9 Top Tips from the Experts
High-quality content can truly be the difference between a company that succeeds and one that doesn’t. If you learn how to write content well, it can help you skyrocket your online presence, boost your organic rankings, drive a greater volume of leads and reach your full business potential. But where should you begin?
For many businesses, curating compelling content is a challenge. Good content writing relies on effective content creation skills, along with a strong awareness of your target audience, their needs and your content goals. In many cases, it’s not possible to tick all these boxes in house. As a result, many companies choose to outsource, which can be expensive and risky.
However with the right training, guidance and resources – it’s possible to develop your high-quality content yourself. In this article, we’ll run through 9 essential tips from the industry experts about how to write content. With these under your wing, plus a healthy dose of practice, you’ll be writing rich, informative content in no time. Let’s get started.
Why is quality content writing important?
Before we jump in to the tips – let’s explore the value of quality content a bit further. It’s worth keeping these points in mind as you develop your skills as they’ll help keep you motivated and on track to succeed.
Broken down, a decision to invest in quality content writing is a decision to invest in your business’s success. Why? The content you produce sets a precedent for your company’s overall professionalism and brand voice. Whether it’s on your website, industry publications or social media channels, like LinkedIn Ads, content is crucial in establishing your brand, building trust, generating interest, and ultimately, contributing to sales. It tells readers what you offer and why it matters.
When you write good content, you also have a chance to boost your business’s online visibility and organic rankings. Because copy and content writing are paramount to influencing search engine results. And keyword-dense website and blog content on relevant topics can help you put your business in front of audiences that matter.
Regardless of whether you decide to write your own content or work with a professional content marketing team, the content you choose to represent your brand has power, purpose and impact.
How to write content in 9 top tips
Now that we’ve covered the value of quality content and given you the motivation you need to invest in the process, it’s time to jump into our 9 essential tips. We’d recommend keeping these by your side when you start your next piece of content. Trust us – they’re a lifesaver!
1. Start strong
A strong start is the key to producing great content! What do we mean by a strong start? Before you begin writing, do your research and plan accordingly. Make sure you know your business and its niche well, and don’t be afraid to learn as much as you can about the art of effective content writing. Consider your brand voice, tone, and purpose, and plan to incorporate these consistent elements as part of all the content you create.
Next, consider your goals as a content writer. Different kinds of content can be written to reflect different objectives. For example, social media campaigns might be focused on driving sales, while blog posts might be designed simply to boost website traffic. Whatever you’re aiming for, make sure that you seek clarity before putting pen to paper.
Finally, brainstorm! Idea generation is an important part of the writing process. Content ideas are everywhere if you know where to look for them, so start taking notice of the latest news in your industry. Is there a gap in the market that your content could fill? What about a popular search term or trend you can add your own unique interpretation to? Use these questions to inform your content ideas and writing choices!
2. Write for your audience
Effective content writing is all about your audience. If you play your cards right, these people will soon be your customers! When you find yourself wondering how to write content that converts, it’s time to focus on the people you’re writing for.
Start by defining your target audience. Who does your content need to communicate with? Are there any particular demographics you should keep in mind? If you’re unsure of who you should be speaking to, most website and social platforms offer in-built demographic information you can turn to for guidance.
Once you’ve started to develop a sense of your audience, it’s time to gain more clarity. Spend time on market research, learning the wants, needs, and interests of the people who will read your content. You might even produce a specific buyer’s persona! The information you find at this stage of your research can help you improve authenticity and impact, approaching writing as a meaningful conversation.
Lastly, decide what works for your audience. Should you use professional language or a light, conversational tone? Who your content is targeting should always influence your content writing style. Knowing how to write content isn’t enough if you don’t also know who is most likely to read what you and your business have to say.
3. Use clear headlines
The next step to writing content is using clear headlines. Including well-chosen headlines in your written content can have an important impact on structure, readability, and even search engine results.
Headlines are important in almost all forms of content writing. When writing blog posts or web copy, they can appear as headings and subheadings that help to guide the reader’s journey. On social media, a headline can appear as a first line of content, drawing attention to your post’s key message or offer.
Before beginning the content creation process, choose a few headlines that clearly reflect the purpose of your content. What are you trying to say, and what is the clearest way to say it? You can use headings and sub-headings to break your content up into small easy-to-read sections, improving readability and comprehension.
As you plan your content headlines, it’s also a good idea to start considering keywords. Incorporating your keyword research into your headlines can act as a clear cue for search engines to show your digital content to relevant audiences.
4. Focus on clarity and concision
High-quality content should always be as clear and concise as possible. This allows you to be direct and purposeful in your communications, focusing on writing content that prioritises meaning.
As you begin content writing, be mindful of your language choices and sentence structures. For the best results, you need to communicate with readers on their level. Choose a writing style that aligns closely with your brand. Avoid using overly complex or advanced terminology that may be unfamiliar to your readers.
As a content writer, you should be an expert in the topic you’re explaining. The better you know and understand what you’re writing about, the more easily you’ll be able to explain new concepts to readers. If you’re uncertain of any key details, never hesitate to dive into some extra research.
Another key consideration when content writing is conciseness. By streamlining your content, you can make it easier to reader and comprehend. Concise content is more likely to hold a reader’s attention.
5. Add value (and a different angle)
Central to all facets of content writing is value. As a content writer, everything you do should be value-driven. What unique or innovative offer can you provide for readers? This should be the focus of your communications.
As you write, think often about the value your business adds to the lives of its customers. Do you offer a solution to a common problem? Do you products help consumers in some way? Just as products and services should support the people who purchase them, written content should help those who choose to read it.
Adding value to your content is simple. All you need to do is think about how your content can produce meaning for others. How can it align with the goals of its readers or your vision for your business and its purpose?
A great example of value-driven content occurs when you start to approach content creation from new or interesting angles. If there’s a gap in the content market, fill it! If you have a fresh perspective, share it! Bringing something unique and creative to the world can add great value for audiences.
6. Apply a structure
Establishing an intuitive structure is an important part of creating content that converts. Well-structured writing can communicate clearly, succinctly, and purposefully.
An effective structure doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, simple structure are usually the best choice! You just need to ensure that your content flows smoothly, featuring a logical progression from one idea to the next. You should also focus on delivering clear adherence to your brand voice.
Content structure has a valuable effect on readability. It also allows readers to navigate your writing with ease, regardless of whether they’re visiting your business on a website or social media networks.
You can use content structuring tools and techniques to hook readers and keep them interested in what you have to say. While you’re working on this, don’t forget to look for extra structural elements, including sentence structure and punctuation errors. Great writing is built on attention to detail!
7. Exercise your SEO skills
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is an essential skill for content writers. In order to write great content, you should always have SEO in mind.
A crucial part of this is being able to integrate keywords should be naturally as part of organic content. Using free or paid keyword research tools, do your due diligence and determine search intent, relevant topics, and potential keywords for inclusion.
Once you’ve started writing, you can use keywords as a way of keeping your content creation on track. Use terms that search engines will recognise in relation to your business offering, and more customers will be able to find you online.
SEO is considered an essential tool when it comes to know how to write content. Why? It affects how your content ranks in search results. Showing up on search engine results pages helps you attract readers and get the most out of your marketing channels every time you publish content.
8. Add a clear CTA
Key to any content strategy is a clear call to action, otherwise known as a CTA. Using CTAs, you can direct readers to engage directly with your writing, taking the next step towards a sales conversion.
Whether you’re writing a social media post, a blog post, or a web page, always give your audience something to do once they’ve finished reading. You could add a link to more resources or handpicked content. You can ask readers to provide you with their opinions or interests as a market research boost. Or tell consumers to purchase something from your website!
Calls to action can inform your content development. They help you produce engaging content that drives potential customers to take meaningful action. A CTA is important for all kinds of content writing, but it is especially key to effective ad copy.
As a content writer, you need to develop content that drives interaction. A strong CTA can make or break your content marketing efforts, so try to use one evert time you create content.
9. Create scannable content
Finally, it’s important to produce scannable content that is easy to read online. Regardless of whether audiences access it from a desktop or mobile device.
Regular breaks are key to scan-ability. Break up content so that it’s more manageable and easier to digest. Across a range of content formats, features like paragraph breaks and bullet points make content comprehensible.
If you’re writing a blog post, scannable content might include a step-by-step guide. Or a basic overview of a topic in your niche. If you’re writing for email marketing or social media, you might feature regular images or emojis. If your job involves creating press releases, simple chunks and short paragraphs are the answer!
If you’re not sure about your content’s scan-ability, ask someone else to help you. A friend can beta read your content and let you know when their interest begins to fade. There are even some free and paid tools that help to determine whether your content is scannable using technological automation!
Looking for an easier way to produce compelling content?
Still not sure you’re cut out for DIY content writing? Don’t worry! We can help!
At Prozely, we have a great team of hand-vetted Australian content writers. They can support businesses every day to produce amazing writing for a variety of content platforms.
If you’d like to work with one of our talented writers, learn more about the talented Prozely team today!
