Articles and content about paraplanning
Andy_Schleider
Member
This is a question for the likes of @DanAtkinsonUK and others who write articles on a regular basis.
I'd like to write some articles for my website/social media channels, but I simply don't have any idea of what to write about. My article about what a paraplanner is appeared to be well-received, but there were 2 things about the article that spring to mind:
- I would have preferred a wider audience
- That article took me around a week to write and refine
Number 1 is fixed by writing more content, and number 2 is not sustainable as I have a business to run so spending that sort of time on an article is not happening!
I could employ someone to write content, but then I've been in this industry long enough to be able to write articles. What I really need is for someone to give me ideas on a weekly basis.
I guess my question is: where do you get your ideas from what to write about? Are you just naturally creative and full of great ideas, or do you get a bit of help?
Comments
Yes, it can be quite hard to come up with what to write about. My tips would be:
1) Practice makes it less difficult. The more you write the more you will get to know your 'voice' and the quicker it will become.
2) Work out who your audience is and what you want them to do/feel/understand. If you know your target you can write with them in mind.
3) Read lots. Be a sieve for the reader and share new/exciting ideas that you have come across. Find things that make their lives better! Listen to podcasts from other planners (UK and overseas) - I like XY Planning Network, Michael Kitces, Carl Richards, and Matt Hall for starters, but there are lots...
4) Write like you talk - use a dictaphone (or built in one on iPhone etc). Some people find this helps them get the initial content together easily. I don't do this, but have heard it helps.
Definitely don't pay someone to write for you!!! If you are struggling with ideas remember you don't have to do every week. Start with monthly?
Like most things just get started and be consistent. have a notebook for ideas that you might work into a blog/article.
Hope that helps - being a bit of a creative thinker does help but it's not required.
Chartered Financial Planner
Certified Financial Planner
Head of Technical at Paradigm Norton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danatkinsonuk
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Another thing that I just read about is that it is best to try and create 'evergreen' articles (i.e. articles that aren't too heavily time-dependent). For example, 'Thoughts on the recent Budget' might not be the best article to write for the long-term, even though you might get a spike of traffic initially.
It's also probably a good idea to get a bank of articles that you can post whenever you're too busy to create new ones.
I agree with Dan. Just pull on your own experience of the social media sites that you look at. What made you click on an article and read it? Chances are if something interests then you then it will be of benefit to someone else as well. Know you audience - what types of questions do you get asked in your business? It's really good to be relate-able with your audience - if you are telling a story that involves your personal experience of something this comes across really well too! Best of luck with the writing Andy :-)