This post originally published on the Richardson Copywriter by our writing assistant, Bridget Skinner. We know you’ll find it helpful, so here it is again!
~ Susan
A quality piece of content work takes quality time. You might think you have all the right content ready to go – and maybe you do, maybe it is.
Don’t hit that “Publish” button before you’ve let your piece sit for at least 24 hours. This piece of advice has been instrumental to me in the world of writing content. I can guarantee that when you pick it back up you’ll find changes that need to be made, every time.
Frustration comes easy when you think you have it all together, but something doesn’t seem to fit. If it doesn’t seem to fit after your first draft then let it sit! It will most likely be a difficult read to your audience if it’s difficult to you.
What do you offer that helps your reader?
Writing content for your business is more than just writing for you. To be the business that your customer needs, you’ll need to look through their eyes for the best perspective when you’re writing. Get to know what will be helpful to your reader before you publish anything.
Then read and re-read your work again – making sure you’re capturing the customer’s attention. Does it make sense? If not, try again. Article quality will be improved by the time you spend away from your original copy. When you pick it back up, the changes needed will be right in front of your face.
Will your reader follow the train of thought?
Subject matter is important, but so is keeping their eyes on the page. You want to review the length of your sentences. Are you being too wordy? Can your run-on sentence be made into two sentences? Can you get rid of some content altogether and avoid saying the same thing twice?
Titles don’t come easy, and if I can grab your attention with an exceptional title then I want to keep your attention with an exceptional article. In order to do this I need to read what I am writing out loud, and reading it once is just not enough. I might need to read it over a few times. After I’ve cleaned up any grammar and punctuation changes, it’s ready to go! Practice this yourself and watch your posts improve.
Don’t get frustrated with a blog that isn’t getting noticed. Figuring out how to write to your audience can be tricky when you’re just starting out. A little extra time put into detail will really make the difference.
Do you have trouble writing your blog posts? Tell us, what concerns you about blogging?
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