The Misfit’s Guide to Content Writing
Throughout this Misfit’s Guide to Content Writing, you’ll find clickable text and images. These will take you to articles that explore the subject further. Ace!
What is content writing?
Content writing is a marketing strategy. It involves writing engaging words that get people interested in your business. The main goal is usually to create brand awareness. It’s a long-term commitment to promoting your products and services.
“Long-term commitment”—terrifying for those who can’t commit to anything. If that resonates, you might need therapy before you start writing for your biz.
Brand awareness is usually the reason marketing types give when they tell you to write content. In this guide to content writing, I’ll show you that brand awareness isn’t the only thing content writing can do. The main reason to do it is so obvious, you’ll kick yourself for not thinking it.
Engage! Engage! Engage!
You’re probably pretty fed up with buzzwords (I know I am). Sadly marketing is full of them. Hearing the phrase ‘engaging content’ makes me want to cut out my own pancreas.
What does engaging content even mean?
In this guide, you’ll understand the meaning of quality content—ok Karen, you’re right, quality is subjective. Even the folks within your target market won’t agree with what makes your writing top-notch. Lemme put it this way: this guide to content writing will help you write words you and your audience enjoy.
Writing your way.
The tone/style will be unique to you. If it’s very distinct, it will become your signature. But that won’t be the only thing that screams you. The way you decide upon the mechanics of writing might also be distinct. How are you going to style your headings, will each letter be capitalised or only certain words? Are full stops after a heading your thing? What about the glorious em dash—how are you using it? All this stuff relates to your style guide. You can choose an established style guide (for example, the AP Style Guide) or create your own.
Be the best writer you can be.
Well, sure, you wouldn’t try to be the worst writer—that would be silly. What I’m trying to say is you don’t have to be the next Truman Capote. Weaving a story is a device that will help engage your people but that comes with practice, and like almost anything the more you do it, the better you’ll get. If you know who the content is for, you’re on the right (or I should say, write) path.
6 things to crack business content writing.
“Write how you speak.”
Er, about that…
Being all conversational is very ‘in’ right now—look, here I am, writing how I speak (innit). But it’s not a universal truth and unlike other marketing absolutes bandied on the socials (blogging is dead/selling is dead/everything’s dead), I would suggest writing how your audience speaks. Let them be the barometer by which you measure everything you create.
But also this: don’t obsess over style.
The tone won’t sit right with everyone in your audience—that’s normal. Remember you’re dealing with real-life personalities, it is impossible to please them all. (So don’t try, it will only make you miserable and lose any hope you had for humanity.)
Content writing that sells.
So we know content writing shines the spotlight on our organisation and shouts, “Hey, over here! Look at us! We do this!” but that kind of content marketing takes time to build trust—and trust is so important when people decide to buy. Thankfully, there are different kinds of content; content that creates a buzz and content that sells (and content that does both).
Blogging.
Your blog is your website’s online library—a mini search engine where you curate all those useful posts around your specialist subject.
Blogging is dead: the lie that won’t die.
Do you need to blog?
In my opinion, if you own a website, you absolutely should blog—bloody yes to blogging!
And here’s why:
- It attracts clients
- It answers their search queries
- It demonstrates your expertise
- It wows them with engaging content
- It informs to help make a decision
I’m not gonna lie, writing a blog is a lot of work.
If you’re taking on the blogging baton, gird your loins for consistent long-form content creation. Failing that, you’ll need a big budget to hire someone on a retainer (because you must blog on the regular).
Blogging is bad if you have no clue. There are plenty of reasons not to start.
And here are some of those reasons:
- You don’t understand the value
- You have no idea who you’re writing for
- You lack the skills
- You have no time
- You have no budget
Blogging for business.
I have two blogs (I told you, I love blogging). SBlog is where I vent my spleen, The Sarky Type is where I vent my spleen for business.
Blog for business: 6 reasons why you should.
If, like me, you love to write, blogging isn’t a chore. But your business can’t begin to benefit from blogging until you learn how.
Business blog right: don’t get Barry in HR to do it.
Business blogging sounds like the worst, doesn’t it?
I get it, it sounds awful. Not to mention extremely uninspiring. But there is no legitimate reason why it should be.
But if you really cannot be arsed to write but want to blog, you can just invest in some AI software, right? Right? Yeah, about that…
Blogging is the long game to selling.
You want to be remembered and you do that by being a constant reminder. Always there, nudging your ideal someone about what you do to make their life easier.
Long-form writing: the long game to attraction.
Writing human-focused content is your priority. And Google wants you to do that. Please stop writing for bots—we are done with that shit. Visitors won’t stay on your website for very long if you churn out content that sucks.
Problems… problems…
No one wants problems do they? Some actually do. Bloggers love problems because they make great ideas for blog articles. If you know the struggles your clients face, you can be the answer to them in the form of a blog. The problem might be that initial pain point or the stumbling block that is stopping them from buying from you.
Solve client problems with your blog.
Copywriting.
“Isn’t that just the same thing as content writing?”
Don’t make me come over there!
Sure, it is content and it is writing and actually, they share other things in common. Both techniques are all about your audience and the problem they need to solve.
So what is the difference?
As you now know, content writing is the long-term way of attracting your people but copywriting is the short-term way of converting those people into clients/blog subs/purchasers. You apply copywriting on your sales pages or the areas of your site that asks the visitor to do something. If you want those visitors to buy a product or sign up for your newsletter, you’ll use copywriting to do it.
Content writing and copywriting: your website needs both.
Bad copywriting is doing your website dirty.
Humans tend to overcomplicate things.
And complicated copy is an FBI (f–king bad idea). When you muddle your message, the audience is left wondering what the hell you want them to do. This usually happens when people who have no idea, write website copy. Those folks tend to use tired phrases that should be consigned to website-building history.
Knowing the rules means you get to break them.
I bet you’ve heard that before and I’ll be honest, I dunno how true it is. I quite often never know the rules to start with so I have no idea if I’m breaking them. (Is that bad? Probably.)
3 things Aristotle nailed about copywriting.
I’ll tell you what though, you can’t break the rules with direct response copywriting.
There’s a formula and without it, the copy you write can’t claim to be direct response. I’m sure experienced pros, monkey about with the rules—I know I would (If I knew the rules to begin with).
Lead generation.
Sounds like the cohort of peeps who died young of heavy metal poisoning… the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, the Lead Generation… It has nothing to do with that, it’s about attracting potential clients. (Not to be confused with prospecting. That’s the business of getting off your arse and finding new clients.)
It’s fair to say I do things unconventionally. I’m not your average SEO content writer and that’s my strength and my difference. That’s how I swim out from the sea of boring optimised content (so I’m told).
I’m also a contrarian. I usually have something contradictory to say about the latest content ‘pearls’ of wisdom. I don’t think everything that’s published about marketing is trash but I do hate it when we’re all told to do the same thing to plug our business. It’s like clothes that have ‘One Size’ on the label. It’s absolute nonsense.
Social selling.
Social selling is the process of developing relationships as part of the sales process. Today this often takes place via social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, but can take place either online or offline.
Wikipedia
Blimey.
Does that make you come out in a cold sweat? I guess for the fellow introvert it might have you all anxious. I don’t have anything against getting on the socials, telling people what I’m flogging—that’s what I use social media for—it directs traffic back to my website but sometimes, there are certain aspects of so-called social selling that rub me the wrong way.
Vanity metrics: should you care?
Is it important to get as many ‘likes’ and followers as you can possibly amass, spending a crazy amount of time getting people to give you a virtual pat on the back? I guess it all depends on why you are posting content in the first place.
Social media engagement vs quality leads.
There’s definitely a feeling these days, amongst all this influencer marketing about good old-fashioned selling. Openly hawking your products or services is out of style. It’s so vulgar, and somehow, pretending not to sell (but really selling) in the form of relationship building is so much more acceptable.
Brand polarisation.
Glee. Salad Cream. Michael McIntyre.
What do those three things have in common?
You either love them or you hate them.
Marmite is a good example of brand polarisation. And as a product, Marmite has really capitalised on dividing opinion—and it bloody works. I love marmite but you might hate it (see what I mean?) and that’s ok—that’s actually what the ad people at Marmite HQ want. That strong opinion of their brand helps them stand out.
But some brands don’t set out to be polarising, it just happens. The question is, how to deal with it if it does happen? Do you try to placate the haters or do you tease them? You could take advantage of the polarising attribute in solidarity with your die-hard fans.
The sarcasm is not for me, I hope you can develop the brand identity.
GUY ON THE INTERNET
My tone is polarising.
Some people don’t like, nor do they get, the sarcasm. I could try and win more work by being more universally liked but nah, I’m good. I’d hate running a business if I couldn’t write how I wanna. And trying to people please is a game you and I will never win.
Content creation: attract clients by pleasing yourself.
But more importantly, the folks that love my style would be disappointed and they’re the ones that really matter so I waste no time trying to convince people who, in all honesty, don’t.
Humour.
We don’t all appreciate the same jokes and so humour becomes polarising.
Because of that, people avoid being funny. A lot of brands are terrified of offending someone—someone who most likely wouldn’t buy from them in the first place. LOLs are subjective. But so are a lot of things. If you avoid doing something for fear you’ll lose a client, you’re in real danger of sounding like everyone else.
Swearing.
A no-no, especially in business content?
Yeah, usually but although it can be risky, a naughty word can be very effective in your content. Labelling something as taboo gives it power. But if you decide to wield that power, you will become polarising. Unless swearing is part of who you are (and who your brand is), steer clear. You’ll only sound like a little square trying to be a rebel. And if the majority of your audience doesn’t respond well to it, don’t entertain throwing in an f-bomb.
Almost anything you write will be met with some negativity. And people just love to tell you how much they hate something—we all do it. It’s true that we don’t need sarcasm, humour and swearing in our content writing. Your business will still function—you’ll sell perfectly well without any of those things. Wanna read more guff like this? Check out The Misfit’s Guide to SEO and The Misfit’s Guide to Freelancing.