Writing any piece of content can be tricky.
There are many obstacles to overcome, such as writer's block, and it's difficult finding that perfect adjective because you've used "
successful" one too many times
already.
Scroll on as media update's Saads Abrahams gives us insider tips on writing great content.
Stephen King says:
"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: Read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."
Find purpose in what you write
When you want to write a piece of content but your piece does not have a purpose, then there really
isn't a point to what you are writing.
There should be an
end goal to whatever you have written. What message are you trying to send to your audience?
The best way to check this is to
ask yourself a few questions, such as:
- Who is my desired reader?
- What am I trying to tell my reader?
- Why am I writing this?
Use eye-catching headlines
Your headline is what will make someone either
read or skip your piece. Unfortunately, we as people judge a book by its cover — and pretty privilege is
real.
Think of
your headline as the
piece of bait you are going to use to catch readers. Use words that will pull on some emotional strings, or spark interest in your piece.
Let's take a look at this example:
- The heading "Travel tips" is to the point but kind of boring, and it's not nearly as enticing as it could be.
- The heading "Tips to help you travel like a millionaire" is more likely to grab your attention, and make you read the content. It also tells you exactly how the topic will be looked at.
Keep them reading
So now that you've captured your audience with a catchy headline, how do you keep them reading?
Well, your
first couple of sentences need to be
just as engaging as your headline. If your first few sentences fall flat, chances are the readers will fall away just as fast too.
When you are writing a piece of content, try to
imagine that your reader is sitting right in front of you, and ask yourself, "Is what I am writing going to make their minds wander off, or is the information I am sharing with them going to
keep them captivated?"
You also need to make sure your piece
reads well. Double-check your grammar, spelling and vocabulary.
Keep in mind the
audience you are writing for. Is it for academics, creatives or your everyday ordinary Joe? Once you know, write for that person in mind.
Make sure that you keep your content:
- focussed
- relevant
- readable
- original
- shareable, and
- informative.
Ernest Hemingway says:
"As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand."
Ensure your work is quality over quantity
An essential tip to keep in mind is
quality over quantity. Here's an example: You read a long piece of writing that could have been summed up in a couple of paragraphs — and it frustrates you. Your audience feels the same! Keeping your content
precise and to the point is more likely to be engaged with over long fluffy pieces.
Stay on point
When writing any type of content, it is very easy to get off track and lose the whole point. Your pieces can be
fun and entertaining, but you still need to k
eep it focussed and on topic.
Once you've written something, ask yourself — does this
relate to the main point of my piece?
Read it out loud
This is possibly my personal favourite:
Read it out loud. This helps you fix so many problems because when you read something in your head,
your brain automatically fixes things for you.
But by reading out loud, you are able to
identify any grammatical or punctuation
errors,
and you are able to
notice and remove any repetition or fluff from your work.
What are your favourite writing tips? Let us know in the comments section below.
*Image courtesy of Canva