Content is overrated. There’s too much of it. It’s hard to produce the best content. It’s costly and time-consuming to get the latest, breaking, news first.
Usually it’s not worth it.
Converting readers to participants isn’t easy. If you’re relying on topic-related content to draw people to your community you’re going to be disappointed. Worse, if content is your big draw to your community, participation rates are likely to be low. People are coming to read content, not participate in a community.
Focus on making connections. Introduce members to each other. Write content about members – not the industry. Ask questions which stimulate activity. Make the content in your community unique. Make it impossible for competitors to copy. Make it the place to come to find out what your peer group is doing.
That’s how you win the content battle and build a thriving online community.