Good content doesn’t stop with good spelling and grammar. You’ll want to be sure your content is polished by asking yourself these questions:
Does the content solve a problem for the reader?
First and foremost, your prospects and customers are looking for solutions to their most pressing problems. Your content can be really engaging and keep people hooked right to the very end – but if the information doesn’t actually help them in some way, then the user will be disappointed. They’re unlikely to keep consuming your content if it’s not solving a problem.
Naturally, your content not only needs to solve a problem, it also needs to be a solution that your audience WANTS. That’s because what people need and what they want aren’t always the same thing.
For example, a smoker needs to stop smoking in order to protect their health. But we all know that not all smokers WANT to stop. So, if you’d try to push “stop smoking” content in front of the segment of the market that doesn’t actually want to stop, your business is going to struggle.
That’s why you need to do two things:
- Know your audience. Don’t guess about who all is a part of your target market. Instead, do some market research, including surveys with your subscribers, blog readers and social media followers. Find out as much as you can about their demographics, wants, needs, hopes, and fears. The more you know about your audience, the better able you’ll be to create content that connects with them.
For example, let’s suppose you find out that your market consists mainly of women in their 30s who are juggling both a family (with an average of two children under 10 years old) and a career. You can then write content that really connects by talking about how hard it is to be a busy mom.
- Know what your audience wants. While surveys may give you some glimpse into what they want, an even better way to find out what they want is to check what type of content they’re already consuming. This means checking out what’s selling on marketplaces like ClickBank.com, as well as finding out what topics are popular on blogs and social media pages across your niche.
Does the content use a conversational tone (where appropriate)?
Whenever possible, write your content as if you’re writing to a good friend. This doesn’t mean your content should be sloppy in any way. Rather, it should be an easy read and accessible to everyone (e.g., don’t try to impress readers with big words – focus on accessibility and readability instead).
Is the content engaging?
Does it hold the reader’s attention with things such as humor (use sparingly), stories, inspirational messages and so on?
Is the content factual/accurate?
Always fact-check your work. Even one mistake can ruin your credibility in the niche.
Does the content exude an air of authority/expertise?
People want to follow a strong, confident leader. That’s why you’ll want to create in-depth content (which shows your expertise). You’ll also want to write it in a way that conveys confidence.
Let me give you an example:
If you want to lose weight, you probably should start counting calories.
That line doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence, because the word “probably” makes it seem as if the writer isn’t sure. Here’s the same sentence with a more confident tone:
If you want to lose weight, then you need to start counting calories. Here’s why: [insert scientific evidence to back up the claim…]
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Does the content look professional?
In other words, is it formatted nicely? For example, if it’s the interior of an ebook, did you use a professional-looking template?
Does the content share a tip or strategy readers can’t find anywhere else?
If you can provide truly unique content from time to time – even something as simple as a new twist on an old strategy – people are going to view your content as even more valuable. They’re not only going to keep coming back for more, they may share it with their friends.
Does the content include graphics to add value and make the content more appealing?
You can find these graphics on sites like DepositPhoto.com and iStockPhoto.com, or you can hire someone to create them for you. (Check out Fiverr.com for people who can tweak an image or create a simple image at a low cost.)
Keep Reading: How To Package Your Content
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