Top 7 Best Practices for Better Content Creation

Creating quality content can be a challenge. But it doesn't have to be. By following these best practices, you can produce content that is not only high quality but also engaging and effective. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

1. Know Your Audience

One of the most important things to do when creating content is to know your audience. What are their needs? What are their wants? What are their pain points? When you know the answers to these questions, you can create content that resonates with them and provides value. Not sure who your target audience is? No problem. We can help you figure that out.

By fully understanding what their needs, wants, and pain points truly are, you can then begin to develop a content strategy that will deliver the results they are looking for.

Once you understand your audience, it’s time to move on to the next best practice.

2. Keep It Simple

When it comes to content, less is often more. Don't try to pack too much information into one piece of content. Instead, focus on covering one specific topic and doing it well. This will make your content more digestible and easier for your audience to consume. Trust us, they'll appreciate it.

In the wise words of  William Strunk Jr.,

“Make every word tell.”

What William Strunk Jr. is trying to say here is that every word in your content should serve a purpose. If it doesn't, get rid of it. This will make your content more concise and easier to read.

Now that we’ve covered the importance of simplicity, let’s move on to the next best practice.

3. Write Compelling Headlines

Your headline is often the first—and sometimes only—thing people will read before deciding whether or not to read your content. So it's important to make sure it's compelling and gives a clear indication of what the article is about. A good headline should be attention-grabbing, interesting, and relevant to the topic at hand. Here is a rundown of the things needed for a good headline:

Attention Grabbing

A headline should be designed to stop people in their tracks and make them want to read more. A headline that does not grab attention is likely to be ignored and hence will not achieve the goal you have set for yourself.

Interesting

Your headline must be interesting enough to make people want to know more. If it is not, they will move on and you will have lost your chance to engage with them.

Relevant

Your headline should be relevant to the topic of your article. It should give people a good idea of what the article is about so they can decide if it is something they are interested in.

If you can master the art of writing compelling headlines, you will be well on your way to content success.

4. Use Visuals

People are visual creatures, so incorporating visuals into your content can be extremely helpful in grabbing—and keeping—their attention. Try adding images, infographics, videos, or even just styled text breaks to break up the monotony of blocks of text. And if you're not a visual person yourself, don't worry—we know a thing or two about creating killer visuals too.

A recent study done by  Content Marketing Institute showed that articles with visuals get 94% more views than those without. So if you're not using visuals in your content, now is the time to start.

Including visuals in your content is a great way to make it more engaging and interesting for your audience.

5. Tell A Story

Who doesn't love a good story? When creating content, try to weave a narrative throughout to keep people engaged. People are more likely to remember a story than they are a list of facts, therefore this is an effective way to make sure your message sticks with them long after they've finished reading (or watching, or listening).

Often times, businesses try to look overly professional while sacrificing the personality of their brand. But in today's content-saturated world, people are craving connection and authenticity. So don't be afraid to let your company's personality shine through in your content.

Telling a story is a great way to add personality to your content and make it more memorable for your audience.

6. Be consistent

If you want people to keep coming back for more, you need to be consistent with your content creation efforts. That means posting new content on a regular basis—whether that's once a day or once a week —so people know when they can expect new stuff from you and can look forward to it accordingly. If you start off strong but then fizzle out after a few months, people will likely lose interest and move on to someone else who can provide them with the steady stream of content they crave.

7 . Promote & distribute your content

Once you've created quality content that's aligned with your audience's needs and interests, it's time to promote it! There are lots of ways to do this depending on your budget and resources; social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn are great for organic promotion, while paid ads can give your distribution efforts a boost if done correctly. And don't forget about email marketing—this can be an extremely effective way to get your content in front of people who already know and love your brand. If all of this sounds like a lot of work, don't worry —we can help with that too. Just give us a shout!

Conclusion

Quality content doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming — by following these best practices, you can produce high-quality, engaging, results-driven content that will resonate with your target audience. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!