5 Cool Hacks To Write Quality Content

Why You Should Write Quality Content?

Before writing content, it is imperative to know why the quality of the content matters and why you should write only high-quality content? Written content is the prime requisite for anyone, who wants to connect digitally regardless of the content format.  Even the video content and audio form of content must be supported by some written content.

Whether you own a business, employed by one, or a freelancer, your presence in the digital world is established by the content you share.  How well you express your thoughts, what you intend to convey, and how easily you communicate with your reader, are the factors that will directly impact the quality of the content.

There should not be any difference between what you intend to convey and what is interpreted by your reader.  That’s how communication is supposed to be.   Since Content Writing is all about the reader’s perspective you have no choice but to put the reader first and think about what they will be able to understand.

We often talk about how to write quality content. Are there any hacks? How to engage the reader and most importantly, how to make the content go viral.  Here are 5 essential tips for you to write quality content:

Know Your Purpose of Writing

Now that you know that why writing quality content is important,  you should now try to find answers to three “W”s, i.e.  Why? What? and Whom?   “Why” are you writing, “What” information it will provide, and “Whom” it is meant for?  Once you have found the purpose, your target audience, and what you exactly want to convey, half of the battle is won.   This way, you will always start and write in the right direction.

For example, if you are writing a parenting blog, obviously parents are your target audience.  However, the demographics may vary.  Is it about the new parents or the parents of teenage children?  All of this is part of deciding your purpose and reaching the right audience.  What purpose will it serve for parents?  Are you sharing knowledge or your experience? How will the parents be benefitted from your blog?

Find answers to all the questions that your audience may want to ask while reading your content. It’s only when you have found all the answers, your content becomes purposeful.  Content without a purpose is like shouting from one side in the crowd where no one is listening to you.

Write Catchy Headlines

According to a report, 55% of visitors read your article only for 15 seconds or less.    Tell me how much time do they spend reading a headline?  Not more than 2 to 3 seconds.  Hence, you have only 2 to 3 seconds to grab the readers’ attention in the digital ocean.  Write a catchy headline and use some emotional words to connect with the reader.  I have already made a list of words that work well in headlines to attract readers.  Will share that in a separate blog.  Always score your headline on a headline analyzer.

Choose The Right Format

Choosing the right content format is as important as choosing the target audience.  If your content is not formatted correctly it will lose its purpose and may not yield the right results.  For example, a blog post suggesting tips or “how-to” guides should ideally be written in listicles.  A research or analysis report should be presented along with infographics.   Always, choose the right type of content format, to add value to your content.

Be Simple

Write short, crisp, and clear sentences and do not show off your writing skills by throwing a heavy dose of vocabulary every now and then.  What’s the fun in making your reader diving into the dictionary while reading.  It only breaks his reading flow and eventually, he leaves your write-up mid-way.   Write short paragraphs of consistent length and do not use too many fonts or colours.  If your content looks hard to read it will not be read.

Hone Your Language Skills

Language plays an important role in enhancing the quality of the content.  Write grammatically correct sentences.  Use a proofreading and editing tool preferably but never post content that has grammar issues.  Starting from the subject-verb agreement, pronoun disagreements, to misspelt words, everything incorrect in your content will kill the reader’s interest in reading.   Remember, in the digital world, if you have lost a reader, you have lost a potential client/customer.

Choose The Right Tone

The tone in your writing makes the reader understand your attitude, mood, emotion, and expression.  Choose a formal, serious, informal, optimistic, joyful, friendly and stick to the same in the entire content.  While choosing a sarcastic or funny tone, pay attention to the word choice.  One wrong word in your content can offend your reader and at times a wrong tone can backfire too.

Create A Hook

Start by writing a catchy headline that is forcing enough to create curiosity and makes the reader click your content.  It should not only be about the increasing click-through rates; how much time a reader spends on your article is way more important.  The first paragraph will help the reader decide whether or not he/she wants to read more.  Keep the reader engaged by adding a smooth transition to your content and cut the unwanted fluff.

As the content flows, stick to the purpose of information, and the key message that you wish to convey.    No one has the time to read long-form content but let me tell you it works well in terms of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).   More than SEO, the quality content is one that will keep the reader engaged and share learning and information in every paragraph.   By the end, create a strong “call to action” in your favour to covert the leads into a real business.

Follow The Writing Process

“Writing is an art of second thought”.   Every piece of writing has some scope of improvement.  You should never publish your first draft.  Once you have written, always revisit, at least twice to polish your content.  I usually read aloud my first draft.  It may sound silly, but it indeed helps to recognize “what’s not in place”.

Once you have edited your first draft, let it sit for a while as you move away from it for at least twenty-four hours.  When you revisit it after a day or two, you will realise how much scope does it have to improve the quality of content.  Writing is not everybody’s cup of tea but it’s not rocket science too.  It may sound like writing a few words, but writing quality content takes a lot of effort, hard work, and determination.

Always remember that “Quality Content is subjective, but Good Writing is constant”.    Write something every day, and you will learn something new about improving quality with every draft.    Follow these simple steps to write quality content and establish your brand in the digital world.

Happy writing!

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