Working as a content developer is no child’s play. A content writer must produce several high quality articles every day. The job is hectic because creativity does not flow like a stream, especially when you are always running to meet crazy deadlines. Still, there are some very successful content marketers and bloggers out there, writing interesting posts every day. What is their secret? They don’t have extraordinary talents, but they do follow a method that help them achieve perfection. If you are a newbie in content writing profession and getting eager to know the content writing secrets, in order to be professionally creative, keep reading.
Research Never Stops
A good writer researches on various subjects all the time so that he can identify the one topic that will engage his readers. As soon as you get an idea of the possible topic for the next article, write down the major points that you want to highlight and links of the web pages that can provide you valuable information. Collect as many resources as you can because you can later use them as references. Suppose you are planning to write about something like the “growth of social media marketing”, then a few charts and data reports can help you prove your point.
It is not just about doing research that matters, organizing the information is important as well. When you find a web page with valuable information, you have two options to store it for later; and I am not talking about bookmarking. People use different devices at different times so bookmarking is not a useful concept. You can either +1 the pages and access them any time by visiting your Google+ profile or you can use an app called Evernote. It allows you to save pages on a cloud storage.
Find your Own Voice
Do you have 2-3 favourite writers? Then start reading their articles and try to identify the things that you like about them the most. A writer goes through continuous metamorphosis and finally he finds his writing style. The easiest way to create a distinct tone is to amalgamate the good qualities of all your favourite writers and come up with something that represents your uniqueness. Note that you will not be able to establish your style in one day. The more you tweak the adopted style of your favourite authors, the better you will be able to express your natural voice.
Focus on the Subject
Never deviate from the subject of your article while writing an article. Write down the bottom line of your post and make sure that the points you discuss help you prove the bottom-line. For example, if you are writing on the “benefits of responsive website design”, then your points should provide enough data to convince the readers that responsive design is indeed better than traditional web design. One of the main content writing secrets is that you have to be a ruthless editor. If you find any out of context line after completing the article, simply delete it. You may love those lines, but readers won’t.
Length Should Match with the Depth
The length and depth of an article are dependent on each other. Content writing experts always ask the “word limit” before submitting an article to any third party blog. When your word limit is 500 only, you can’t dig deeper because you must wrap up the article within 500 words. Similarly, when you have the freedom to write 1500 words, you can discuss the topic in detail and prove your expertise.
Find a Unique Angle
The topic of your article can be common, but your point of view must be different. For example, logo design is a very common subject and hundreds of bloggers are writing on this subject. So, when you compose your post, make sure that you offer something unexplored to the readers. Your point of view should grab their attention and encourage them to read. For instance, “Timeless Logo Design Is an Outdated Concept”. Everyone will say “what? Is the author mad?” And then they will start reading.
Give enough time to write a good headline Title is the first thing people notice when they see an article and if it does not seem interesting, they will never bother to read the first para. All your hard work and time will get wasted just because the title is not “catchy”. Therefore, you should think a lot to decide the best title for your article. Write 3-4 titles and then ask yourself which one sounds more interesting. “How” and “why” are the two words that can be used for creating a good title. For example- How to be a SEO ninja in 7 days? Why e-commerce business is booming all over the world?
First Sentence Matters
First sentence of your post should hook the readers. It should work like an invitation to read the first paragraph. For example- if your article title is “Importance of landing pages in online marketing”, then you can begin the article by writing this sentence- “ Is your landing page not converting your visitors into customers?”
Compose a Good Lead
Lead is the first paragraph of an article and it should give readers a brief idea about the topic. It should be informative, interesting and inviting so that the readers get engaged and read the following paragraphs. If you are an avid newspaper reader, then you know the art of writing a good lead.
Make the Article Believable
If you want to earn the trust and respect of your readers, then make sure that the article is believable. Don’t provide false data and in case you claim something that can be challenged by others, back up your point by giving ample references. Remember, a blog post is never a sales copy. It should inform people, not sale anything. Stay away from generating hype and people will take you seriously.
Ending is as Important as Beginning
The ending of an article should be like the dessert at the end of a nice meal. It does not need to add anything extra, but should make the readers feel satisfied, They should know that the time they spent reading your article is worth it. For example, if you are writing an article on “how to be a good web designer”, then the last paragraph can point out the benefits of reading this article. For instance, “Now you know the process to improve your skills and prove your worth to the employers. Follow the tips shared in this article to become a better and more professional website designer. You don’t have to hunt for jobs any more, the employers will search for you.”
Simple Writing is Best
You can always have your own style and tone, but when it comes to language, keep it simple. Short sentences and simple words do the trick. Web is used by people belonging to all age groups and not all of them are highly educated. You may have a masters degree in English language, but don’t try to prove it while you are in content writing profession. Avoid jargons as much as possible and keep the paragraphs short. If the readers need to open a dictionary to understand what you have written, then they will simply stop reading. However, simple writing does not mean childish writing. You need to write in simple language, but maintain the professional tone.
Editing is Important
Edit the article once you are done with writing. Chop the extra sentences and make points compact. Readers don’t have hours and they want information from you, not baseless story. Content writers often include valueless points and repeat the same paragraph in different style to increase word count, but it is not a good practice. Remember, your value as a content writer is not judged by the number of words you have written. It is the number of loyal fans that matters the most.
Content writing is all about serving information to the readers in an interesting manner. Web users constantly search for relevant data related to various subjects and your duty is to fulfil their thirst for knowledge. Sometimes the job may seem frustrating because you have to come up with new topics regularly, but that is the challenge of this profession. You have to motivate yourself to maintain creativity and I guess after reading this article, you have learned ways to produce great content on a regular basis.
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