7 Essential Habits of the Most Successful Content Creators in 2019

Anyone can report on a topic, but it takes a seasoned content creator to actually reach people with their writing.

In order to become a really great content creator, you must have a strong understanding of not only the subject matter itself, but also the internal and external factors that help it take shape.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I'd go as far as saying that content creation boils down to an art form. I mean, anyone can paint by number, but they'll always only be one Picasso.

A really great content creator is thoughtful in their approach to each individual piece, whether it be a simple tweet or a comprehensive ebook. They take time and focus on more than just the words as they appear at surface value.

If you're struggling to master the art of effective communication, we've detailed 7 habits of really great content creators that are worth taking note of. 

They Understand Their Audience

Great content creators don't base their work on data and analytics alone, but rather they seek consumer insight. They have conversations with their sales teams and customer service representatives to absorb as much information about their audience as possible. 

They nail down their audience's interests, questions, and challenges, and work toward creating content that serves as a solution to their problems. 

They serve their content up in a language that will resonate with them, and a format that appeals to the way in which they prefer to consume content. 

They Talk About More Than Themselves

They focus less on how to sell their audience something, and more on how to educate them. 

They understand that their content should be less about them and more about you. They create content that aims to help their readers even if it does not amount to an immediate return. 

It's not enough for content creators to pitch how useful their product or service is, they've got to learn to build trust and prove their worth before they ask for anything in return.

Perhaps Jay Baer said it best: "If you sell something, you make a customer today; if you help someone, you make a customer for life."

They Outline

Really great content creators don't allow the blinking cursor on the white screen to mock them. I mean, everyone has a bad day every once and a while, but for the most part they approach content with a plan.

This makes it easy for them to create stay focused and not lose sight of the intended objective. It makes for more balanced content where each section is as substantial as the one preceding it.

By outlining their writing in advance, they eliminate the guesswork when it comes time to write, and they avoid filling the page with empty sentences.

They Make Smarter Decisions

Great content creators track analytics on a regular basis to uncover the performance of particular content. By measuring the performance of blog articles and other premium content, they can then use the insight to inform future content creation endeavors. 

Analytics can be used to determine which sources are referring the most traffic. By unmasking the top traffic sources, they can better determine which areas they should be placing their best content, and areas which may need reevaluation. 

They Repurpose

Creators of quality content recognize that not everyone consumes information the same way.

In order to provide their audience with options, they identify opportunities to squeeze more out of their existing content by reformatting and repurposing it.

They uncover articles that have not only performed well, but also share a cohesive theme. They bind blog articles like these together to create comprehensive kits, guides, and ebooks that have the ability to increase consumer interest. 

Conversely, they take lengthier premium content and break it down into individual blog posts that provide value in a more digestible arrangement. 

By repurposing their strongest content, they open up the door for increased visibility, and a better overall reach.

They Update

Great content creators know how to keep their writing fresh.

They recognize that they can gain a competitive edge by updating outdated information to enhance their user's experience. 

They're aware that they are creating content in a constantly changing environment, where their content will eventually turn stale, or at worst, expire all together. 

With the notion that search engines love fresh content in mind, great content creators consistently crawl their own site to spruce up any content that is starting to collect dust.

They Write Consistently 

Striking a balance between posting too often and not enough is a delicate thing. Great content creators find a way to post within that happy medium.

The understand that the more they post new content, the more potential they create for people to come across their website, but they don't aim to overwhelm their readers.

They have developed a plan for their posting frequency and they stick to it. This helps their readers set expectations, and helps them build a consistant, loyal audience.

They don't look at posting regulation as a practice that stiffles their creativity, but a way to ensure their audience is receiving a consistent supply of valuable resources.

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