If you want to attract and engage your readers in a crowded market, you need to make your writing stand out from the rest. But how can you do that without compromising your message, style, or quality? Here are some effective ways to make your writing more memorable, relevant, and impactful.
The first step to making your writing stand out is to know who you are writing for. You need to understand their needs, preferences, challenges, and goals. This will help you tailor your content to their interests, expectations, and emotions. You can use tools like personas, surveys, or analytics to research your audience and create a profile of your ideal reader.
Why would you give a horror story to someone who's looking for leadership advice? You wouldn't. If your audience is looking for something specific (which they are) you need to tailor your writing to that audience. Understand their pain points, desires, strengths, struggles, weaknesses, and everything in between. How do you do this? Listen. Ask questions. Take notes. Do your research. When you speak to the audience's needs, they lean in to see if you have the solutions to their problems.
The headline is the first thing that your readers will see, and it will determine whether they will click on your article or not. You need to craft a headline that grabs their attention, sparks their curiosity, and promises them a benefit. You can use techniques like questions, numbers, keywords, or power words to make your headline more appealing and effective.
Do you know what a newspaper is? The front page of a newspaper generally has a huge headline, a subheading, and a photo. Halfway down the newspaper is where it's folded. Most readers will focus their attention on the writing above the fold (I heard Alex Hormozi say this). The writing below the fold does not have as much of an impact on the reader as the headline, subheading, and photo (if you choose to include a photo). When you're writing headlines for articles, e-mail newsletters, blog posts, or any other online publication, draft up half a dozen headlines for your piece... and if you can split test them, even better. The headline is above the fold, which means it's super important. Focus on it.
A clear structure will help your readers follow your logic, understand your main points, and remember your key takeaways. You need to use a structure that suits your purpose, topic, and format. You can use tools like outlines, subheadings, bullet points, or transitions to organize your content and guide your readers through your argument.
Unstructured writing repels readers. Here's a basic structure you can follow: Start off your piece with an introduction. The first sentence should hook the reader. Then, use the remainder of the intro to tell a story. At the end of the story, make an argument. Next, write three paragraphs, each paragraph supporting the point you made at the end of the intro. Finally, end the piece with a conclusion where you refer to your original story and the argument you made. Then, quickly recap each of your supporting points. Finish off the piece with a memorable line that makes the reader feel like you gave him a nicely-wrapped gift. For more useful writing structures, see chapter 8 of Nicolas Cole's "The Art & Business of Online Writing."
Your writing needs to add value and originality to your readers. You need to provide them with useful, relevant, and reliable information that solves their problems, answers their questions, or teaches them something new. You also need to add your own voice, perspective, and insights to your content, and avoid copying or repeating what others have said. You can use tools like examples, stories, quotes, or data to support your claims and showcase your expertise.
Sometimes novice writers are reluctant to put their original thoughts and opinions out there. But oftentimes these are the elements that keep readers reading. Writers of all levels can bring value to their readers by sharing stories. Since stories always have extractable lessons, tell the story in the most truthful way possible. Then, at the end of the story, share a few lessons. Chances are, while the reader was reading the story, she thought about the moral of the story... and when you, the writer, finish off be saying "here's the moral," the reader will be grateful for you either (1) affirming their conclusions or (2) helping them find purpose. Be the kind of writer whose stories have depth and real-life application.
Your writing needs to engage your readers and make them feel connected to you and your content. You need to use a tone that matches your audience, brand, and message. You also need to use language that is clear, concise, and conversational. You can use tools like questions, humor, emotions, or calls to action to interact with your readers and invite them to respond.
The final step to making your writing stand out is to edit and proofread your content. You need to check your content for any errors, inconsistencies, or redundancies that might affect your credibility, clarity, or impact. You also need to polish your content for style, flow, and readability. You can use tools like grammar checkers, feedback, or reading aloud to improve your content and make it shine.