craft original copy Archives

Buffer Suggestions Gets Shut Down: Another Case For Original Content

by Adam Oakley | Oct 20, 2015 | Updates

Originality – it’s what we all crave, isn’t it?

Whether it comes in the form of fashion, food, fitness, or content, original content (useful, unique, engaging) is important to consumers everywhere.

And 2015 has been a buzz of news about moves on the parts of major content platforms when it comes to providing original content.

Buffer is joining the ranks of Google, Facebook, and YouTube, providing clients with great, new content hot and fresh daily (just like your favorite baked goods).

These companies are focusing on reducing the amount of filler in their content and making things significantly more substantial (who wants an apple turnover that’s just apple jam?).

The Latest In Original Content Happenings: Bye-Bye, Buffer Suggestions

Since the content world is ever expanding, that means there will always be some new newsworthy things to share with you.

The latest on the content front is that Buffer is making a change to their content and will slowly be getting rid of their Suggestions panel.

The Buffer Suggestions panel was a great way for people to come up with content ideas based off of a few suggestions added to the panel. It wasn’t necessarily to give exact topics, but more so a pool of inspiration.

This might seem like something Buffer really should keep around, so what is their aim in getting rid of it?

Why is Buffer Retiring Its Suggestions Panel?

In their announcement linked above, Buffer states that the choice was to help bring about more natural and authentic content and shares.

As they point out, the Suggestions panel promoted sharing content over consuming content.

When it came to sharing content, a lot of people were sharing the suggestions instead of other content, which made Buffer feel like they were missing the mark.

While you won’t have to say adios just yet, it will be phased out until it no longer exists.

Never fear; there are plenty of other ways to gain inspiration and come up with excellent content ideas without the Suggestions feature.

Original Content is the Way of Content in 2015

Buffer isn’t the only one focusing on original content over generated, bland content that would get shared instead of consumed.

Who are some of the others making changes when it comes to content?

1. Facebook is Implementing a New Newsfeed and Long-Form Content Platform

Facebook is making changes to make people’s newsfeeds fit what the user wants to see. This is an often-discussed part of Facebook, and giving the users more power is important to the company.

The new newsfeed means that there is every chance that users aren’t going to see your advertisements, and if they do, they’ll just skip right over.

This is why creating excellent original content is vital to Facebook because it will be shared more. However, it won’t just be shared but it will also be consumed, which is what we all want for our content.

In addition to the newsfeed changes, Facebook is also redoing notes and creating a powerful native long-form content platform similar to Medium.

This gives you the ability to put your excellent original content directly on Facebook, making it easier for your clients to access.

Is this even beneficial? Well, Facebook’s native videos might just be the best example.

According to Brent Csutoras from Search Engine Journal, native videos reach 2 times the number of users as a 3rd party video, which brings in quite a bit more traffic for businesses.

Image Credit: Search Engine Journal

This means that the new long-form content platform is probably going to be just as successful. And both of these show just how important original content is.

2. Upworthy is Leaving Aggregated Content in the Dust

Upworthy is known for the random bits of content they’d find, throw out at will to users, and watch as the viral numbers spiked higher and higher.

They were the epitome of the viral world, and something many aspired to be like and for good reason.

Soon, however, Upworthy started losing its famed numbers due to many changes in algorithms and aggregated content.

And they had to revamp their approach.

They ditched the once famous, but now dead, aggregated content and went for a better approach. What was that approach?

Ding ding! You got it – original content!

3. Google Phantom Means You Need to Amp Up Your Original Content

Google Phantom isn’t someone hiding out in the bowels of an opera house (though if you want to start singing, I won’t stop you).

Phantom isn’t quite as terrifying as it sounds, but it does mean that you need to focus on creating great, original content.

It is looking out for the dreaded filler content, which isn’t something that really provides value to readers and users. Google wants all searchers to find great content, and that means doing away with ranking filler.

4. YouTube is Seeking to Launch an Original Content Effort by the Year’s End

Another website that is looking to remove filler content and push people to create original pieces is YouTube.

They’ve announced that they are working on an original content effort that they want to release by the end of the year. This is going to encompass a wide range of video and business types so if you’re on the channel, it’s time to focus on great original content.

All of these great websites are making wonderful changes. And, all you need to do is focus on making great and original content for your users and clients.

6 Ways You Can Create Original Content

“You keep talking about the importance of original content, but how do I create it?”

Great question; I’m glad you asked! Let’s take a look at a few tips to help you on the way to great content your clients will love.

1. Plan Your Content and Create an Editorial Calendar

Making sure you have a great pool of unique ideas can get overwhelming if you’re coming up with it on the spot.

Instead, make sure you create and plan out an editorial calendar to help keep you in the game, giving your clients excellent content.

Having a plan in place will help you create consistently great content and keep you from feeling bogged down when things start getting hectic.

2. Create Your Own Podcast Content

You can’t just focus on written content anymore. People love variety, and they love having access to various types of content.

One of the best and hottest ways to get out original content is to create a podcast. Creating a podcast isn’t all that difficult, and according to Carol Tice, guest blogger at ProBlogger, it can be an immense benefit to your marketing strategy.

3. Invite People to Become Guest Bloggers or Content Creators

Let’s face it; sometimes you simply cannot come up with great original ideas. You’ve watched all the Netflix shows, stared at your screen for hours, and nothing. Your brain betrays you.

What’s a business to do?

Hire a guest blogger. They can provide excellent new content for your blog, without you overly stressing about what you should write about next.

In fact, you can even hire professional copywriters to take over your blog, helping you create expert content that is 100% original.

4. Repurpose Old Content to Get More Traction

You already have a great wealth of information when it comes to creating original content and you can easily repurpose it.

At first, it might seem like “repurposing” goes against “original” but that isn’t so. In fact, you can get great original content in multiple formats, and get tons of mileage out of your posts.

Wordstream gives some excellent example of how to repurpose. You can turn your content into webinars, podcasts, videos, eBooks, and more.

Look at all that great new content.

5. Host an Interview On Your Blog or YouTube Channel

Interviews are awesome because they give you the chance to share new information from industry insiders and look excellent at the same time.

You can post a text interview on your blog, host one on a podcast, or even have a video interview.

Simply find the people you want to interview and reach out to them. You can also interview your employees, giving a great insight into the company.

6. Run a Case Study and Feature It

Case studies are excellent because they help you show how well your business is doing or looking into something specific within your industry.

When you run a case study, you’ve just created great original content that your clients will love to see.

Don’t Lose the Content Game – Create Original Content

It’s time we put more thought and investment to the type of content we produce. We all need to be ahead of the game when it comes to establishing our online presence.

And creating original content is the best place to start.

Creating excellent, original, and unique content is something we at Express Writers are absolutely stellar at. Take a look at how we can help you!

Photo courtesy

Featured cartoon (c) Express Writers

SEJ credit Brent Csutoras, Search Engine Journal

6 Tips for Creative, Original & Unique Content

by Adam Oakley | Jun 6, 2014 | Copywriting

There you are, sitting behind your computer screen wondering what in the world to write next. You want it to sound new, exciting, and original all while bringing people in and making them want more. Currently, you might be feeling stuck because you just don’t know how to go about crafting this creative content and all of the standard blog posts you’re writing just aren’t cutting it. This blog is going to explore a few tips that will help you start crafting unique content and help you stand out in crowded Internet-land.

1. Craft Perfect Headlines

A huge part of creative content is your headline and sub-headers. Finding the right ones for your blog will help make it pop and stand out from all others. Headlines are what draw people in, so you want it to reflect your blog while also being unique and interesting. Sometimes, it is easier for you to come up with the perfect headline after you have finished writing your blog because you will be able to pick the best headline possible for it. Other times you will need to have a headline chosen in order to know how to write on the topic. You can go to popular websites and see how they formulate their headlines to give you ideas and inspiration for future ones.
In addition, sub-headers are important. These are the mini-headlines people will read when they click the link to your page. We all do this. We open a page, scroll down, read the sub-headers and decide if we need to read it. The best thing to do here is craft some very interesting sounding sub-headers that give just enough information to tease readers, but not enough to make them feel they don’t need to read your blog. Sub-headers are also handy for you because they create an outline for you, keeping you on track and on topic.

2. Marvel Has Visuals Down To A Science

Whether we are fans of Marvel or not, we enjoy the gorgeous quality of all Marvel films. It is because of this quality that many people are gearing up to go see a film based on a band of heroes that aren’t very well known (Guardians of the Galaxy), but consumers know that Marvel means quality and enjoyment.
You will want this type of quality in your writing to keep people coming back. Utilize visuals with your content and create stunning looking formats for your blogs, utilize great stock photos for a blog photo, or craft an engaging infographic that is visually appealing. Visuals appeal to the masses and the more visually appealing your site and blogs are, the better.

3. Geek Is The New Sexy

We aren’t sure if you’ve noticed or not, but geek (or nerd) is the new sexy. People love to learn about things and they want content that makes them feel knowledgeable while teaching them something new. They don’t want something that continually talks down to them nor do they want something filled with information that was “so yesterday.” “How does this pertain to creativity?” Simple. The more you teach someone something in an easy to understand way, the more likely you are to be creative with your writing. Just try it and watch the creative juices begin to flow. You’ll find new ways to write sentences and your descriptions will help paint an excellent picture in readers’ minds.

4. Take A Lesson From The Doctor: Focus On Your Fans

A huge thing Doctor Who has done with the reboot is doing things for the fans. Sure, you’ll hear angry comments here or there, but most of the time everything is done with the fans in mind. On the DVD commentary, you even learn that the producers and director shied away from a big re-introduction scene of the Doctor and opted for a more personal touch; same with viewing the inside if the T.A.R.D.I.S for the first time in years. Do this with your writing. Focus on your readers instead of the search engines, and you’ll find it much easier to be super creative and come up with some great, unique web content. Write what you know they’ll be interested in hearing or what they’ll be interested in learning. This puts you on a personal level with your readers and makes you not seem like some unknown entity within the Internet.

5. Netflix and Barnes and Noble Are Great Resources

We aren’t referring to their content campaigns, but those could be helpful too! We are talking about what they sell and what their business is; books, television shows, and films. These are chockfull of information ready to inspire you and get your creative mind pumping at full power. Many people say these are timewasters, but when you just can’t think of a creative way to write your content these forms of media might just be the best thing for you. It gives you a chance to turn your mind off and just rest, while enjoying a show or book that stimulates your brain. You’ll notice as you take these breaks, that all of the sudden ideas spring up out of nowhere. Make sure you have a pen and notepad nearby to write down all of your ideas or head on over to your computer to write from great unique content!

6. Use Stories To Make Your Content Unique

Storytelling is something that has been around since the dawn of humanity. We haven’t been able to go through our lives without stories and we all enjoy them, no matter what they are about. Use this as a great way to start writing creative and unique content that will be shared multiple times. You may not publish all of your storytelling content, but it will get your brain thinking about many different topics and ideas. Even just writing a creative story for you can do this. You can write a story about your brand for your upcoming company anniversary or you can write a story about helping at a local charity or farmers market. People love these stories and will eat them up quickly.

When In Doubt, Rest

If you are still having a hard time crafting unique content, don’t stress out! It is OK. This is something all copywriters go through and we can all understand the real struggle of crafting unique content. One of the best things you can do if none of these tips are working is take some time to rest your mind and enjoy life. Go for a walk, grab some ice cream, or get out of your house to see a movie. This will help your brain shift from focusing on your content and, just like with point number five, you will notice that ideas start coming to you out of the blue. So go grab some Starbucks, enjoy life, and get back to writing. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with all of the unique content you come up with!