends! ?? Welcome to this month's #ContentWritingChat. Our guest host is @DianaRich013. She's a Social Media & Community Manager for the awesome team over at @semrush. Today, we'll be chatting about your SEO and content creation workflow. ? pic.twitter.com/GmwR1bZ8h0 — Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) November 3, 2020 This month, we were lucky enough to have Diana Richardson be our guest host once again. Diana is a Social Media & Community Manager for our friends over at SEMrush. And she joined our chat to share some tips on SEO and developing an efficient content creation workflow. Let’s dive into the recap for all the advice! Q1: What’s the first step in creating quality, optimized content? Before you dive into writing, there are a few things to consider first. Here’s what you need to keep in mind if you want your content to be successful: A1: #ContentWritingChat Step1⃣: know who you are writing ✒️for & what the end goal is. Always start there. Optimization comes later. Define your audience personas at a personal level & write like you’re writing for that person every time you create content. https://t.co/RZeiuB9FMX — Diana Richardson? (@DianaRich013) November 3, 2020 Diana suggests first knowing who you’re writing for and what your end goal is. You always want to create content with your target audience in mind. This ensures you’re writing about the topics that interest them, as well as communicating in a way that resonates. And of course, you need to know your end goal so you can tailor your content accordingly and track the ideal metrics afterwards. A1: It's important to know your audience. If you don't know who you are writing for, it is hard to create content for them. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/hUDq88E6WB — Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 3, 2020 Lexie agrees that it’s crucial you know who your target audience is. Otherwise, you run the risk of attracting all the wrong people (or no one) to your content. A1: Knowing why you're writing and who you're writing for. Then you can start to worry about keywords. #ContentWritingChat — Kate Marsh (@Tillison_Kate) November 3, 2020 Don’t rush into keyword research. Kate says you need to know why you’re writing and who you’re writing for first. That will get you started on the right path! A1: To me, the writing _always_ comes first. Quality writing is paramount. #contentwritingchat — Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) November 3, 2020 And as Michelle said, always remember that quality writing comes first. You cannot allow your writing to suffer for the sake of optimization. Q2: When diving into topic research for your next piece of content, where should you begin? Topic research can feel rather daunting sometimes. After all, there’s a lot you could potentially write about. So, how can you choose the topics that will resonate with your audience? Check out this advice: A2: (1/3) #ContentWritingChat ?Start by brainstorming several broad concepts to research to find the most interesting & asked questions. Put those broad concepts into @semrush Topic Research tool or Google them & reference the People Also Ask section. https://t.co/oYvXre5ZiF — Diana Richardson? (@DianaRich013) November 3, 2020 A2: (2/3)#ContentWritingChat Choose a ❓QUESTION ❓that needs answering & research how much & the quality of the existing content. Keep researching to find a question that is in need of more or better quality content & there’s your next piece. https://t.co/oYvXre5ZiF — Diana Richardson? (@DianaRich013) November 3, 2020 Diana suggests starting with a few broad concepts and then using SEMrush’s Topic Research Tool to narrow down your search. She says to find a question that needs answering, then check out the existing content on that topic. From there, consider what you can add or if there are any other unanswered questions that come up. A2: Begin with your audience. What are they looking for? What will be of value to them? What can you offer? #ContentWritingChat — Kate Marsh (@Tillison_Kate) November 3, 2020 Ask yourself what your audience is looking for. You want to create content that will be valuable for them, while also keeping in mind what you have to offer. The content you publish should showcase your expertise. A2 – You can start by analysing what's really popular in your space with @BuzzSumo @semrush is another great option Headover to @answerthepublic to find relevant questions to target (A combination strategy works really well)#ContentWritingChat — SEO Charge ? (@seocharge_) November 3, 2020 You can also see which topics are performing well in your field by checking out BuzzSumo. Answer the Public is another tool worth testing because you can find relevant questions that people want answers to. A2: #SocialListening is key! Understanding what your audience is already talking about is an essential part of topic research! #ContentWritingChat #socialmediamarketing https://t.co/MBaPvPExou — Raquel Sara (@RaquelSosnovich) November 3, 2020 Raquel knows that social listening is key in learning more about your target audience. Discovering what they’re talking about online can give you some helpful ideas on what you should write about. A2: Social media is a great place to check on trending conversations. If you are in B2B, your customers and partners might have a lot of insight into what you can write on.#ContentWritingChat — Kushlani De Silva (@kushlani_ds) November 3, 2020 And of course, social media is essential in social listening. Use platforms like Twitter to see trending topics and to check out conversations your audience is having. You never know when a new idea might pop up. A2 2/2 The start of topic research happens when you have … Read more

The Content Marketer’s Café with Julia McCoy, Episode 4: How to Set Up a Content Creation Workflow & Process You Actually Enjoy

January 1, 2021October 14, 2017 by Adam Oakley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p8a7QILXZA [clickToTweet tweet=”Catch the fourth episode of The Content Marketer’s Café with @JuliaEMcCoy, all about #content creation workflow hacks!” quote=”Catch the fourth episode of The Content Marketer’s Café with @JuliaEMcCoy, all about #content creation workflow hacks!”] The Content Marketer’s Café with Julia McCoy, Episode 4: How to Set Up a Content Creation Workflow & Process You Actually Enjoy This is for the content creator that has sometimes felt stumped at the creation phase. Here’s a few questions that might have ran through your head: Where do I begin? Do I just jot down an idea and start writing? I have a keyword. Now what? I’m here today to give you a few quick hacks on how to approach the content creation process in a few key workflow steps that will make it easier, less challenging, and natural, every time you sit down to write. Ready? Even if you’re an experienced content creator, it’s normal to feel like you’re right at Square 1 again when it comes to creating content. How do you get past that and get into a comfortable swing with content creation? 3 Phases in Content Creation Approach it in three phases: Ideation, Creation, Preparation FYI: These stages will differ if you’re writing for a client: example, clients usually have topics and keywords prepared, so you might be able to skip stage 1. Why Stages? My Wake-up Call to Stop Rushing But here’s why you need to think of creating content in stages. When I started out in my agency, I was the sole staff member at my agency, and I was scared of growth and investing in what I needed to have, to grow. So, I did all my content, and rushed when it came to getting it out. I barely double checked what I published. A year later, my husband who is our CTO actually asked me why I was rushing through my content creation process, when I did it so carefully for clients. That was a turning point. Now, I invest hours if not weeks into one piece of content and following a process. Here’s how rushing harmed my content: When the content I’d thrown together started ranking 2-3 years later, in super high organic places on Google – example, #2 for the long tail phrase hire an SEO content writer – I got zero conversions. Only when I rewrote that crappy but high ranking content did I start to get conversions from it. (I ended up investing and paying double to fix the crappy content.) The perils of “rushing content creation” happens for many business owners. But if you start right and devote time and care to this process, and in the long run, your maintenance and “fixing” costs will be much less. So let’s discuss these three stages. 1. First, IDEATION. This is where you come up with a topic that is worthwhile. Think of content ideation like a crosspaths. You need to choose one road for every content idea you (or your client / team member) have, to make sure that idea is worth investing the time of creation into. Once you have an idea: Map it to a goal early in the idea phase. That way you stop low ROI from even happening. Then, research and finalize your topic idea. Write it down. It’s easy to know what you should be creating, when you know how your content idea aligns to your goals. EXAMPLE: If you have a new site, skew towards looking for keywords that are relevant to your searchers so you can get some rankable content ideas going. Use a keyword tool to find that data. OR If you have an existing site, map your ideas in a sales/brand awareness direction and think of trending topics that you can add your authoritative voice to, in your industry. Use Quora to research trending questions being asked in your topic area. #WordFromTheSponsor: I go really deep into each areas of this process and much more, in my new industry course. Get off the fence and invest in yourself, if you’re looking to grow your skillsets! Go here: www.contentstrategycourse.com 2. CREATION. This is where you write down the topic, put it in your editorial calendar, and get started on writing. This stage includes drafting, writing, and optimizing the content, or having writer/writers creating it for you. Time here should really depend on the piece, AND your creative flow. Finding your flow in the creation step is KEY. For example, I write best at morning and late in the day. I know that, so those are the only times I write. You MUST block off times around your creative flow. Don’t create when you’re tired. Eat lunch if you haven’t. Simple stuff. If you schedule your content around your creative flow and when you’re most charged up and refilled, you’ll create GREAT content. This doesn’t mean you have to spend weeks writing – once I know and have researched my topic, I can write a 2000w blog from start to finish in one day if I match the writing to my creative flow. 3. PREPARATION: This is where you fine tune your piece and if it’s for your site, decide when to publish. ALWAYS get a second pair of eyes on your content. That could be an editor, a creator you work with if you run a company and have a team, or an editor if you’re an agency writer. I don’t ever publish my content without a second pair of eyes on it. When it comes to publishing, think of dates you can publish that will especially appeal to the topic – if it’s seasonal and applies to a holiday, publish and tie to that holiday week or date. Even Google’s birthday can mean you write an SEO topic and tie it to that day. Final Tips: If you’re doing the writing, there are also easy ways to “hack” and simplify that process. Examples: You can invest in a transcription service and … Read more