Write Better Content Now with These 3 Quick Tips
3 Quick Copywriting Tips for the Novice Content Writer
You’ve heard the saying… “Content is king.” Good Content Marketing establishes credibility and serves as a valuable tool to encourage your existing and potential customers to take action.
From time to time, your business may require experts from your team to create content such as:
- Blog Articles
- Graphics
- Charts and Diagrams
- Infographics
- Slide Presentations
- White Papers
- Interactive Website Features
- Email Campaigns
- Social Media Posts
- Digital Ads
- Videos
- Surveys
While these individuals may be an expert within their field, they may not be expert copywriters. Fortunately, we’ve put together 3 quick tips for novice content writers to seamlessly align with brand standards.
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Research Tone-of-Voice
Read through previous blog posts, other website copy, and more to get a good feel of your company’s tone-of-voice. Spend about 30 minutes to an hour reading various forms of copy to note how the brand’s voice remains consistent no matter the content type.
What stands out to you? Is the tone-of-voice playful? More serious? Are there certain phrases that are used frequently? Also, be mindful of how your company refers to themselves… Is it in third-person or more personal, such as “we”?
Now begin to think about your own writing style and how you can meld the two to easily create content that feels natural to both you and the brand.
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Remember Your Audience
Tone-of-voice is just one element to consider while writing—you must also remember for whom the content is intended. If you’re unsure, ask other people at your company or your project manager. Be sure to clarify whether the content you’re writing is to be written for the company’s broader audience or a more specific target audience, such as conference attendees.
By understanding who your future readers will be, you can match their comprehension level. For example, the content you write for other UX experts in your field is going to look drastically different than a sales pitch to someone with little-to-no UX knowledge.
Always be mindful of who your audience is and don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for clarification!
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Revise, Revise, Revise
Once you’ve written your content, read through it a handful of times to ensure it’s error-free. While grammar and spelling checks can be helpful, double check for words that may be spelled correctly but aren’t the correct word (e.g. using “or” where “of” should be) or words that may be repeated twice, such as “the the.” (Happens to the best of us!)
If you’ve read through your writing multiple times and feel it’s typo-free, make a copy of your work and change the font. Through doing this, you can see it from an “outsider’s perspective” and thus, will have a more critical eye. Chances are, you’ll spot a few “new” errors.
Before you move on, try reading it out loud. This will help you determine how well your writing flows and allow you to identify any spots that may deter a reader from continuing.
