For excellent research therefore, first create a good outline of your content.Then examine your content as a reader, build a good reference list , read more about your niche, reach out to experts for their opinions, do brainstorming and journaling for fresh content, and refer to sites like HARO And Terkel.
Table of Contents
Significance of Good Research
According to Contentwriters.com research adds validity to your content.
The primary goal of the research is to provide readers with accurate information. But that’s not all, they also expect something fresh.
Conducting research,however, is easier said than done. We can’t just randomly cite sources, or grab links from any place on the internet. Because we have to know what we’re talking about,and those links have to be relevant.
But we need to find those relevant links and sources first.
That needs hunting out information and connecting it in a relevant context with your content.And to say the least,there are numerous methods for doing research and identifying sources and links.
So in this post, we’ll study some techniques effective for great content research.
Create A Good Outline And Rough Draft
Creating an outline and rough draft is the first step in research, because a good outline is a systematic roadmap.It helps you search out the right information in the right context.
So what do you need to do?
Here’s the thing.
First,without doing any research, write a rough outline and draft of your post.Do this step quickly,without excessive labour.
Make this first draft comprehensive and at least 1500 words long. Why?
Because a longer first draft invariably allows you more manoeuvre space to perform deeper research,later. A longer draft also sets the stage for more long form content .
And make sure you craft great subheadings for various sections at this draft stage itself.
Examine Your Content As A Reader
After you’ve finished writing the first draft, examine it carefully, keeping your reader in mind.
According to Prowritingaid.com “It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a novel, a blog post or an email – if you’re not focused on your reader, you’re going to lose them.”
In short, focusing on your readers’ concerns is one of the finest methods to write original, relevant content. In fact, knowing your target audience well is a crucial strategy as a good content creator.
Your research helps your readers a lot more than you can imagine,really.Perhaps they have a problem which they’ve been unable to solve despite their best efforts.
So if you’ve done good research,you can be the first one to offer that solution. And make no mistake, you’ll get noticed sooner than you thought.
So, what can you concentrate on the most for the benefit of your audience?
Well, you can focus on improvement.
You can go all out, and explore how research can improve each blog post.Again,at this stage, keep your focus on the reader.
Consider what you’re missing that someone else has already taken care of.
During this stage, you can also write additional content to spread your canvas and leave more space for researching.
Have A Reference List
Make a list of references that you frequently consult and continue to add to your reference list on a regular basis.
I believe it is beneficial to do advance research in order to identify the types of blog posts you will publish in the future.
The ideal approach in creating this reference list is to write the title of the article, a link to the article, and the source.
You can also look back to your references list as you go along, to determine which links make sense in the context of the article.
Also, when you do your research, make sure you don’t just rely solely on one source. If you really want to give your readers more choices, then I recommend you increase your resources.
Read Up On Your Niche
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss
Reading is a matchless,and failproof strategy to gather more information in your domain. You’ll stay abreast with much more this way than choosing to stay frozen and bound on your own homepage.
So read up books, publications,e journals,and even other blogs in your field.Follow relevant groups on social media, such as Facebook or Reddit/ Subreddits. And when you come across something fascinating, add it to your reference list right away.
Most successful bloggers I know read widely across domains. That’s because it allows them to keep track of topics that may be significant in the future as well.
This is a much smarter approach than only focusing on what is important right now.
Each week, the finest bloggers put in hours of reading for their posts. They keep track of the most popular content in their niche. And its not uncommon for them to also keep a journal of ideas handy.
Another good reading hack is to refer to other people’s previous blog entries, statistics, and anything else that can help them improve their content. And keep an eye on content-related discussions on relevant forums.
This type of research reading increases the quality of your content and simultaneously also enhances your SEO success. This happens because you’re ranked well for Google EAT score when you link to authoritative sites within your content.
Get An Expert’s Opinion on Your Blog
Bringing in outside experts adds weight to your content. Your readers regard you as an expert in your own right when you attract other specialits.
Also, having experts contribute to your content is one of the finest ways to convince people to share it.
It’s not always recommended to just insert a link and move on when researching your topic. Instead, get hold of experts and share their opinions on your blog.
Who are these experts, exactly?
Experts can include the following:
1.Authors, particularly those who have recently published new books.
2.Personalities who frequently speak on topical issues.
3.Bloggers who publish outstanding content.
Once you’ve found a specific expert, quote and cite them in your content.Then email the expert and request that he or she distributes the content. Most people usually have a soft corner for articles in which they have featured,and are likely to share it around in wider cirlces than yours.
This way,your article’s shareability gets a ‘catapult’ effect.
Brainstorm And Journal For Fresh Content
Brainstorming is a necessity if you want to consistently produce high-quality, unique articles.
It’s one of the most efficient strategies to come up with for unique ideas, and stand out from the crowd.
Moreover, brainstorming is a creative strategy to help you connect the dots between different options,in order to create a fresh blog article.
Freewriting
One good way to do quick brainstorming is freewriting.
Freewriting simply means allowing your thoughts to pour freely onto paper. According to Masterclass.com ,in freewriting you move from a “glimmer of an idea to a finished book, script, or article”.