What is a great content?
Think about it. When was the last time you bookmarked a URL? What sites do you keep visiting, to read their blogs or articles? Ever wondered what is it that has earned them your loyalty? There are 8.5 billion searches on the internet every day, but you may perhaps have a recall of only 100 websites at the most aggressive estimate. So, what are the best practices adopted that make the content on their pages stand out in a heavily crowded space? What is it that makes them speak to you to be able to grab your attention and retain it? And finally, are there any key points to knowing how to write great content for websites, blogs, articles or social media?
In this blog, we will delve into the factors that go into the making of such great content.
Factors that push content towards being great
1. The Headline
The first thing that meets your eye in search results is the headline. A compelling headline that gives a peek into what may be expected in the blog/article, is what will get your audiences to your blog. Headlines that have clear objectives, and value are the ones that drive more attention. It forms the stepping stone in knowing how to write great content.
Most people on the internet do not even read the entire content piece. They simply mark it as a ‘favourite’ to read later, or ‘like’ it and share it to pass on the information perceived from the headline. To get this privilege, headlines should be catchy, clear, and compelling while solving one specific purpose. For instance:
“5 facts I wished I knew before quitting my job”
“Things you should double-check before hitting that post button”
“How to start writing online without looking like a fool”
“Top tips to consider before you start investing”
“Is investing only for the rich? Top five myths busted”
It is similar to an invitation to the coolest party in town. If you truly believe that you are going to throw a bash that will be remembered by all attendees for a long time to come, the invitation should be catchy. Once done right, make the party worth attending! Have a content piece that doesn’t disappoint your audience who has been promised by your headline. Read on to know how.
2. Have an Intro that captivates:
The awesome headline you wrote, brought the readers to your blog. Most readers do not go through the entire blog as the attention span fizzles out soon. What can keep them glued, is an intro that rises to the occasion—of getting to be read through a headline. When the introduction is clear, concise, and engaging, the readers know what lies ahead for them in the blog. For instance, if you are reading this, chances are, I got the introduction fairly right, which got you to this point. Thank you for the validation!
3. Relatable and Engaging
What sets apart great writers or authors from the rest is—the writing makes the readers feel he is one of them. His challenges, his victories, the issues faced, the solution—all of these and more are not new to him. The issues that concern them, bother him too, so much that even the striving looks similar. Being able to relate this through words, and making the reader feel one with the writer, makes the content engaging.
Personal anecdotes, experiences, and testimonials are great ways to make an engaging read. When the reader can see himself as the focus of all content efforts, the engagements follow. Content writers who are masters of their craft know how to write great content that resonates.
4. Write about what the audience wants
As a content writer, you may not have everything for everyone. But you should have something for someone. That something may be knowledge, information or any takeaway for the reader.
The one of seven habits applicable to life sounds great for writing too—“Begin with the end in mind”. Identify who is your audience, get super specific about them, what is it that plagues them, and how can you address that, what value you can provide them through your content. When the content piece has a clearly communicated value in it, which connects with the reader, another milestone in the journey towards great content writing is achieved.
If your audience is women in leadership, narrow it down to working mothers in the corporates, and write for them. Be candid in your writing, and use simple language to communicate better.
5. Maintain the uniqueness in tone
The writing is Yours—write with your touch. Identify your tone and maintain it across platforms. When you can have a unique tone, it earns you trust—which is significant if you are looking at building your presence. Add candour to this, and your content writing will be one to depend upon, by man and machine alike!
Examples of Great Content:
- AMUL:
AMUL is a brand that has been using great content writing for social media. Whether it was when Neeraj Chopra threw his Javelin in the Olympics or Chandrayaan landed on the moon, its topical content has always caught everyone’s attention.
2. Linkedin :
Today the space that LinkedIn has carved out for itself is one of the best places to be. It has grown to be the largest professional networking platform for creating and marketing career-related content for its approximately 1 billion registered users. The brilliant use of content marketing is exemplary, making its audience occupy the centre stage—whether it’s LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn blogs or posts. Its Collaborative articles, for instance, invite contributions from experienced members thereby increasing engagement.
3. MIT
It is unusual that the Blog section of a college’s website features interesting reads. The kind of content shared by the faculty members and teachers alike has generated a high domain authority for the website. The blog is directed at a super specific target audience—prospective students.
Conclusion
You may be writing content for a brand, a company, or any other entity, but the objective is always the same—increase engagement, earn trust and ultimately win over an audience. This will happen only when you have a clear understanding of the audience whom you want to inspire through your content. This brings us to the holy grail of great content writing—‘Understand your Audience’. This is the most important factor in knowing how to write great content. Once you have developed this understanding, which will come through practice, great work in the form of content that resonates, follows.