How to Make your Content Count and Raise Your Profile

By Sarah McInerney
| December 17th 2014

Sarah McInerney

Head of Content

Sarah has almost three decades of experience in crafting compelling, engaging content specifically designed to boost sales and enhance brand loyalty. She’s also an expert in developing unique tone of voice that helps brands connect with their audiences. Her marketing and client service background has given Sarah a natural understanding of how to write content that makes readers take action. Whether it’s signing up to a mailing list, making an enquiry or donation or clicking the buy button, Sarah knows precisely how to convert with words. Pen down, Sarah is a proud member of the Essex Wildlife Trust and spends most of her free time enjoying inspiring walks through her local woodland and nature reserves, admiring everything that flaps, flutters and flowers.

So you know that adding great content to your blog or website on a regular basis is the right thing to do. But writing and posting is definitely not the be all and end all. If the content you are putting out is bland, lacking a clear point and not delivering on the promise made by the title, the fact is, no one will remember it. This means they won’t remember you, they won’t click the share buttons, and they won’t come back.

Google picks up on this too. If visitors aren’t spending quality time on your site or blog, they’ll know all about it. But if you’re holding attention – as in people are staying around to engage in your content – they will see what you have to say is interesting, and will award you a good ranking.

So how exactly do you make your content count, so that it gets maximum exposure and really shows you as an expert in your niche?

Beginning, Middle & End

Good content starts with an inviting title and an attention-grabbing introduction. Follow with a persuasive middle and summarise with a clear message at the end, and you’ll be on your way to cracking it.

The first thing is to remember that content that doesn’t evoke some sort of emotion is worthless. If it doesn’t make the reader feel something, there is absolutely no point to it. So make sure what you write inspires, sparks thought, reassures or pacifies in some way. Stimulate feelings and you’ll hook your reader in from the off.

Keep it Tight

Secondly, avoid being boring: don’t waffle on or repeat yourself. Make your content tight. Once you’ve written an article, rest it till at least the next day. Then shave off anything that says, ‘so what?’. Rest it again and do the same tomorrow. You are aiming to leave only the material that has meaning.

Next up, avoid at all costs causing frustration or disappointment. Something readers find incredibly infuriating is being misled by a title that makes a big promise, only for the content that follows to fail to deliver. Don’t leave your readers wanting by failing to provide the promised answers, revelations or secrets. If you can’t provide specialist insight or in-depth advice based on personal experience then ask yourself if you really should be writing about the topic at all.

Don’t be left red faced.

If you are getting into content writing to help boost your profile or website rankings, take heed. You could get seriously noticed if what you produce presses the right buttons, but by the same token, you could be left red faced if it falls flat.

Need help writing compelling copy? Get in touch!