Author : David Garland

Content makes the web go round Whether it’s through a blog, podcast, video, article or more – producing great content is the cornerstone doing business on the Internet So the bottom line is you, yes you, must become a content producer no matter what your experience level

There are usually two main reasons why folks don’t take the content plunge – time and fear

Let’s look at time first Common thoughts are: I don’t have time to do this How much content do I have to put out there? It’s going to take too long

Yes, it takes time But you can always make time Perhaps one less rerun on TV (unless you are watching The Rise To The Top, in which case keep watching!), getting up 30 – 40 minutes earlier or staying up 30 – 40 minutes later Sure you can spend hours on each blog post, podcast or video but with today’s technology, pumping out quality content takes less time than you think

And then there’s fear Fear you won’t be good, fear no one will listen or read or watch, fear you can’t do it, fear of technology? Hey, what’s the worst that can happen? You put something out there and you learned how to content produce Hooray, learning!

On the other hand, imagine people DO like it After some hard work you have a group of raving fans and are seen as an authority figure in your niche Cool!

The bottom line is the barrier of entry for content producing is ridiculously low and the benefits are extremely high You don’t need a broadcast degree, journalism diploma or big TV network behind you to establish a following anymore And you don’t need a $10,000 camera, expensive software or massive studio

So now that you’re ready to start pumping out that content, here are 7 tips for young entrepreneurs on content producing:

1 You Become The Expert: When you’re a content producer, your expert status goes through the roof And as you continue to learn more about your niche, you could land some great coverage For example, my friend Ria Sharon is an awesome Mommy blogger Her blogging led to a TV show appearance where she was talking about new baby items just hitting the market Cool!

2 Free Blogging Software Free is always good Just make sure to check out all the options Personally, I started with Typepad but then switched to Wordpress and I really like it Blogger is another free option for blogging You can always get fancier over time, but the bottom line is the software is painfully EASY to use and you don’t need a second mortgage

3 No Advertising Budget? No Problem! It used to be you could spend millions and sure enough someone would listen to you Not anymore Let the world decide by making sure you get your content onto social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and let the communities decide how they like it Some great benefits include getting instant feedback and becoming a part of a cool community And remember, don’t be overly self-promoting and end up being “that guy/girl” and instead focus on giving first

4 Quality Cameras and Dropping Price Tags You don’t have to spend $10,000, $5,000 or even $1,000 on a quality camera anymore (unless you are shooting for broadcast television like we have to do for The Rise To The Top oy!) From the $200 Flip Camera to webcams for under $100, you can create your online video blog or podcast without breaking the bank And like everything else, you can always upgrade over time!

5 You Don’t Need To Be A Techie Remember, the Internet is a teenager (14 years old) and software and other goodies are being designed for the average consumer in mind Sure there is tech-crazy-cool-fancy stuff for the techies out there, but there is quality technology that everyone can use and enjoy Wordpress is simple to use and so is a platform like Tumblr My step-dad is 69 years old and on Facebook Case closed

6 Age and Personality Doesn’t Matter: More introverted? Perhaps you are better suited for writing More extroverted? Perhaps video The bottom line is by becoming a content producer you can focus on your strengths! Nobody is telling you what to do so go ahead and do what you are comfortable with Old or young, there are no preconceived notions as to who can be a content producer You don’t have to be an outdated hair-blowing-in-the-wind newscaster to rock

7 Forget Perfection: So, your grammar isn’t perfect? You have a weird shadow in the background of your video blog? Audio drops on your Podcast? Who cares? Just get the darn thing out there and tell your friends, colleagues and anyone that will listen Quality content mixed with great marketing is always going to be a winner Get over whether you use a semi-colon or colon

The Internet is still the wild, wild west and the opportunity to stake your ground is plentiful But like many opportunities it’s getting slimmer by the day Now is the time to become a content producer and claim your space – and stop worrying about it if your dog walks in front of your camera when shooting

Young entrepreneur David Siteman Garland is a speaker, writer, producer and host of The Rise To The Top TV show on ABC and online at http://www.TheRiseToTheTop.com. He also posts business tips, ideas, and advice regularly on his entrepreneur blog.

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles

Filed under: Wealth Creation

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