5 Content Writing Tips

Nothing is worse than bad writing. It’s recognizable within the first few sentences – either consciously or subconsciously.

Bad writing is full of “noise”; it contains complicated words and ideas, and grammatical nonsense such as useless adjectives and adverbs.

Content Writing Tips focus means claritySloppy writing clutters the messages, and dilutes the simplicity of messages that humans crave.

Spend seconds online and bad writing is everywhere, especially on many businesses’ core marketing tool that I call the true COO of any company – a website.

Sometimes it takes a deep reading to simply understand what services or products that company is marketing.

This lack of clarity results from bad copywriting, which has become a leading epidemic in the world of online marketing alongside thin content.

This epidemic is found across multiple industries, from SMBs to large corporations.

All copywriting should deliver marketing messages in the clearest and quickest ways. And the answer is not derived from proverbial rocket science.

Here are some writing principles that I’ve discovered over two decades of writing for both online and print publications.

1. Simplicity & Clarity: The Core of Good Writing
Henry met Mary. The dog walked across the street. My head hurts.

That’s simple language, and simplicity reigns in the world of copy writing – especially when introducing a product or service to a new audience.

Leonardo da Vinci said it perfectly: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Imagine a small exhaust shop looking to raise their digital presence. They heard of SEO, but after some online searching, they arrive at a company’s website and the content immediately gets into to the specifics of SEO – such as canonicals or site hierarchy.

Goodbye, prospect!

Getting granular in a blog or deeper pages is imperative. But when a prospect is first introduced, simplicity and clarity must reign over anything else.

Put another way: if a grade schooler can’t understand it, don’t expect the ideas to come across clear and simple.

Most prospects looking for a service – especially those in B2B – are searching because they don’t have the time or focus to create whatever service you’re offering.

And even if it’s product or news-based business, most readers’ minds are already cluttered with too much garbage. Some don’t have the bandwidth remaining to go all-in with thought.

2. Use a Framework
You know to keep it clear and simple. But sometimes the writing doesn’t flow and is cluttered.

The solution?

Create a framework of main ideas, and backfill them.

In the past, I’d framework by imagining myself as a reader. I’d then create a list of bullet points that I’d see as a problem. I’d follow up by proposing multiple solutions to those problems.

This worked, but took time.

Then I discovered Donald Miller’s “Building a StoryBrand“. The book is a must-read for marketers and content producers, and has multiple tactics that can help businesses overcome many issues by focusing on building a story around the target prospect.

But one small section around creating a “one-liner” has helped me create a framework for writing content that simplifies the message and provides pure clarity from the outset.

The framework lays out a roadmap of four components:

• The Character.
• The Problem.
• The Plan.
• The Success.

For each piece of writing, you supply answers to these components, and create a one-liner (which doesn’t exactly have to be one line).

An example from a motorcycle safety course would be:

• The Character: Motorcyclists passionate about freedom of riding, but afraid of crashing.
• The Problem: Can’t overcome mental fear.
• The Plan: Remove fear through teaching underlying principles of motorcycle safety, both psychological and physical.
• The Success: Renewed passion for riding and calmness in life.