When you get started with content marketing, the idea of creating high-quality content on a consistent basis can be overwhelming. However, there are some ways to make content creation much, much easier. Here are a few ways to publish content that people want without pulling out all your hair.

1. Resource Lists

A list of resources is, without a doubt, the EASIEST type of content to create. It might take you just a bit of time to do your research, but it is super-easy to put together.

Here are some fictional titles that illustrate possible Resource Lists that would be valuable:

• “18 Tools Every Web Marketer Should Have In The Toolbox”
• “7 Places To Receive a Free Review of Your Website”
• “13 Forums Where You Can Find Free Expert Answers To Your Questions”
• “22 Websites You MUST Link Your Business To”

This article should NOT be just a list of links. Take the time to write a brief description for each of the resources. It doesn’t need to be a dissertation, just explain what the resource does and how it will benefit the reader. And if it’s FREE, then definitely include that in the description.

This type of content, which provides your audience with specific links and locations of resources that will aid them in their work or play, is HIGHLY sought after if done correctly. We all want to do things better and faster and easier — and if you can show us how, then you’ve got our attention.

At least for a little while.

2. Interviews

Interviewing an expert is a great way to create highly-desired content quickly because the interviewee does most of the work! You can conduct a written interview where you email your questions and they respond to your email with their answers. Or you can conduct a “live” interview in person, over the phone, or via a conferencing service.

Many times, the expert you plan to interview will have questions they’d like you to use. If they don’t have questions, you’ll need to come up with your own. All you really need to do is put together several questions that expand on the main question or problem that is the focus of your interview.

Focus on questions that require an explanation, perhaps even an illustration. Avoid yes or no questions and any questions that can be completely answered with one word or short phrase. If you ask a yes or no question, you’ll get a yes or no answer, and that will make for a very short interview.

If at all possible, include one or two questions that refer to some amount of controversy in your marketplace. The goal with this type of question is to generate strong emotion in the audience, so do your best to think about your prospect’s mindset and thought process.

Interviewing an expert can be fun and lucrative and has the added benefit of associating YOU with the expert.

3. PLR

Using PLR as the basis for your own content can drastically reduce the time it takes to get something finished, but you have to approach it the right way.

You must spend the time evaluating the material, determining whether or not the content is acceptable or worthy of putting your name on. Otherwise, you run a very high risk of branding yourself as someone who puts out low quality, repurposed content, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll end up destroying your chances at being successful in your chosen market.

You also need to change the content and make it better. Add helpful information, make sure the tone matches your normal “voice”, and deliver the content in a fresh and inviting way.

For example, you could:

• Create a simple slideshow video using the content of a PLR article
• Combine multiple PLR articles into a how-to guide
• Convert a PLR video into an animated or sketch-style video

Use your imagination, put in just a little more work, and you’ll quickly have a lot of content to publish.

4. Curated Content

Many of the most popular sites in the world are nothing more than content aggregators; they find interesting content across the web and re-publish it for their readers. Don’t believe it? Take a look at your favorite news site. How many articles do you see sourced from the Associated Press (AP) or Reuters? Those are curated!

You don’t have to be a news publisher to share other people’s content. Here are just a few ideas for types of content you might want to curate for your content marketing campaigns:

• Quotes. Put together a list of quotes about a particular topic and add your interpretation of each quote so that you have some unique content intermingled.
• Articles. Find an amazing article that will help your audience and write a short description about it. Provide a link to the original article or get permission from the author to re-publish it on your site.
• Videos. The vast majority of YouTube videos have the Standard YouTube License which allows anyone to share that content. When you discover a particularly helpful video, you can embed it in a post on your website or share the link to it via social media. Write a brief description of the video, focusing on why someone would want to watch it, and your unique content is ready to go.

Curating content allows you to share useful information without having to do the legwork yourself. Just be sure to put in a little effort to make the content you share unique to you.

As you can see, there are several ways to reduce the time it takes to put together great content. You’ll see the best results if you mix and match, publishing a variety of content types to keep your audience’s interest.