A book that changed how I write content. I picked up Content Writing Step-by-Step by Dale Kennedy with the hope of brushing up my skills, but what I got was a shift in mindset. One of the most important lessons I took from this book was around research. I’ve often skimmed the surface, done the bare minimum, and jumped into writing. This book made it clear: that's a mistake. Kennedy stresses that research is the backbone of strong writing. He calls it the “secret sauce” for a reason. You’re supposed to fill your head with way more information than you’ll actually use—and it shows in the final output. Now I get why my writing felt scattered sometimes: I was starting before I was ready. Another area where the book really helped me was in understanding the difference between content writing and copywriting . It’s something I’ve often blurred in my mind. Kennedy explains it so well, I don’t think I’ll ever confuse the two again. There’s also a very honest section about freelancing—som...
The discussion around content is constant, and everyone has an opinion and their own experiences to share. A few fundamentals are essential for organizing the content you plan to create, and content clusters are one of them. If you are a content creator, then you cannot do without creating cluster content. Next, we’ll analyze what it takes to create and build a cluster. Let’s look at the steps. Creating Cluster 1: What is Cluster Content Cluster, as the word suggests, is a group of something that revolves or attaches itself to a central point. In content creation, a cluster attaches itself to a pillar, the central idea or theme. What is the pillar, then? Pillar Content Let’s assume you own a flower shop. Your central pillar theme will be ‘Flowers’. Your pillar content piece would be a comprehensive guide like: The Ultimate Guide to Flowers: Everything You Need to Know. The cluster content that supports and links to this pillar will include: Different types of flowers: (e.g.,...