How to write high value content

Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash

Don’t do your audience the disservice of poor quality writing. Here are 3 ways to elevate your content from the start

I’m probably one of the biggest advocates for high quality writing out there. I’m a perfectionist, definitely, but also a big believer that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. And when it comes to content, I believe a badly researched, poorly written piece does more harm than good, as it gives your audience the impression that you a) don’t know what you’re talking about and b) are sloppy and can’t execute things well.

That said, the fear of the blank page is very real, and worrying about writing something good is often a sure fire way of making sure you actually write - nothing at all. 

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to guide your writing process from the start towards a high quality end result. Here are a few tips that will help you produce written pieces that stand out from the crowd.

1) Know what you're saying and why

It might sound obvious, but the first and most important thing to nail down before you start writing is WHAT you are writing about, and WHY you are doing it.

What is it that you want to say, and why are you saying it now? What’s the reader going to take away from this - in other words - what’s the value you are delivering? 

We’re all busy people, and very unlikely to give our precious time to a piece of content that’s muddled because it doesn’t know what its purpose is. In reality content production is often done for a combination of the good old BBC’s Reithian Principles: Inform, Educate and Entertain, although you might add Inspire in there too.

Whatever it is, jot it down and use it as your guiding star throughout the writing process. 

It’s also a good idea to periodically ask yourself ‘what am I saying here?’ and ‘why am I saying this?’ throughout to make sure your argument stays on track.

2) Find a creative way into the topic

If I had a pound for every time I read a piece that started with a statistic, I’d be holidaying in the Bahamas on my superyacht. Or at least in a dinghy on the Isle of Wight...

The truth is, whilst many people might use statistics to indicate trends that back up their argument, using phrases such as 78% of UK businesses believe X,Y or Z is a really uninspired way of starting an article. Use statistics, yes, but their place is to support your points, not engage your reader at the start of your piece. The same can be said for definitions.

Instead, look for a creative opening. Are there comparisons you can draw from anywhere else? Making connections to other ideas - something you’ve read, heard or seen - even if it’s from a completely different discipline, gives you a unique way into the topic that instantly adds more value. 

This is about finding an angle, so whether it’s a personal anecdote that piques people’s interest, or a reference to an interesting quote you’ve heard, be brave and look for something a little different to hook the reader in.

3) Pay attention to the packaging

As we’ve just discussed, grabbing your reader’s attention from the start is essential. This begins even before the first word of the first paragraph, in the way the piece is packaged up. What I’m referring to is things like the title, subtitle, subheadings, and meta description (the snippet of text shown when pieces are shared on social media).

When it comes to this kind of micro copy, I tend to recommend a balance of descriptive and editorially interesting, which you could describe as ‘does what it says on the tin with a bit of flair’. 

• Titles - should be attention grabbing and entice people to read the piece (although be careful of straying into clickbait territory). It’s worth including SEO keywords here, especially if you want to optimise your content for search rankings
  

• Subtitles - a good opportunity to expand on the title, giving the reader more information about what the piece is about and what they will learn
  

• Subheadings - used to break up the body of your article, these should be descriptive, explaining what the next section of text will cover. Subheadings are important signposts within a long form piece, as many readers tend to scan rather than reading every sentence in depth
  

• Meta descriptions - give the reader a flavour for what the article will cover. Make sure it works well with the title, as this is typically all that’s displayed when shared on social media

All of these elements work together, so you don’t have to try and make one entry do too much. I like to have a bit of fun with my writing, so there will generally be a few puns and creative references involved in things like titles and subheadings. But it’s important that this doesn’t interfere with the meaning or message you are communicating.

It’s also important to have balance, so if you have a pun in the title then I’d avoid one in the subheading, for example. Otherwise it can all become a bit much.

Go forth and write!

As much as I think high standards are important, I’m not recommending you start agonising over everything you produce. Not every piece of content has to be perfectly polished - and as a result take hours and hours to create. That’s not to say you should sacrifice quality, but sometimes good enough is good enough. As my friend Matt Jukes once said about digital government, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good”...

Whatever the purpose of your piece, like anything, writing well takes practice, and the most important thing is to make a start.

I hope you find these tips useful.