When it comes to content, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. There are so many options available to amplify your voice and views: blogs, social media, email newsletters, YouTube videos…the options are almost endless. On the flip side, that means that all information, both correct and incorrect, can be spread quickly. Facebook and other social channels have been criticized lately for not doing enough to halt the spread of misinformation, and any reputable brand or business should well be concerned about providing information that is fact checked and well sourced. So how do you create content that you can stand behind 100%?

Take your time. Often, misinformation is the result of a simple mistake. A typo, a paragraph out of place, a poorly edited video—it is so easy to misunderstand content when consumption is a one-way street, and no one is present to answer questions or offer clarifications. Writing a draft or creating a storyboard prior to creating your content, and having a solid editing and QA process, while time consuming, is critical to ensure that your content is as accurate as possible.

Fact check and cite your work. It would be so easy to create persuasive assets if you could just pull facts out of thin air to support your points—but, sadly, that isn’t how life works. Make sure that you cite the sources for your facts, and double check the facts you use against other reputable material. Well-respected papers, published books, and speeches are great founts of information. If you are wondering what sources are credible, check out this university article on how to evaluate credible sources—it’s pretty extensive.

Only create content when you have something to say. Oftentimes, there is pressure to create content to “stay relevant” to keep your feeds “alive.” But likely, you’ll be more creative and loose with facts and information if you’re just trying to fill space. So create content only when you have something to say—be authentic, be direct, and be clear.

Have a cohesive content plan/strategy. Many people often struggle with creating a cohesive content strategy, but developing one can help you get more mileage out of each piece of content you create. For example, you can write a longer blog and break up key sentences and paragraphs, drawing content from that piece for weeks. Knowing how to break up your content will give you more space and time to create high-impact, useful content and then break it up to share across digital and other marketing channels in the future.

At Wordsmithie, we’re very proud to create high-quality, well-researched content. We hope to inspire other brands and businesses to create and share great content, too—and if you need assistance with that, we’re here to help.