I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the primary things that I see bloggers struggling with has to be content. From figuring out what to write for your blog, what captions or status updates will convert the best on social media, and then the ever-scary email list content, most of us bloggers find ourselves constantly creating something for our audience.

The problem, though, is that sometimes you feel like you’re putting all of this content out into the world but you’re not getting anything back. Maybe you’re not seeing a lot of engagement or your page views are slowing down. Either way, I’ve been right there with you. You’re putting a lot of work into content you like and that you think your audience will like instead of investing your time into creating content that you know from the get go that your audience will love.

So today I have three simple ways to make sure you’re not wasting any time on content that ends up being a total miss with your audience and instead work on creating those posts that are an instant hit!

Get to know your audience

This first point is key. Your audience is an essential part of your success, so you can’t just ignore the people who are sharing, following, or especially buying from you. Commit to spending some time actually getting to know the people who are supporting your brand.

If you’re worried you’re going to have to find room in your schedule for one more thing, don’t fret! There are simple ways you can get to know your audience while doing what you already do online, and that really just boils down to being invested in knowing who is out there. Responding to their emails and commit to helping them with something when they reach out, or simply responding to their posts on social media and having a conversation.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Struggling with growing your blog? Your content may be missing the mark!” quote=”Struggling with growing your blog? Your content may be missing the mark!”]

Get started getting to know your audience today by simply asking them how their week is going when you thank them for sharing something.

It’s super easy to get caught up in everything you’re already doing as a blogger and business owner and totally forget that you’re not the only one out there. However, getting to know your audience will make things feel less lonely all while giving you great ideas for what sort of content you can share that your audience will love.

Ask, ask, ask, and then listen

Similarly to getting to know your audience, you have to be willing to communicate with your people. If you’re not willing to communicate with your audience than you’re always going to be missing the mark when it comes to what they want and need from you. so you have to be willing to interact with them on a regular basis beyond just putting your content out there for them.

Communicating with your audience and actually asking them what they need or want help with is the easiest way to make sure you’re actually creating content that your audience will like. My favorite place to ask you guys what you need help with is in my welcome email for the Letters to the Wild Hearts. Among the rest of the content in my email, I ask what the number one thing they’re currently struggling with is. I don’t just ask this to ask, either. I make it a habit to not only respond to the replies I get, but I also note why the things are people struggle with so I can create content based on those things.

You can get started today by simply paying attention to what your audience and people in general are asking for help with based on your niche. For example, if you’re a personal stylist and people are struggling to find professional yet fun clothes for work, that’s a great topic to cover!

Think beyond just in blog posts or emails

As I mentioned before, the content that we’re creating for our audiences is more than just blog posts or emails. Everything you can and do publish online to interact with your audience is considered content, so why get stuck thinking in terms of only two types of content?

In fact, maybe your audience would learn better through video posts or tutorials, maybe they’d connect with your content more if they listened to you talk about it on Periscope. We all learn in a variety of ways, so it’s worth it to try something new every now and then to see how your audience responds to it. For example, I know that you guys really connect with me as a person more sometimes when I jump on Periscope for even just 5-10 minutes.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Creating content your audience loves doesn’t have to be a struggle!” quote=”Creating content your audience loves doesn’t have to be a struggle!”]

You can get started testing out new content by creating something new for your audience or simply asking what your audience’s favorite way to absorb new content is (blog posts, workbooks, video posts where you present your content, casual Periscopes, etc).

Even if you’re not used to doing something that your audience may really enjoy like video, it’s worth it to try it at least once. You can always make the method work for you, like doing a webinar with slides instead of showing your face the whole time. Plus, who knows? You may end up preferring to create a new method of content over what you’re used to!

So, are you already creating content your audience loves?

If you’re getting lots of likes, shares, comments, or replies then you probably are already creating content your audience loves. If you’re not getting those things, don’t worry! Let’s chat in the comments about what you’re going to start doing to make sure that the content you publish online is content that your audience loves.

Need more help creating content your audience will love? Check out my 3-hour Find Your Focus workshop, which will help you get to know your brand and your audience, create great free and paid content, and an intentional 90-day plan for moving forward. You can get the whole workshop right now for just $20!