The Crowdsourced Post

Harnessing the collective knowledge and expertise of a group through crowdsourcing can be a powerful way to create engaging blog content. By drawing on the perspectives, experiences, and skills of a diverse group, you're not only creating content that is rich in value and variety, but you're also cultivating a sense of community and participation.

Such an approach is ideal for service providers, coaches, authors, content creators, and contractors who seek to elevate their online presence, expand their influence, or build a more engaged audience.

Crowdsourced blog posts are fantastic for businesses because they offer different viewpoints, spark lively discussions, and increase audience engagement, thereby boosting brand visibility and credibility. Here’s a detailed set of instructions to help you get started:

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Crowdsourced Blog Post:

Define Your Topic: Your topic needs to be broad enough to garner a range of perspectives but specific enough to offer meaningful insights. For example, if you're a health coach, you might want to write about "Effective Techniques for Stress Management". If you're an author, consider a topic like "Unforgettable Moments in Literature".
Identify Your Contributors: Reach out to experts, customers, or members of your online community who might have unique insights to share on your chosen topic. The more diverse the group, the richer the content will be. You can ask people on Facebook, Linkedin or any other social media platform.
Create a Clear Brief: This should include the topic, the type of input you're looking for (e.g. personal experiences, expert insights, practical tips), and your deadlines. Be sure to provide guidance on the length of their contribution and any style or formatting requirements.
Gather Contributions: You could use a simple Google Form for this, or a more specialized tool like Typeform. Remember, the easier it is for people to contribute, the more responses you're likely to get. Sometimes a simple comment on a post is enough.
Organize and Edit Contributions: Once you've gathered all the content, it's time to shape it into a coherent and engaging post. You'll need to introduce the topic, weave in the different contributions, and then wrap up the post in a way that invites further discussion.
Acknowledge Your Contributors: Each contributor should be acknowledged in your blog post. This could be in the form of a byline, a short bio, or a link back to their website or social media profile.
Publish and Promote: Once the post is live, share it far and wide! Social media, email newsletters, and community forums are all great ways to promote your content.
Engage with Your Audience: Make sure you engage with the comments on your blog and the shares on social media. Not only will this encourage more interaction, but it will also provide you with valuable feedback for future crowdsourced posts.
Follow-up: After a reasonable period, touch base with your contributors, thank them again for their input, and share any positive results or feedback you've received. They'll appreciate knowing that their contribution was valuable.

Remember, the goal of crowdsourcing content is not just to make your job easier but to create a richer, more engaging blog post that provides real value to your readers. By following these steps, you can create a fantastic crowdsourced blog post that benefits not only your business but also your contributors and readers alike.

When you've created your crowdsourced post remember take the link, and share it in the Blogging Challenge Facebook Group

Looking forward to seeing your blog posts!

Sarah

P.S. If you've found this via a search engine then come on over and join the 30-Day Business Blogging Challenge - it's free!