What put you on the path of content writing? For many of us, good school grades in the English Language spoke eloquently of a reigning love for the language. Consequently, the niche in which this love would flow ceaselessly seemed to be content writing. Oh, to be young and naive again.
The mode of writing, albeit in the same language, is completely different in the web content writing domain. The style, purpose and intent all undergo a metamorphosis to be viable as content to be posted in virtual space. The following is a bunch of tips that you can use to make writing web content a whole lot easier.
Unlearning school rules
Ever reminisce how the turn of a beautifully written phrase was much appreciated in school? (It still is on personal social media sites, for those you who have broken hearts from experiencing the realities of web content.) Now cut to your boss breathing down your neck and asking you to get to the point. Slightly different from the good old times eh?
Well the rules of the game change with web content writing. The style and flair with which you use language is no longer appreciated neither is it of any consequence. The conversational tone that was frowned upon in school is warranted here.
While it was important to fill the answer sheet with your understanding of Othello, the instinct to be eloquent is contradictory to web content. Instead of using innumerable words, it is more important to make sure that every word is potent and pregnant with meaning and relevance.
Unerring focus
Very often in our need to satisfy our closet writer personalities, we tend to veer a long ways away from the core essence of the article. The first step toward a mean focus is research that is fruitful. Research all day if you have to. At the end of your endeavor however, you will get a clear picture of exactly what you want your copy to look like.
In order to stay focused, you could type as fast as you think. Just get your ideas on a sheet and let it sit for a minute or two. The first edit is when you start pushing and pulling. You can change the order, add and delete ideas. The last edit will be a grammar check and the result will be a copy that you can be proud of.
The head gets all the attention
It is true. Every blog post about content writing tips ever written will talk about the importance of a catchy title and an introduction that is stunning. Think about it, we often pick books based on the cover. For your reader, the introduction is in essence the book cover for the rest of the article.
One article, one topic
So, you have valuable research, a great beginning and a no nonsense approach, how then do you continue communicating? Simple, talk only about one idea. That way you will have concise paragraphs that fit neatly into a short copy.
What if you need to tie in a couple of ideas? Well, keep one idea in one paragraph. That way you will be forced to keep your copy comprehensive while still getting your point across in the least amount of space.
Create interest
The end result of your content is to get an interested audience. In the process of snagging interest you might wind up with a long copy of interesting thoughts but no substance. If your reader is reading your content, interest is already implied. If you were to warm up to the topic with two or three paragraphs, your reader might lose interest halfway through. Get to the point and move on.
Go out with a bang!
Ending your article with panache and purpose is just as important as beginning your article right. The conclusion should round off your point nicely. It should give the reader something to think about or an action to consider.
For example, you can ask a question about the reader’s thoughts. “Let us know why you think the ad space should include user friendly information?” is a good conclusion to an article about advertisements and relevant information.
Ending with the intent of the article is a good way to jog your reader’s mind. It will get them to hash out what you are talking about. You may also add a benefit that they might receive from reading the article. For example, you can say, “And so ending an article with a flourish is not exactly rocket science, but it is potent.” That way you are encouraging your reader to apply your advice.
Every element of web content writing is potent and has a point of difference from writing for the sake of writing. Personalizing and utilizing your style of writing to get more clients is a choice that you make. These tips, hopefully will help you ease into writing for the virtual space. How do you customize your writing for the web? Let us know in the comments!
