What does ‘write engaging content’ even mean? I saw a post from a LinkedIn connection about this. A rather astute, salty as fuck woman——yes, I’m in love, was bemoaning the overuse of the word, engaging. She opined that almost no one defines what it means to write engagingly.

If you have been following me for a while (thank you, love you) you probably have a fair idea of how to write engaging content. But perhaps I haven’t explained what it means in the simplest terms. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t think you’re stupid, just lazy. 

Here’s what we’re covering:

What is content?

Content is anything, literally, anything you have strewn/dumped/thrown across your website. Webcopy, documents, podcasts, infographics, videos, animation——you get it, that shit is content. I’ll be focusing on content writing because I know naff all about the rest.

What is engaging content?

Does the content keep you reading? If it does, that is, at its most fundamental level, engaging content.

“Well, thanks, Sarah, that’s super helpful.”

Ok, this stuff can be tricky to define so let’s begin by looking at what YOU find engaging. For example, think about the reason you sign up for newsletters.

Side note: I have a newsletter and you can sign up >>HERE<<

You might be after some free Canva templates. Or perhaps you’re interested in copywriting hacks. It rather depends on the purpose of the newsletter, doesn’t it? And that’s the thing, how engaged you are is determined by your reason for signing up for the content in the first place.

We can be forgiven for assuming engaging content is about the business of writing. Professional writers (hi, I’m Sarah Wilson-Blackwell, chief engagement officer at The Sarky Type®) can pen engagement by default. Yes, that sounds reasonable if you’re writing to entertain and/or delight. Hell, that’s what people read novels for.

But content marketing and copywriting aren’t duly concerned with entertaining and delighting. Of course, it’s nice to have those things as a little Brucie Bonus but that ain’t the main dish.

You’re too young to know what a Brucie Bonus is, aren’t you? Bruce Forsyth (much missed UK national treasure) used to present a gameshow called Play Your Cards Right. A Brucie Bonus was the chance to win more cash at the end of each round.

The purpose of content writing/copywriting is to promote your business and sell products. The style matters very little to the outcome. What matters is the desire for your product. Don’t believe me? Think about that thing you just had to have. Did you notice how enthralling or well-crafted the copy was? Probably not. Had the content been littered with grammatical errors or sounded like a bot, you might not have purchased but even then, I don’t think you would have cared all that much. Why? Because you desired that thing, come what may.

And here are some other things you would’ve needed to make your purchase decision:

• Nice hi-res images
• Full product spec.
• Price
• Delivery information
• Easy purchase experience

If you want a product enough, you won’t need convincing. You don’t have to be a frustrated novelist to write content and copy. You need to understand how to sell.

Content writing and copywriting: your website needs both.

Many times I’ve skipped half the text just to find the ‘BUY IT NOW’ button.

And that’s what happened when I purchased a folding keyboard. I didn’t receive it though because it was a scam. Beware the urge to impulse buy!

How do you engage YOUR audience?

Wait for it…

Ready…

Get to know them.

Yawn. I know, obvious, innit.

If you’re marketing mini-breaks to the live-action role-play crowd or selling IT hardware to SMEs in Japan (and that’s probably like selling snow to the Inuits) you’d do lots of research. Know the front and back bottom of your market, that’s it. There’s no magic dust, you’ve just got to do the work.

Ideal client: that bitch is me.

And finally.

Engaging content doesn’t have to be this:

• Funny
• Conversational
• Polarising
• Written for everyone

When you write engaging content it can be funny and polarising——and anything you choose your content to be. But those things are the conduit for the message. A message that only your audience wants to ENGAGE with. Ultimately the goal is to hand folks the info they need to say yes.

Article updated, 8th April 2024.

Who are you?

Are you a freelancer, struggling to write content? If so, go >>HERE<<

Are you a business owner who’d like to hire me for a one-off project? If so, go >>HERE<<

Do you run an agency and/or SME? Are you looking for a regular freelance content brain? If so, go >>HERE<<