7 valuable tips when writing compelling content

Writing content is not easy, but it is something that all brands are now more or less compelled to do in order to drive sales. Tell a story to make it easier and keeping up with an updated blog and sharing content that will be valuable to your buyers is now one of the biggest tools in the marketer’s arsenal – whether you’re writing a product description, an email, or a long-form blog post.

But if you’re not an experienced writer, how do you make that work? You need to know the big tips and tricks that professionals use to make their content more exciting.

Tell a story

The first and foremost thing that any piece of content must do is tell a story.

Sound far-fetched? You might be thinking that something as banal as a product description doesn’t need to have a story behind it.

But that’s just it: your product descriptions shouldn’t be banal. They should be flowing with life and emotion, making your customer think about what it would be like for them to own your product.

A simple story structure to go with is the ‘I felt, I did, and now I feel’ outline. It can be used in the first or third person, or in the second person to ask the customer about whether they have suffered from a certain problem and then show them how to solve it. Here’s an example:

If you struggle to get your shoes on, you could use a shoehorn. This device makes it super easy to slip in and out of any footwear with no sweat. With this product, you’ll never suffer when putting your shoes on again.

Use language deliberately

Take another look at our example for the previous point. Did you notice all the alliteration with the ‘s’ sound? This is a really powerful tool that makes the words seem more poetic and helps them flow.

Using language tricks like this can give your content a more professional air and construct a certain feeling for the reader. You should use language in a deliberate way to match the tone of voice you want to create and the target audience you are speaking to.

Create a brand tone

Your brand’s tone of voice is the way in which it speaks to the reader. This is how they will become comfortable with you and feel like you are someone they trust and recognise.

For an excellent example of brand tone, take a look at sassychic.co.za. This clothing company uses a deliberately youthful language that would be completely off-putting to older buyers but feels cool and edgy to their target audience.

Make sure that your brand tone is consistent across all content you put out.

Use short paragraphs

Have you noticed anything about this article yet?

That’s right – we’re using short, snappy paragraphs to let our points stand out.

It’s easier to read for the customer, helps you to highlight your most important takeaways, and adds a bit of drama – which is great for keeping people reading for as long as possible.

Add a call to action

What should your reader do as a result of reading your content? Make sure to let them know.

A call to action, such as ‘enquire about our services if you have this problem’, is traditionally placed at the end of the content. You can place it elsewhere, such as at the top or in the middle, so long as you also remind your customer of what you want them to do at the end.

Be personal

A story doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t real or personal. Telling your readers about your how your son learned to ride a bike will be much more impactful than talking about how bike-riding is learned in general. Make them feel some emotion.

Always add value

Good content provides value. Great content provides more!

Make sure that you really help your reader to solve any problem that they might have – and give them information that no one else is providing. This will establish you as an expert.

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These tips will help you to get the most out of each piece of content that you write. Deploy them all at once to maximise your effectiveness!