Content Creation Basics: The Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to Content Creation Basics: The Beginner’s Guide. This comprehensive article is designed to teach you the basics of content creation. By the end of this article, you will understand what is content creation, how to create your content, the different types of content to create, and how to go about it the right way.

Want to learn about Content Creation Strategy? Then, join AClasses Content Academy.

What you will learn in this Articles Series on Content Creation

Here are the subtopics we are covering in the article series on “Content Creation Basics”

• Content Creation Basics
• Content Optimization Basics
• Content Promotion Basics
• Content Monetization Basics

If you want to skip reading these guides and dive directly into content creation right away, you might consider joining our AClasses Content Academy. There, you will meet like-minded people in the process of building their businesses and helping each other through content creation. With that out of the way, now let’s get started with the basics.

What is content creation?

Content creation is the process of generating information content, usually for education, self-expression, or promotional purposes. This can include:

• Blogs Posts,
• Videos,
• Podcasts,
• eBooks,
• Social media posts, and much more.

Content Creators are responsible for the entire assembly line of content design and production. They are also responsible for the look and feel of the content they create.

The art of content creation has been existing for centuries and millenniums. People have been creating content since ancient times, both for their self-expression and to document their passes. Most ancient civilizations had some form of written language that was used to record stories or information about their civilization, history, or cultural practices.

A good example will be the written text itself. Some of the earliest evidence of phonetic writing dates back to some 3250 BC in Egypt. Meanwhile, the earliest known comprehensive sentence in the Egyptian language has been dated to about 2690 BC. This is content creation in action.

All forms of art are created to communicate something to someone else through some form of medium!

Content creators, as you might imagine, are not always journalists or writers. Instead, they could be anyone who wants to share some form of knowledge with others! Thanks to the invention of the internet, that process has now become widespread among many people.

In the early stages of my research about the presence of Africans in northern Italy which led to AClasses Content Academy, I interviewed one of the earliest African immigrants in Verona. When the research was concluded and I handed the interviewee a copy of the book, (THE JOURNEY: An African Migration To Northern Italy, 1976 Till Date) I could feel the joy on his face as if I had done something extraordinary for him.

Yes, I can understand that up until that point, nobody ever came to him to ask about his version of his immigration journey from Africa to Europe. Now, he could see his experience in a book with his name on it.

This is also one of the good things about content creation. It helps people tell their stories and connect to a larger human experience.

Whether in the past or now, the purpose of creating content has always been to establish a connection with other people or if you like, your customers.

Today, many businesses use content creation as a marketing strategy. Through the content they produce, they can better connect with more prospects and existing customers, informing them of the company’s updates and services.

Are you looking for effective ways to start creating content for your brand? You can start making creative content like:

• Blogging,
• Social media posts,
• Email newsletters, just to name a few.

You can also create information content in the form of audio production, or dive into data-driven content like surveys or A/B testing.

There is no more limit to what you can do with information content and I hope you are getting the point.

Who are you creating content for?

This is a fundamental question to answer in the content creation process. It will say that, knowing your audience is the most important aspect of the content creation business. If you know who you are creating content for, then the content will be more relatable to them and they will be more likely to engage with it.

For instance, if you are writing for a travel blog, you need to know the type of readers who will be interested in travel articles.

Do you want to write an article about first-time parents? Knowing that the readers are likely to be adults and maybe inexperienced about parenting can help you write more effectively.

Here are some points to consider when trying to figure out your audience:

• What is their interest,
• Where do they live,
• What problems are they dealing with and much more?

An example can be: My audience is female, 18-25 years old, and lives in New York. They are fans of leggings, make-up, and pop music.

As said by Joe Nichols, “Being an entertainer includes knowing how to connect with an audience.”

So, listen to this good advice: “know your audience” because they will become your clients and therefore your real bosses.

• Is there a particular industry that you are creating content for? – The automobile industry, for example.
• Are you interested in a niche that requires certain technicality? – Young female surgical doctors in the Atlanta area, for example.
• Are you targeting a particular community or group of people? – The African diaspora community in western countries, for example.  

This is essential for any kind of content you want to create and distribute – whether it’s a blog post, a video, an eBook, or an infographic.

A lot of people try to just get creative and come up with something that they think will be interesting to the public. But if you don’t know your audience, then your content is just going to fall flat.

To learn more about a target audience, check out the following article: 5 Ways To Identify Your Target Audience In 2022

How do you generate content ideas?

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou, the famous American memoirist.

The creative process can be both tricky and overwhelming. When you are trying to come up with new ideas, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Whether you are looking for blog posts, social media content, or even something for the office newsletter, it’s important to have quality content that is both timely and relevant to your audience. The people you are writing for need a solution to their problems and your job is to provide that solution through your content creation.

Depending on your industry, you might need to tap into some already created content like reading books, watching movies, or listening to a podcast, all to get fresh ideas. Ideas are the connecting dots for your content creation process.

To create content that is relevant to your audience, you should research the topic. For example, if you are a writer for a blog about nutrition, you would need to research-related topics such as nutrition and food to find fresh ideas for your posts.

You simply cannot imagine all the information in your head, especially when data and statistics are involved. You sometimes need fresh information. We all do and that brings us to the next and one of the most critical parts of the content creation process, research.

To learn more about content research, check out the following article: 5 Ways To Generate Content Ideas Easily And Faster.

How to research your content creation

Content creation can be an intimidating task for someone who has never done it before. Luckily, the internet is full of tools and resources that can help you find your way.

Common research methods for content creation include analyzing your industry to know what problems people are facing that you want to provide a solution to through your content creation.

Consider asking yourself the following questions about your audience and the answers will surely lead you the right way:

• What are their needs?
• What are they looking for?
• What type of content can best fit their situations?
• When and how are you publishing this content?

Today, there is a long list of industries that are in constant need of quality content. From the healthcare industry to the automobile industry, there is a demand for high-quality content. That is a fact.

What that simply means is that the right type of content can make or break a business. In addition, it is important to know what problems need solving before you can produce effective content for your audience.

Google is undoubtedly one of the most useful tools for your research purposes. It has all sorts of possibilities, from tapping into the power of search engines and much more. From a single google page and at the click of a button, you can easily reach millions and billions of data, across different disciplines and formats.

Consider also YouTube videos and blog articles on related terms to your industry.

If you are serious, it’s not hard to find a niche-relevant article or video with Google’s help! So, go through them to arm yourself with the needed information to create better content for your audience. By better content, I mean the ones that can solve the problems of your audience. never forget that.

Why the research phase is important is that it helps you to:

• Identify the common problems of your audience,
• Able to analyze the problems,
• And enable you to better optimal solutions to the problems.

For more information, you can always see the kind of content your competitors are creating and then use those content to develop a better solution.

I did not say “copy your competitor’s content”. I just wanted to be clear on that.

When you find a strategy that works, keep on improving on it

There are many ways to improve your content strategy by observing what your competitors are doing. One way is to use a keyword scraper like SEMrush. You can enter your competitor’s website URL and the keyword you want to research.

That will bring up a list of keywords they are targeting as well as what type of content they are publishing.

Study the ideas and strategy because it’s always about the strategy.

Another interesting way to go about your research is by talking to some of your target audience, so you can understand their pain points and what they most need solutions for right now.

I know that some people are intimidated by the idea of talking to strangers, but it can be a very valuable tool in your research for content creation.

It will help you find out what frustrates them about their current situation and what goals they have for themselves.

To learn more, check out the following article: How To Research Your Content Creation

Types of content to create for your business

Now that we are done with the research, it’s time to talk about the type of content to create.

2023 going forward, content has become an increasingly important aspect of marketing. But the question arises, how does one create this content? How can you determine the type of content you should be creating more for a good (ROI) return on investment?

Generally, content can be broken down into four main categories:

• Textual,
• Visual,
• Audio,
• And interactive.

Now, while there might be differences in these categories of content, they can sometimes be used together in producing certain information. Now, let’s look closely at the four main types of content you can start creating for your business today.

Create textual content for your audience

Textual content is one of the oldest forms of communication around and it is used in many forms. It’s usually formatted in paragraphs, headings, lists, and tables.

Textual content is not only limited to text-based storytelling like in books, social media posts, or articles. It can also be used to further illustrate information in visual and infographics mediums.

Start leveraging visual content today

Visual content is the new marketing darling, and that is for a good reason. With a little help from new technological tools, you can create visual content, and guarantee that your message will be highly compelling to your prospects.

Visual content has several advantages over text-based content in that visuals are more engaging and impactful than text, and they are simple to understand if well executed. Yes, “if well executed”, because, in visual content creation, you need certain skills to correctly pull it through.

More than ever before it’s now easier to create visual content, thanks in large part to online digital marketing tools like Canva and Pixel where you can get started free at the push of a button.

Use audio content to amaze your audience

Audio content, unlike written content, is more engaging because it utilizes more senses. It is also much easier to create than video content.

Audiobooks are one of the most popular forms of audio content. They allow listeners to enjoy the story without having to read it themselves. This form of audio content is especially good for children who are learning how to read and write.

Audiobooks can also be very helpful to entrepreneurs who, maybe, do not have the time to read a full physical book but can listen to the audio version while driving or doing other things. That is actually my preferred way of reading.

There are many other forms of audio content, including podcasts and radio shows. These forms often provide information on topics like politics, business, or technology that you would not find in text-based articles or books.

Create interactive content and engage your audience

Interactive content is an ever-growing market and it’s a perfect way to keep your message relevant and captivating. There are some basic things to know about interactive content in that it has three main features as follows:

• Interactivity,
• Customization,
• And personalization.

Interactive content can be designed as a widget on your website, app, social media feed, or email newsletter, depending on the length of what you are looking to showcase.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating interactive content for your business or brand. So, just remember that interactivity is what makes it so appealing!

Understanding these different types of content, you are now in a better position to pick the right one for your audience, knowing what they like and how they consume information.

To learn more about different content to create, check out the following article: 7 Content Types To Create For Your Small Business.

Now, there is another important thing to consider about content creation strategy – planning.

Planning for content creation is a must for success

Before starting your content creation, it is important to ask yourself such essential questions as:

• What exactly do you want your audience to learn from your content?
• What is the primary goal of your content?
• What format and frequency do you want to release your content?

Asking yourself these important questions will help you better prepare for the job of content creation. Make sure you set a goal and a workable retune for your content creation.

If you have any difficulty, you can always go back to your content research as we have discussed earlier. Visit other leading blogs in your industry and listen to the experts who talk about the specific niche you are focusing on.

Planning content is important because it allows you to map out your responsibilities and ensure that all of your marketing efforts have a measurable goal. With good documentation and embracing your content strategy, you can be sure that every bit of work translates well into measurable results.

Understand the content creation structure

Content creation structure is a framework for structuring content to make it easier to find specific pieces of information and to make the content more useful for your target audience.

When you are creating content, it’s important to remember that the process is not what’s most important. What is more important is the result. Your content should be easy to understand and useful for your audience.

You can structure your content in a few different ways. The most common way of structuring content is by starting with an introduction paragraph and then listing your bullet points in order of relevance to your reader in the body of the document.

An alternative way to structure this type of document would be to start with the facts and statistics that support your all-embracing ideas before finally moving into the bullet points in order of relevance.

For example, you could first list and discuss all relevant facts and statistics before moving into a discussion of your main idea. You then might move on to other supporting statements or additional facts and statistics.

In the case of a blog post, a piece of good advice can be to make sure your paragraphs are not too long so, as not to discourage the readers.

Instead, you can make it short, 2 to 4 lines, maximum. Take a look at our blog posts to understand what I am talking about here.

The same is true if you are creating a YouTube video. Always keep it short and precise to the point. It’s a rule of thumb in today’s fast-moving world where people are complaining of no time and lack of focus. I am sure what we have discussed today about content creation can help you with your content creation business.

Your key takeaways content creation basics: The Beginner’s Guide

For your content to be considered effective, it has to be valuable and directed toward the audience’s interests. In the case of textual content, it has to be organized in a logical structure with good headings, subheadings, keywords, and meta descriptions.

Make sure you don’t just jump into content creation, without first understanding who your audience is, what problem they have and how your content can provide the solution.

Pay attention to the recommendation throughout this article and go ahead with your content creation strategy.

Join AClasses Content Academy if you want to learn more about Content Creation Strategy and how to leverage content for your Business.