When most people think of creating content, they generally automatically think of blogging, tweeting, or posting to Facebook. Those are all great places to publish the awesome content you’re cranking out, but they aren’t the only options.
Sure, you want your blog to be the main “hub” where your content lives, and social media sites have millions of potential new followers/customers. That’s all fine and dandy, but if those are the only channels you’re using to put out content, you could be potentially missing out on A LOT of opportunities. So before you rush to put that new article you wrote on your blog, hold on for a quick sec, and let’s explore some of the other places you can publish content to.
1. Reddit
Oh you thought Reddit was only for procrastinating for hours at work, or promoting content you’ve published on your blog? Think again! Reddit can be a tremendous platform to build your brand, and connect with a huge audience filled with people that appreciate great content.
The reason why most people fail at Reddit is because they just post a link to their blog post and bounce. They don’t engage on the site, or offer anything of value, and just take. But what if instead of just promoting your content, you created a monster post in a subreddit without expecting anything in return?
There are plenty of examples of big brands who have used Reddit for marketing, but this case study really stands out because it’s focused around content, and it’s not some huge company, just a single content creator who decided to try out something different.
2. SlideShare
You all know I’m a big fan of SlideShare, and I think it’s an unbeatable platform for content creators. If you’re not using SlideShare to publish content, you’re missing out big time.
The reason I recommend it so much is because it gives you a way to create a different type of content, in a way that has a lot of potential to go viral if you do it correctly.
You can start by turning some of your old posts into SlideShare presentations, or make completely original content for your Slide Decks. Just make sure that you’re not just throwing something together real quick. Quality counts big time, and it’s one of the keys of being successful. Take some time and do a good job, don’t be lazy.
3. Quora Blogs
I’ll be honest, I just started getting into Quora this year and I completely overlooked the blog portion of the site. You can setup your very own blog on Quora and publish content to it just like you would on your own site.
Here’s a list of some of the top Quora blogs so you can get a feel for how it all works. One of the reasons I like the idea of publishing content to Quora is that the users are very active, and it’s very community oriented. And in order to get more eyes on your Quora blog posts, people can upvote your content just like the Q&A section of the site.
Something to keep in mind is that your blog will be hosted on the Quora site, so your urls will be: “whateveryoupick.quora.com”. I highly encourage you all to go and pick up yourname.quora.com or yourblogname.quora.com. Even if you don’t plan on using the Quora blogging platform right this minute, it’s nice to have your name already picked out for whenever you’re ready. That way, you won’t be stuck trying to figure out what to name your Quora blog because your name has been taken. If you’ve ever tried to get a website with yourname.com, then you know the struggle.
I just started my Quora blog (it’s empty at the moment), so be on the lookout for some new content there!
4. YouTube & Vimeo
Who says all of your content has to be text or image based? Putting out videos on YouTube or Vimeo is a great way to give your audience a new way to consume your content besides blog posts and infographics. And with the way they’re making smartphones today, you don’t even need to invest in super expensive equipment to shoot a HD quality video.
Some of my favorite content creators use YouTube as their main platform. If you don’t want to get in front of a camera and talk, you can also create “how to” guides by recording your computer screen using Camtasia or other programs. Heck, you can even make a slideshow presentation, turn it into a video and lay audio in the background.
It’s hard to compete with YouTube because of the sheer popularity. But Vimeo is a good alternative, with the main difference being that Vimeo really pushes for creativity and unique content creation. It’s also less commercialized than YouTube. Here’s how I like to think about it. A video of your cat sleeping in a cute way could potentially go viral on YouTube, but probably not on Vimeo.
5. Other People’s Site (aka Guest Blogging)
Why limit your content to just you own blog? Guest blogging is one of the best ways to build your audience and get more traffic. Unfortunately, people make the mistake of sticking to just their own blog when it’s time to create amazing content. But one of the best things you can do for your blog is to write on someone else’s.
I wrote an entire post about how to be an awesome guest blogger, so I highly suggest you read through that if you’re interested in giving guest blogging a try. I’ve guest blogged on a ton of different sites, and the results have been great. So I always encourage bloggers, online marketers, and anyone interested in building a reputation online to start guest blogging.
Guest blogging may not be as easy to do as it once was, since some bloggers have stopped accepting unsolicited guest posts. But that actually works to your benefit. Whenever the barriers to entry on something increase, the exclusivity makes it more valuable. Focus on building relationships with people in your industry, and opportunities for guest blogging will come along naturally.
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I’m Challenging You!
I’ve given you some great ideas for other places to publish content besides your own blog. Now I’m challenging you. Pick at least one of these platforms and create a piece of content on it. Create a YouTube video, start a Quora Blog, get started with Reddit, make a SlideShare presentation, or reach out to people in your industry for guest blogging opportunities. Do something.
Keep in mind that it takes time to build your following on all of these different platforms. Unless you create something extremely fascinating or weird, you’re probably not going to become a YouTube star overnight. But make some time this week to take the first step.
After you’ve made your content, shoot me an email, tweet me, or leave a comment to let me know how it went.
