Jason Unger

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Every Web developer, online wanna-be millionaire and blogger knows (or should know) that content is king. Having great content can do things that no Slashdot boost, contest or marketing campaign can accomplish.

The five W's — who, what, where, when and why — are key to producing great content.

WHO
Write from personal experience. People are looking for tried-and-true methods, not some theoretical advice that may or may not work. If it's worked for you, share it and let them know it worked for you. They're much more likely to accept it if you've made it work.

WHAT
Write worthwhile material. If your content doesn't offer the reader anything he can use, then it isn't worth anything.

WHERE
Create a universal resource. The content that reaches the most people is the content that is worthwhile to the most people. Everyone in the world would love to save money. That's why tips for saving money works so well.

WHEN
Post at night and again before lunch. If your visitors are like most Web surfers, they'll check out your site in the morning, and again right after lunch. Make sure you are in tune with their schedules.

WHY
Because content is king. It's as simple as that. I often see the question posed: more content or more promotion? The answer, hands-down, is more content. Content is promotion, and good content promotes itself.

There are plenty of other writing tips out there, including how writing can boost your traffic overnight and why you should blog everyday, but following the Five W's can do a lot.

Got another set of writing W's? Let me know … I'd love to see what others come up with.