Creating quality content every single day can be difficult—really challenging some days. We know that Google requires fresh content on a regular basis to remain relevant in search results but remaining intriguing and fresh can become exhausting. After a few weeks or months, we may surrender to the weight of producing quality content and simply start posting good-enough content or, sometimes, even substandard content.
We admit that not every post is going to be worthy of a Pulitzer Prize (we can dream, right?), but how do we ensure that our content doesn’t slip into that worrisome rut where every post is overwhelming or draining or just plain boring? Here are a few tips to creating irresistible, magnetic content on a regular basis that will make you a brand hero:
- Write a Captivating Headline: While it can be tough to come up with a truly gripping headline, it’s the best way to draw an audience and pique readers’ interest. Use the headline to ask a stimulating question about a timely issue. Use a number in the headline to represent the amount of tactile tips you are providing in the post. Or try getting a bit clever. Think of the headline as a call to action to read your content. Make it strong and compelling.
- Tell a Story: Once most people begin a story, they don’t want to stop reading; they want to know what happens in the end. So use this to your advantage. Tell them a tale with a beginning, middle and end. Here are five tips for Applying Fiction Storytelling Tips to Content Marketing.
- Make it Timeless: In the journalism world, we refer to this as evergreen content, or articles that are eternally relevant, no matter the season, month or day of the week. Readers enjoy this content because it is comforting to them to know they don’t have to rush out and use the information, but rather they can hang onto it and put it to use when appropriate for them.
- Be Inspirational: Rise up! Rally the troops! Dream bigger! Your content is where you (or your company) get to speak your mind and make a difference. Decide what you want that difference to be, then put your head, heart and writing behind it. When readers sense passion, they become attached or bonded, exactly what you want in brand advocates. When people are inspired by something they read once, they will usually return to the source of the inspiration again. So get out there and make it happen!
- Give Readers Something They Can Use: Give your audience what it wants—problem-solving content. It is as simple as taking one question or problem your target audience experiences and explaining how to solve it. Big or small, complicated or simple, talking about the solution to a relevant problem can create some of the best content your company will ever produce. To start, create a list or spreadsheet of known questions or issues, then when you have a rough content day, choose one and start writing how your product or service will solve it.
- Include Images, Videos or Some Form of Visual Media: As Outbrain said, “Pics get clicks.” Online readers are attracted to content with images, often increasing clickthroughs by 27 percent. So work in relevant images, whether they are created in house or just simple images found on Flickr. To go one step further, include videos or infographics for real appeal.
We know—it is grueling keeping content up to your high standards. But don’t give in just yet. Give these six tips a chance; in fact, try one each day that you are hurting for some quality content. You may start to notice that your content is becoming irresistible to your site visitors, surpassing that bar you have set so high. In the meantime, download our free cheat sheet, the Blog Post Optimization Playbook.
Photo: .loveisarevolution
Learn How to Use Blogging to Increase Traffic, Leads & Customers
