How to Turn Your Content From Drab to Fab

Like any other skill, writing content is challenging and takes a lot of patience and practice to perfect.

With the rise of digital media marketing, content writing has become a lucrative avenue for businesses and writers. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the field has grown progressively more competitive. To stand out, it becomes crucial for you to improve your content writing skills.

But worry not; with the right dedication, anyone can easily improve their content writing in no time. And to help you along in the journey, we have a few tips and tricks that will let you know how to improve your content writing skills.

7 Ways to Produce Effective Content

Here are a few ways in which you can improve the content you create to make it more appealing to readers:

1. Use attention-grabbing headlines

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The headline is the first thing that the reader will see. The headline you choose is the first and probably the most important impression you leave on the reader. According to Copyblogger, 80% of people don’t make it past the headline. So, unless it grabs the reader’s attention, they are far less likely to read the rest of your writing. Using numbers or “how-tos” in the headline is ideal for grabbing attention.

2. Have an enticing intro

Once you’ve pulled them in with a catchy headline, you need to hold their attention with an intro that makes them want to read more. The introduction works as a trailer for the content below and therefore needs to be enticing enough to make the readers want to engage.

3. Write for your audience

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You need to know the audience you are catering to. The demographic your content is meant to reach will determine the content’s tone, message, and overall outline. Different types of customers are looking for different kinds of things in their content. Depending on what your audience wants, you should shape the message of your content accordingly.

4. Have an outline of your message

Speaking of the message, you must outline what you wish to say with your writing. Unless you establish the message you want to convey to your readers via your content, you will likely sound unfocused and confusing. Once you outline what you want to say and how your writing should flow, it will help develop your content writing skill.

5. Be engaging

As much as an enticing headline and an engaging intro can help you, it will not help ensure that the audience will stick around till the end.

The rest of your content needs to be engaging for the reader. It should cater to their needs in some way, shape, or form. It should also not be oversimplified and overcomplicated; somewhere right in the middle is the perfect place to be. Using listicles, infographics, and subheadings is very helpful in this case.

6. Don’t stray away from your brand voice

If your brand has a set voice, make sure you follow it. Your brand advertises to a set group of people; the voice they choose to have should be the same across the board. This allows the audience to associate the brand with its distinct voice, making it memorable in their heads. The brand voice can be established based on the audience the business caters to. 

7. Give actionable tips

Your content aims to make people who read it learn something useful and new. If the information you provide is of some value to them, they will surely return to your site repeatedly. And this is exactly what you want.

The best way to do so is by giving your readers actionable tips, advice they can use, and guiding them along. It’s a constructive and effective way to pique the interest of your readers. 

Step by Step Guide to Write Powerful Content

1. Research your topic

Researching your topic is the first step to writing any kind of content. Unless you know what you are writing about, you will not know what to write. This is the way to go if you want to know how to improve your content writing skills. Once you have familiarized yourself with the topic you will be writing about, things will flow much easier.

2. Create an outline

Before you begin the writing process, having an outline right before you will make things much more convenient. Not only will it help you stay on track with what you want to say, but it will also help you avoid confusion. An outline will help guide your thoughts and ideas into a concise, well-written piece of content.

3. Head-turning headline

As mentioned above, the first thing the reader sees is the headline, but it’s also the first thing you will write. An attention-grabbing headline will attract the audience and set a certain tone for the rest of the content.

4. Stick to your message

Once you have started writing, do not divert from the key message you wish to convey. Follow the outline you have already created and ensure you don’t stray away from your brand’s message. 

5. Keep keywords in mind

Using keywords is integral to ensuring that your content is SEO-friendly. When researching your topic, find out the keywords associated with it. This will help your content with SEO optimization. The key to content writing skill development is to figure out how to avoid forcing keywords into your content and find organic ways to incorporate them.

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6. Add some visual flourish

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Infographics and images to accompany the content you write will help keep the audience engaged. Visuals leave more of an impression. Moreover, presenting any information visually to the reader has a greater chance of being absorbed.

7. Edit, edit, edit again

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The best way to improve content writing skills is to edit your content as often as possible. No matter how well you write, everyone needs to re-read their material and edit it. Working on the same piece and editing it at least twice ensures it will be much better than the first draft.

8. Proofread to finish

Everyone is bound to make mistakes. When writing in a flow, it’s human to miss a few words here and there or make an error or two. You cannot avoid proofreading your work, especially since submitting an article with typos and silly errors will be very unprofessional.

9. Develop a style

If you write long enough, you will inevitably develop your own style. Whatever it might be, your style will change over time, but it will define your content. A unique style and voice will make you more marketable and reflect your content writing skill development.

Creating Phenomenal Content

In this day and age, content writing is fast becoming a very sought-after skill. Polishing this skill will inevitably pay you back tenfold. The best way to improve content writing skills is to work on your basics.

While you could always take a course on content writing, it is fairly easy to improve content writing skills by following the few rules stated above. Working and improving on the job is something that you can do without much hassle. The more you write, the better your next piece of content will be; just make sure to keep at it.

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