At its most basic, content writing is about putting words on the screen—words that get people to take a specific action.
But there’s a lot more to it than that.
Content writing could include anything from blog posts and articles, such as how-to guides for customers or industry sneak-peaks, to email newsletters, social media posts, or even scripts for podcasts.
But content writing isn’t about selling.
Instead, content writing aims to inspire or entertain a target audience, spreading brand awareness. Rather than trying to persuade customers directly, content writing establishes a relationship, building a trusting rapport that eventually, later down the line, leads to a conversion.
In this sense, it’s a long-term strategy. But don’t let that put you off. Content marketing delivers serious results. This one statistic says it all, really:
Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates 3 times as many leads. (Source: Demand Metric)
These are our top content writing tips to help you create content that speaks directly to your target audience, can be found easily by search engines, and makes a big impact on conversions and sales.
12 Content Writing Tips to Get You Closer to Your KPIs
1. Find a Unique Angle
The fact is, your chosen topic has most likely already been endlessly discussed by others online. So what perspective can you offer that other similar content has missed? Why should we read your blog article rather than someone else’s?
The content writing process begins with plenty of research to see what your competitors are doing. Don’t simply rehash what everyone else is saying. Here are a few ways your content might stand out from the rest:
- Add a personal element. An anecdote about your personal experience adds an original touch. Given that a lot of content is written by freelancers without personal investment in a subject, if you’re an industry insider or expert in your niche, your point-of-view is rare and valuable.
- Make it longer. A HubSpot study found that content of more than 2,500 words gets the most links. So consider making your content the most comprehensive. Or add an FAQ section to address questions that other similar content ignores.
- Make it visually appealing. Whether it’s images, infographics, or GIFs, adding visual elements will make your content more readable and shareable.
- Add examples. When explaining abstract concepts or illustrating a point, examples make your content more accessible, relevant, and actionable.
- Reach out to experts. If you aren’t an expert in a particular niche, conduct external outreach to find someone who can provide tips or quotes that add an extra dimension.
2. Create a Clear Structure
No one has time to sit down and read a ramble. So being organized is essential. It will also help with the process of writing itself, allowing you to address each point in turn.
Look online and you’ll find templates that you can use as an outline or structure for your content. Or have a Google to see how other companies have structured similar content.
Most readers will have left the page before getting to the end of your content so you want your most important message at the beginning. Then you can drill down into more detailed and specific information.
For example, if you’re writing a blog post about some exciting company news, start by outlining the basics of what happened. Then break it down into moment-by-moment details.
3. Spend Time Thinking About the Headline
You probably know this by now but the headline of your content is as important, if not more important, than the content itself. In a world where most people spend just 37 seconds reading a blog post, and 7.5 million new blogs are published each day, your headline needs to stand out.
A headline should be catchy and emotive but steer clear of clickbait (tempting readers with headlines that are sensationalized, exaggerated, or misleading). You essentially want to summarize what you’re going to say and hint at some details but don’t tell the whole story.
And, of course, you must deliver on what you promise in the headline.
According to Buzzsumo, the ideal headline length is 11 words and 65 characters—based on the most shared headlines on Facebook and Twitter.
Some of the most popular and effective formulas for a headline include:
- Why you should…
- X that you need to know…
- X things that only…
- You probably didn’t…
- X reasons you….
4. Keep the Introduction Crisp
Like we already said, everyone’s in a rush. So make sure your introduction isn’t more than 8 sentences long and get straight to the point.
This might mean listing bullet points that sum up what you’re going to cover in your content. Or you could use the formula of “challenge + solution.”
For example:
Being a mum is hard. Between nappy changes and nap schedules, who has the time to create meals that contain all the right nutrients for their little one? So we’ve selected the 5 best baby-food delivery services to save you time and energy.
Other top content writing tips when it comes to introductions:
- Use the word “you” to address the reader directly and hook them.
- Open your article with a quote or statistic to grab people’s attention immediately.
- Ask a question to establish a rapport with readers.
5. Identify the Tone of Voice
Expressing your tone of voice is about conveying your brand personality. This doesn’t necessarily mean littering your content with jokes and sassy comments—not unless that fits your particular brand.
In fact, for many companies, it’s more appropriate to keep the tone of voice sensible and down-to-earth.
If you’re not sure about your brand personality, think about the personality of your target audience. How would you talk to them in person? How would they talk? Would you feel comfortable telling them a personal anecdote or making a pop-culture reference? Or using slang?
Keep the tone of voice consistent throughout. If you veer wildly from jokey and conversational to formal and academic, your readers won’t know where they stand.
6. Gain People’s Trust
This is one of our most important content writing tips—and it doesn’t mean simply telling the truth.
We’re talking about using quotes, statistics, and other references to back up your claims and make you seem authoritative and trustworthy.
The best sources to link to include mainstream media sources, university websites, and high-profile companies with name recognition. Definitely don’t use Wikipedia or message boards like Reddit or Quora.
That said, don’t stuff your content with external links. After all, you want to keep visitors on your page. The best-performing articles typically have between 3 and 15 links.
7. Use Exciting and Engaging Language
Fill your content with power words. Top copywriting services use words that trigger an emotional response, keeping readers engaged and persuading them to take action.
For example, words like intriguing, miracle, and surprising, all evoke curiosity. Words like fantasy, tantalizing, and awe-inspiring inspire excitement. Or you can use more negative words like excruciating, embarrassing, or catastrophe to evoke fear and panic—although you’ll want to do so with caution so you don’t put readers off.
As for words to avoid, any kind of jargon or insider slang should be swapped for clear and accessible language and you should explain any complicated or industry-specific terminology.
Try not to use the same words over and over. Word cloud tools are great to check the language you’re using. The bigger a word looks in your cloud, the more you tend to use it. Put this word into a thesaurus and find a more exciting alternative.
8. Include Keywords
Keywords are those phrases and terms that your audience uses when searching for answers to questions in your niche. Optimising your content for search engines—or SEO copywriting—means including these terms in your content, particularly in headlines and subheaders.
But make sure to do so in a way that sounds natural rather than robotic, and not to excess or you’ll be penalised for keyword stuffing. Swap some words for synonyms—or semantic keywords—to change it up a bit.
9. Add a Call-to-Action
As any copywriter will tell you, even the most poetic, beautiful, and lyrical words in the world are worth nothing if they don’t get your visitor to take action.
So make sure to include a succinct and simple call-to-action to get users to take another step along the sales funnel.
To make your CTAs more exciting, consider:
- Adding emotive adjectives e. Find your dream partner today.
- Adding numbers i.e. Buy now and get a 25% discount
- Evoking scarcity and urgency i.e. Buy now while stocks last.
- Making a promise i.e. Book now for unforgettable memories.
10. Make it Scannable
We’re willing to bet you haven’t read every word on this page. You’ve probably just scanned the subheadings. That’s how we tend to consume online information.
So make the key information easy to find. Your readers will appreciate it.
Use bulleted or numbered lists. Have plenty of white space around paragraphs and images to make it easier to consume. And divide content into different sections with headers with catchy titles to help readers navigate.
11. Proofread Content
Your content is the digital equivalent of a door-to-door salesperson. If someone turned up at your door to sell you something but they were dressed in a scruffy suit, chewing gum, and didn’t look like they’d slept, you wouldn’t be impressed.
In the same way, your content needs to look like you took care. Run it through an online tool like Grammarly to check for typos and punctuation mistakes. But also get another pair of eyes on it as there are often errors that computers fail to pick up.
Don’t have the time or support to properly proofread your content? Consider using our professional proofreading service.
12. Don’t Try Too Hard
Content writing is not the same as copywriting. While the latter is about trying to sell—or at least persuade and convince the reader to take action—content writing is more of a long game. It’s about educating, inspiring, or provoking interest so that readers form a relationship with your content and your brand, building awareness that gradually progresses into leads.
Therefore, filling your content with mentions of your company, products, or services can feel too pushy. Your aim is not to sell. It’s to answer a user pain point. Put your reader first and make sure everything you say is of value.
Frequently Asked Questions About Content Writing
What’s the difference between content writing and copywriting?
Copywriting is focused on convincing the reader to take action, whether that’s signing up to a mailing list, buying a product, or getting in touch. Meanwhile, a content writer is more focused on building a relationship with the reader by means of content that inspires, entertains, or educates. Ultimately, of course, this will create leads and hopefully sales, but content writing doesn’t need to be as persuasive as copywriting.
What is the purpose of content writing?
Content writing means creating written content for marketing output such as websites, blogs, or emails. Unlike copywriting, where the purpose is typically to persuade a user to take action (usually, to buy), content writing is about building a connection with an audience that then generates leads, slowly moving visitors down the sales funnel. For this reason, content writing is designed to inspire, inform, instruct, or entertain.
Why is content writing important?
Producing high-quality content writing regularly is one of the most effective ways for companies to build brand awareness and create a relationship with their audience. Well-written content can improve audience engagement, establish your expertise in your area, and, if your content contains keywords, it will also bring organic traffic to your website.
What are content writing best practices?
The best content writing usually follows a set of basic rules. These content writing tips include identifying your audience, choosing a unique angle, creating a clear structure, adding quotes and references, checking for typos and other mistakes, and choosing a catchy headline.
Content Writing Like an Expert
Producing written content that gets read, generates leads, boosts conversions, and drives sales isn’t something we all leave school knowing how to do. It’s an art that takes years of practice. These 12 content writing tips will get you well on your way to success.
But if you don’t have the time to hone your content writing skills, why not outsource the task to qualified experts? At Lime Copywriting, we have the in-depth experience needed to craft content that ticks all the boxes. Let us do the words while you focus on everything else. Get in touch with a content pro today.
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