research_before_you_writeIn this post I’ll talk about one of my favorite affiliate marketing tips that can greatly increase the efficiency with which you write new posts, and decrease the amount of time you spend wavering over what to write.

The premise is simple, but the implications are not. Here’s why you should always research your content before you begin to write a single word, not after:

Research Informs Content Direction

The first reason you should always do you research before you begin to write any new post or product review is because that research will help direct you towards what you actually want to write about.

While this may sound obvious, many people (myself included!) have found that it’s easy to get into a habit of starting a post, only to find that some element of the material needs to be further researched before you can finish what you were writing.

This leaves your content vulnerable to changes in your thoughts and opinions half way through the piece, which can lead to articles that feel disjointed. Researching everything you need first keeps you organized and on point.

Grouping Related Actions Increases Productivity

The second reason to research your topic fully before you begin to write a new post is because separating different types of action and grouping them can be a great boost to overall productivity.

This reasoning follows the revelations made by Henry Ford, the inventor of the assembly line: small, separated actions are more easily completed than larger, progressive actions.

Given that as an affiliate marketer you probably write a lot of content, and given that much of this content can and should be inter-related, it makes sense that you follow this same train of thought.

Rather than work on one post at a time, try working on 5-6 posts in a single group. You’ll go through the same basic steps (research – write – format – publish) as you do when working on a post individually, but you may find that with a little practice, separating concerns and grouping actions can result in an overall increase in efficiency and quality of your writing.

Want to learn more? Continue reading about how to create a process from your affiliate work, and why you need to create a process right now.