Getting content right: our three top tips
Producing high quality content to a specific audience can be tricky. Whether the audience is a customer or a journalist, you are competing against many other players in the market – from headline news to social media reactions. What’s more, you have a very short amount of time to make an impression on your audience and persuade them to take the next steps; the reader will probably move on if the message isn’t of a high quality to start with.
To avoid falling victim to these mistakes, we have put together our 3 top tips for producing a piece of high quality content.
1. Keep it engaging, relevant and appealing
Don’t waffle, and make sure you get to the point early on. The headline or title needs to be attention grabbing and include any key words that are necessary to your company’s message.
Avoid using a tedious quote from an executive as to why your product is the best, try to state the benefits and always back up what you are saying with appropriate evidence. Don’t bury a link you really want the reader to click, in the bottom half of your message – ensure everything is right in front of the end user to increase engagement.
2. Know your audience
Having an understanding of whom you’re trying to target with the content is essential, and will form the basis for the tone of the piece. The type of content will also have an impact; blogs can be more informal, press releases factual and opinion pieces must have the necessary depth required.
Language will also play a key part here. Avoid explaining terms that industry experts may already know, but at the same time don’t use complicated language that will need too much prior-knowledge. Have a clear idea of who you want the content to be read by and go from there.
3. Make it easy to read on all devices
More and more of us are using our mobile devices and tablets to view content. This is sending a clear message to us as PR professionals that we need to ensure any content is digestible on mobile. Readers and search engines will quickly know whether or not your message is relevant and informative. Don’t make the mistake in thinking you can fool them.
Ensure you avoid blocks of text that are difficult to scan because they lack formatting and visuals, jargon-filled writing that causes confusion, or stale messaging that doesn’t deliver relevant meaning to your audience. The challenge lies in balancing style with substance. Fortunately, with the right formatting, you can have your content cake and eat it too – and boy do we love cake!
Do you need any help with crafting well-written, industry-specific content? Get in touch at prworks@neopr.co.uk or give us a call on +44 (0) 1296 733 867.
