You’re getting very sleepy.
Your eyes can barely stay attached to the screen.
You’re wafting away into another thought.
Is your content like this?
Geez, I hope not.
But I must say, some of the things I have written in the past have been real snore-worthy pieces.
As a blogger you should always be on a quest for creating perfect content for your readers, not putting them into the Zombie Zone when they read your articles.
Sometimes we’re just concerned with getting the content out fast.
Because…
There is more content out there than you can shake a stick at.
With this in mind, you don’t want to be putting people to sleep with your writing.
Here’s some things to avoid when you’re getting ready to publish that article.
#1-No Format
If your article has no structure, then it will be hard for the reader to understand what you want them to do at the end.
Some people simply want to write because it builds authority, and that’s ok too!
However, when structure isn’t introduced, you are then leaving it up to the reader to piece the puzzle, of what is now your content, together by themselves.
#ContentMarketing is hard enough, don’t make it a job for people to read your articles! Tweet This!
One of the things that works is to make your content skim-worthy.
To understand this you have to understand web traffic.
People aren’t going to read your whole article.
Sure, there are those faithful few that will be there ’til the end, but the majority won’t stick around for the long haul.
38% of people will bounce right off your site after they’ve came from a previous destination. But even the people that are left, won’t stick around for the duration.
It’s a simple fact that people can’t stay focused for too long.
That’s why it’s so important to have content that people can skim through quickly.
It’s here that you can grab the few that are really interested and keep them on the edge of their seats as you make the big reveal to the end.
Structure and format is essential to a great content strategy.
#2-No Passion
Let’s face it.
If you’re not excited about what you are doing for a living, then how can you expect anyone that reads your content to get excited about it too?
When your content marketing is boring to you, then perhaps you need to choose another area that you do love to do.
I remember in college I had the world’s worst history professor.
This guy put me to sleep almost every class I went to (when I went).
He had no passion.
He spoke in the same monotone voice as General Washington forged across the river to win a victory.
The same emotionless face as he described how our forefathers broke free from the tyranny of King George and established a new nation.
Boring.
Let’s talk about the history teacher:
It wasn’t that this man didn’t know any of the facts. He knew them well. Heck, he was a Ph.D. in History for crying out loud!
He just didn’t enjoy it anymore, and you could see it.
He lost the passion to explain those stories that once excited him so much that he devoted much of his young adult life to be an expert at it.
That just goes to show you that it doesn’t matter how much you know about something, but rather, how much you love what you know that matters!
Find The Passion!
Kick up your content a bit by throwing in different aspects of the content itself. Make it more enjoyable for the person coming to your blog to read it. Show them how it works, give them a video, something that can spice it up for them.
When you’re passionate. People remember.
Going back to my college days, the next semester I enrolled in another history class that I had heard other students talking about.
They said that this professor would jump up on his desk, wave his arms, play the guitar, and all in all be the passionate person a history professor needed to be in my book.
I’ll never forget some of the things the latter professor taught. It wasn’t the knowledge, because I’d heard it before. It was in the way he taught it that I’ll never forget.
When you’re not passionate, you may as well close up shop because you can bet they’re snoring in the back of the class.
#3-It’s Not Convincing
The power of persuasion in writing is something that every good writer needs to try to reach for.
Readers should feel like they need to perform some type of action NOW on your content, and its up to you to persuade them to feel that way.
For example, my Influenciversity Email Class is only up for 4 more weeks. When it’s gone, then you miss it.
That’s a type of call to action inside your writing that many do. However, you can also persuade in other ways as well. Another example of this could be this very article. Persuasion in fact finding. If you do THIS, then THAT will happen.
The content must give the reader the right to action in some way.
Even if it’s to log off and shut themselves up in a closet to get better at writing.
#4-No Editing
I know this is more of a format type of bullet point, but it’s still a good point.
When you don’t want to re-read your article and make the necessary edits then you’re not taking enough time to make the article great for the reader.
If you’re getting glassy-eyed by just thinking about re-reading what you’ve written, then there’s a good chance that the reader will be too.
Take pride in what you write.
Even if you have to throw it out the window.
It takes time to become a great writer.
Shoot, this is the third time I’m writing this article myself.
Sometimes One and Done doesn’t cut it.
Finished editing? Great. Now go get a friend to look over it.
Make sure you’re seeing your content the way your reader sees it. This will ensure that you’re not creating content that is boring the reader to death, plus a second opinion is always good.
#5-It’s Not Clear
You’re a writer, this is the box that you stand on when you want to shout your ideas to the crowd.
But when you’re not able to express yourself well in your content, then your message doesn’t become clear to the reader.
This is one of the most important aspects of your writing because if your content is cloudy, the reader has a hard time trying to decipher what you’re wanting to tell them.
This stands on the idea of always making it easy for the user.
The easier you can make it, the better it will be for them. Stop trying to write like Poe. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. In my opinion, the people that do this are the people that have the most difficult time at explaining their message to the reader.
While you may not be able to write like Demian Farnworth or speak like Jay Baer, you do have something they’re not. YOU.
I can understand your need to shout to get your content seen, but you miss one exciting point.
No one can tell that story quite like you can.
While you may lack the experience of these other people, you are still an original. Stay consistent in your writing and you will find your articles getting better and better over time.
Make your message clear. Put your main idea right up front so the reader understands what you’re trying to tell them.
Keep it short.
Short sentences. Short paragraphs.
The message will be received more clearly this way.
The Final Thought
There’s one thing that’s certain. You’re not trying to put your readers into a content coma.
Nobody wants that.
But sometimes you get caught up in creating the content and pushing it out there each week that you forget about the little things that are important.
These should be things that you focus on each time you write your articles.
Think about the reader.
Is your article boring or not?
If so, you may have to revisit the drawing board.
Wade Harman
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