Creating Content Online: My Simple 7 Step Guide (6 is Unexpected!)

If, like many people, you’ve found yourself wanting to know how to start creating content online, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve been creating content – both for myself and for my clients – for over 10 years. And throughout that time, I’ve tried and tested a whole bunch of different systems and frameworks for creating content, but found that only a handful really work (for me anyway).

I’ve also been asked by plenty of people how to actually start creating content online. Whilst it may seem simple – write, post, repeat, right? – knowing where to start can be pretty confusing.

In this guide, you’ll the learn the 7-step process that I’ve been using for years when creating content online – that’s content for myself, my clients, and the article you’re reading right now.

But first…

Why do you want to create content online?

Before you jump in two-footed into the world of content creation, you need to establish your why.

It’s important to remember that creating content online is a huge commitment, and something that requires a lot of dedication. Not to be too blunt, but if you’re brand new to this, there’s a good chance you won’t see much traction on your work for a while.

Because of that, you need to have a solid goal or driving force to keep you going.

Thinking about why you actually want to start creating content online. For me, I’m seeking to educate my audience to help them become better, happier, and more productive graphic designers. It’s that overall goal that motivates me to wake up every day publish content online.

The reason you want to start creating content is unique to you, but if you don’t have a goal or drive to work with right away, take some time to think of one.

I’m serious when I say that regularly creating content online is hard work, so you NEED to have a defined reason, aim, or goal before starting.

What platforms will you use?

Another huge factor to consider is what platforms you’ll be creating content for.

In recent years, there’s been a trend toward publishing video content exclusively online, due to the higher chance of building an audience and reaching more people.

In this guide, I’ll be basing the steps on writing a blog article. However, regardless of what platforms you decide to focus on, this framework will work just as well.

The 7-Step Guide to Creating Content Online

Now that you know your goal for creating content, and the platforms that you’ll be using, it’s time to jump right in!

Below, you’ll learn the exact, 7-step framework that I use to create content for a wide range of industries.

1. Start with an Idea

Every piece of content starts with an idea. This can be an exact idea for what you want to make, an abstract thought that requires further development, or even just a keyword, topic or pre-written headline.

When writing an article, one of the first things you should do is scan your industry for topics and search terms. Remember, we’re writing content for people to read, so knowing what your target audience is searching for is essential.

An incredibly helpful tool that I use all the time is Answer the Public. Using this, you’re able to enter your industry and related keywords, and it will search the Internet to see the most common questions being asked by people within your target audience.

The range of content questions Answer the Public generated for the phrase “graphic design”.

If you’re struggling to come up with an idea, you can simply take one of these generated questions and answer it! Remember that if your goal is to establish yourself as an expert in your industry, answering questions and providing advice is a great way to do this!

2. Research the Topic

The chosen topic you’ve decided to write about is something that you’re likely highly knowledgeable on, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need to do some research before you get started on the content creation process.

For me, the research portion of the process tends to take up about 30% of the overall time I spend working on a single article, give or take.

If you don’t want to do all your research all in one go, that’s fine! I’ve also found that writing and leaving gaps for statistics, quotes, etc, and filling those in later when I have more time to dive deeper into the subject works totally fine.

This method can work well if you don’t know the exact direction your content is going to take, and prefer a “start writing and find out approach.”

3. Determine the Format of Your Content

When writing an article, there’s a huge array of different directions and formats the content can take. It’s good, right from the outset, that you know exactly what it is you’ll be making, and even how the content can be repurposed later on.

Some questions to ask yourself in this stage are:

• Is this going to be just an article?

• Should I make an infographic to go with it?

• Will I want to repurpose this into a video?

• Can this idea be broken down into multiple Instagram posts or Tweets?

The more you know about the content you’re making from the outset, the better.

Additionally, you should think about the tone of voice you want to use. Will you be writing a humorous article, or something a bit more serious? Knowing this right from the beginning will stop your content feeling chaotic and all over the place.

4. Write Your Headline

Did you know that of all the people who see your content, 80% won’t read beyond the headline? Because of this, it’s essential you’re creating interesting and enticing headlines to encourage people to read your article in its entirety.

It’s not uncommon to write 20-30 different headlines for a single article and pick the best one. But if you’re in a pinch for time, or are brand new to creating content online and just want to get something published, this headline generator will be handy.

5. Write Your Content

If you manage to entice readers beyond the headline, your introduction is your chance to really hook them in and make them want to continue reading.

A good rule of thumb is to summarise what the reader wants to know, quickly explain why you’re the person with the answer, and then tell them what they’ll have learnt by the time they reach the end of your article.

Scroll back and read the introduction of this very article to see that in practice.

Additionally, you should make sure to include a conclusion in your article. Some eye-tracking research has shown that people are very likely to scroll right down to the bottom and read the conclusion to determine whether or not the whole article is worth their time.

When writing conclusions, make sure to summarise everything the reader has learnt in fresh language. You can also include a Call-to-Action (CTA) if you want your reader to do something else after finishing your article. You have to make these enticing and worth their while though!

6. Step Away

Really? Step away from my writing? Yep!

When you’ve been looking at the same chunk of text for so long – likely an hour or more in regards to an article – words begin to blur into one another.

You don’t want this to happen when you…

7. Proofread and Publish

For me, I try to leave at least a week’s gap between writing and proofreading my content. Doing so allows me to look back on what I’ve made with “fresh eyes” and spot any mistakes that I otherwise may not have.

Something that’s going to feel really weird when you first do it, but will most definitely help, is reading your article out loud.

Our brains sometimes skip over words when reading internally, but when reading out loud, you force yourself to check every single word of your article. Additionally, unnatural sentences that may not sound strange when read in your head have nowhere to hide when read out loud.

Conclusion

That’s it! You know the simple, 7-step process to creating content online!

To recap, we’ve learned the importance of researching your idea (remember the two different techniques), how best to find content ideas, and why your headlines are the most important part of your article.

Now that you’re an expert in all things online content, it’s time to dive a little deeper.

Coming up with new and original content on a daily basis is hard work, which is why planning ahead can make all the difference.

In this article, I explain why you need to set yourself up for success and plan your content in advance!

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