Content writing: Tips on writing better 

Content Writing good content is easy, but writing great content starts with being bad. By bad I don’t mean purposely making it look bad rather, it more to do with learning and working through the mistakes that you might have done in the past.

It’s also hard because it might seem hard to get a good grasp of your audience’s needs at first. But hey, you are only human! So, what can you do to go from good to great? Apart from the point mentioned above mistakes and a little additional help can go a long way.

Hence, I have listed a few pointers that can give you’re a much needed helping hand in polishing your writing skills.

Clarity is key 

There is nothing more confusing to an audience reading something that means otherwise. This is especially important to call-to-action phrases. You don’t have to use elaborate sentences or overwhelm your audience with jargons to get the point across. If anything, you should do the opposite.

Be purposeful 

Your audience is just as smart as or probably smarter than you. They know when you are being authentic and when you are using empty words to sell them a product of a service. So how else could you reel them in to ensure that your marketing tactics work? Simple – ensure that your content gives value to the viewers. The blogs and articles must include substantial information that they might not have known otherwise.

Keep it consistent 

Whether you are choosing to go the informal or the formal route, be sure to keep the tone consistent. Without following this rule your ideas are bound to look inadequate and your writing unprofessional. So, before you start putting down in categorize your content and keep an eye on drifting tone.

Keep an eye on video content 

Though video has been crowned as the king of content marketing, it doesn’t mean the written word is ignored. As a writer use your writing prowess to create engaging video scripts that will not just attract viewers but also pass on the necessary message regarding the business, product or the service (or all three).

Motivate

You can’t just use plain catchphrases as call-to-action and expect your audience to take the necessary step. That’s just a big no no. So, instead using words such as – exclusive offers, become one of the select few, heart it first here and so on top draw in customers and making them feel like they are one of a kind.

Persuasive Words 

To get started with this, there is one thing you must be proficient in –vocabulary. No, I not talking about scattering the most sophisticated words here, what this means is that you must know what words can be used where to make the content more compelling. For instance the word allured seems better than using amazed doesn’t it?

Quality Dictates Quantity 

A lot of us, writers focus on making our content as lengthy as we possibly can without even considering if what is written is worth the readers time. An innocent mistake. Nevertheless, a quick solution to this is by doing the exact opposite.

I’ve always caught myself writing lengthy content when I’m working on a topic that I’m passionate about or at least don’t mind writing. When you do this, you are just inadvertently draw to do more in-depth  research, hence, the inclusion of important research points will not just make your content lengthier, but will also pull your reader to stick on to the page longer, to read more about what is said, on there.   

Create a killer headline 

Headlines are to content, what eyes are to the face, period! Its common knowledge that headlines are what makes a reader want to read the rest of the article. So, even if your content, in its entirety is flawless, it would go to waste is the headline isn’t up to the mark.                                                                              

Studies indicate that how-to’s, listicles and questions serve as great headlines and topics to write now if you are hell bent on gaining those views, comments and drive traffic.

Don’t stuff keywords 

I know, I know, keywords are important, but not so important that you end up simply dumping them in your written work. This will not only make the content less readable, but it will also make sentences seem disconnected and well, just overall trash worthy. Don’t worry, we have all been there.

What some suggest is that to get started with, you can use keywords in the headline and in the first paragraph and then you’re good to go. On practice you will get better at it make a complete meaningful sentence using just keywords flawlessly. But, bear in mind that that is still frowned upon (subjective).                                     

Keep an eye out for misspelt words

This one is a no brainier, but it is worth taking note of nevertheless. This is imperative if you are self-editing. It can be a lot harder when you aren’t going done the traditional route without the help of an editor to clean up your content.

A good way to overcome this shortcoming is to not start editing right after you are done writing. Take a few hours or a day off and come back to the content later on. This way your mind will be able to recognize the gaps in the work and hence you will able to clean it up better.

As nerve racking content creation is, it is also rewarding. Hopefully the aforementioned tips will help you become a better content writer. If you do need additional help, feel free to contact our content writers to collaborate with.