It’s now a lot easier than before to get your ideas out there thanks to the Internet. You can simply self-publish articles by creating your own website and posting content as you please. Of course, building a site doesn’t automatically guarantee an audience.
Some visitors might pass through links and searches but they won’t stay unless they find the content interesting.
Learn to write compelling content to get people hooked and develop a loyal following. Writing is a craft that takes time to master but there are a few techniques that you can immediately use to improve your articles.
Keep these in mind the next time you make a new post and refine your techniques as you go along. Start with the tips listed below:
1. Provide value for the reader.
Put yourself in the shoes of your visitors. What can they get out of your site? Why should they be reading your articles? In other words, what’s in it for them? People have a lot going on in their lives so every minute counts. Make it worth their while to stop for a bit and read what you have to say.
Provide them with something of value. The articles should be personally relevant to them. They should contain beneficial information, interesting facts, or eye-opening opinions. Each individual should come away feeling enriched because of your posts.
2. Break things down for easier consumption.
Once you have the substance down, shift your focus on the form of the content. Even the most interesting articles can go to waste if they are not formatted in the right way. Understand that people who browse the Web are always just a click away from some other diversion.
You have, at most, a few seconds to capture their attention before they leave your page. Break things down to short paragraphs and use headers to summarize each section. This allows readers to scan the page and get the gist of the content in an instant.
3. Speak with authority on your chosen topics.
There is no shortage of resources on the Web on almost every topic. Find one that isn’t overcrowded. Think of a niche that you know really well and write articles surrounding it. Speak with authority on the subjects using your own personal experiences as basis.
Cite sources whenever you are stating facts and figures so that people can verify your claims. You will gain their trust more readily when they see that there is a basis for all of the things you say. Create a short profile highlighting your qualifications for writing on the topic.
4. Add relevant images and videos.
A study by the Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education concluded that the use of images improve retention, reading comprehension, and critical thinking. These benefits can be seen even outside of the classroom. According to Facebook statistics, posts with pictures tend to get more likes and comments than those without.
The higher level of engagement is a great opportunity for you to get to know what your readers like to see. Interact with them so that they can get to know you, too, strengthening the bonds with the reader community.
Should You Write Your Own Content, Or Use A Ghost Writer?
The Pros and Cons of Writing Your Own Website Content
When building a site, you have the option of writing your own content or having them written by others for you. Both ways are valid with each having their own advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s delve deeper into some of them here in detail.
The Pros
Free — You don’t have to pay anyone anything for the articles because you write them yourself. All you need is to set aside your idle time to the creation of the website content. Depending on the quality that you are aiming for, this move could potentially save you quite a bit of money.
Control — You have complete control over every word that gets posted onto your site. You can dictate the style, the tone, and other aspects of the articles. While it is possible to do this to a certain extent using other writers, there will usually be a level of compromise as they will have their own unique voice.
The Cons
Time-consuming — Writing is a difficult job that requires a lot of time and patience. If you have a full-time job, then you might not have the luxury to sit down and write for hours.
Stressful — You often have to do painstaking research to ensure accuracy and prevent errors. Once you get down to the actual process of forming words, you may require multiple edits until you are satisfied with what you have.
Difficult — Not everyone can write well at a good pace. Professional writers are more efficient at their job so they can submit content at a reliable pace with higher quality.
Is There An Advantage To Using A Content Writing Service?
If you are not yet confident about writing your own articles or posts, there is nothing wrong with outsourcing to someone that has experience in the field.
In fact a lot of website owners do exactly that to save themselves time, which allows them to concentrate on advertising and promoting their business.
Of course there are some dis-advantages to outsourcing your content writing, one of which is that you may have to have your article revised a number of times before you are happy with the result.
There are a number of services available where you can get good quality content written for you and that won’t cost a fortune.
One place I recommend you check out is Fiverr.com You just need to do some research to make sure you’ll be getting quality work, so be sure to ask for examples of work they have done before. If they can’t provide evidence of past work they could be just starting out as a writer but tread with carefully, ultimately it’s up to you if you want to use them.
Ulternatively you could go down the route of hiring a professional copy writer but this will more than likely be way over your budget. These types of services tend to be on an hourly rate which could end up costing you a pretty penny more than you expected.
If you would prefer to find writers that are experienced and provide excellent work then I do recommend a web based 
company like The Content Authority
They offer services covering:
- Copywriting
- Ebook Ghostwriting
- Article Writing
- Press Releases
- Social Engagement
Pricing is very reasonable and the quality of work varies denpending on the tier that you choose. I have used their service in the past a number of times and overall the quality is pretty good even at the cheaper end of the service. You can check out what they offer and their pricing here.
Writing Content Doesn’t Have To Be Scary…
Whichever way you choose to generate your content, I also encourage you try and write your own. Writing is an art form and the more you practice the better you will get at it. The beauty of writing online is that you can re-visit the content and change it as and when you see fit to craft it until you are satisfied.
It is a learning curve so be patient with yourself. Everyone has to start somewhere so give yourself time and before you know it you’ll be churning out high quality content for you website with ease.
Another great benefit to learning the craft of writing is that further down the line you can offer your services as writer on platforms like The Content Authority and help people just like you.
What did you think of this post? Do you have any suggestions for writing content? I would love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment in the box below.
– Andy
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