Why your writing must always add value

Many years ago, when I was considering being a freelance writer, a woman I met at a networking session said to me:

“Keep writing even when no one is paying you”.

I didn’t really understand what she meant back then — I thought, ‘Why would I work for no money?’. But now I totally get it and she is right. You need to keep writing to improve your skills and build an audience.

It can be soul-destroying to work hard and produce content without getting something in return. But what you need to do is change your outlook — instead of just ‘creating content’, think about how you can add value through your writing.

After all, you don’t want to spend hours creating beautifully written articles, only for them to be ignored or, worse, dismissed as unhelpful.

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How do you make sure you’re adding value?

It is sometimes difficult to come up with ideas for what to write next, particularly when you’re just writing for yourself.

But there are plenty of ways to find out what problems your potential audience has and, most importantly, how you can solve them.

After all, you are unique; you have a perspective that no one else has because it’s shaped by your own thoughts and experiences. Your take on a specific issue might be exactly what your audience is looking for.

But as much as you’re helping others to tackle issues facing them, you’re also doing yourself a service by demonstrating your expertise.

Where do you find questions to answer?

There are many ways to find inspiration for something to write. I’ve tackled a few here to show you what can be done.

Speaking to people

Don’t be afraid to ask people directly what issues they’re facing and what guidance they might need. A colleague I used to work with always threw ‘What’s keeping you up at night?’ into a networking conversation to give him a steer as to what the organisation’s members needed from us.

As a writer, we’re used to spending time in front of our computers, hammering out words, but if we’re genuinely going to add value, we need to get out there and find out what people need.

In my day job, I’m planning a series of ‘How-to’ guides for organisations that know they need to do PR and marketing but can’t afford (yet) to bring in a professional. My idea is that they’ll be able to buy a ‘starter for ten’ toolkit from me to answer their immediate questions. But is it a case of ‘build it and they will come’ or do I need to do some thinking before finalising the documents? I attend a lot of business networking events, so I’ve been asking fellow attendees what they need help with to find out what advice guides I might need to create. Then I can target areas where there is need.

Online forums

Through online forums, you’ll find out what questions people are asking. What do they need help with? Where are they getting stuck?

This is your opportunity to bring your expertise to the fore. Find the platform where your audience is looking for help. Could your answer add value and help that person to solve their problem? If yes, then answer their question straight away. Then use that Q&A to create a longer article that you can use on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn.

You’re demonstrating not only your knowledge, but your ability to go and find out what problems people are dealing with. Believe me, that forum poster isn’t the only person who has that problem. And now, thanks to you, they have a solution.

Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash

Podcasts

I’m a fan of podcasts. I like listening to something when I’m pottering about and podcasts are a great way to learn without sitting down at a desk.

But make sure you’re listening actively. Think about what the host or their interviewee is saying. Some questions you can ask yourself:

• Do you agree with their point of view?

• If not, why not?

• How would you have done something differently?

• What value can you add to this discussion?

When you start answering those questions, you’re starting to build a new article skeleton.

Think about what value your article can bring to the reader. Are you teaching them something new or just reiterating something they’ll have heard many times?

Social media

We all spend time during the day scrolling through social media. But if you start to use it mindfully, like actively listening to a podcast, you’ll soon see people are asking questions and looking for answers.

Find where your audience is hanging out. What questions are they asking and can you easily answer their question in response to a post? If so, go for it.

If the answer can’t be given in a short post, then it just became an article idea that you can publish and share on social media. Keep a record of where on social the original post was shared; was it a particular group or was a tag or keyword used? Be sure to use them when you’re promoting your article.

This may not bring in immediate money, but you’re building awareness of you and what you can do for that community.

Reading books and articles

I find reading non-fiction sparks something in my brain. Most recently I’ve been reading books from a series by 99u. *Manage your Day-to-Day* is about creating a routine in your life to allow creativity to spark and help you get the work done.

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

While reading, different sentences kept jumping out at me as very profound and so I’ll be using them as inspiration for other articles.

It’s sometimes difficult to get reading time when there are competing priorities at home but if you’re a writer, reading isn’t a luxury; it’s filling your creative well. If your diary allows, take yourself out for a coffee (or a beer if that’s more your thing) and read a book. My advice: take a notebook because the ideas will start flowing once you start reading and not concentrating on writing.

Now go and get started!

These are just a few places you can get ideas. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll soon start to notice there are ideas everywhere. I’ve even found an idea from watching an interview from the Bridgerton series four press tour. One of the actors made a thoughtful comment about using social media and it’s definitely something I’ll be adding my thoughts on.

For now, off you go: find some inspiration and start adding value.