24 tips for writing great content
Great content is at the heart of a successful marketing strategy.
Digital content covers blogging, podcasts, email, ebooks, videos, social media, webinars and more. As a content writer, you’d expect me to sing the praises of written forms of content. But, there are tangible reasons why giving your blog a little TLC could be a great strategy for your business:
SEO rank building (take a look this post ‘How to write SEO friendly blog posts’)
Developing relationships with your audience
Free organic traffic to your website which continues over time (read Why have a blog for your business?)
Helping people for free, which keeps them coming back for more
Scheduling posts in advance, reducing your time commitment
Blog posts are termed as ‘organic SEO’ and whilst this strategy can take time to build your website authority with search engines, it often provides an improved return on investment over paid advertising such as PPC (pay per click).
The reason is that whilst PPC can get your website seen immediately, once the period of advertising ends, visibility tends to drop off again. And that’s where longer term strategies such as written content come into play.
So, with that in mind, here are 24 tips to help you create great written content.
Tips for writing great content
1. Know your audience
Provide information your audience want to read. When you understand who they are, their interests and what they want to know, you can create content which they'll want to devour!
Run a fitness blog? Give healthy living tips rather than recipes for the most indulgent chocolate cake in the world....
2. Find ways to deliver value
The job of search engines is to find answers to the questions people are asking. So deliver inspirational, educational or entertaining content which does exactly that.
3. Brainstorm new ideas
One of the toughest things about writing regular blog posts and content is the constant need for new topics. If you work with a team, it can help to brainstorm ideas together. Or you could use a blog idea generator like this one from Hubspot.
Read ‘10 easy ways to create new ideas for your blog’
4. See what’s trending
Want to stay current and on trend with your blog ideas? A quick Google search or check for trending topics on social media will give you a whole raft of ideas for your next post.
5. Check social media groups
One of the best places to find out the things your readers want to know about is by checking relevant Facebook or other groups. See what kind of questions they’re asking in posts or comments, then produce something which gives the answer.
6. Use surveys
The best way to learn what readers want to see on your website is to ask them. You could do it via a traditional questionnaire or include questions in your email newsletter or social media posts.
7. Research keywords
Keyword research helps you learn vital information about what people are searching for on the internet, rather than simply assuming you know the answer. By finding the right words and phrases used, it can help search engines to find your website. Mailchimp has a blog post giving a roundup of free keyword research tools.
8. Create a catchy headline
Titles help to sell your blog post. They draw the reader in and give them an idea of the information you’ll be covering. Neil Patel has a step by step guide to writing headlines here.
9. Write first, edit later
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! When starting out as a content writer, one of the best pieces of advice I learned was to simply start writing without worrying too much about structure or flow. Try editing as you write and you’ll keep losing your train of thought.
If you take nothing else away from this blog post, remember to write first and edit later!
10. Always use call to actions
Call to actions (CTA’s) are an important signpost to let the reader know what to do next. Without a CTA, they’re likely to simply leave your website. Great examples include downloading resources, subscribing to your newsletter, accessing a free demo or grabbing a discount.
11. Include a great introduction
The introduction to your blog post helps the reader know what to expect and explains why they should care. It’s the thing which motivates them to continue reading.
12. Use backlinks
Backlinks are links from one website page to another. Search engines consider backlinks when deciding how to rank your page and those with a high number tend to have higher organic search engine rankings. So it makes sense to include them!
13. Make your content scannable
A commonly used statistic is that most people only read 6 words in your headline and spend 15 seconds reading your blog. If you can get them beyond 15 seconds, they often stay longer. So make it easy for them to scan your blog so they can decide whether to stay longer. Use things like short paragraphs, bullet points and attention grabbing introductions.
14. Be succinct
Making your words succinct can help people take in more information when scanning through your blog posts. Longer words can come across as overly formal or be more difficult to read. And stop over-explaining (less is more)!
Try these swaps:
Purchase -> Buy
Assist -> Help
Inform -> Tell
Enquire -> Ask
15. Use your brand voice
Writing with your brand voice helps readers identify who you are develop a relationship with your company. Think about some of the bigger brands you know - take Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for example (mmm, yes please!). Their brand voice is fun, quirky and anti-corporate. Nike on the other hand is powerful and inspiring.
16. Double check the links on your blog
As your blog library and website grows, it can be easy to forget about your older posts. But broken links can damage your SEO as search engines have nowhere to go when crawling your site. It’s also useful to check that the links referred to are still relevant to the topics discussed. Ahrefs have a free broken link checker here.
17. Proofread, then do it again
If you’ve ever clicked on a website which was littered with typos and errors, it’s a fair bet that you’ll have left pretty quickly! Time spent proofreading will help you to avoid silly mistakes, ensure there are no grammatical errors, maintain the flow of your writing and check for facts.
18. Refresh top performing posts
When a blog post has lots of people clicking and reading, search engines will direct people to it again and again, sometimes for years to come. So if you have a top performing post, it makes sense to ensure the details provided are current and up to date, otherwise readers will just click off your site because the information is no longer relevant.
19. Build a marketing funnel
Your blog feeds into your marketing funnel: creating awareness, interest, desire and then action. Think about the best type of content for each stage - and also consider how to keep people interested so they become repeat customers.
The examples below show how you can go from blog posts which answer general questions at the top of the funnel to specific comparisons of running shoes when it comes to taking action and making a purchase:
Why do my feet hurt after running?
How to choose the best running shoes?
Comparison of different running shoes
20. Create video transcripts on your blog
Video is a popular form of content and great for anyone who struggles with writing. It’s easy to record a quick video and an effective way for people to learn about you and your products. It’s especially useful for learning practical things.
However, some people still prefer to read blogs rather than watch videos and others may be at work and unable to listen without distracting colleagues. Importantly, search engines still struggle to rank keywords in video format, so by giving your audience the option of both video and written transcripts, it helps your content stay higher in search rankings.
21. Publish regularly
People who publish blog posts regularly often see better results. Search engines like to see websites with regular high quality content and readers are more likely to remember you. High quality is the important point though - drop the quality because you’re struggling for time or ideas, and you’ll be lost amongst the other million types of content published daily.
22. Repurpose your content
It can be so difficult to constantly come up with new ideas for your blog, newsletters and social media accounts. However, by repurposing your content, one idea can be used in loads of other ways. You can read more about it here: ‘How to repurpose 1 blog post into 20 pieces of social media content’.
23. Be aware of jargon
Jargon can be used to demonstrate authority and understanding, especially if that’s what your audience expects, but it can also lose readers who do not use those words in day to day conversation. For example, someone wanting to improve their SEO will probably search for “how to get more views on my website?”. So be aware of when you’re using jargon and whether it’s to your best advantage.
24. Have fun and show your personality
Remember that blogging, social media and newsletters are a more informal way of communicating with people. Their aim is to create a connection, so make sure you show your personality and have a little fun.
Get in touch to explore how I can help you publish more blog posts or develop a content strategy for your business.
