How To Be An Effective Content Writer
What makes a storyteller great? It’s the same thing that makes a content writer great – they understand how draw you in and make you believe.
My daughter has been blogging this summer, and she came to me this week with a statement I hear from people all the time. “I have nothing more to write about.” So we started talking.
Her belief stemmed from thinking that because she started a story on another blog post, she couldn’t use the same thoughts again in the current one she was writing. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When a person finds your blog post, they are usually coming in on that blog post. Which means they’ve been pointed to your post via Twitter or Facebook, the search engines, or maybe your newsletter. In any case, they don’t live and breathe your business like you do. So they don’t know that three weeks ago you wrote a post on something similar, and essentially started your story. You can tell them:
“Three weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about …” and then hyperlink it over to your post so they can read if they choose to do so. But they don’t know the beginning to the story unless you tell them.
Every post is a single thought.
Every post is a single story.
Every post should have a beginning, middle and end.
And if you infer previous knowledge into your post, you’ll likely lose and confuse your reader. Which is the last thing you want to do if you are trying to gain a following, and gain new customers.
Before you start your next blog post, ask yourself a series of questions:
- What do I want to teach in this post?
- What knowledge do people need to understand before reading my post (if any)?
- Can I hyperlink them to other pages on my site, or throughout the web in order to make my point stronger?
- Can I use pictures or graphics to provide a visual to what I’m talking about?
- Does my title sufficiently state what my post will be about?
- Does my post tell a story, and have a beginning, middle and end?
If you think about the best movies, or the best books you’ve read, it’s probably because the picture was painted so completely, you almost felt you were there along side of the characters. The beginning gave you enough knowledge to become intimately involved with the characters. The middle provided some hurdle or some problem they needed to overcome. And the ending gave you the solution – a solution you could buy into and accept.
While a book is going to paint a much deeper picture than a blog post, on a smaller scale it’s a similar process. State the problem, and give a solution. Set the stage in the beginning to make you get involved with finding the solution. And allow people to get involved.
Whether you fill up your blog with content, or wonder how to Tweet or Facebook again and again without getting bored – or boring others – just remember it’s always about the story. Your story may be 140 characters long, or span 30 blog posts. It’s all content. And in order to make people want to read more, they have to come along on the journey with you. No matter how long the story needs to be.
And that’s the only way to become an effective content writer.
Being a Content Writer Means Writing For Your Visitors
What’s the hardest thing to do with a blog? Finding new things to write about on a weekly basis.
But in order to stay meaningful to your readers, and relevant to the search engines, being a content writer means doing exactly that – writing content. 
Keep these 5 tips in mind when you’re finding new things to write about.
1. What questions do people have when you’re out networking? These are informational ideas that would be great starter posts for your blog. Probably the most common question I get when out networking and talking about how to use social networking for your business is, “Why would people care what I have for lunch?” So that spurred my post on Social Copywriting.
2. What questions do your customers have? A recent client came back several months after we had developed her blog. She stated she still wasn’t having any results, even though she had been blogging for several months. One look at her blog gave me insight – and a reason to create my blog post on Blog Titles.
3.What resources are new in your field? When Sony released their Bloggie Camera earlier this year, we were one of the first in line to buy it – and share it on our site as a resource. If you’re blogging, this is a must have camera. Why not share it as a resource with our followers? What makes a great resource for your readers?
4. What can you teach? Every industry leader has a huge amount of knowledge they can share with their prospects and customers. It’s not about giving them all of the information they need to accomplish everything – it’s more about sharing your knowledge to showcase your expertise on your subject matter. How about a how-to section? You can write your content – or use your Bloggie to create a video.
5. Make people aware of what they might not know. Your customers don’t work in your industry, and don’t keep up with the latest happenings. Put simply, they don’t know what they don’t know. Which is why you are there to remind them of things. When they get that a-ha moment, and you’re the one that provided it, you’re more likely to remain in their minds. And become a valuable resource in their toolbox.
Content Writing For Top Performance
What is the secret of content writing? How can you write content for your site in such a way that it attracts the attention of both your readers and the search engines?
Ultimately, it starts with your readers. When people come to your site, whether they’ve been reading for years, or have just found you through the search engines, you’re ultimate goal is to have them attracted to your writing style. 
In just a few moments, you want your reader to be able to really get into your story, see him or herself in your writing, and have the desire to move to the next level. To take action.
The easiest way to become better at writing is to create your blog posts like you would be telling a story to a potential customer. How would you speak to them?
“Selling isn’t fun and most people don’t enjoy it.”
You may agree with that sentence, but does it really motivate you to want to take the next step or to find out more about what the person is saying? Compare that to:
“Jane hated selling. She hated it so much she almost decided to close her business because of it. She loved working with the clients, making them happy, and following up with them after the sale. But it was always the initial meeting that made her nervous. She never wanted to come across as a used car salesperson. She didn’t want people thinking she was pushy.”
If you hate selling, you can instantly feel Jane’s pain. You can put yourself into her situation, and feel exactly what she’s feeling. You also want to read more of the story – what happens next? Does Jane shut down her business? Or does she find a solution?
That’s the way you want to write. Let your writers feel what you are talking about. Bring out the details. Describe the situation how someone looking in would see it. Describe it from one person’s point of view.
Great books always pull you in because they tell a story. They make you want to read further because you want to find out what’s next.
Do the same with your blog.
Do this with every post. And do it between different posts. Make people move from one spot to the next.
The more you can pull them in, the greater they will stick to your blog. And the bigger the chance of them becoming customers in the future.
[Need help with your own content writing skills? Why not hire a ghostwriter? We’ve been writing online and blog content for clients for over 8 years, and can help you reach out to your target audience, and find new ways of bringing in business.]
