There are people writing on essentially every topic online. Kudos to you if you can start a site on something that hasn’t been done and is 100% original, that is quite the feat. So to be realistic, you’re probably writing on something that others online are writing on.
Fair enough, many people share similar passions, and in terms of creating content about a passion – it’s actually good news that others are out there creating similar content. It’s good news, because that means there are already people marketing your topic, and there are established people in your field you can collaborate and network with. These people already have readers and supporters and have been creating even more of a following in the world for your passion.
Supporters from established sites are very likely candidates to become your fans and supporters too – they are the big fans of whatever genre your content is. And, chances are they’re willing to subscribe to another site on the same topic.
But the only chance you have of someone becoming your supporters is if your content is exceptional.
What exactly defines exceptional content?
It’s content which is:
- Presented professionally
- Supported by facts
- Uses personal experience and real world examples
- Uses analogies and shows parallelisms
- Proves a point
- Intellectually stimulating
- Compelling, refined, useful, intuitive, unique
- A resource in itself
- A “must read”
This is just a start, but you get the idea. Developing this kind of content takes time. It’s not necessarily just writing about the first thing that comes to your mind. It’s about posting what is worth spending time on, something which needs to be said.
And this doesn’t just apply to bloggers. If you’re in PR, for example, your press releases and pitches should exemplify exceptional content. In fact, it needs to – think about how overwhelmed most reporters are by generic press releases and pitches. Think about how nice it is for them when they get something fresh, something that makes them stop and think “wow, someone with passion wrote that – this is so special I need to write about it!”
Reporters, blog readers, Digg users – they all have the same thing in common – they want something novel and exciting, and they all want to be touched by passionate people. And you can’t create exceptional content unless you have passion in the first place. To be touched by someone with passion is a very special thing. When you’re reading your favorite blog, you’re probably touched by passion and not even realizing it. Your favorite site is probably remarkable in many ways, and there is a reason for that. Remarkable content is absolutely a byproduct of passion and the flow experience.
Let’s say you’re subscribed to someone’s blog on tropical fish. You absolutely love the content presented there, and want to learn everything about it. Now, say you stumble upon another page on tropical fish. You already love the first page you found on the subject, so that page becomes your base of comparison on the new tropical fish page you have found. The first page is the standard. If the second page has exceptional content, you might think to yourself “hey cool, another tropical fish site, I’ll subscribe to it also.” But, if the content on the second site isn’t quite as good, you might not bother.
With this example it’s clear just how important it is your site is the very best. An alternative perspective or tone of voice is great, but it also has to be exceptional – otherwise nothing else will matter.
Your content also must be sticky. Stuff that is so sticky ‘must’ be shared, and that’s what will happen when people begin to view you as an exceptional source for your genre of content. Becoming that source is key, and takes time, but the results will lead to success in growing your reader base and catching on.
The winners online and the ones who attract the most attention do so because they are run by exceptional, passionate people. If you’re someone in that vein, then you will eventually draw as well…it may take time, but eventually if you’re passionate your stuff will catch on.