With so much content available online, you want yours to have the power to make people stop scrolling and engage. If you want to take your content to the next level, practice, planning, and dedication are necessary.
If you’re prepared to put in the work, you can improve your writing skills. Here are some tips to help you.
Capture Attention Immediately
Using the internet is rather like having to navigate through a jungle of information. When looking for information, we tend to go to numerous sources. If your content does not draw attention in a few seconds, people will simply move on to the next source.
It doesn’t matter if yours is the most perfectly researched article in the world. Nobody’s going to read it if the headline doesn’t grab them and make them want to read more.
The headline
Your headline has to give a good indication of what the content is about. If it’s too vague, people will tend to ignore it. Some of the common elements of a good headline include the following:
- A trending topic
- Emotional appeal
- A specific number of tips or strategies
- A how-to guide – a practical explanation
The first paragraph
Just think about it – have you ever taken the time to read further if the first paragraph is confusing and convoluted? It’s difficult to come up with a scintillating first paragraph every time but some of the following ideas can work:
- Start with a catchy quote
- Be very clear and direct about what the article offers
- Give a glimpse into a secret you’ll share in the article
- Ask a question for which you know people want an answer
- Start off with a personal story and tie it to a larger theme
In an interesting case study, heatmaps show that the most engaging or important information needs to be in the first two paragraphs.
Subheadings etc.
Most people give the content a quick scan, looking at subheadings and bullet points to see whether it’s worthy of a more detailed read. If these indicate that the content is indifferent or stale, they will quickly move on. What they want is content that is concise and clear, easy to scan, conversational and relevant to their needs.
When you’re creating a piece of content, it helps to create an outline before you begin. Having a clear path for your content helps to you write more clearly. College paper writing services would be able to advise you on how to create outlines and approach writing methodically.
Tell Stories
Stories, especially inspiring ones, capture an audience more than just about any other form of content because as humans, we are hardwired to tell and listen to stories.
Bombard readers with too many facts or lists of the features of products and you will bore them. Rather tell them a story about how your products have benefited other people like them.
Post your stories on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and capture your audience. Inspiring stories that carry conviction persuade them to take action.
Case studies are also a great way to show your audience how someone benefited from using your products or services. If you’re unsure of how to write a case study, get an expert writer’s help.
Find Your Own Voice
Research and an in-depth knowledge of a subject do not necessarily mean you create content that people want to read. What draws people is authenticity. Being inspired by other writers is a good thing but trying to copy them is not. It’s often easier to write in your own voice and use your own personality than to copy someone else.
Deal With Writer’s Block
Trying to write the perfect post is the best way to suffer from writing paralysis. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or even a good writing style when you create your first draft. Just sit down, begin writing and don’t stop until you have your draft. It will probably stink but it’s a good start.
It helps to keep a swipe file of content research. Just reading this can help you to come up with countless ideas. It can also give you plenty of examples you can use in your content.
Write Persuasively
It’s challenging to write in a persuasive manner but when writing online content, you want to persuade people to take action and so it’s essential. Here are some of the principles of persuasive writing:
- Appeal to their sense of reason – they need to believe what you’re telling them is logical.
- Appeal to their emotions – do it subtly rather than in a soppy way.
- Appeal to tradition – people should accept it because it has stood the test of time.
- Use reciprocity – give them valuable information if you want to get something from them.
If you’re battling to write persuasively, it may help to read papersowl reviews to try and find help.
Stay Organized
Use a content calendar and develop monthly themes to write about. This helps you to use a good mix of content and avoid writing about the same material too much. If you need to cope with writing content and doing assignments, some help from BrillAssignment wouldn’t go amiss.
Know Your Audience
You’re writing for an audience. Focus your message by imagining a member of your audience sitting across the desk from you.
Use Tools
Your content represents you and your brand. You can’t afford to post copy riddled with errors. Once you’ve finished a post, step back from it for a while and then look at it again with fresh eyes.
Fortunately, there are many tools you can use to help you improve your content. Some of them are:
- Grammarly will help you to pick up errors in spelling and grammar.
- Hemingwayanalyzes your writing and identifies ways to make it easier to read.
- Edu birdie – get the help of a writing service
Conclusion
By following these basic tips and using some online tools to help you with your grammar and spelling, you are certainly able to improve your content writing. Add a good dash of creativity, know what your audience expects and they will love your content.
Author Bio:
Peter Hill is one of the best essay writers online named Best Essays. He is a socially active person, likes traveling and photo/video editing. In his free time, he finds himself in custom writing. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.