If you’re reading this, you’re probably stepping into the world of content writing for the first time. You could just be looking to broaden your knowledge or simply looking for something you didn’t know! I believe there is always something to learn, and it happens every single day in the universe of content writing.
I’m Billy Strickland, a Content Writer for Intelligent Leads and I spend a lot of my time finding new ways to maximise lead generation through my writing. This can mean I write SEO-optimised content for blogs, scripts for videos, or copy for website pages. Basically any form of writing needs will be covered by me.
What I think is important for any kind of writing is to have a planning process in place, taking the time to gather any required resources, meeting with other parts of the business if needed, and mapping out your SEO plan is vital (we’ll come back to this later.)
I Love it When a Plan Comes Together
Plan to plan is what I also say when beginning to produce a piece of work, for a content writer, the more planning the better and from here you can begin to see the spark from your mind form into something tangible.
What I like to do at this stage is set out the clear objectives of the work I am producing, what is the end goal, and why am I doing this. After all, if we are doing something with no reason behind it, we might as well be doing nothing at all.
To start, it may be a good idea to think about how your piece will function:
- Is it answering a question?
- Is it purely informational?
- Are you persuading a transaction?
- Who is your audience?
- What is you’re the tone/brand tone?
These are some helpful factors to consider when starting out. Draw your plan out if you have to (this is what I like to do) and straight away you can begin to form an image of how your work will look on the page.
Remember though, you don’t have to feel constricted by a plan. They can evolve as you go for the better and sometimes for the worse, but I believe that is all an important part of the process.
SEO Plan
Yes, I know, more planning, but I did promise a return to glorious SEO!
SEO is the underworking, if you will, of your content writing. How it will operate online and ultimately determine its ranking position on Google. Sounds like pretty important stuff huh? It is!
As a content writer/creator I like to carry out some topic research, looking specifically at competitors and similar sites to get an insight into how they do things as well as looking at what questions people are asking on Google; from these, I can begin to build on these questions for my piece as they make great headers for your work, especially on blogs dealing with acute topics.
The Key is… Keywords!
Keywords are a huge part of the SEO process, and probably the most important. It will most commonly be associated with the topic you are writing about, for example, if you are writing an article called ‘The Age of the Dinosaurs’ you can bet that words like T-Rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops, and Prehistoric are going to do wonders for your work.
I like to make a list of all the relevant keywords I can find, weaving a few in as I go. At the end of my first draft, I’ll go back in and find a way to add more… Content writing, writing process, content lead generation, marketing…
Don’t Get Drafted
And what I mean by that is DO produce a draft. Drafts a crucial, they are like the dress rehearsals of writing and without them, things will be rough and most likely go wrong on the night.
Here you can take the time to structure your piece the way you want to (an important part of its delivery to the audience) without having to worry about any spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
Later, sending your work to your peers for feedback and critique is a good way of spotting things you did not and implementing them into subsequent drafts.
Don’t Be Afraid
Speak to your co-workers, they don’t bite, hopefully. 9 times out of 10 they will be willing to help you, after all working as a team can bring out the best in both skill sets and in my experience can open up more opportunities for your work!
You can amplify your work in many ways:
- Graphics can give words a glow-up
- Video can relay a substantial amount of information in an easier-to-understand way.
- Socials can promote all your hard work, getting it in front of a whole new set of eyes
Whatever the collaboration is, it’s probably a good idea to think about what will work best for what you are producing and how will it maximise the impact of it.
Closing Words
If we remember why we are doing something and go into any project with that mindset, it is hard to fail. As a content writer having an end goal is crucial, not only for yourself but for the intent of your work. It makes planning easier and will take you a long way in your writing.
Remember to plan your work, plan your SEO strategy, and don’t be scared to work with others around you. Stick to these three things and you will create a piece of work you can be proud of.
I’ve been Billy Strickland for Intelligent Leads. Look out for more from me in the future!
