content writing tips - Express Writers

The Future of Blogging: Today’s Recipe for a Perfect Blog Post

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Korilynn V.

A craveable, delicious, delightful blog post isn’t much different from a pastry. As long as you follow the recipe, steps included, you will create a post your readers are hungry to devour – and might even return for more. The good news is you won’t make a special trip to the grocery store to get started on the perfect blog post. Everything you need is in your virtual pantry – you just didn’t realize it. Writing a blog post, especially in today’s competitive market, is intimidating. Once you break it down and understand the ingredients, however, you can whip up these readable bits on the fly and stay up with the trends for the future of blogging in 2023. So, What Do You Need to Craft the Perfect Blog Post in 2023? The future of blogging has certainly changed. What worked last year doesn’t necessarily apply today. Therefore, staying up on the latest blogging and SEO trends is essential so that you know what Google expects – and, more importantly, what today’s reader wants. The Perfect Blog Recipe Before you start to type, you want to make sure you have the following essentials ready to add to the mixing bowl: 1 click-worthy title 1 attention-keeping introduction A pinch of creativity A few cups of informative, scannable subheaders A splash of succinct body copy A handful of authoritative research and your expertise 1 part formatting 1 delectable conclusion A dusting of enthusiasm for the topic A garnish of passion for your niche Putting it Altogether – How the Future of Blogging will Change How You Use These Ingredients As you can see, the ingredients haven’t changed, but how and when you use them has. We will break down each portion of this recipe so that you know how to mix it all in and get your readers to come back for more. Creating Your Title By far one of the most essential ingredients! Your title sets the stage for what the reader can expect, even determining if they ever get past the SERPs to read your blog. Spend time on this stage of your recipe. In fact, whatever you title it as your “working” title, be prepared to come back and rework it until it is just right later. Don’t hastily toss forth the first title you have in mind. Instead, let it sit and rest, and the flavors meld together. Think of title creation as a slow, steady simmer rather than a rapid boil. A good title mixes intrigue and information and is not too long. Yes, Google says there is no limit, and the length of your title will not influence your search engine results. Instead, it affects whether or not someone will click on it. The first 60 characters matter the most – so make those count even if you have a 100-character title. Whatever you do, don’t over-sprinkle in the keywords for your title – not only will it kill your readability factor and turn off any enthusiastic taster, but it will turn away Google too. Roll Out Your Introduction Your introduction supports your title. So perhaps you may not create it until you have solidified your intro – and that’s okay. An introduction requires time and patience. While you will mix up something short, sweet, and enticing, you will also want it to rest a few hours before you revisit and rework it again. While adding a keyword to the introduction is essential, ensure it is not the highlighting flavor. An introduction gives readers just a taste of what else is to come, but the full flavor doesn’t explode until the end. Of course, if your introduction isn’t tasty enough to keep reading, the end doesn’t matter much. So, take your time, rework it after the entire blog is done, and ask yourself, would I eat this up? Never Forget the Power of Creativity Too many recipes lack creativity. Think of those five-star restaurants – are they working with “vanilla” recipes used over and over again? Of course not. They are hashing out something unique that stays with their branding but still tantalizes the tastebuds. Never leave out a pinch of creativity in your content – all of your content. Creativity should be tossed in from the start; if you can’t taste it, add more. Start Rolling Out Subheaders Subheaders help your reader scan and understand what they are about to digest. They should go in an even flow, make sense, and inform. Ideally, subheaders are introduced every 300-500 words max (there’s nothing wrong with adding them in fewer words as long as the words in between pack a powerful punch). Subheaders are a great place for optimizing with secondary keywords but don’t overdo it. Time to Mix in Your Body’s Copy You have a working title, and you’ve rolled out the subheaders. Now comes the time to mix together your blog’s body. But before you add anything, do your research. You may be an expert in your niche, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need resources to back up what you say. Today, using authoritative, high-quality links is still a must-have for any recipe. Search Engine Journal states that every site needs credible, authoritative, and trustworthy content – and a reader can’t take you at your word without some citations. As you mix up that copy, make sure to spice it up enthusiastically. Nothing turns a reader away more than negativity. So, likewise, be as passionate about your niche as you want your reader to be as you create your blog – if you are not excited about it, why should they be? A few other things to keep in mind while you mix up your body’s copy: Optimize Gently. Optimizing your content is like working gluten. Too much, and it’s gotten too chewy, stiff, and undesirable. Yes, keywords matter in 2023, but how and where you use them has changed. Focus on Your Brand’s Authority. What Google praises more than keywords are brand … Read more

5 Reasons You Need a Content Writer

January 6, 2024May 4, 2021 by Adam Oakley

I know why you’re reading this blog. Dream with me for a minute. ? Imagine a near-distant future where we’re all gathering together freely once more. ? You and I are attending the year’s biggest content marketing conference. Before we head to the event center for talks, presentations, and meet-and-greets, we agree to meet up at that quaint little coffee shop on the corner near our hotels. We sit at a table by a window looking out onto a sunny city street. Bright-eyed, early shoppers pass laden with bags, and businesspeople in suits and blazers hurry by on their way to their first morning meetings. We sip our coffees and chat idly about the upcoming events of the day. We even indulge in a little gossip. After my last sip of espresso, I ask, “So, how is your company’s blog doing?” You reply with a pained sigh, and lifelessly mutter: “It could be doing so much better.” I lean in and give you my full attention while you lay out a laundry list of problems: You can’t keep up with the consistent blogging schedule you need to get anywhere. You’re hyper-focused on quantity and obsessed with pushing out content just to get it out there. Ergo, much of your content is just okay, while most of it is downright rushed and bad. You haven’t even thought about SEO. Writing isn’t your forte, nor is it the specialty of anyone else on your team, so you struggle mightily when it comes time to create content. Your main competitor, on the other hand, has an incredible blog and is jumping ahead of you by leaps and bounds with the audience they’re drawing in. And the list goes on. You sit back in your chair, rubbing your temples. Just thinking about the situation gives you a headache. You know what I’m going to say. I say it anyway. “You need a content writer.” You Need a Content Writer: 5 Reasons to Invest in Your Content Even though this is an imaginary situation, the point still stands. If you’re like most small brands, some or all of this is ringing true. In a survey on the state of content writing in 2020, Mantis Research and Typeset found most small business owners, marketers, and communications professionals experience a disconnect between knowing what successful writing looks like and actually achieving it. 76% say they know what successful writing looks like, but only 45% think their content is extremely/very effective. Nearly half of all business communicators struggle to understand what their audience wants to read. Those with only moderate success with content writing struggle with most aspects of the process: writing and publishing consistently, maintaining quality over time, writing headlines, writing for SEO, writing concisely, getting the words to flow, and meeting deadlines. [bctt tweet=”Most small business owners & marketers experience a disconnect between knowing what successful writing looks like and actually achieving it. How do you close the gap? ➡⬅ Get yourself a content writer ?” username=”ExpWriters”] As you can see, you’re not alone in your struggles. But there IS a solution. You need a content writer, and I’m here to tell you why. (Imagine me giving you this advice over that same cup of coffee from our hypothetical friendly chat. ☕) 1. You Don’t Have Time I talk to business owners and even marketing specialists every day who respond to my question about their web content the same way you did. Sometimes, I just want to reach through the phone, shake them, and ask “Why do you think you’re not doing better?! It’s because you don’t have time!” I want to, but I don’t. At any rate, the reason you can’t keep up with a busy writing schedule is simple: You don’t have time. You’re too busy actually running your business. Thankfully, the solution is pretty simple, too. Hire a content writer. Not only do we have the time to develop your content for you (because this is our job and what we spend our days doing), but we do this all the time, so we can make it happen more quickly than you can. You don’t have the workflow down. We do. 2. Content Writing Is More Than Writing When you hire a content writer, you’re not getting someone who will write generic content that may or may not apply to your business. You’re hiring a team member who will take an interest in your business and will be eager to learn how you work, who your audience is, and where your big successes and failures are now. Once we have all the information we need, we’re going to be doing more than writing – we’re going to be communicating with your audience on a level you’d never have time to maintain. Not only that, but content writers are experienced with writing for SEO — including keyword and topic research — as well as editing, writing for social media and other content formats, and more. Content writing means we have to be good at a little of everything – and that’s good for you. Want to learn to master content writing, yourself? Start here ? Check out the Unlearn Essay Writing course. 3. A Good Content Writer Brings a New Perspective A common mistake of CEOs and business owners who also do their own marketing and advertising? They’re just too close to their own products. They can’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak. Your content writer, on the other hand, is coming to the table with no biases and a fresh perspective. They’ll look at your product with zero prior knowledge of its existence, in many cases. A content writer who’s worth his or her salt will take an interest in your business and will work tirelessly to understand it while maintaining their clear-eyed objectivity. It’s this objective stance that helps them write creative and innovative content that doesn’t rehash the same old tired clichés plaguing your industry. That’s our job. We … Read more

Learn How to Improve Your Content Writing: 7 Easy Ways to Buff up Your Content Now

January 1, 2021April 5, 2017 by Adam Oakley

What’s the one thing you need to do to master a new skill? Practice, of course! This is as true with learning to play tennis as it is mastering content writing: the more you practice, the better you get. Today, content writing is a critical talent, and mastering it can help you stand out in the crowded online world. Sound hard? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you might think. Just follow these seven simple tips, and you’ll be on the top of your content writing game in no time at all. How to Improve Your Content Writing: Why Creating Great Online Content Matters So Much Unless you’ve been living under a rock for all of 2016 (and maybe the decade before that, as well), you’ve probably interacted with some form of online content. Whether it was a blog, a webpage, a social media post, or even a product description, online content has touched your life in one way or another. This industry is nowhere near dying. In fact, it’s the opposite. Today, online content is one of the primary sources that humans use to communicate with one another. Sound crazy? Think about it! Regardless of what you do for work or fun, chances are that you interact with some form of digital content every day. Do you read blogs? Do you surf the web? Do you shop online? If so, you’re interacting with online content! According to Adweek: The average person interacts with 285 pieces of content every single day. This rounds out to 54,000 words (the length of a novel) and 1,000 different links – consumed daily. A whopping 63% of that content is written, while 37% is media content. If that doesn’t put the importance of online content in perspective, I’m not sure what will! Due to the rise of digital content, and the level of importance that consumers now place on it, learning how to improve your content writing is one of the smartest things you can do. How to Improve Your Content Writing in 7 Steps Regardless of whether you’re a marketer, blogger, small business owner, or just an online enthusiast, improving your content writing is one of the best ways to succeed in the digital world. Here are seven tips to help you head into 2017 strong: 1. Up your image game For most people, “adding an image” to a blog means plugging in a stock photo for the featured picture. This is not enough. Today, images make all the difference in a person’s willingness to read your content. In fact, HubSpot reports that content that includes a relevant image gets a massive 94% more views than content that is only text. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to add images to your posts. Today, there are dozens of free and high-quality stock image sites you can take advantage of. You can also hire out custom images, or create your own on a site like Canva. No matter what you do, make sure any images you include in your posts are high-quality – there should be no blurring or odd proportions – and relevant. 2. Dig deeper than average to verify facts and statistics It’s easy to fill your writing with general statements. It’s much harder, however, to go to the source and find relevant, solid statistics to back up your claims. This is one simple way to beef up your online writing. Today, it’s easier than ever to find quality statistics for any industry you’re involved in. A simple Google search with the word “statistic” at the end will reveal thousands, if not millions, of hits. Before you go plugging them into your content, however, you need to know how to determine what is a high-quality source and what’s not. One fantastic, 100% trustworthy tool for determining this is Alexa. Alexa is an Amazon subsidiary that allows users to access traffic and rank estimates based on mass browsing behavior. Alexa’s ranks are updated daily and the tool offers a quick view of sites that are high-quality and sites that are low-quality – the lower the site ranking number, the better it’s doing online. To use Alexa, just head to Alexa.com/siteinfo, and type in your target URL. If it ranks over 100,000, it’s a high-quality link that you can include in your content. Save this handy-dandy visual guide: 3. Add an infographic Right now, infographics are shared and liked on social media three times as often as any other type of content out there. For an example of how an infographic can be used in a piece of online content check, out our recent post “Five Tips for Creating Irresistibly Tasty Holiday Content for Your Readers.” This piece features the five tips as copy and designed into a fun infographic, hand-drawn and custom created in Adobe InDesign by our lead designer. While we could have just written the tips out, HubSpot’s statistics show that people play close attention to information-carrying images. Never created an infographic before? It might be best to leave it to a pro. We offer full-service infographic creation! Visit Infographics in the Content Shop. Like any image, the infographics you use in your content must always be high-quality, relevant, and professional. 4. Publish a case study A case study is one piece of content that announces “I have arrived!” Here’s why: case studies are not something that every content writer produces. They take time, they take expertise, and they take real, demonstrable success that your clients are willing to let you share. Because of this, they are an incredibly powerful type of online content that can serve to enhance your reputation and help you land more customers. If you’re interested in publishing a case study, you’ll have to set a time frame and start paying close attention to your results. If you have a specific job or interaction with the client that you believe would be fodder for a case study, reach out to the client and ask for permission to share the details. Once you’ve done … Read more

#ContentWritingChat February 23 2016 Recap: Strategies for Rising Above the Noise With Your Content

August 4, 2022February 26, 2016 by Rachel Moffett

If you missed this week’s #ContentWritingChat, there’s no need to worry. I have you covered with a recap of some of the best tweets from the chat. Our topic was Strategies for Rising Above the Noise With Your Content with a wonderful guest host, Carrie Morgan. If you want to learn how to create better content that stands out, keep on reading! #ContentWritingChat February 23 2016 Recap: Strategies for Rising Above the Noise With Your Content Join us Tuesday, February 23rd at 10 AM CST for #ContentWritingChat with @morgancarrie as our guest host! pic.twitter.com/KNQaQs8ico — Express Writers (@ExpWriters) February 20, 2016 Our guest host this week was Carrie Morgan. Carrie is a published author of the book endorsed by people like Jay Baer, Ann Handley, and Jay Baer, Above the Noise: Creating Trust, Value & Reputation Online Using Basic Digital PR. She’s also a Digital Public Relations Consultant and you can find out more about her via her website, Rock the Status Quo. Be sure to follow her on Twitter: @morgancarrie. Q1: What makes up great online content? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/mPqGz1TPF8 — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A1. Content can’t be fantastic unless it reflects brand clarity and a solid understanding of audience. #contentwritingchat — Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) February 23, 2016 A1: You need to know your audience, but great user experience definitely contributes to great content, as well. #contentwritingchat — Nicholas Creative (@Nicholas_Web) February 23, 2016 As Carrie pointed out, knowing your audience is very important. You need to know who you’re writing for in order to create great content they’ll love. Nicholas agreed, but he also brought up user experience. Your website should provide a good experience for each visitor. Q2: How can you get your content noticed in the busy web world of today? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/mVz876KC9V — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A2. Integration is critical – don’t just create content, but wrap in SEO, social media. #contentwritingchat — Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) February 23, 2016 A2. Wrap in basic SEO for every post, every SlideShare, every video, EVERYTHING. Learn the basics, it’s not hard. #contentwritingchat — Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) February 23, 2016 A2: Originality. It’s hard to have the first article on a trending topic, but finding a new spin can help stand out. #contentwritingchat — Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) February 23, 2016 If you want people to notice your content, make sure you’re optimizing your posts for search engines and sharing regularly on social media, as Carrie suggested. When you take the time to optimize your posts, you’ll rank higher in search results, increasing the likelihood your target market finds your content. You don’t have to be an SEO expert, but you should at least know the basics. A great reminder from Netvantage Marketing: Be original! To truly stand out online, you need to be yourself and put your own spin on things. Q3: How do you hone in on the right audience for your content? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/h8dXE80ySr — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A3. Ask them! Have conversations that dig into their interests, their needs, their roadblocks, their frustrations #contentwritingchat — Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) February 23, 2016 A3. Research blogs in your space & find where your ideal audience hangs out online (forums, blog comments). #ContentWritingChat — Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) February 23, 2016 Don’t be afraid to just ask your audience what they’re interested in and what they need help with. They hold the answers to your questions. All you have to do is ask! You can create a survey for readers to complete or figure out where they spend time online and engage them. Kristen suggested spending time in forums and reading blog comments. Q4: How do you build trust with your audience online? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/TnLr9OrDlw — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A4 Building trust with an online audience requires some semblance of content authenticity and validity #contentwritingchat #YKMD — Yanique DaCosta, MFA (@Yanique_YKMD) February 23, 2016 A4 Start engaging with them. Regularly. Build real human connections, trust will follow #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) February 23, 2016 Build trust with your audience through your content. Share authentic content that provides value to your audience, as Yanique pointed out. Make sure you’re also engaging them, as our CEO, Julia, said. Starting a conversation and building relationships with your target market is essential to building a level of trust. Q5: What are some ways to stand out from your competitors with your content? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/vNvR8vypr4 — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A5. Quality – learn to improve your writing skills. This is something you should constantly work on. #contentwritingchat — Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) February 23, 2016 A5: Stand out with visual content. It’s a very important component to build a strong web presence against competitors. #contentwritingchat — Nicholas Creative (@Nicholas_Web) February 23, 2016 Stand out from your competitors by consistently providing high-quality content to your audience. Carrie says you should constantly work to improve your writing skills. The more you write, the better you get! As Nicholas mentioned, visuals are another way you can stand out from your competition. Create eye-catching graphics your audience will love to help your blog posts and social media updates get attention. Q6: How can you use your content to become an authority figure in your niche? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/dsfnkk5dmV — ContentWritingChat (@writingchat) February 23, 2016 A6 Write & create with the motto always do better. Strategize your content w/ tools like @buzzsumo, @Quora for topics #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) February 23, 2016 A6: Authorities are usually asked their opinion, and aren’t afraid to share their perspective. #ContentWritingChat — Michael Kinney (@michaelkinney) February 23, 2016 A6 Produce quality content often, have others link and refer to it (PR/link building), get seen outside of your niche. #ContentWritingChat — Kathleen Garvin (@itskgarvin) February 23, 2016 To become an authority figure in your niche, you need to provide your audience with the content they’re looking for. Use BuzzSumo and Quora to find topics to write about. This is something we do often here at Express Writers! … Read more

A Guide: 37 Ways To Write Content That Converts

June 19, 2024June 4, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Creating content that converts is something every single website and business owner wants. You want people to come to your site, read your content, and click links to buy services or products. However, you might find it difficult to create content that converts your visitors into leads. I want to share some excellent ways that you can ensure you get great content that will convert your readers into clients, as well as keeping them for the long-term. Let’s take a look at the various aspects of content and specific points within each that can help you craft expert content that helps to generate leads. I. Blogging Blogging is an important aspect of any online campaign because it can bring in visitors and convert them quickly. You need to make sure you add a blog to your website to help generate engagement with your client base, as well as creating something that directs people to the rest of your site. You can do a number of things with a blog, and I am going to look at some of the elements you need to consider when blogging. 1. Use WordPress Only for Blogging. WordPress is a great blogging tool that can help you get some powerful results. There are many reasons why I think this is the best to use for your blogging needs. Some of the reasons are that it is SEO friendly, you can have a great blog design, and WordPress has been around long enough to be a trusted blogging resource. I would suggest using WordPress only for your blogging purposes, but you can use it for your static website, as well. They have a great selection of SEO plugins that help you get the most out of your blog, and so much more. Take a look at their blog platform to see just how easy it is to use and which aspects will benefit your business’s site. 2. Optimize Every Single Post. When you use WordPress, make sure that you optimize every post. WordPress makes it easy for blogs to be optimized to their fullest potential, and you need to take advantage of that. In order to get great optimization, do keyword research and use your low competition keywords in your posts. Make sure you optimize any and every image you use and select a good link name to use for the blog. How can you optimize every single aspect of a blog post with WordPress? I am going to look at that in my next point. 3. Use SEO Plugins On WordPress. As I mentioned earlier, one of the best parts of WordPress is the ability to use SEO plugins to optimize your blog further. There are several great plugins out there, but you need to choose the ones that will benefit you the most. WP Beginner highlights some of the latest SEO plugins you can use such as WordPress SEO by Yoast, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner. Take a look at the others listed to find some that can help your blog! You can also choose other plugins that aren’t specifically for SEO; just choose wisely and only choose the ones that will help your site and blog. 4. Use Big, Awesome, Colorful Adjectives in Your Headers. Your headlines and headers are crucial to convincing people to click and read through your blogs. When you create headlines or headers, make sure that you use amazing adjectives that capture attention. As you can see, I used a few in this header, illustrating how powerful, excellent adjectives can make a header. If you are trying to come up with great headlines or headers, you can follow a few suggestions of some of the hottest headlines out there to get started. 5. Use Action Words in Your Headers. Action words in headers are just as important as colorful adjectives because they convince readers to do something as they read. You can use action words in all of your headers, or you can wait until you create your call to action. Whichever way you choose, just keep in mind that you need to convince people to do something more than just reading your post. You can also do a mix of action words in a few headers throughout your blog and at the end for your call to action, which can be quite powerful. 6. Do a Controversial Blog Every Now and Then. Get your readers to sign up for something or go to a page by sharing a similar hatred or anger for something. Humanity is interesting and weird, isn’t it? We tend to do more when we connect with something, and many times that can be something we all feel strongly about and stand against. For example, how many people were willing to do whatever it took to stop the process of major corporations being able to take over the Internet? Several people and it was something that made all Internet users quite angry. When something like Net Neutrality comes up, you can use that as a way to write a blog and get people to act, no matter what the item is. You can also utilize trends like #WheresNatasha or other trends that have people angry or upset about something. 7. Do an Occasional Blog that Revolves Around Humor. Along with focusing on a controversy, focusing on humor is another way to get people to open up their wallets and buy your product. People love to laugh, and if you can make them laugh they will be more willing to buy items or services from you. Always make sure you are following some basic guidelines for using humor in your blog to ensure you have an impactful piece. A few things to remember are to be respectful, know your audience, and stay true to your specific brand. Once you incorporate humor, you will start to see many of your visitors starting to turn into leads. 8. Write Fun, Exciting Blogs On Seasonal Topics. When you … Read more

7 Ways To Be A Successful Writer, No Matter How New You Are

December 31, 2020May 27, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Call me biased, but writing is one of my favorite things. It doesn’t matter if I am writing up web copy, blogs, book reviews, or short fiction, writing is something I deeply enjoy and I am not alone. There are many people out there who love writing, but there are also many out there who want to get started to see just what it’s all about. However, it can be tricky when you’re a new writer, and looking for advice is one of the first things you do – hence why you’re here, right? If you’re new to writing, then this blog is perfect for you because I will be going over some great, first-time writer tips that can help you create excellent content, no matter what. Many of these are things I’ve learned over time and want to share my little bits of wisdom with anyone making their way in the writing world. 7 Ways A New Writer Can Be Successful There are many ways to be successful when it comes to writing, but there are a few that I think stand out from the rest. Let’s take a look at what you can do to have a successful writing career whether you are writing a book or focusing on blogging for your business. Write One Word, and Then Another and Another. This is incredibly common sense, but many new writers get so caught up trying to “be the best” in writing that they forget. When you are starting out as a writer and are looking for excellent tips, the best one to start with is simply to write. Write one word, then another and another until you have a sentence and so on. This is something award-winning author Neil Gaiman is known for saying, and it is incredibly helpful and true. When you focus too hard on getting the best short story, wanting the next Harry Potter franchise or having a stellar content campaign like Disney, you will get discouraged easily. However, if you just start to write and keep writing, you will find that you are able to come up with great content no matter what it is you are writing. Know Your Resources and Follow Them. Writers all need to have resources, no matter if they are writing fiction, non-fiction, or focusing on writing web copy. Resources help give direction for content and give great, useful information. If you don’t use resources, you can end up saying things that aren’t true or writing something incorrectly. For example, if you are writing a story based in the 1940s, you need to make sure you know the lingo they used. In addition, if you are writing web copy and want to rank with great SEO, you need to know what to do.Following SEO resources like Moz or Copyblogger can help provide you with the information you need. This will help keep you informed about SEO changes, as well as helping you create excellent content for your website or blog. No matter what you are writing, you will be able to find resources and you need to make sure you have access to them. Don’t Stress if Your Writing isn’t Top Quality Right Away. Writing is like playing an instrument or learning a new language, it takes time to master it. Even then, there will always be something new to learn, and you can’t expect to know it all. When you first start out writing, it isn’t going to be near as good as it could be simply because you are out of practice. Think of this; if you know a small amount of French but never practice it, you are going to have a hard time going around France, aren’t you? However, if you practice French, you will have an easier time traveling the country and understanding the people. The same can be said about writing. Keep practicing, and you will improve over time. When you first write and read your copy, don’t get discouraged if you feel it isn’t top quality or if someone gives you constructive criticism. Keep writing, and you’ll be epic in no time. Set Aside Time Each Day to Write. When I first started writing, I made sure that I set aside time each and every day to write. This is important because it helped with what I mention in point one – getting in the practice of writing and improving. Before I became a copywriter, I wrote short stories and little prose poems each day just to write, and that helped me work towards a goal of awesome writing. This helped immensely once I started in the content field, and since I was already in the practice of writing every day, there wasn’t much shifting to my writing schedule. Now, I write several thousand words a day, and it helps to grow my writing capabilities. Since you’re just now starting out, consider setting aside thirty minutes each day and bump it up to an hour or more as you get used to it. Work out that brain and your fingers, and you’ll be incredibly happy with the results. Stream of Consciousness Writing and Writing as You Speak Can Be Excellent. Stream of consciousness writing is a style of writing that is was popular amongst authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. It is even still a major part of modern American literature and is something you can expect to read when buying books or even reading blogs. While you don’t always want to write in a stream of consciousness manner, this can help you create excellent written work that flows and sounds natural. Another way to achieve this is simply to write as you speak. Basically, doing these two types of writing will help you write content that is easy to read, flows well, and makes more sense to a casual reader. However, if you do end up going the stream of consciousness route, always make sure to proofread … Read more

Why Content Matters For Your Brand Presence on Social Media

December 31, 2020May 19, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Today, nearly every online marketer knows that content is king. Regardless of how pretty and well organized your website or blog is, none of it matters if you don’t have the content to back it up. How does social media come into play with the need overall for content? Is content really that important in social media? Yes! The answer is yes, content is more important than ever on social media. April was an absolute storm for updates and changes in the social media world and all of the new changes and rollouts are going to greatly impact who can see what and how content is viewed. It is a dog-eat-dog world out in the social media world of content. Everyone can write and everyone can tell a story, the biggest thing you must ask yourself is if yours is better than everyone else’s—because that’s what it’s going to take to be heard, to be liked, to be followed. Couple the fact that everyone is clamoring to be heard with the new social media updates and you will see how it can be an uphill battle to get your voice out there. The 3 Main Features of Facebook’s New Algorithm What started as a fun place to stay up-to-date with your friends and like their cute baby’s pictures has turned into a mass media market and the perfect platform for promoting your business. Unfortunately with changes last year to Facebook’s algorithm it hasn’t been as easy to get organic traffic to your brand’s Facebook page, but it is still possible to do. With the new algorithm update that rolled out on April 21, 2015, Facebook has taken it a step further, making it even harder to gain organic traffic and almost forcing brands to pay to promote their business. This new algorithm has some serious updates in store. Facebook announced it is putting more emphasis on friends and like pages and less on brands. The new update includes the following features: The content you care about is right on top: Your close friends’ statuses, pictures and anything else you look at consistently is shown at the beginning of your timeline so that you don’t miss anything in the lives of the people you care about most. This goes for pages as well. Pages you consistently interact with will be shown at the top of your news feed. Less posts from those you don’t: For those without many interactions, friends or like pages, Facebook has relaxed the number of times you can see their posts. Therefore, you can now have back-to-back posts that were previously blocked from coming through on your news feed. Less non-relevant notifications: Lastly, those annoying likes and comments friends make on other’s pages and posts that you could personally care less about and usually from people you have no clue who they are, will be buried at the bottom of your news feed, or quite possibly not visible to you at all. So why is content on Facebook more important now than ever before? Because by placing the emphasis on friends and shoving the brands to the back burner, you are going to need every fan you have to help push your content without having to pay for it. Every time your content is shared, all of their close friends will be notified and have the opportunity to read it. Without good content, you are pretty close to dead in the water – or at least looking at a much larger Facebook marketing budget. What’s New? Hello, Discover from Snapchat Snapchat has always been a really fun way to see pictures of your niece or nephew or your friend’s crazy weekend out. With the addition of Snapchat’s Discover, storytelling takes on a whole new role with this media platform. By offering a place to tell stories, users can open up different editions to see what is out there. Popular brands such as ESPN, the Food Network and National Geographic have their own channels where you can watch video. Simply open the channel to view the snap. If you like what you see, you can swipe up and view the whole video, and otherwise you can swipe left to see more. Because what’s hot today is old news tomorrow, these channels are updated every 24 hours to keep content fresh and exactly what you’re looking for. In today’s instant gratification world, millennials don’t waste time looking at things that don’t intrigue them. Discover starts with 10 second clips, letting you quickly decide if it is worth your time to check out, therefore not wasting your time watching a whole video of something you really don’t care about. While this is a really great update and feature it lacks in a major way that other social media platforms don’t have problems with – there is no engagement. While storytelling and content are so important, consumers want engagement from brands. Discover is simply an in-your-face marketing tool where there is no way to interact beyond watching the video. 7 Ways To Get the Best Content Out There & Be Social On Your Platforms It’s no secret that with everyone and their mother sharing stories and content on social media, a lot gets overlooked or not viewed. So how do you combat that? How do you get your voice heard and noticed in an over-saturated market? Post pictures. In everything you do, post pictures. No, more than that, post intriguing pictures – pictures that make you want to open the story and read it because you just can’t imagine what that image has in store for you. On platforms like Twitter, that picture may be the only reason someone opens your story, since Twitter only gives you so many characters to explain what you are doing. Therefore, that picture has to speak 1000 words before your actual words are even read. Share your content everywhere. Put it on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google Plus and Pinterest. The more places your content … Read more

7 Ways to Write Awe-Inspiring Copy for Yawn-Inspiring Niches

December 31, 2020April 10, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Let’s face it: not all brands that we hear about are as hip, recognizable, popular and well-established as Old Spice, Coca Cola or Red Bull. As a content creator, you may have to craft killer copy with a real substance for plumbing companies, accounting firms and businesses selling construction supplies. In all honesty, such players operating on yawn-inspiring niches are far from being glamorous, so how could you use your mind and your pen to make these industries shine on their own? [Tweet “There are no boring subjects, only disinterested minds.”] How Do You Actually Define and Represent a Yawn-Inspiring Product? If you were to adapt G.K Chesterton’s statement to make it reflect the realities of the content marketing world, you would most likely reach the conclusion that there are no boring products; only boring content specialists who fail to capture and highlight the essence of the stuff that they have to market. Just think about it: no matter how generic, outdated or mundane it might be, any category of goods or services still manages to respond to the needs and demands of a narrow niche of potential buyers and yes, those people want to hear everything about them. How much do they cost? Are they really that good? How are they different from other available options and why should they actually buy them? These are only a few questions that a good copywriter should have in mind when it comes to promoting less trendy, innovative or interesting products in an effective manner. 7 Ways in Which You Can Resuscitate Your Copy for an Allegedly Boring Concept So now that we can all agree on the fact that there is no such thing as a 100% boring product, let’s assume that you’re stuck with a run-of-the-mill line of goods whose looks, functionality and promised benefits do not actually stimulate your brain cells. Your inspiration is long gone and you can picture yourself losing sleep, chewing on your pencil, drinking way too much coffee, praying for creativity, crying and pushing the intimidating deadline over and over again. How can you avoid such a dramatic episode, give 110% at work and turn the copy for those unremarkable products into one of your most notable written works of art? Here are a few ways in which you could do those yawn-inspiring businesses justice. Your Product Evokes At Least One of Four Key Emotions: Prove It! Have you ever wondered what separates viral content from the one that sinks into oblivion soon after its production phase? According to recent research made public by the University of Pennsylvania, viral content owes its popularity to a mix of four key attributes: surprising, awe-inspiring, emotional and positive. No matter how dull your product may be, chances are that it can actually be associated with at least one of the four characteristics listed above. If you can’t find the link between your concept and these adjectives, create it yourself. Add a surprise element to your copy to accentuate the uniqueness of your product; create a stimulating story around the things that you’re struggling to market in order to craft emotion-rich copy that convinces, converts and sells better than anything else. The possibilities are endless; you just have to learn how to play with the right mix of emotions to get to your readers’ hearts. Think Outside the Box. The mere thought that you have to come up with an original idea and become the creator of something that has never been said or written before can be quite frightening. How can you overcome your anxiety and report amazing results during this challenge? According to a recent article published by Entrepreneur, ironically, thinking outside the box implies following certain rules and guidelines. Did you know that too much creative freedom can actually kill your concentration? Neither did we. Here are three strategies that you can apply to guide your brainstorming session in the right direction. Set up Parameters for Your Brainstorming Process. Start by setting up a deadline for the overall process; this will keep you focused and organized. Next, strategize by putting pen to paper. Make lists. Enumerate the uses and benefits linked to your product. Circle the ones that could make your prospects’ hearts skip a beat and spend the rest of your time trying to figure out how you could emphasize them. Search for Inspiration in the Most Random Places. This way, you will stimulate your brain to make new connections that it wouldn’t normally establish. Put Quality over Quantity. You don’t need one hundred directions for your copy, so make sure you focus on one or two key aspects of your goods, rather than filling pages with unnecessary words that nobody has time or patience to listen to. Turn Features into Benefits. Here’s another shocking truth that you should be prepared to handle: prospects don’t really care about product features; they are all looking forward to hearing more about the benefits promised by the products that you’re representing. So instead of saying that a certain laptop has a rugged design, choose to highlight the fact that the gadget can withstand years on non-stop abuse. Disclose the fact that you can spill countless cups of water on it without suffering the consequences. You can drop it from a height exceeding 6 feet and expect to get it back in one piece. So basically, when you’re turning features into benefits you’re actually learning how to say the same thing in a different manner while getting the readers involved by stimulating their imagination. Find the Simplest Way to Electrify and Elevate the Ordinary Benefit. Let’s continue with the same exercise, shall we? You can say many things about a last-generation laptop. Its battery lasts for ages, its roughed design is pretty impressive, the laptop can withstand most stressors, yada yada yada, the price-quality relationship is also an advantage. By listing all these favorable things, you will most likely confuse or bore your readers and kill their focus. … Read more

9 Ways to Spring Clean Your Content, Starting Now

August 25, 2022April 7, 2015 by Adam Oakley

The birds are singing, the grass is getting greener, and all that snow is finally melting; that must mean spring is finally here! One of the things I love about spring is getting the chance to take stock of the things I have around my home and do some deep spring cleaning to clean out all the gloom from the winter. Spring-cleaning is not only perfect to do around the home, but it is also incredible for your web content. That’s right, you can spring clean your content to make it better and stronger than ever. I am going to take a look at this and give you some excellent tips to spring clean your content. Why Should You Spring Clean Your Content? Over the years, we’ve all created excellent content that met the current strategies and needs of the Internet-world. There have been plenty of Google updates, and many people have worked to make sure their content meets each algorithm for the best results. However, all of this content can become stale and start cluttering up your website. You should take the chance to re-organize your content and make sure everything is in tip-top shape for the rest of the year. How Can You Do It? “I don’t want to get rid of all of my web pages, though!” Don’t worry, you don’t have to get rid and donate your pages like you would your household items or clothing. But you can do some awesome things to make sure your content is new and looking better than ever. I am going to take a look at the top ways you can achieve this and make your content awesome for the rest of 2015. Spring Is Here: Our Guide to Spring-Cleaning Your Web Content Here are the top ways you can spring clean your content, starting as soon as possible. Get a Content Audit to Refresh and Clean Your Existing Content. One of the best ways to start the spring clean is to get an awesome content audit. What does a content audit do for your site and how can it help you organize things? A content audit will check your URLs and page titles to make sure nothing is broken and to help you implement adequate keywords to help with ranks. It can also help you look at your product descriptions, blogs, and other forms of content to see if it matches up with the latest Google algorithms, as well as checking for grammar and spelling. In short, a content audit will take a look at your entire website and help you to start working on some excellent ways to fix your website and make it perfect. Take a Look at Keywords – Do New, Fresh Keyword Research. Even with the latest content updates to Google algorithms, keywords are still vital to websites and helping your rank. However, many people don’t realize that the keywords that worked two months ago might not work now. The best way to make sure your content is still leveraging the advantage you want is to do fresh keyword research and implement new keywords for your website. This can also help you research new keywords as you think of them, and implement new ones into your strategy. You can do keyword research on your own or find professionals who are trained in research to help you find the best ones for your site. Generate New Blog Topic Ideas for the Month. You can come up with blog topics for the whole year, but it is best to make sure those are all evergreen topics that will still be relevant in a few years. However, you should come up with new blog topics each month to help keep your content consistently fresh. This will help you write about great, trendy things going on in your industry as well as writing on news topics to give your clients and readers more, useful information.Coming up with blog topics can be difficult, but it is possible. HubSpot provides a blog topic generator that helps you come up with great headlines and can help you brainstorm new ideas. If you’re still having a hard time coming up with new topic ideas, you can follow some of the suggestions from Entrepreneur such as writing on the questions your clients ask or something you’d like to know more about yourself. Create a Content Editorial Calendar. In order to keep your content organized and looking amazing, you can also create a content editorial calendar for the year and current month. You don’t necessarily need anything fancy, you can use Google Calendar, but you can also create your own template. Either way you choose, it will help you organize your ideas. If you constantly review it and compare with analytics, it can also help you see which posts are currently working and if you need to tweak any of your future posts to match. Get Fresh Content Such as Product Descriptions and Web Pages. Sit back and take a second to think – how long have you had your current product descriptions and static content? Sure, you may have had regular blogs posted but have you thought about your other content? Having the same content for a long time can make your website look and feel stale. While new customers might not notice this, your existing clients will. A great way to spring clean your content is to get fresh content for your various landing pages and product descriptions. This will look great and, you can even share new information you may have about your product or service. Re-evaluate Your Social Media Strategy. Just like with fresh content on your website, you need to have fresh content for your social media pages. While you might be consistently publishing new content, you need to make sure the strategy is still working. Take the time to look at your strategy and see what is working and what isn’t to make any necessary changes. A … Read more