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Master Chefs and Master Content Writers Stay Up on Current Things

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After winning the “Beat Bobby Flay” cooking competition in 2017, Indianapolis restaurateur Steve Oakley explained that what keeps him inspired after twenty years in the restaurant business is – reading a lot. Looking at a book is inspirational to him, along with “just talking with customers about experiences they have”, Oakley explains. Dean Sample, a former employee of Oakley’s (now a head chef in his own right) had this to say of his former mentor: “To be doing it as long as he has and still have that interest and still trying and experimenting with different things all the time, it’s pretty impressive. He stays up on all kinds of current things in the world of chefs and restaurants.” The other part of being a chef, Oakley now tells IndyStar reporter Cheryl Jackson, is that “if you want to be recognized, you have to get out there in different ways. You can’t just limit yourself to cooking in your restaurants…you’ve got to get out, meet the people, and shake their hands”.

Blog content writers can do no better than follow the Oakley “playbook”. In fact, “reading around”, we often stress at Say It For You, is a crucial habit. You need to keep up with what others are saying on your topic. What’s in the news? What problems and questions have been surfacing that relate to your industry or profession (or that of your client?). Not only do you need a constant flow of ideas, but you can improve your own writing skills by reading books about writing. And, in the business of blog marketing, books about selling and marketing help keep your skills sharp.

Notice that Steve Oakley’s “content” is refreshed by more than reading. Getting out and meeting the people, talking with customers about experiences they have is crucial when it comes to keeping blog content relevant. In Journalism 101, I was taught to “put a face on the issue” by beginning articles with a human example . A case study takes that personalization even further, chronicling a customer or client who had a certain problem or need, taking readers through the various stages of how the product or service was used to solve that problem. What were some of the issues that arose along the way? What new insights were gained through that experience, on the part of both the business and the customer?

Master chefs and master content writers stay up on current things!

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Reading and Writing – for Blog Content, You Can’t Have One Without the Other

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“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” That advice from none other but bestselling author Steven King is perfect for blog content writers. In fact, I’ve been teaching at Say It For You, in order to create a valuable ongoing blog for your business, it’s going to take equal parts reading and writing.

Reasons “reading around” is so important for bloggers:

  1. You need to keep up with what others are saying on your topic. What’s in the news? What problems and questions have been surfacing that relate to your industry or profession (or that of your client).
  2. You need a constant flow of ideas. Yes, ideas for blog content can come from everywhere, but those ideas aren’t going to jump right onto your page!
  3. You can improve your own writing skills by reading books about writing (duh!). One favorite of mine is Brandon Royal’s The Little Red Writing Book.

  4. “Tidbits” liven up content. These are nothing more than pieces of unusual or little-known facts that you can use to explain your own products, services, and culture. Again, I have a favorite – The Book of Totally Useless Information, by Don Voorhees.
  5. You’re in the business of blog marketing, so books about selling and marketing are important. Remember, there’s almost no end to information available to consumers, so our job is to help readers absorb and “buy into” that information. New fave? The Challenger Sale, by Neil Rackham.6. In reading around, you gain insight into your customer base and their motivations for reading your blog in the first place. A scholarly article on the motivations recent college grads’ have to read blogs reminded me, of example, to keep tailoring individual blog posts or series to different segments of the client’s customer base.

For all of these reasons, at Say It For You, we teach blog content writers the importance of “reading around” and then “curating” others’ material for the benefit of readers.

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