Good content is like music to ears. It is readable, enjoyable and talks directly to the audience. Chances are, you must have come across content that you just can’t seem to take your eyes off. Ever wondered why is this the case? ? A Well, writing great content is neither rocket science either, nor as easy as squeezing a lemon.Many professionals write for a living, and there are some who write for fun. Others write as a way to deal with their problems or to let their voices be heard far away. Every niche necessitates a distinct type and style of writing, alongside a thorough understanding of the audience.Here are some basic principles that you can stick to in creating that viral piece of content:
- Select a viral content
- Choose an outstanding topic
- Perform keyword research
- Become a subject matter expert
- Produce engaging content
- Add infographics
- Recognize your readers’ search intent
- Do competitor research
- Create a constant pool
- Write down important points
- Have a great blog opening
- Make it scannable
- Add a featured image
1. Select Viral Content
Here’s a fun fact:
More than 40% of your audience comes by clicking your headline.
Let that sink in. Many don’t even read the entire content. At times, the heading is enough to trigger virality. Your readers want to read content that is both helpful and interesting. For instance, no one would want to read about why you have dry and flaky skin, but in knowing what it takes to cure such type of skin during harsh winters.
A well-written blog can go viral with trending content that readers love.. Multiple online platforms can help you in deciding the right type of topics and content to write on.
2. Choose an Outstanding Topic
An outstanding topic has a perfect balance of keywords, search intent, and quality. This goes on in making a blog post that will be loved and shared by the readers.
Choose a topic that is evergreen, but don’t fall in the trap of writing thousands of words. Determine the optimum word count required to convey your meaning, which could be anywhere between 500 to 1,500 words.
3. Perform Proper Research
Research is the key to achieving marvellous results. You can’t write content without proper research.. A well-researched article means you are giving your reader a valuable piece of content better than your competitors.
Once you have decided on a topic, do enough research to find out what your competitors are writing about. Then provide your reader with a better perspective that your competitor has missed out. You can’t copy your competitors’ strategies. You need to define your unique selling proposition that differs you from the rest of the pack. Become a Subject Matter Expert
EAT.
If you don’t know what that is, you can’t write good content. It stands for:
Expertise
Authority
Trustworthy
Does your content depict all of the above? Is it written by an expert? Does the person writing it have authority on the subject? Is the content accurate with the right stats, facts, and figures that people can vouch for you?
The type of content you generate reflects much of who you really are. In short, content is partially your personality.
Whenever you are writing content, it is critical that you become a subject matter expert on that topic.
A subject matter expert is basically someone who knows the subject to such an extent that they never run out of ideas. In other words, they have plenty of content to write about.
Well-researched content tells the reader that the writer has enough information to convey what he/she wants to. This also gives you leverage to mould your reader’s thinking into your own.
Marketpro expert writers suggest that content writers can become subject matter experts if they spend 50% of their time on research, 40% on writing, and 10% on editing.
4. Produce Engaging Content
A good Search Engine Optimization SEO strategy might get you to the top, but it may decrease if the reader isn’t engaged with your blog.
But wait a minute?
What exactly is reader engagement?
It is defined as the reader’s active participation in reading, and enjoying your content. Make it easy for your readers to enjoy your content. Make it readable by having short sentences and paragraphs, and bullet points. Keep it simple and make sure your content resonates with your target audience.
One way to measure engagement is by knowing how often readers comment on your blog, ask questions, and provide suggestions.
Google analyses the value of the content based on the time spent by a reader.
A 2-minute blog post cannot be read in 30 seconds.
5. Add Infographics
Add stats and relevant information to increase the authenticity of your blog.
Readers love reading blogs that are authentic and have relevant information. According to Social Media Examiner, 32% of marketing professionals believe that visual content is important in content creation.
Hence, 65% of brands use infographics as visual content.
But infographics serve more than just sharing information in a visually appealing way. Infographics make it easy for your audience to understand the crux of your article and key takeaways.
Moreover, infographics can be easily shared. Once your infographic starts ranking in Google Images, people will start referring to your website, hence, earning you well-deserved backlinks in the process.
6. Recognize your Readers’ Search Intent
Search intent (also known as user intent and audience intent) describes the purpose of an online search. For example, if someone searches for “top 10 free Calendar mobile apps for iOS”, the reader is specifying what they are interested in.
They need to know the top 10 free calendar apps to help them improve their productivity and time management on their iPhones.
They will not be interested in knowing free or paid Android calendar apps, because the audience will not be able to resonate with the topic. An iPhone user is not concerned with the apps that an Android phone may or may not run.
Recognize what your reader wants to read. The ultimate goal of writing content is to help the readers get the most out of your website. .
The search intent of a reader matters more than SEO. It is because the reader wants a solution to their problem, and if you do not address the problem, they are likely going to run away.
7. Perform Keyword Research
Aah! “Keyword research is not necessary”, said no one ever!
Every single piece of content you write, has to be backed with a solid keyword strategy. Consider the following when doing a keyword research:
- Don’t just target keywords with high search volume.
- Search intent matters more than search volume.
- Location is important.
- Include long-tail keywords in your research.
- Use synonyms and variations to avoid being monotonous.
- Leverage tools like Google Search Console, Google Ads, Ubersuggest, and
- Ahrefs to understand the right keywords for your audience.
Do Competitor Research
The bare minimum for competitor research is at least five competitors. Every day, read their blogs to see what they do differently than you. Competitor analysis is the most important content marketing strategy.
Create a Constant pool
An excellent writer will always have access to a constant pool of research. A constant pool of research can be maintained by bookmarking the content you like or adding it to the reading list.
Create a bookmark list: Whenever you read something, you’ll know what is worth reading and what information can be used later. Always bookmark relevant studies so you can come back to them. Make a list of competitors, new ideas, potential blogs, and many more.
10. Write Down Important Points
When you research something, write down everything you learn from it on a piece of paper. It can be used even years later. The human mind can not remember everything, so rather than researching everything every time, write it down to have a look at whenever you want.
It’s not necessary that you write down everything on a notepad, but you should definitely keep Google Docs open or the Notes app open to jot down important and relevant information.
Aim to become an information sponge. A sponge that can absorb all the information will give you a perfect blog.
11. Have a Great Blog Opening
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to bring a person to your blog through great SEO. But it does take a great blog opening to keep the reader engaged. If you write a boring introduction, readers won’t even skim through your content.
Many bloggers don’t start with the introduction but rather write the body first. A great way to write an outstanding introduction is to address the reader’s problems. Tell them how reading your unique blog will help them solve their problem.
This strategy is a great way to grab the readers’ attention, hooking them to read until the end.
12. Make It Readable
More than half of your audience will never read your content word by word. Yet, we see websites publishing 2,000+ words of content, and constantly getting ranked for multiple keywords.
Why?
It isn’t the word count, but readability that allows your readers to skim and scan through your content.
This is why it is important to format the blog so that readers can skim through it and quickly grab the information they want.
It also makes sure that you build loyal readers because they know you’ll always have solutions to their problems on your blog.
Here’s how you can make your content scannable:
Use Subheadings
Subheadings allow readers to understand what a specific part of the content is talking about. It also makes it look more organized and to the point.
Write Short sentences
Any sentence not longer than 20 words is considered a short sentence. It enhances readability and increases the chances of conveying the message more easily.
Write Short Paragraphs
Paragraphs of less than 100 words increase readability.
Use Bullet Points
Bullets help people skim most of the content. They are short and precise. They help readers understand in the blink of an eye.
Highlight Important Words and Sentences
Important words and sentences that can give the reader a perspective on what is written enhance readability. It allows readers to grasp basic information.
13. Add a Featured Image
A featured image has been proven to increase likes, shares, and comments. Platforms such as Shutterstock, Pixabay, and Pexels can serve as valuable resources to help you in getting the right featured image..
14. Proofread Before Publishing
After you are done writing, it is best to keep it aside and come back to it the next day. Proofreading is imperative to ensure your written content does not have fluff, grammatical issues, and/or spelling mistakes.
Final Remarks
For many of us, writing is a passion. It involves the mind and the soul. You won’t be able to write a perfect blog until you carefully think about all of the above points.
Also Read: Top 8 Digital Marketing Trends In 2023