6 Tips To Help You Create Better Content


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Content writing is an essential part of marketing for practically every business. Well-written and informative blogs, web pages, and social media accounts gain the attention of prospective clients and, hopefully, keep them interested. Has your content been successful? Whether you’re writing for your own business or somebody else’s, creating better content means building better resorts. Use these tips to up your content optimization game.

1. Read the Room

Effective writing needs to speak to your audience. Who are you writing for? If your content is for the everyday internet user, avoid using technical jargon or other vocabulary that may make your writing hard to read. On the other hand, if your writing is for a specific industry, using industry-specific wording is essential.

Your tone is also important. How does the company you’re writing for brand itself? Businesses that provide services for other businesses or work inside residences often take a more professional approach to their tone. Brands that focus on fashion or similar services, or those that cater to the Millennial generation or younger, tend to use more casual language and even include slang sometimes. Consider who will be reading your work when deciding which approach to take.

2. Get Rid of Distractions

One of the biggest reasons you aren’t writing more successfully is likely because of distractions. How often do you stop your thought process to answer a phone call, respond to a text, or check your social media notifications? Maybe having the TV on in the background is too much or music causes you to stop for karaoke sessions. When you’re supposed to be writing, these seemingly inane tasks may seem to only take a few seconds or minutes. Over time, though, that lost time adds up and could leave you rushing before your deadline. Find a spot away from distractions to get your work done faster and with more success. Your future self will thank you.

3. Keep It Short and Sweet

People who search for answers on the internet want that information quickly. In fact, your SEO content writing typically has just a few seconds to gain and keep a reader’s attention. You’re more likely to do that if you keep your information short and to the point. Today’s internet users like short paragraphs, bold and informative headers, and a variety of text formats. Subheadings are just the beginning. Try creating lists, using bullet points, or even building tables of information if the topic could benefit from it.

4. Add Mixed Media

Avoid relying solely on text to get your point across. Internet users like to be entertained, and most aren’t entertained by walls of text. Use mixed media in your content writing. Rely on pictures or videos to illustrate the points in your writing. Infographics, colorful imagery, and other visual aspects make a website visitor up to 80% more likely to stay and read the content on the page. If you can, find ways to make your graphics and other visual aids interactive. Interactive information is even more likely to keep your readers on the page.

5. Use a Strong Call to Action

Your call to action is not the place to get overly creative with your writing techniques. You want your readers to have a clear idea of what you expect them to do with the information they just read, which means you need to take a direct and specific approach. Direct them to subscribe to a blog, sign up for an email newsletter, call for a consultation, or anything else the company you’re writing is hoping to achieve. Be sure to include links, phone numbers, or email addresses as needed.

6. Proofread Your Work

Finally, proofread your work. Even if you have an excellent grasp of spelling and grammar, typos do happen when you’re in the zone. Some experts suggest reading your work one sentence at a time, working from the bottom to the top. This makes it more likely that you’ll catch minor typos like “to” vs. “too.” It also helps to read your writing aloud, as it makes it easier to find places that don’t read easily or make complete sense. Finally, run your piece through a free grammar checker to ensure you aren’t missing any mistakes. 

Above all else, be open to both positive and negative feedback. Constructive criticism from friends, other writers, business owners, or even small focus groups can help you hone your writing skills. Better skills mean bigger rewards. Whether that reward is more writing jobs, bigger profits, or both, you won’t regret using these tips and adjusting your writing according to feedback.