Almost everything that you see on the internet – articles, videos, advertisement, blog posts, social media post, reviews, you name it – has something to do with content and content writing. There are brains working behind and strategizing to produce content that is able to attract eye balls, get click throughs, capture user attention and drive action. However, not all content clicks equally well. Why? What comprises “good content” and is there a perfect recipe for it?

Well, maybe not since it also depends on the content writer’s wit, acumen and ability. However, there are some sure shot ingredients that go into making any type of content – Be it blogs posts, video scripts, marketing collaterals regardless of B2B, B2C, personal or corporate material. With this article we bring forth some key elements and throw light on why and how you should not miss to take them into account while creating any content whatsoever. As a bonus, we also share some tips. With us? Read on.

Research

This should be your first step. Before you start creating any content, it is important to gather various aspects of the topic at hand. Collect as much detail as possible and thereby develop a decent understanding of the subject. The content produced after a good research well stands out from the one done with an inadequate research.

Purpose

All content that is circulated is surely written with a motive. Identify yours and write accordingly. Know whether you are writing to drive traffic, increase registrations, spreading awareness or generating sales. Purpose should serve as your ‘North Star’ during the process of content creation. Target audience: Understanding your target audience is extremely important. The content, tone and type used will vary accordingly to what suits your target audience. Whether the users are employees or entrepreneurs, men or women, teenagers or the elderly, it all impacts the way you should be presenting your content. Having a clearer picture profiling of your audience and understanding their thought process helps you generate content that resonates with them.

Medium

The content you create should also consider the medium through which it is to reach the readers. You should be mindful in selecting the tone and pitch accordingly. For example, posting on Facebook is very different from anything that goes on LinkedIn. While for a FB post you may want to adopt a chatty and informal copy, LinkedIn may need a crisp and professional write-up. Do not just create one content and just replicate it on all platforms.

Originality

Text, images, infographics, illustrations, and other material that comprises of content should be original. Plagiarism might look lucrative and easy but is very harmful in long run. Even while writing about well documented concepts, try to showcase your perspective and create your own examples. If you choose to take assets from free sources, donot forget to provide proper credits. If you are not happy with an image, you can create your own or get one created with the help of designers. A lot of free tools also help you do this. Investing time and effort to create original content really pays off in the long run.

Structure

A well-structured piece of content is very likely to sustain user attention and generate the targeted result. Begin with an interest inducing headline. An interesting headline helps you attain better click rates. Break down your content into different sections. Use self-descriptive subheadings that help user understand what to expect in the content encapsulated under it.

Provide a proper introduction and conclusion. A well written introduction sets the right pitch for the user to decide on reading the rest of the content. Do not include long paragraphs in the body copy. Include a max of 5-6 lines in each. F shaped reading pattern on the net indicates that people tend to read the lines in full at the start of the content. So, try to include the most important points at the start of the body copy. A conclusion helps you wrap up the whole article smoothly.

A well-structured piece of content with proper headings and subheadings makes the content digestible and keeps attention of the user hooked.

Formatting

Be vigilant with the formatting. Use fonts and font size that are uncluttered and easy to read. Use bullets, lists where necessary as that helps message retention. You might sparingly want to use bold/italics to highlight some important content/quotes.

Call to Action

If you aim to have the user take some action after reading the content it is important to include a call to action. For example, if you want the user to fill up a registration form, include a call to action as a link or a button that takes the reader directly to the page. You might also want to include ‘related links’ or ‘See also’ as a footnote.

Grammar

No one likes to read or view stuff with grammatical errors. A poor job at grammar would not only ward off your audience but also cause a major dent to your reputation. Make sure that the final copy is grammatically correct. While there are many online tools available to check grammar and they are surely helpful, it is recommended that you donot depend on them alone. Read the copy yourself and spot the errors that only a human eye can detect. Example: “The company sold its ‘gods’ in 8 countries” while the content meant to state “The company sold its ‘goods’ in 8 countries”.

Editing

Sloppy and hastily produced content can be a turn-off. Editing sharpens your content in terms of correctness and keeping it sleek. Be tough to the copy when it comes to editing. Ensure that you haven’t missed on any point that you wanted to include. Verify the facts and statistics if you have included them. Check for consistency – using ‘optimize’ and ‘optimise’ both in the single piece is a complete no no.

Authentic sourcing

It is always a good idea to support your statements with data and statistics as that makes the users believe as they read it. While using facts and figures in your content, make sure you mention the source from where these have been quoted. Improper citation could well cost you loss of some potential customers or audience members.

Uniqueness

Most of the times the subject you chose to generate content for is already well documented by numerous other people. In such cases, try to bring in a fresh perspective and a newer idea to the table. This will help you add value by adding uniqueness and help widen the horizon of user’s understanding.

Tips for Creating Quality Content

Here are some tips are you propel through the process of creating content.

• Spend time and effort to create headlines. Choose a couple of titles for the content and carry out an A/B testing to find out which one to zero in on.
• While researching about a subject make a note of the key points that you would want to have included in your content. Also keep track of the URLs where you found them. Later when you edits, make sure haven’t missed out on any of these.
• A lot of free tools are available to help you through the process of content creation. Bank on the power of editing tools like ‘Grammarly’, designing tools like ‘Canva’ and ‘Wordhippo’ for finding synonyms.
• To ensure that you have a content that is balanced, think of the ratio of introduction, body copy and conclusion. I recommend giving no more than 20-22% collectively to intro and conclusion with a major share going to the body copy. Even within the bodycopy you can decide on the share of each of the subtopics. That way you will know where to draw a line.
• Avoid using jargons unless you are writing for the audience that is well versed with them. Eg. Some industry specific niche.
• Editing the content by yourself may not be easy. Try stepping away from your content for a couples of hours after you are done creating it but before you start editing. This will give your eyes and brain a required break and you will be able to spot errors that need correction.
• Getting your content read/viewed by another person can also help you identify gaps and provide modifications.

While creating content, a lot of your skills will need to be functional – knowledge of topic and industry, acumen, writing style, ability to keep the audience engaged and a deep understanding of SEO. The key elements listed above, and these skills will jointly give a boost to your writing and you should well be on your way to generate ‘good content’. However, it is necessary to appreciate that that the dynamics of content keep evolving over a period and it is important to stay updated with a continued strong hold on these basic elements.

Good luck!