How to Craft Magnetic Content
Internet marketing these days is all about writing that quality content that not only makes people really interested in your overall product, but it also speaks to them. With content marketing, there is a golden opportunity to sell your product every time you put out material. Make it count.
And the funny thing, it is more or less similar to journalism. Whether it’s a blog entry, website copy, newsletter or a press release, the content that really sets you apart from other work out there are products that are unique and original, not material that is shared or taken from another source— much like journalism.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when crafting that quality piece of content.
Idea Generating
Find out what will interest your demographic. When finding a topic, think about from a unique perspective and seek out those unheard of angles. But most importantly, be relevant to the interest of your audience. If you’re out of ideas don’t be afraid to ask a colleague or even your mom, dad, spouse, or best friend! Mull it over.
Inverted Pyramid
Much like a news article, make sure to follow the inverted pyramid rule, where the most important content is on the top and the least important topics fall to the bottom.
Follow The 5 W’s
Who, What, Where, When, and Why, are all the essential elements of great content. Be sure to always ask yourself questions!
- WHO are you telling the story too? It’s all about the audience.
- WHAT are you showing them? Your piece should inform, engage and teach them!
- WHERE is your content being posted? Make sure to share your content somewhere where it’ll be easily seen, such as social media or an aggregation site.
- WHEN will you be showing them this? Timing is everything and pay attention what times and days your audience tends to hangout.
- WHY are you doing this? Make sure you know your ultimate goals.
No Copying
While plagiarizing is the biggest no-no in the journalism, duplicate content can also hurt your search engine optimization. There’s really no hiding when posting any content on the internet.
Photos that Pop
It’s true what they say, a photo is worth a thousand words. Make sure it’s a photo that counts and makes your content worthy of being clicked on. If you can use your own photo, great! Do not take photos you just find on Google Images. The best alternative is purchasing your own stock photo or getting it on a free stock photo website.
The Name of the Game
Strike a cord and make that title of your piece enticing. There are several methods I take to tackling this beast.
- Call out the theme
- Use an action verbs or powerful adjectives
- Strive to illicit a reaction
- If it makes sense, don’t start with ‘The’
- Puns can also make it catchy
Here are some examples:
Original: The 9 Best Pizza Restaurants in San Diego
Revised: 9 Mouth-Watering Pizza Found in San Diego
Original: Tips for Saving Money on Gas
Revised: Go the Distance with Unexpected Gas Saving Tips
Re-Read
Mistakes always happen. Just like anything else you send out, double check your work and have someone else look it over for grammar, spelling, and punctuation before it’s published.
Content marketing is still growing and we’re continuing to see great work every day. What other tips have you used for writing content?
