Gone are the days of relying on MLA and APA style guidelines and scolding yourself every time you use a contraction. In a content marketing environment, the more you create a unique voice for your brand, the more you stand out from the crowd.
To make the most of that, I’ve concocted a cocktail of do’s and don’ts. Whether you’re a writer or writing makes you cringe, here are some easy ways to spice up your content to engage your audience.
Table of Contents
Use power
Whether you are a trillion dollar company or a small business, content Yours must be clear and intentional. In your post, cut out the weak words as:
- May
- May
- May
- Basically
All these fence words minimize the impact of the content – you want to sound more like a shark and less like a minnow.
Lose the fluff
Call to action is another opportunity to write powerfully. Make sure your CTA is compelling enough to drive readers to click the CTA. Use that mindset when editing and turning simple statements into powerful calls to action. For example, instead of writing, “You must watch this video now,” remove the fluff in front and switch to “Watch this video now.” Homely. Strong. More reliable. More effective.
Oh, and PS, negative calls to action kill positive calls to action. Take our example above even further. Swap “Watch this video now” for “Don’t miss this video.” Negativity leaves the reader feeling like they’re going to miss out. That feeling makes them click .
Read what you write
Most important, write like you talk . Read your article aloud. Do you feel awkward when it comes out of your mouth? If it does, then it will read awkwardly. Revise those words so you can say them confidently and your readers can consume their power.
Read your article aloud. @LatelyAIKately via @CMIContent said: If you find it awkward to come out of your mouth, it will make #content consumers feel awkward. #WritingTips Click to Tweet TIP: Onomatopoeia is excessive money. Mix it in like seasoning, add juuuuuust in appropriate amount. Boya.
See what I did there?
Persuasion in CTA
At my company, our biggest social media no-no is the phrase “check”. It’s the stupidest, laziest act of calling on the planet. It gives zero value. It doesn’t do much to convey what would happen if you actually “tested something”. When you don’t provide people with an idea of value, the mystery becomes spam. Instead, give them a taste of what they can expect if they click.
The verb is your friend, your person. Give a call to action like “Increase your engagement by 12,000% (not a typo) with the AI and get your eyeballs working. ”
See? Waaaay better.
Design your text to attract
Please do not boring . Long sentences without breaks? Yawn. No picture signal? Zzzzzzzzzzz.
Use unique intonation and emphasis as you speak. Use italicized , bold words , ellipsis, parentheses, unwritten real numbers. That visual fanfare helps avoid a snooze festival altogether. (That should be a gasket.)
But be careful with overdoing it. Because, for example, if you include the exclamation point ! point! after! every! from! surname! lost! all of! Meaning! AND TOO MUCH OF WORDS IN ALL CAPITAL LETS ONLY BOOKS LIKE YOU’RE FUCKING IN SOME PEOPLE.
Fix the worst mistakes
Stick a fork in your arm right now if you don’t use spellcheck. I got it. The word “restaurant” is never correct. “Necessary” is not necessarily easy to enter. And don’t get me started with your exact form. But spell checking alone is not enough. At least two groups of peepers must review the draft to check for grammar, ensure that links are clicked in the right places, rate it readability etc
Please be nice
Then there’s the worst violation of your content – treating others badly. Let’s face it, many people sound like jerks when they write. The smiley face is stuck. Read it aloud before you click send. As you do, ask yourself: What are your intentions?
Hint: An intention in content marketing is asking someone to do something you want them to do – that’s the whole point.
Have compassion. Remember that the reader on the other end of your content doesn’t have time to decipher the intended meaning. Take the time to make sure that what you want to communicate is understood. And be kind.
Will your content be completely corrupted if you don’t use these writing related tips? No. But that 12,000% increase in engagement I mentioned earlier? That was boosted by following this advice. Just sayin’!
Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute
