Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

4Regard Publishing as a Privilege

The best companies don't just churn out regular blog posts with the heavy-handedness of an orphanage doling out gruel. Rather, they put the needs of their audiences first; they regard the ability to create content as something of a privilege, as my friend Tom Fishburne of Marketoonist.com often notes.

Does it sound quaint to suggest that publishing is a privilege instead of some kind of perceived right?

I don't think so. Instead, I think it's a necessary mind-set that creates a breeding ground for great content. Inherent in that attitude is that you value your relationship with your audience, and that you put their needs first.

I don't say that lightly: every bit of content you create should be to please the customer or prospect—not your boss or client. More on that in a few.

We all have easy access to a publishing platform and a potential audience. We all have great power to influence, educate, entertain, and help—but also to annoy, irritate, and…sometimes…fritter away our opportunity entirely.

So the challenge for companies is to respect their audiences and deliver what the audience needs in a way that's useful, enjoyable, and inspired. The challenge is to also keep it tight, as Tim Washer, who produces video for Cisco, espouses. That means clarity, brevity, and utility.

Brevity doesn't mean bare bones or stripped down. Take as long as you need to tell the story. (The length of content is dictated by the kind of content you're creating.) The ...