So I asked the kind and smart people on LinkedIn to share their ideas on content creation. I’m going to start with this response, because it deals with a priority issue, which I call “psyching yourself out before you even begin”. Many people let their fear of failure, or fear of being less than perfect, paralyze them into not doing anything.

TIP #5

“If you think you can’t, you’re right. If you think you can, you’re right.” Pithy, but so true. Your negativity can kill your projects before you even begin. Here’s what Sid Smith shares:

“I’ve found that the problem isn’t that there isn’t enough content, but that they think THEY can’t continuously write killer content. In other words, they don’t want to be embarrassed by what they write.

It’s a very similar experience as stage fright or fear of public speaking. The fear is that their blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, or whatever

• won’t be read;
• will receive negative comments;
• will make them look stupid or illiterate;
• will be taken the wrong way; or
• any one of a hundred different fears.

The key to success is this: simplicity. The best approach is to simply brainstorm a long list of topics related to their niche market. The easiest way to do this is

• to do a search and find other blogs in that niche.
• Make a note of all the CATEGORIES.
• Then, for each category, note 5 to 10 questions people are asking related to that category.
• For example, take the category “Homemade Dog Treats” for a dog or pet owner niche. What are recipes you can cite or questions people are asking?
• Then, and here comes the hard part, just make ONE major point or statement that summarizes what you want to say to answer the question.
• Make it simple. Example: Homemade dog treats are less expensive than store-bought treats.
• Next, just write about 400-600 words expanding on that one statement.
• Forget about grammar and spelling (use Word). Write like you’re having a conversation with the person. Don’t worry about how it sounds. You’re not writing a novel. Just write. Writers know that the first draft will be garbage. That’s OK.
• Do a second pass at it, then post. Get it done.

The ONLY way to get past the fear is to dive into the fear. You and I know that once they get past the fear of putting themselves out there – virtually naked for all the world to see – and that they don’t die or get hung by their thumbs, the writing will come much easier. So, address the fear of public exposure first. The rest of it is easy.”

– Sid Smith Web Copywriting, B2B and B2C internet marketing, social media and SEO strategist

So start with a positive, can-do attitude. Once you remove that obstacle, you will be surprised how much you can think of. Stay tuned to the next tips in this series for even more ideas on how to create a continual stream of content for your blog, podcast, magazine or ebook series.

Penny Haynes, http://www.RSSzine.com

I have the Family Friendly Podcast Directory, but I started that not to make money, but just to create a refuge from the original podcasters that were so enamored with the fact that the FCC couldn’t touch what they said that they used vulgarity just because they could. I remember contacting one Podcaster and asking him (personally, not professionally) why he used vulgarity in his podcast. He told me because he could. He then admitted, however, that the newness of it wore off quickly, and he realized he was cutting himself off from a lot of listeners by doing so. I think he eventually gave it up.

Anyway, back to my story. I have been spending time studying and contacting who is big in Family Friendly “stuff” on the internet. (By the way, I Googled Family Friendly, and lo and behold, there my directory was!) I had already done keyword research on Family Friendly and found out NOBODY searches for those words. And yet there are tons of sites and articles and businesses that feature and promote Family Friendly stuff.

So how do I get people to find and visit my Directory if they are not searching for it? I want to give my Family Friendly Podcasters a lot of exposure, and also let those that care about that type of content KNOW that we are here. If they are not searching for “Family Friendly” stuff, how will they find me? (This kind of stuff keeps me up at night, if you haven’t noticed.) So I spend time on it.

Then I have my new, consolidated website which I figured I would finish today. That didn’t happen. I spent all day working on the Community Directories specs, rotating gif and accompanying web page. I needed to get that up because I purchased an ad on the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce (to which I proudly belong), and so I had to put the site up to match the .gif.

Then I need to start preparing for my own Community Directory which I will be running for Cherokee County, GA. There’s also another online business that I am partnering on, and have to work on getting those specs together as well. I’ve got one of my websites that is down and the person responsible for fixing it hasn’t been able to do that yet, and isn’t around. That’s another headache I’m not thrilled about.

So my head is spinning with “stuff” – podcasting stuff (that reminds me – I need to post on Podcaster Central Network at Ryze that I want to start interviewing business podcasters), Community stuff, website stuff, advertising stuff. So much stuff that even though I may accomplish a lot, there’s still so much stuff left undone. (Does anyone ever search for “stuff”? If so, I may end up on Page 1 on Google if I keep writing like this.)

But at least the Community Directory site IS up. If you know of anyone who would like to run a home-based online business for their community – a combination community magazine, directory, internet tv station and internet radio station – send them my way. I’m looking for 25 charter members (well, I have 23 left, with me taking one, and Houston, TX already taken) – and the money making possibilities are unlimited. So shoot me an email, or tell someone else about it and have THEM shoot me an email. Then everyone can make money and be happy (or something like that).

Well, enough about that. Happy New Year to everyone. I’ll end my ramblings there. Until next time, good night and happy podcasting.

Penny Haynes, That Podcasting Site

So I got Audiozines.com and named my audiozine Your Voice, in the hopes that others would join me in doing audio articles that people could listen to online or download. And join me they did, on many different subjects. It was fun and exciting. I just wished it was easier for people to download everything all at once, instead of one by one or via zipped files.

I tried hiring people to create some program that would download all of the mp3 files at once, but no one would touch the project. Then, Adam Curry developed podcasting and a podcatcher using RSS, and all of my problems were solved. And everything in my world changed. I officially became a podcaster, although that’s what I had basically been doing for a while already.

So now, 2.5 years down the road from starting my original business, I’m basically all about Podcasting. Podcasting stuff is my life and my livelihood. I think about it non-stop, I dream about it, I design for it, I program for it…it’s not really a passion. Maybe it is best described as an obsession. I see things that I think could be done that have never been done before, and it keeps me up at night (it’s 1:35am EST right now – that is proof enough I would think).

So this blog will be about podcast stuff. I will not add audio to this feed. I will be pure. At least I will try not to podcast here – just blog. Plus, truth be told, I’m testing Blogger out for a new project to see if it is easy enough for my future clients to use easily. So even here, I still have an underlying podcasting motive. Oh well, I’m not going to try and change myself. I will accept this wonderful obsession and make the most of it while I can, even at 1:36am EST.

I don’t know if anyone will read this, but it’s here for the reading. Here’s to 2007 – I’m expecting the best from it from the very start!

Penny Haynes, That Podcasting Site