Blogging tips: What does adding value actually mean?

Adding value is the eternal golden motto of blogging. Everyone’s preaching about it from marketing gurus Seth Godin or Gary Vee to blogging superstars Neil Patel, Manrepeller, A Cup of Jo or LifeHacker (and someone, who’s the odd one out in this list – yours truly).

And it’s true – adding value is THE ONLY way to make it (and also, it’s one of the best things ever, in my opinion).

Related: A case for slow blogging

But what does adding value really means?

If we try to crack this code, step over the general “oh, just write valuable content” advice and start to peel off the layers, what do we find there?

What is the value of blogging in 2018?

When I started this blog, I also began to pay more attention to and put into words what I find valuable in others’ content.

Why I follow the bloggers I read, what makes me come back again and again, what makes me excited about a new post, or what makes me unfollow.

It’s a good starting point to get a grip on what value means to you.

First impressions matter – but do not keep me around

I think every blogger needs to be aware of the 2 levels where attention is grabbed.

It definitely starts with the first impression.

I already wrote about how incredibly saturated the online space is. Just think about how many blogs, websites, Instagram pages, tweets, comments you come across in just one day.

It’s impossible to thoroughly evaluate each one of them, so we make a judgment call in the fraction of a second on whether to give them our attention or not. It’s unfair in a way because there might be valuable content we miss because the first impression is not perfect, but it’s the nature of the game.

First impressions can be based on a lot of things:

• Aesthetic
• Photos
• Style
• Website design
• Branding
• A title
• A topic
• A welcome message
• A unique idea
• A joke
• Writing style
• Fashion style
• A strong personality

The list can go on and on. It’s, of course, largely a matter of personal interests and taste, but I think a strong aesthetic and style are essential success factors. Don’t be afraid to stand out and make a statement – not everyone will get or like it, but at least you make an impression.

Now you made it through the first round. You have the attention – but for how long you’ll keep that attention depends entirely on whether they get any value from you.

The golden trio – educate, inspire, entertain

The golden trio of valuable (and I now use valuable as a loose synonym for successful and popular, not necessarily valuable in an objective, traditional sense) content is education, inspiration/motivation, and entertainment.

Let’s try to break them down one by one.

Educate

By educate, I do not mean teach the basics of physics in 2,000 words (though if you can, go for it). It simply means offering valuable information about a specific topic, challenge or issue to your audience. Your value can come from

• explaining difficult issues in a simple way
• providing new and unique information
• offering a new insight
• curating information and thus saving time for your audience
• visualize information for better understanding
• and, most importantly, identifying problems the readers may have and offering solutions.

If you provide solutions, people will stick around.

Educational content can take many forms, from practical how-tos, reviews, tutorials and easy-to-scan 10 ways to do types of articles to more in-depth content (“the ultimate guide to”). Some people prefer one or the other, I actually like both. Sometimes all I need is an easy, simple, how to type of article. Other times, I love immersing myself in a topic and learn all the details.

Writing truly valuable educational content is definitely a winning strategy – the more help you provide, the more your audience will trust you and you’ll become a go-to source for them.

Educational content does not have to be dry or boring. There’s a big overlap between the golden trio of valuable content, which means that you can educate while entertaining or inspiring at the same time. I actually love educational content that builds upon personal stories and experiences – it makes the content so much more relatable.

Practical tips for providing valuable educational content:

+ Always ask this question: What is the problem and how can I help solve it?

+ Do the work for people – research, think, curate, offer answers

+ Find out what people actually need help with, do not guess – browse message boards, social media, Reddit, google searches, or simply ask them

+ Make it relatable by sharing your own experiences

+ Analyze your data to see what’s working – chances are your most visited pages offer great value to people

+ Always offer an insight, tip, or key takeaway

+ Spice up your content with visuals – graphics, photos, videos, audio

Inspire and motivate

My favorite bloggers are the ones who inspire and/or motivate me with their content.

And this is probably the most powerful and strong relationship there ever can be between a content creator and the audience.

When you’ve reached the point where you can stir emotions, energize, motivate, and influence people towards certain actions, you know you’ve really connected with them.

Inspiring content doesn’t necessarily have special content forms like educational content often does. The value is in the effect and style.

And it doesn’t only mean motivational speaker type of content either. Sure, that’s great. But the inspirational value is often a lot more subtle or not exclusively about sweeping, life-changing decisions. I love rousing motivational speeches as much as the next person, but I also follow people because they curate the most amazing interior photos ever. Or because they have a great fashion sense. Or they do fun things in life and make me want to be more adventurous.

You can inspire with your words. Your style. Your thoughts. Your ways. Your pictures. Your design. Your talent. Your stories. Your failures.

This last one is very important as well. I really respect and appreciate if someone is going all out and is not afraid to talk about their experiences and failures. That just makes the blogger so much more real in a way and I think more and more people are starting the crave that realness.

I also get a lot of feedback from readers saying that they really like that I often talk about the various parts of my journey, the good AND the bad.

Don’t be afraid to tell your story.

Practical tips for providing valuable inspirational/motivational content:

+ Use the power of storytelling – for connecting with people, to keep their attention, to make them really listen. Present a widespread issue or challenge through your own unique experiences and stories.

+ Be intentional about the kind of effect/action you’d like your content to inspire. Don’t make it a matter of sheer chance.

+ Don’t be afraid to share personal experiences as long as it has a conclusion that people can adapt to their lives. No matter how much your audience likes you, they still like themselves better so don’t make it only about yourself.

+ Connect with people, extend the value of your content by following up, reaching out, starting a discussion.

Entertain

So far, I think the value part of content was pretty straightforward and quite obvious.

Teaching something, sharing information, providing inspiration, or motivating people are the very definitions of adding value in the most objective sense.

But, what about the trending YouTube sensations? The Kardashians? Vlogs? Memes?

Do they add value as well?

I have to say, yes, they do. Maybe not value in the conventional sense, but value nonetheless. And actually one of the most important and sticky values ever: entertainment.

Sometimes we do not need teaching, inspiration, or motivation. We only want to be entertained without any added objective values. And that’s perfectly OK.

Practical tips for providing valuable entertaining content:

+ Don’t take yourself too hard – but don’t try too hard either

+ Really analyze the audience’s reaction to know what’s working and what’s not

+ Build on your strengths and show your personality more than ever

Mix and match

As I said, providing valuable content is not strictly about one or the other. The best is to mix and match all of them.

Teach by telling stories, inspire by personal examples, educate and be compelling and entertaining at the same time. You can use different platforms for different value adding techniques as well. Maybe you like sharing important content on Twitter. But you also love documenting your daily life and telling funny stories on IG stories. It’s fine. As I said previously, while consistency is key, it’s worth switching it up once in a while.

And at last, a final note.

Adding value is not an easy thing to do.

There are no shortcuts.

No magic bullet.

It requires work.

It may take time.

But it’s so worth it.

Please share your own take: what does valuable content mean to you?