Being a good writer can be exhausting, even if you are a top industry expert. When writing for your own blog, you can take a break or put a topic you wanted to write about on pause to do more research, or simply to think about it longer.
As a professional marketing content writer, you cannot afford that, because your assignments have deadlines that customers expect to be met, and missing one can lead to big issues with the company’s content plan and even overall marketing strategy implementation.
Good news – since content marketing is not exactly literature, you should pay more attention to skills and expertise than inspiration and creativity.
Knowing what makes a good piece will help you write one, so let’s try to figure it out!
What makes a good article?
There is no ultimate definition of a good article. It will vary for different companies, but knowing the audience and the business goals your clients want to achieve will help a lot.
Even though the best performing blogs can be very different, here are some common features:
1. One topic and solution
It is a lot easier to keep your reader’s focus when you don’t lose it yourself. Stick to one core topic and even if it’s a complex one, keep the core theme and don’t dig too far into sub-topic details.
2. The flow
One sentence should lead to another, and paragraphs should flow in a sequence that makes sense. For example, if you are describing a pancake recipe, first describe the ingredients and only then talk about the mixing and swiping techniques.
3. SEO optimization
All the good stuff must be highly visible, so don’t miss any opportunity for your article to be easily found. Optimize your marketing content for search engines by including metadata and keywords.
4. Clear structure
The content of your blog must be informative but also easily understandable. Shorten your sentences and avoid confusing grammar constructions where possible.
Jane Rosenzweig recommends:
“Make sure people are doing things in your sentences, unless you don’t want them to be doing things.
Consider the difference between these two sentences:
- All managers should approve and submit expense reports by Friday at noon.
- Expense reports should be approved and submitted by Friday at noon.
You can also help readers follow your thoughts simply by organizing and formatting your text in a logical order.
What is the blog post structure?
1. Headline
This is the part of your article that determines whether readers will even give it a chance. It must grab their attention and provoke them to click on it, but make sure you’re clickbaiting in a responsible way – you must deliver on the promise you made in your title.
2. Opening (introduction) and lede
Here is where you describe the problem and lead to the topic. This part only builds interest, it doesn’t provide the solution, so it’s important to keep it sharp, catchy and short. Sometimes it’s difficult to hit it before actually writing the main information, so you can try leaving this part for later.
3. Body
This is the main part of your article, where you provide information. Don’t drop everything in one paragraph, though – structure the text using sub-headers and lists.
4. Conclusion
The main reason you started writing is not just to share valuable information. It’s because the company expects to achieve certain business goals with what you write. Whether it’s a specific action, opening the next article or just a minute of thinking about the topic, we want the reader to stay for a bit longer. Make sure you.
In summary
Driving better results from content marketing is a lot easier if you not only know what but also how to write. Learning the basics of copywriting and marketing, with a backup of topic expertise, will allow you to create content better and faster.
