How to Create Content That People Will (Actually) Want to Read

You might think that writing content is straightforward, especially if it’s not something that you would ordinarily do. Anyone can go online and create content, and then post it online for all to see, but are people actually seeing your work? That depends on how you’ve gone about creating your content. To shed some more light on the subject, here’s how to create content that people will (actually) want to read:

Focus solely on your chosen topic

It can be easy, when writing long-form content especially, to go off on a tangent. Make sure you’re constantly checking back to the topic you’re looking to write about. Are you continuing to write content that is completely relevant to the topic you want to touch upon or have you, unknowingly, started writing about things that people aren’t going to be interested in? 

If someone has clicked on an article about how to look after their dog, and the same article starts talking about how to look after a cat, readers are going to lose interest very quickly. Stick to the plan and try not to go off on a tangent, because people will lose interest, resulting in a high bounce rate.

Deliver on your headline

Don’t write content that is considered to be click-bait. If your headline says one thing, make sure you deliver on that. Don’t be misleading. Misleading content has a negative impact on, not only SEO, but the reputation of your business. As such, keep referring back to your headline throughout your content. The readers want to find out further details surrounding your headline, much like how you’ve clicked on this article today. This point helps you further when it comes to creating content that people will actually want to read.

Write simple, clear & concise content

Simplicity is a must when it comes to writing content. In such a fast-paced world, people don’t really have the time to sit down and read streams of text that’s hard to decipher and difficult to understand. Make the content simple, refraining from using jargon, unless you’re going to explain it coherently. 

Something else you need to be is clear. If your subheading is a question, then the line under that should answer the question from the offset. Don’t write a chunk of text that beats around the answer and then get to the end goal right at the end. Be clear in your writing. Don’t leave things open to interpretation. 

The reason why someone has clicked on your article is to find out the answer to something they want to know. Give them a clear answer or explanation first, and then elaborate further. This then gives them the choice as to whether or not they learn more about a topic, rather than forcing them. This, too, could lead to a high bounce rate.

Know your audience

There’s no point writing content about all of the new, modern bars in the area if your audience are primarily 60-years-old and over who follow you because you’re an expert in the management of retirement funds and plans. Likewise, you aren’t going to write an article about how to get the most out of your pension pots if your audience sits between the ages of 18 and 25 and they’re following you because you know where to go on a Saturday for the best night out. 

Make sure your content is relevant, at least, to the goods and/or services you sell or offer. Think carefully about why you have the demographic that you do and then write content around what their interests would be. This is more the case if you run a lifestyle blog where you could be writing about anything and everything. However, if you own a flower shop, then your audience could, too, be varied, so post content about flowers and plants, because that’s what people are expecting from a florist.

Make sure your content is helpful & informative

There will be a reason why someone has clicked on the content you have published. They want to learn something. They’re looking for an answer to their questions, and you’re the person to deliver on those expectations. You need to make sure that the content you’re producing is as helpful and as informative as possible. If you can answer their queries through content pieces alone, then they’ll be far more likely to keep coming back to your blog to learn more.

Going back to the flower shop example, someone will be following your blog to learn more about flowers, plants and gardening. If you continuously produce and distribute useful content that they can learn from, they’ll keep checking back in to see what else they can learn, because the experience was valuable initially. When it comes to writing content, you need to think about the long game. Consider the consequences it could have on future posts and how it could benefit you and your business further down the line.

Consider the appropriate tone of voice

You can’t write an article in the same tone of voice for a law firm as you would for a local nightclub with a blog that’s run on the side. Use your common sense here, but you should also talk to your client about what they consider to be an appropriate tone of voice for them. It’s worth creating a mind map that contains all of the words that you would associate with a business. 

For example, words or adjectives that might come to mind when you think of a law firm could be: “professional”, “serious”, “determined”, “detailed” etc. However, for the nightclub example, the words that you think of could be: “fun”, “modern”, “loud” etc. Make sure your content aligns with those words to determine the right tone of voice. If you’re writing for your own business or blog, then you won’t have to mind map those adjectives, unless you want to, because you know which tone of voice is best for you.

Make the feature image relevant-yet-enticing

Imagery is key to getting people to click on content. It’s more likely to draw someone in if you have some captivating imagery to go alongside the content you have written. Often, featured images are seen before the bulk of the text that accompanies it, so it’s imperative that you’re choosing images that are relevant to what you’re talking about, but the picture also needs to be clear, modern and bright, in order to be eye-catching. 

Kumo is a highly-experienced digital marketing agency who have a team of specialists at the helm of our operations. We are pleased to be able to offer SEO, PPC, content writing and website design services that will propel your business into the spotlight, setting you apart from your competitors. For further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our expert team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.