We know that effective content is expert-led. The problem is that your experts probably rank content creation at the bottom of their list of priorities. Worse, they probably don’t think they have it in them to write regular content. So how do you motivate these ‘non-writers’ to create regular, timely, and good quality content?

1. Get a good plan together

Who doesn’t love a good plan?

If writing is something that terrifies your experts, then having a good plan of action will go a long way. Draw up a list of potential topics they should try to cover, provide them with a style guide, and give them a timetable. This is the best way to transform an intangible situation into a concrete and realistic one.

Your style guide should include grammatical and spelling preferences, as well as an overall brand strategy. It’s also helpful to provide your experts with an ideal audience to write for. Make them ask themselves: what would they like to hear about?

2. Implement an editorial process

Having an approval or editorial system, particularly at the start, will help to reassure your experts that what they are throwing out into the world is good.

If thrown in at the deep end, with little editorial help, I’ve noticed that experts can struggle with basic things like titles. I’ve seen plenty of non-descriptive, over-long, or just plain odd titles in my time. The content too can fluctuate from jargon-laden essays to hastily written ill-thought out missives.

Having a process for editing, whether it’s a dedicated content editor or a peer-system, will create higher quality content in the long run.

3. Remind them that they are an expert

Everyone has a niche that they are an expert in. The content they write does not have to Pulitzer-winning material: its purpose is to demonstrate their expertise for your business. This is why that piece of content needs to be written by them rather than outsourced to ghost-writers. Encourage them to cover their forte in an accessible way.

4. Create incentives

Short-term incentives can be a great way to kick-start content creation. At Passle, we’ve had success using gamification techniques to motivate our users into creating content. However, it’s important for your experts to be intrinsically motivated to create content beyond the initial burst of enthusiasm.

Providing regular feedback to your experts, as well as making content creation a part of their routine, are two ways in which you can ensure that they continue to create content.

Need help? Request a demo from Passle, we can help you take care of this.