Content marketing is more effective today than ever and that is due to how marketers started to create compelling content. Many marketers would argue that it is wicked easy to generate content that is both effective and on point. However, this is not the case. That being said, I’m going to give you eight actionable tips that can help improve the quality of your content.
Understand Your Audience Better to Create Compelling Content
It is vital that you look past the basics of target audience research in order to create compelling content for your audience. Rather, you need to learn all about demographics, past behaviors, and psychographics. Doing so will provide you with a better understanding of what people want to get out of your content. Let’s say, for instance, that you promote WordPress plugins. You could easily write about what your plugins do and how they improve a website, which is great. However, this is rather shallow and a weak attempt to create compelling content. On the other hand, you could dive a bit deeper and discuss the why behind your plugins. Doing so gives your audience a reason to champion and advocate on behalf of your plugins!
Craft Powerful Headlines
It is essential that you create compelling content that captures the attention of your audience in two seconds (or less)! You can do so by developing catchy post titles that will make your audience salivate. Make sure that your title is consistent with the content that you present in your post. Furthermore, it is critical to incorporate relevant keywords so that your SEO game is strong. A strong SEO game helps your posts rank high on SERPs. Remember, you don’t need to generate your title before you write your post. However, it is important that you revisit and revise your title based on the rest of the content.
Write a Captivating First Paragraph
Another core pillar when it comes to creating compelling content is the introductory paragraph. Far too many content marketers overlook this essential element. First and foremost, your intro paragraph needs to deliver on the promise of the title. Furthermore, it acts as a way to reel in the attention of your audience. Finally, your introductory paragraph needs to incorporate keywords so as to enhance your SEO game.
Sharing a Story Helps Create Compelling Content
You need to set the stage for the content you publish and then you need to write an in-depth article. However, this does not mean that you should write until you hit a specific word count.
Your post needs to have a clear and concise opening, an informative body, and a dazzling conclusion. Make sure to support everything that you present. Lastly, you need to show that the issue you presented in the title and intro was addressed in the post.
Match the Tone and Language of Your Audience
It is important to provide as much information as possible and do it in a natural way. However, most people produce content that sounds like a robot wrote it. You have to write content that sounds and flows naturally – aka your writing has to sound human. Relying on corporate or industry-specific lingo is typically a poor choice. However, it is important to be aware of the vocabulary of your target audience. You need to pay special attention to how people talk in the industry in which you operate. Finally, validate your expertise by speaking the language of the reader. Doing so will garner more engagement with your content.
Always Provide Useful Information
Every reader is crunched for time in one way or another. Your audience wants to get the information they’re looking for as quickly as possible. This means that you need to deliver a message that clear, concise, and cohesive. Furthermore, every piece of content that you create must educate, entertain, inform, or help your audience.
It is a wise idea to offer some hard facts to help illustrate the points you are trying to make. However, do not hesitate to incorporate graphics, videos, and illustrations.
Make Your Content Easy to Skim
The majority of your audience will consume your content on the fly. This means that you need to create compelling content that is very easy to skim. When your audience can quickly scan your content, they can then reach the desired sections and easily engage with it. Make sure you don’t go overboard and add too much fluff to your content. Doing so only slows down your readers, which, in turn, makes them click away from your site.
You need to use simple language so that your readers can easily read your posts. Furthermore, your sentences need to be direct and short. If at all possible, make sure to use the active voice and keep your paragraphs short.
Formating plays a crucial role whenever you publish anything online these days. Make sure that you incorporate lists and bold important ideas. Finally, make sure to include images whenever it makes sense to do so!
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
It is of the utmost importance to proofread your work once you complete an initial draft. Make sure to revise instances of poor grammar and correct any misspelled words. Then, it is a good idea to leave it for a few hours and then proofread it again. There is nothing that detracts from your credibility faster than overall poor writing.
It isn’t a half-bad idea to hire a copy editor. This provides a fresh set of eyes to catch any errors and enhance the overall quality of your work. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same applies to producing strong content. It takes time and a lot of practice.
The steps above will help you make sure that your writing aligns nicely with your target audience. Lastly, remember to take the time to perfect your content before you publish it!
