Creating content can often pose as the most challenging aspect of content marketing endeavors for numerous clients seeking our consulting services. The process demands considerable time and resources, accompanied by concerns regarding the content’s efficacy.
However, overcoming these obstacles is entirely feasible.
Drawing from my extensive experience in advising on content marketing strategies and creation for esteemed global brands, I present 16 proven techniques to swiftly enhance the caliber of your content. Let’s delve into them promptly:
1. Write an Attention-Grabbing Headline
When it comes to headlines, the timeless wisdom holds true: the first impression matters, as there’s no second chance. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, headlines serve as not only the initial but sometimes the sole point of engagement for readers.
Indeed, a single lackluster headline can nullify all the effort, research, time, and passion invested in articles, blog posts, ebooks, podcasts, webinars, and beyond.
However, before veering into clickbait territory (which is strongly advised against), let’s pause and examine the headline types that effectively entice clicks. We’ll explore the Neil Patel-recommended 4Us headline formula advocated by Melanie Duncan.
- Beneficial headlines: The term “browsing” doesn’t quite capture the essence of online searches. Whenever we navigate the web, we actively seek answers or insights. Crafting headlines that offer utility to your audience grabs their attention, aligning with their quest for information..
- Compelling headlines: The apprehension of missing out on something essential resonates deeply with individuals, compelling them to click.
- Distinctive headlines: Echoing Sally Hogshead’s sentiment, “unique trumps superior.”
- Precise headlines: These headlines provide a clear indication of what to anticipate, offering specific details. Extra credit if they feature an unconventional number.
Creating the Ideal Headline: Step-by-Step Instructions
Understanding the types of headlines that attract clicks is only half the battle. The other half is crafting the headline itself.
- Summarize the content: Your headline should provide a glimpse of what readers can expect from the entire piece.
- Prioritize clarity: While aiming for uniqueness and attention-grabbing is important, clarity should never be compromised. Audiences want to know what they’re getting into before investing their time.
- Keep it brief: Be concise and get straight to the point.
- Ensure versatility: Headlines often appear out of context, such as in search results or social media feeds. Make sure your headline still makes sense and attracts attention even when seen independently.
2. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
You may have heard that Google values fresh and lengthy content, but what it truly craves is quality. According to Neil Patel, search engines prioritize content that exhibits three key attributes, none of which emphasize excessive word count:
- In-depth content: Thoroughly explore your topic to provide valuable insights.
- Comprehensive content: While it may require more words, focus on covering your subject matter comprehensively.
- Keyword relevance: Incorporate your target keyword strategically throughout your content without resorting to outdated keyword stuffing tactics.
While some SEO experts may disagree, the debate between quality and quantity is one worth delving into, particularly as Google’s updates increasingly prioritize user experience. As of this year, user satisfaction directly impacts Google rankings.
Pro tip: Crafting long-form articles demands significant time and effort. Once created, maximize your investment by applying the 1:8 rule: aim to generate at least eight smaller pieces of content from each substantial piece.
3. Utilize the Inverted Pyramid Method for Information Delivery
As discussed in “103 Content Ideas to Add to Your Editorial Calendar,” while text-based content is valuable, online readers typically skim rather than read thoroughly. Despite this, we can engage them effectively by assisting them in skimming more efficiently using the inverted pyramid technique in content creation.
The inverted pyramid method is widely employed in public relations and journalism because it prioritizes the communication of the most crucial information upfront.
To implement the inverted pyramid structure in any content piece, adhere to the following framework:
- Start with essential information: Lead with the most critical idea or message you want to convey to your audience.
- Include supporting details in the middle: Offer additional information that complements the main idea and encourages readers to continue engaging with the content.
- Conclude with supplementary insights: End with valuable information that enhances the reader’s understanding without being crucial to the core message.
Remember: Avoid burying the lead. Capture readers’ interest from the outset by providing valuable insights or information that compels them to stay engaged with your content.
4. Tailor Your Content for Your Primary Audience
Attempting to cater to a broad spectrum of individuals with your content will inevitably lead to it resonating with no one. It’s impractical, and frankly unnecessary, to try to please everyone. Instead, direct your efforts towards crafting content tailored to your core audiences.
Uncertain about who your primary audiences are? Even a rudimentary understanding of your audience demographics can provide valuable guidance for your content strategy.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Analyze your existing customer base.
Begin by examining the individuals or organizations that currently purchase your products or services. Who are they, and what are their distinguishing characteristics? If your target market is businesses, identify the key decision-makers within those organizations.
Step 2: Identify potential new customer segments.
Expand your audience analysis by identifying any audience segments that may be absent from your current customer base. Perhaps you’re aiming to attract similar organizations as your current customers but target different individuals within those organizations. Include these potential segments in your audience list.
Step 3: Narrow down to your top five target audiences.
Limit yourself to selecting just five primary audience segments. Starting with a manageable number allows for focused content creation and easier evaluation of success. You can always broaden your scope later if necessary.
Step 4: Explore their interests.
Leverage the wealth of information available to uncover the interests and preferences of your target audiences. Utilize both qualitative feedback and quantitative data to gain comprehensive insights into their behaviors and preferences.
5. Craft Superior Posts Compared to Others
Mark Twain famously remarked, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn, and they make new and curious combinations.”
A simple Google search on virtually any topic might confirm his assertion. What we express has likely been expressed before, and what we write about has probably been addressed by a competitor. However, rather than dwelling on Twain’s notion that new ideas are nonexistent, let’s embrace his concept of “new and curious combinations.” This is precisely what we can achieve with our content.
Step 1: Conduct a swift search on your subject
Begin by conducting a basic Google search on your chosen topic. Pay attention to the authors discussing it, their viewpoints, and the information they provide. Compare their perspectives with your own. Identify gaps in their content that you can fill with your expertise. Consider how you can contribute your unique voice to the discussion.
Alternatively, you can perform a more thorough search using Buzzsumo. This platform provides concrete metrics on various topics you’re contemplating.
Step 2: Develop a superior piece of content
Once you’ve assessed the content topic landscape, enhance your piece by ensuring it is:
- More tailored to your primary audiences: Address their objectives, queries, and requirements comprehensively.
- More comprehensive and thorough: Explore the subject matter beyond the surface level and provide deeper insights.
- Better designed: Consider alternative formats such as video, graphics, or downloadable ebooks to effectively convey the information.
- More up-to-date: Incorporate the latest insights or updates to ensure relevance and timeliness.
While your content strategy shouldn’t solely revolve around surpassing competitors, there are occasions where covering previously addressed topics becomes necessary. However, strive to produce superior content compared to existing offerings.
Pro tip: Crafting content with Youtility in mind can often elevate your content above competitors’.
6. Establish Long-Term Value with Evergreen Content
Whenever I conduct a thorough and comprehensive content audit, I keep an eye out for ROT:
R – redundant content
O – outdated content
T – trivial content
How does ROT content come about? It often stems from creating timely content that revolves around the latest trends or references current pop culture phenomena. While such posts and content pieces can be engaging, they tend to become obsolete rapidly.
This underscores the importance of striking a balance between timely content and evergreen content. When executed effectively, evergreen content can yield sustainable traffic, whereas timely content may provide rapid, immediate spikes followed by sharp declines once the hype subsides.
The fantastic aspect of evergreen content is that you don’t need to publish or republish it frequently to maintain traffic generation. You likely observe this phenomenon on your website already, with “greatest hits” content consistently driving traffic, regardless of how much new content you produce.
What is Evergreen Content?
According to Studyweb, evergreen content refers to pieces that:
- Address common queries that remain relevant to searchers indefinitely
- Maintain reader interest even long after their publication date
- Continuously attract traffic over extended periods, spanning months or even years
- Lack an expiration date
How to Create Evergreen Content:
Here are two simple steps to kickstart the process:
Target beginners:
Begin by crafting content tailored to beginners. Ensure that your writing avoids assumptions about your audience and steers clear of technical jargon. If there’s any industry-specific terminology, take the time to elucidate it within your article.
Narrow down your topics:
Focus on a specific topic that is easier for both you and your readers to comprehend and apply. Start with a broad subject that piques your interest and gradually narrow it down to a niche.
Pro Tip: Implement content governance as a regular, ongoing practice to identify and address any ROT (redundant, outdated, trivial) content before it becomes problematic. Additionally, consider updating and republishing articles periodically to keep them current, as practiced by C&C.
7. Provide Enhanced Content Options
Content upgrades are tailored bonuses designed specifically for the content your audience is engaging with. Unlike generic ebooks or toolkits offered across every page of your site, content upgrades are strategically aligned with the topic at hand. When executed effectively, they not only deliver high-quality content but also have the potential to expand your email list simultaneously.
Here are a few examples of content upgrades:
- PDF Version: Presenting a formatted and designed PDF version of the article enables readers to conveniently access and revisit the content.
- Checklist: Offering a summarized checklist condensing the main points of your post facilitates easy implementation of insights and how-tos.
- Templates: Providing boilerplates or spreadsheets assists audiences in applying the techniques outlined in your content.
- Advanced/Bonus Materials: Enhance your initial content with supplementary or advanced materials, such as ebooks, whitepapers, or templates, to offer deeper insights or strategies.
8. Emphasize Readability
Ensuring readability is crucial regardless of your target audience, their professions, or the subject matter you’re addressing. However, achieving optimal readability can be challenging due to the significant variations in your audience’s reading levels.
For instance, if you’re Scholastic and creating content for a Book Fair, you must account for the diverse reading levels among your target audiences:
- Early readers
- Teen readers
- Parents/guardians
- Teachers/faculty
- School district administration
One commonly used metric to gauge readability is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Readable recommends that content should ideally be graded at or below 8 to ensure that the majority of Americans can comprehend it.
After grading our content, how can we enhance our writing accordingly? Fortunately, there’s a free tool designed precisely for this purpose: Hemingwayapp. Simply copy and paste your written content into the application, and it will provide you with a readability score. Additionally, it will highlight sentences that require improvement, helping you refine your writing effectively.
By implementing these suggestions, you’ll notice a significant enhancement in your writing. Here are some additional tips to ensure your sentences are readable:
- Simplify and streamline your sentence structure.
- Convey only one idea per sentence.
- Use fewer commas and more periods.
Pro tip: Don’t fret about achieving perfect readability and scalability in your initial draft. Focus on expressing your ideas and content first, then revisit and edit thoroughly.
9.Utilize Data to Support Your Content
Employing data and statistics offers two significant advantages: it positions you as an authority and enhances the readability of your content through the incorporation of charts and other data visualizations.
Gathering raw data independently can be a time-consuming endeavor. While we undertake this process at Convince & Convert, it may not be feasible for your business. An alternative approach is to leverage reliable data and findings collected by reputable sources, such as the Pew Research Center.
Ensure to attribute the source of these charts if you obtained the data online. These charts can serve as visual aids for your content.
10. Remember the Importance of Visual Content
In addition to charts, incorporating images is essential to complement your written content. Visuals serve to break up text, draw attention to important information, and add visual interest to your content.
When it comes to sourcing images, Pexels is our top choice. They offer high-quality images that stand out from typical stock photos, with a wide selection that showcases diversity and inclusion.
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