Most publications require their expert contributors to provide them with original content. But it’s unclear what “original” means in this context. And for experts who write about the same topics again and again, how original is original enough? To answer these questions, we must first understand why publications require original content.

Why do publications require original content?

Publications require original content because that is the promise they make to their readers: original content is one of the benefits readers get when they subscribe to a business magazine or join an association. Why subscribe to a publication that brings together a bunch of freely accessible articles when you can simply set up a content aggregator like Flipboard, Pocket, or Feedly? If you’re going to subscribe to a publication or join an association, you want access to resources you can’t get elsewhere.

And while it’s true that publications require original content to better serve their readers, that’s only part of the story.

Publications, especially traditional business magazines, require original content because they depend on advertising revenue.

What does original content have to do with advertising?

Good question.

Traditional magazines have always relied heavily on advertising revenue to make ends meet. Today, much of that advertising occurs online. Online advertising revenue is proportional to website traffic — the more traffic a website gets, the more it can charge for ads. Website traffic, especially new traffic, is driven by search engine optimization (SEO). And SEO requires a steady influx of original, high-quality content. A publication’s need for content far outpaces its capacity for creating it.

Many publications would go out of business if they had to pay their staff writers and freelance writers for all the content they need to produce. So, they got creative.

These publications can offer contributing experts two things that are much more valuable than the few hundred dollars freelance writers may receive for their work: credibility and access to a very specific, well-established, and engaged audience.

That value-for-value exchange allows these publications to meet the need for original, high-quality content. In return, the experts who write for these publications can build their authority and connect with a well-established audience interested in learning from those with boots-on-the-ground experience.

How original is original enough?

From the perspective of a publication seeking content to generate advertising revenue, an original article is one that has not been published elsewhere. But as an expert, you write about a limited number of topics and touch on the same ideas again and again. So, how original is original enough?

The easiest way to write an original article is to start with a blank page.

Don’t read what you’ve already written about the topic. Just sit down and write a shitty first draft as quickly as possible. (I recommend setting a timer for 20 minutes and treating the first draft as if you are responding to an exam question.)

If you start with the blank page, it is unlikely that the piece you write today will too closely resemble the one you wrote last month or last year.

However, if you read your past articles after writing the first draft and find one that is effectively the same, think about how you can approach the article from a slightly different angle. Can it be written from the perspective of a different segment of your audience? Can you incorporate different examples? Is there a point in the original piece you can dive into more deeply?

If you’re concerned that the pieces are too similar, use an online plagiarism checker to see just how similar your current piece is to other published work. If at least 75% of the article is unique to this piece, it is probably original enough for the publication’s purposes.

Just remember that publications just don’t want you to tweak an article that already exists. They want original content that will serve their readers by offering them actionable insights.

Original does not mean unique.

If you are worried that you need to have ideas that no one else has ever thought or expressed before to be original, let me assure you that that is not the case.

There are few truly unique ideas. And most folks who come up with those ideas and share them publicly are ostracized.

Just look at what happened to Galileo!

All ideas have a lineage.

Our ideas are shaped by our experiences, worldviews, and learnings, which form our perspective. And it’s our perspective that makes our work original.

By sharing your perspective, you add to the conversation and add value to the publication. And that positions you as an authoritative expert.