9 Battle-Tested Tactics to Create Unique Content
Co-Founder / CTO
It’s time.
Your audience is craving something different, something that will make them sit up, take notice, and choose your product over everyone else’s. You want to deliver high-quality content that resonates.
If you’re tired of the run-of-the-mill content strategies (that are actually all the same if you type “create unique content” on Google), then let’s explore 9 battle-tested tactics for creating unique content.
Beware – these are unconventional approaches designed for small and solo teams that don’t have all the resources in the world to come up with original articles all the time.
Let’s go.
Table of Contents
The problem with “content sameness”
Thanks to dozens of SEO tools and "best practices," everyone's chasing the same keywords, rehashing the same ideas, and mimicking whatever's sitting pretty on Google's first page. This often leads to issues with duplicate content, which search engines penalize.
It's like we're all stuck in this giant echo chamber, afraid to miss out on the "winning formula."
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. When you're a reader actually looking for solutions, you're left sifting through a pile of nearly identical content. There's no spark, no fresh take that makes you sit up and think, "Huh, that's different." This poor user experience can lead to high bounce rates.
It's all just... there.
And in the B2B world, this sameness is a death knell for conversions. After all, if every piece of online content is saying the same thing, how is a reader supposed to know which solution is actually better? Avoiding duplicate content is extremely important for standing out.
What’s challenging about producing unique content?
So yeah, we’re about to create unique content. But what’s that supposed to mean? What is it really? And why is it so damn challenging?
You need expert knowledge to create content that truly adds value. But how often do you have fast access to your company’s top minds or industry experts? They’re busy, you’re busy, and suddenly your “unique” content is based on the same old publicly available info everyone else is using. This reliance on common sources often means your content isn't truly fresh content.
Then there’s the time crunch. You need to produce content faster than your competitors. When you’re under pressure to publish three blog posts this week, you need to find new ways to create that unique content, perhaps even for things like compelling product descriptions.
9 tactics to create unique content
Here are 9 unique, new approaches to content creation that stands out in that sea of sameness.
Reverse-engineer popular content
Here's a trick I've used countless times: take a hot topic in your industry and flip it on its head. Let's say everyone's talking about "10 Ways to Streamline Your B2B Sales Process." Great. Now, how about you write "5 'Efficient' Sales Tactics That Are Actually Costing You Deals"?
This approach does two things.
First, it grabs attention because it's unexpected. It’s a contrarian view that stands out, potentially improving your search engine rankings for specific queries.
Second, it forces you to think critically about common practices in your industry. You're not just regurgitating what everyone else is saying – you're challenging it. This is a good way to ensure your content is not flagged as duplicate content by search engines.
I've found this tactic works especially well because decision-makers are always looking for an edge. They've read all the standard advice.
You’re here, offering a fresh perspective and giving the something new to consider. Just make sure you back up your contrarian view with solid reasoning and data.
Consider adding internal links to supporting data on your site and external links to authoritative sources to build credibility and link authority.
Create a “What If” series
Explore some hypothetical scenarios related to your niche but specific enough that they are feasible.
Good examples could be: "What If Your CRM Could Predict Customer Churn with 99% Accuracy?" or "What If Onboarding New Clients Took Just 5 Minutes?" This type of content can capture imagination and address latent user expectations.
These types of articles push your readers to imagine new possibilities and also introduce your product as a solution.
While you’re painting these what-if pictures, you’re also subtly highlighting the limitations of current solutions.
Develop micro-challenges
Micro-challenges might seem like a B2C thing, but they can work in B2B SaaS too. The key is to create small, actionable tasks that address specific pain points your customers face.
These challenges can serve a dual purpose. They provide immediate value, giving your audience quick wins that build trust in your expertise. What’s more, they showcase how your product could make these tasks even easier or more effective.
What I love about this approach is how it cuts through the corporate jargon and gets to the heart of what matters – solving real problems. It's a great way to deliver first-hand advice.
Plus, these micro-challenges are perfect for social media and other digital platforms. You can turn them into polls or interactive posts, sparking conversations and engaging potential customers in a way that feels natural. It's a refreshing change from the typical "corporate speak" that dominates content.
Conduct solo experiments
If you’re a creative mind, you’d love this, for sure!
You can use your product to test a real-world scenario and then put all these learnings into a blog post (examples include using your own project management tool to plan a complex event or testing your AI chatbot by having it handle a huge number of customer inquiries during one week). Sharing your personal experience can be incredibly valuable.
The beauty of solo experiments is that they give you original data to share and show potential customers that you’re willing to eat your own dog food, so to speak.
This tactic does have challenges. It takes time, and there is always the risk that your experiment might not yield the results you hoped for. But even “failed” experiments can lead to valuable insights.
Do future forecasts
Everyone loves a nice report looking into the future, especially if it incorporates the latest industry news.
You can analyze current trends, emerging tech, and expert insights (depending on your niche) that you can use to show potential customers where your industry is headed. This can also involve analyzing search algorithms to see what kind of future-focused content search engines might favor.
These results should always be tied back to your product or service. Essentially, showing customers that your solution is already aligned with where things are going.
And here's a pro tip: turn your predictions into a visually striking timeline or infographic. I've seen these types of visual content get shared like wildfire on LinkedIn.
Go beyond the basic content brief
Most of us are using tools that spit out briefs that are basically carbon copies of what's already ranking on Google's first page. It's like we're all painting by numbers, and guess what? The result is a sea of sameness.
To create content that truly stands out, we need to go beyond these cookie-cutter briefs. This is where sophisticated search engine optimization comes into play.
Yahini helps you do just that.
It uses AI trained by seasoned content creators to generate briefs that are tailored to your specific business and target audience. It helps you choose the best keywords for your product based on a variety of criteria, including a priority score and relevance, and even identifying valuable long-tail keywords. You can sort these keywords and topics by funnel stage - TOFU, MOFU, or BOFU - ensuring your content marketing strategy hits every part of the customer journey.
Understanding search intent for each search query is key here.
Yahini doesn't just cobble together information from top-ranking pages. Instead, it uses strategist-built templates and frameworks to create briefs that actually make sense for your business goals. If you're targeting a BOFU keyword, for instance, your brief will be structured differently than one for a TOFU topic.
This targeted approach means your meta descriptions will also be more effective in attracting clicks from search engines.
This approach means you're not just creating content for the sake of it. You're building a strategic content plan that aligns with your business objectives and speaks directly to your audience's needs at every stage of their journey.
Do a micro-niche deep dive
Let's get hyper-specific.
Instead of churning out another generic "Top 10 CRM Features" post, why not dive into "CRM Customizations for Boutique Wineries Selling to High-End Restaurants"? This kind of specific, long-form articles can perform very well in organic search.
This micro-niche approach might seem counterintuitive at first – after all, aren't we limiting our audience?
But here's the thing: specificity sells, especially when you serve different audiences.
Here's why this works so well: decision-makers are looking for solutions that understand their unique challenges. When they stumble upon content that speaks directly to their niche concerns, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. They're more likely to engage, share, and remember your brand when it comes time to make a purchase decision.
Analyzing customer reviews within that niche can provide even more specific insights.
Adopt contrarian views
Contrarian views aren't about being controversial for the sake of it. The key is to back up your stance with solid reasoning and data.
To effectively adopt contrarian views, start by identifying widely accepted practices or pieces in your industry news that might be due for a shake-up.
Then, dig deep into why these practices might be flawed or outdated.
Present your alternative view, but do it thoughtfully. Acknowledge the traditional approach, explain why it might fall short, and then offer your contrarian perspective as a solution. This approach shows you're not dismissing conventional wisdom outright but rather building upon it to push your industry forward.
Do retro reviews
This is not something I recommend to everyone, but it can be a nice addition to your blog content. It’s a unique type of content to explore.
Remember the days of lugging around a Rolodex? Or when "cloud storage" meant a filing cabinet with really tall drawers? Let's take a trip down memory lane and see how far we've come. Retro reviews are a powerful way to showcase progress and highlight the value of current solutions.
Pick an old-school tool or practice and compare it to its modern counterpart.
"From Cold Calling to AI-Powered Lead Gen: The Evolution of Sales Outreach" or "Fax Machines to Slack: How Office Communication Got Its Groove Back."
This approach does a few cool things:
- it gives context to how much easier our work lives have become (mostly);
- it helps younger team members appreciate the tools they have;
- it often sparks ideas about what could be next.
Who knows? Your retro review might just inspire the next big innovation in your industry. Plus, let's be honest – it's just fun to look back and wonder how we ever got anything done with those old systems.
Unique content’s where it’s at
Creating unique content doesn't always require a massive budget or a team of experts. Sometimes, it's about looking at things from a different angle, challenging assumptions, or diving deep into niche topics that others overlook. This approach to content creation is vital for standing out.
Want to build better content?
Yahini offers you the strategic advice you need to create a content strategy from the ground up. Its AI has been trained by seasoned content strategists, providing you with expert-level content briefs right at your fingertips.
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