Information Overload: How to Keep Your Blog Unique and Relevant

If you want to find the latest news or any news at all, most people know by now to check Twitter. From there, you can search for a keyword and find hundreds of tweets about that topic. And maybe not immediately, but in time, there are sure to be hundreds of articles and blog posts about that news as well. Even if you search Google News for a specific topic, you will find hundreds of articles on reputable sites and blogs all reporting pretty much the same story. And therein lies the problem.

In this digital age, where there is so much content online, it can be challenging to have a unique, fresh story. So many blog posts have been repurposed from other original news articles (not to mention they don’t even give credit)! While this isn’t necessarily a bad idea because it can help your SEO, and it’s possible your blog will reach someone who does not know the news yet, it isn’t ideal. Does the web need more blogs churning out the same information over and over again?‍

This is where you can take your blog in a new direction. Go the extra mile with the story. If the news or story is pertinent to your blog, by all means, write about it. However, push yourself to take a distinctive twist. Provide an unrepresented viewpoint. Pose unasked questions. Pursue an unexplored storyline. If the topic is simple, brainstorm until you have something else to say. Challenge yourself not to post until you write something unique to your article specifically. Still stuck? Try reaching out to someone credible and relevant to the story to see what he/she has to say or perhaps include the brief interview in your article. Writing a catchy or varied title can be an excellent way to bring in readers who are looking for more insight into the topic. Being unrivaled in this way will make you, as a blogger, more reputable, and will ultimately increase your readership because people will appreciate the new information you provide.

As the reporting of news is moving away from traditional news sources, bloggers have become more prevalent in breaking these stories. But keep in mind that readers appreciate a fresh take on a topic and nobody wants to read something that is essentially the same thing written over and over again.