Content is seemingly the gateway to a new world of success for every professional and business. Everyone is obsessed with creating it, using it for marketing, and pushing it out on every social channel. But it's hard to consistently create quality content — and to avoid all the suspect advice and buzzwords that can lead you astray. Here's the simple, proven path that anyone can follow to create terrific content — every time

1. A no-bull discussion about
creating good content
…and how to do it.
#SMBMTL | @spundge | @craigsilverman
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2. Quickly about me
• Director of content at Spundge
• Former columnist for Globe & Mail, Toronto
Star, Columbia Journalism Review etc.
• Author of two non-fictions books.
• Founder, Regret the Error
• Helped launch digital news org OpenFile.
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3. About Spundge
• Content curation and creation platform used by
marketers, knowledge
professionals, agencies, newsrooms etc.
• Enables professionals to use content to gather
and monetize knowledge.
• In public beta, free trial: http://Spundge.com.
• 100% made in Montreal!
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4. We’re in a content gold rush
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• Everyone wants to create it.
• Onslaught of (often conflicting)
advice.
• Tons of tools.
• Huge amount of noise and
confusion.

5. What do I mean by no-bull**** content creation?
• No buzzwords or jargon.
• No complicated techniques.
• Nothing that costs money.
• No search/social gaming.
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6. Content excuses
• I’m not a writer/video producer/radio host!
• How to get started?
• What do I talk about?
• How do I find the time?
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7. 7
There’s good news.
Fear not, my friends…

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You already have what it takes to create good
content.
Good news!

9. Content comes from natural human activity, NOT
techniques
• Collecting.
• Loving/Hating.
• Thinking.
• Gathering.
• Communicating.
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10. Making it good
Creating good content requires:
– Generosity
– Curiosity
– Consistency
– And…
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11. Making it good
Creating good content requires
– Generosity
– Curiosity
– Consistency
– Literacy
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12. Alright, let’s do this
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9 simple, bull****-free steps for creating good
content.

13. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
1. Think about what you know
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They say, “Write what you know.” Sometimes, they’re right.
What do you know about? What do you like to talk about?
What do people seem to like to hear you talk about?
Now make a list of the things you know about, the topics
you’re interested in (and that matter to your business) and that
you get excited about.
Hey, look, someone just put a list of interesting topics in front
of you that you’d be good at writing about, and that will help
your profile and business.

14. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
2. Find good sources
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Who produces good content and good data about the items on
your list? Find the websites, blogs, books and other material
that contain the best writing and reporting about your topics.
Did you notice they’re now your topics? Yes, take ownership.
You’re now invested in them, and that means you need to learn
everything you can. Find the sources you need to track, and
collect them together.
Keep adding new sources and pruning the less valuable ones.

15. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
3. Read
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Every day. The good stuff, a lot of it. Within your topics, by the
sources that matter.
Reading tells you where you can add value. It tells you what
people are talking about, and helps you see what you have to
say. You’re also staying up to date on the topics that matter.
Now you’re not just consuming content — you’re analyzing it
and understanding what makes it work. This is how you get
good at creating good content. It’s also how to generate ideas.

16. Reading/consuming always comes before creating
Question on Quora: “How did Ashton Kutcher
prepare for his role as Steve Jobs in the new
movie Jobs?”
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17. Works for writing, acting, filming etc.
Kutcher’s answer: “I started by consuming
content about Steve Jobs.”
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18. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
4. Save things
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Remember when you read that one piece and you realized
what it was missing, or it sparked a related idea that went
unexplored? Did you save it, file it away in a proper place with
your notes?
That’s what writers do.
They read things and they save them and they jot down ideas
and questions.
You must save the things that matter, and annotate them. Add
your thoughts. Keep notes and ideas.

19. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
5. Hold an editorial meeting (be sneaky if you gotta)
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Grab a few colleagues, tell them to bring in a few good things
they read recently and one or two topics they’re interested in.
Now talk about this stuff.
Talk about the things you read and what they made you think
about. Make strange connections. Take someone’s idea and
help make it better. Then think of a headline for what you
come up with. No go write something to back up that headline.
Repeat this weekly, and start reviewing the stuff you created
and whether it worked or not, and why.

20. Ways to kick off your editorial discussion
1. “What if…”
2. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…”
3. “What that piece was missing is…”
4. Think of the headline. Now write the rest.
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21. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
6. Give yourself deadlines.
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Deadlines provide focus and motivation.
To make them really work, don’t keep deadlines yourself. Make
them public, on an editorial calendar. That other people have
access to.
Hold yourself to your deadline. Get other people to hold you to
them. Hold other people to theirs.

22. Editorial Calendar
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23. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
7. Write
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Now you have everything you need to write something. Sit
down, get started. Don’t censor yourself too much in the early
stages. Just get things down. Quote from sources, and link back
to them. Credit other people for good ideas.
Three things to always keep in mind:
1. Being clear and/or useful is better than trying to be funny
and/or outrageous. Easier, too.
2. Don’t use words you don’t understand.
3. Don’t waste the words you do understand by using them
carelessly.

24. Chris Brogan describes watching Mitch Joel blog
“When I watch Mitch
blog, what I see is
someone who can
synthesize other
materials around his
core idea.”
— Chris Brogan
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25. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
8. Get edited
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Those people in the editorial meeting? One of them is going to
be your editor. Tell them to help you follow the above advice.
Tell them to be ruthless in the name of ensuing what you’ve
written is clear and has a point. Tell them to be generous with
praise. We all like that. But they also need to tell you what
doesn’t work.
Talk about the changes they made. Argue a bit when you
disagree, but always focus on what best serves the
reader, rather than your ego.
Good content comes in part from good editing.

26. 9 steps for no-bull**** content creation
9. Repeat
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Good content takes practice.
Keep following the process, keep reading and saving and
sharing ideas and writing them. You’ll get better. People will
compliment you on your progress.
Say thank you and get back to work on the next thing, because
people only really care about your next good piece of content.

27. What else isn’t bull****? Getting attention for your content
• Think about who you’re creating for.
• Think about how you make them aware of what
you’ve created for them.
• Think about encouraging their feedback.
• Think about making them part of the process.
• Think about surprising and delighting them.
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28. Remember: Content comes from natural human activity, NOT
techniques
• Collecting.
• Loving/Hating.
• Thinking.
• Gathering.
• Communicating.
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29. Your turn
What other non-bull**** activities help you
create content?
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30. Thank you!
Craig Silverman
Director of Content | Spundge
Free 30-day trial:
http://www.spundge.com
craig@spundge.com
514-808-04548
@Spundge
@CraigSilverman
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Slides and infographic: http://blog.spundge.com/no-bullshit-content/