Don't Template the Life Out of Your Content - How Structure and Creativity Intersect

Creativity and structure may appear to be polar opposites. The truth is that structure can help creativity flourish -- but a template is the wrong way to go.

I have a love-hate relationship (OK, it's more a hate-hate -- but hate is such a strong word), with a certain digital marketer. Yes, I'm a sucker for punishment because I continue to subscribe to this person's e-marketing platform, but it's because I find the content so amazingly off base.

Why? Because it's all about templating blog creativity. And that never works.

For any business, its blog is intended to be a forum to showcase the things that sets you apart from the competition. It can help you share your expertise and give you an opportunity to add your own unique value to conversations. A blog is about a unique perspective, voice, and body of experience.

You can't find that in a template.

What a template can give you is a structure in which you can write boring, staid content that's likely no different than what anyone else who is following this template is doing. In one template article -- not by the same group -- one of the final steps is "Write!" -- then gives you links to items like a thesaurus.

Finding synonyms for words is the least of your worries. Finding and executing valuable content should be the focus -- and that takes experience, skill, and an aptitude for writing. You can't template that.

I've said it before, but just because everyone can write, doesn't mean everyone should. And unless you're committed to the medium -- and have a certain aptitude for it -- don't bother. You can do more damage than good.

When it comes to writing a blog for your business, you have to answer a few key questions:

• Why am I doing a blog?
• What value am I adding?
• Is this content actually a blog, or is it a glorified news item?
• If I start a blog, will I have the resources to continue it?
• If I start a blog, will I have the wherewithal to continue it?

If you want a blog, but are not particularly inclined towards writing one, you have options:

• Empower someone within your organization to blog on behalf of the company;
• Share blogging responsibilities across different people in various roles;
• Have someone within your organization ghost write your content, using bullet points or notes you provide;
• Hire someone to write your blog posts.

You'll note that I didn't put, "follow a template" on the list for the simple reason that no one wants to read pre-fabricated content -- and that's what templates do. They create a defined and rigid structure that simply encourages uniformity in the written word. What a blog's supposed to do is allow you to celebrate what makes you unique, what perspective you bring to an issue, and how your experience can benefit others.

Elements of structure can have a positive impact on your ability to create content, though.

Instead of templating content, try scheduling it.

Having a rough idea of the topics that you want to write about during a given week can help. While you can't schedule creativity, you can help stoke its fires by at least having some idea of what you want to write.

Break down a large topic into smaller posts

Establishing a multi-post series can also be of assistance by allowing you to pre-plan multiple posts or articles and publish them on a regular schedule. In the past, we've done a few series on topics like writing for the web, accessibility, and our current series on Intranet development. These items can also be repurposed into larger guides and resources that you can share with clients or use as discussion points.

Use scheduled content to form the foundation upon which inspiration flourishes

If you're going to blog, the key thing is to ensure that you're regularly updating it with content. If you're able to establish a content schedule -- at the very least a selection of topics to explore -- that allows you to fill in gaps with spur-of-the-moment/inspiration-based content.

Make it easy for you to keep good notes

Some people like to have a notebook next to their bed, others use electronic devices to capture those moments of inspiration. I've used a voice recorder on my cell phone to dictate content ideas and key thoughts -- sometimes when I'm walking home.

Writing inspiration can be fleeting. I've lost more content than I'd like to admit simply because I'll convince myself that I'll remember this great idea later. That rarely works. So having something conveniently accessible when those thoughts pop in your head is so valuable.

Get help

No, not a pre-fab template, but reach out to your co-workers and colleagues. Have a brainstorming session where you spitball ideas, ask co-workers what they'd like to read or what they feel is lacking from your blog, put out a call to your readers for questions or suggestions. You don't have to be the sole source of information.

Teamwork!

You can also encourage others in your organization to participate in your blog by combining your expertise: some people may feel that writing content is a daunting process, while you may not feel conversant in their area of expertise. So join forces and combine your skills. The role of a good editor is to help people express themselves, in their own voice, in the best possible way. You want to make the process as painless as possible too. Sometimes only a handful of bullet points is all you need to craft something valuable to an entirely new (or underserved) demographic.

Write!

OK, considering how dismissive I was above about this particular piece of advice, my tongue is firmly in cheek with this. Almost everyone can write, but it's something different to write well and to effect. It's a skill that can be developed and encouraged, but even the most experienced writers can challenged.

When I started out as a young reporter, I was encouraged to just write the body and the lead would come on its own -- but that never worked for me. I tend to structure my work in my head, then write in a stream of consciousness. That was a necessity because I started out writing on really tight deadlines (pre-Internet too!), which meant that my first draft was my final draft. But there are times where I will just type out thoughts, paragraphs, and ideas for a piece of content, then return to structure them properly.

You need to find out what works for you and be willing to experiment. There's no magic formula for good writing. And while elements of structure (not to mention Strunk & White's Elements of Style) are important, templating won't encourage good writing. It's just the same old same old -- and a blog is supposed to be anything but that.