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I am looking for some advice or tips to keep in mind where writing copy that will compel my audience to engage in my call to action. Nothing niche specific, just in a general s
The use of ellipsis is another great too. They will tease a reader to continue to the end punctuation. eg.: Once you finish implementing this book you can sit back...have a glass of wine...and watch the money roll in!
One of the thinks that I have heard and read Kyle mention a bunch of times is "show " them rather than "tell" them. Meaning use screen shots or video of what you are talking about to show your audience. Also don't underestimate the power of some simple graphics. When not over used they can compel a reader to read on and get to your call to action in a longer post.
Let me start us off. Talk to your audience like you are in the same room. Visualize them sitting across from you, then start writing. You want to avoid talking "to" or "at" them, rather talk "with" them.
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How do I write compelling copy?
I am looking for some advice or tips to keep in mind where writing copy that will compel my audience to engage in my call to action. Nothing niche specific, just in a general s
WRITING CREATIVE CONTENT: MAKE IT INTRIGUING, INTERESTING & INFORMATIVE
The focus of creative content writing is to provide people with content that they are coveting. Creative writing, by definition, involves being “creative”-- providing factual and objective information, communicating ideas and arguments in the clearest way possible and attempting to enhance the reader’s knowledge. It requires sustaining the reader’s interest by accomplishing the following:
a. Answering a question;
b. Meeting a need;
c. Providing material that is fascinating and entertaining; and
d. Providing an article that flows.
These are some suggestions for writing creative content:
1. Construct an attention-getting title
Compose a title that arouses a readers’ attention and makes them want to discover what the article is about. Without an enticing title, the potential reader may not even bother reading the content. Studies have shown that in excess of 60% of people will not read the article after viewing the title. The title should be succinct and precise as to the subject matter—exciting and compelling. But it needs active words with a sense of urgency to grab the attention of the reader, who wants to be entertained, informed and helped. If the article is instructive and engrossing, it will draw readers to continue to read it. Titles with fascinating questions or “how to” lists are generally successful. Be specific so that the reader will know exactly what is offered in the article.
Getting a title that conveys a sense of excitement and urgency will generally not occur on the first try. Keep revising it and you will see that it gets better with successive drafts. Do not stop the revision process until you are satisfied and until you believe that it will lure the reader to the article.
2. Use your introduction to arouse readers' interest
If your headline has passion and fire, your readers will want to read the content. But, to keep the curiosity of the reader, the first few sentences must maintain or increase the thought-provoking interest. If the beginning of your article plods along and is uninteresting, you are likely to lose your reader. For example, an intriguing beginning could contain an engaging question that will be explored and answered later in the article. Or, it could contain a dramatic statement that will be explained or tease them with what will follow. Whatever approach is chosen, consider what the reader wants and how to interest them. If you are unable to maintain the interest of the reader, you have lost.
3. Focus on the reader
The first question that a reader is generally asking is what is in it for me. People want an article to solve a problem, satisfy a need or provide a reason why they should continue to read the content. We are in an era of information overload, and the reader will quickly decide whether the content is worth his or her time. The reason why the article is worthwhile has to be given in the first several sentences. It needs to entice them and keeping their interest with what will follow. Balance your article by seeking to create curiosity and being informative. You do want to bore the reader, but you also cannot completely focus on an enticing style without enough substance. If you become too creative, it may camouflage the content. Instead, give the content enough personality to lure the reader while providing quality information.
Maintain your professionalism. You want to maintain your stature as a writer who has valuable information to provide. That character should be maintained in the article. With practice, you will develop your “voice” of formality without being stiff or tedious.
Put yourself in the place of your reader. What do they want? What will keep their interest stimulated? Try to understand what are their needs and concerns, and show your concern for them. Answer their questions. While you may want to share some of your stories, the focus is on the reader and not on you.
4. Recognize Your Audience.
When you are writing, you are attempting to reach a specific group of readers who are searching for the information that is found in your article. The prime focus is what will satisfy their wants or needs. Knowing this, you are able to thoroughly explore the topic so that the reader leaves the article which a much better understanding than before and is appreciative for the information. If your reader enjoyed this article, other relevant topics are likely to pique the interest of the reader, who may become one of your followers.
Try to avoid clichés and well-worn phrases. Add new words and powerful adjectives. This will give you article an additional sense of freshness. Bring your creativity to your readers by using words that are compelling. With the right words, you will create and inspire your readers. It may take a while to break old habits, but eventually, the words will flow and your writing will emit a sense of energy.
Use active verbs. There are a lot of ways to construct a sentence but frequently, the clearest and most concise way is to use verbs correctly. A verb shows action and is often considered the main word in a sentence. The verb is either active or passive. An active verb is when the verb is clearly the subject, or “the doer”, of the sentence. For example, “Keith loves his car” has an active verb while “the car is loved by Keith” has a passive verb. Using a passive verb can be awkward or vague. Make your writing more precise and exact by using an active verb and an active voice. It will invigorate your article. This will also avoid excessive use of passive words like “is” “are” “was” “were”. The words in your article should be specific. “It is recommended that Keith’s car not be cleaned until next week” is not as specific as “Keith’s wife recommended not washing his car until next week.” You will be able to construct a tighter and clearer sentence with active verbs.
With an ever increasing number of articles on the internet, try to avoid having familiar, stock content. The goal is an article that is more exciting, has more emotion, anecdotes and examples. Make the effort for your content to be prominent and compelling.
5. Write Personally.
When you write, be yourself. Do not try to assume a corporate persona or try to be an intellectual. Do not abandon your brand, but write personally and let your emotions blend in with your writing. Use words that you regularly use in conversation and even use some humor. The reader will find you more genuine. Bring your perspective into the article since you have something informative to say that is different from the many other articles on the subject.
6. Use Images or pictures
Readers may turn away from an article that does not have any images or pictures because we have short attention spans and studies show that we like to see images or pictures to break up the text. You can do this without distracting the reader and reduce or eliminate any monotony in the article. Images or pictures lead into the text; they break up text; they introduce the text, and they support the text. We live in a visual age—television and computers. Images in your articles – photos, illustrations, or other graphics — are often the first thing visitors look at in your articles. If the image is compelling, visitors tend to stay to read the text. If the images in your articles are of poor quality or unappealing – or non-existent – visitors tend to leave.
Consider these statistics to demonstrate how important images and photographs are:
a. Articles with images get 94% more total views
b. Including a photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%
c. 60% of consumers are more likely to consider or to contact a business when an image shows up in a local search results
7. Inject some emotion
Emotions have energy and evoke strong feelings and depth. An article written with heart provides it with a quality that is more interesting and allows you to communicate with readers. It aids a reader to relate to the subject more than if it is mechanical without any emotion. Writing with passion will make the article come to life and draw readers into the article. You want your article to have strong feelings with positive emotions. Use strong adjectives to emphasize your feelings on the subject. For example, instead of writing that this is an “important article”, describe it as a “stimulating or thought-provoking article”.
8. Be conversational.
Stay away from esoteric or technical terms, if possible, and write as if you were talking to the reader.
If you are regularly writing articles, consider varying your style and trying different techniques. Writing and posting articles online is a compelling and influential method of reaching many people. Vary your writing style to aide readers to better digest your content and understand your viewpoint. The goal of your creativity is to reach many people.
Proofread the article
No matter how informative an article may be, if there are spelling and grammatical errors it will detract from the article and the reader may leave the article. There is simply no excuse for not proofreading an article, particularly with the tools available on the computer and internet to accomplish this. Furthermore, reading the article several times before posting it will help to find sentences that should be rewritten or thoughts that could be better expressed. Once the article is posted, it is highly unlikely that you will return to correct or revise it. Do not damage your reputation with errors. If a new reader finds errors in the article, it is probable that they will not finish the article nor read any other articles by you. Take pride in the thoroughness of your work, proofread it carefully.
Drafting and revising
A single draft is not enough. Even J. K. Rowling continually revised Harry Potter until she had it absolutely perfect.
The same goes for your content writing efforts. No matter how perfect the information and sentiment contained in your first draft might seem, there will likely to be at least one grammatical or spelling error. A truly great piece of work has been revised to identify not just mistakes that need to be corrected, but areas for improvement in the subject matter.
Use Power Words
Jim Rohn (entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker) aptly described that words do two things “They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.”
You write down ideas and then formulate them to bring those ideas into thoughts that may impress the reader to consider, evaluate and, perhaps, adopt them. Words can be used to make people think, to impress, to excite and to create other emotions. Try using power words to achieve these goals because they are more likely to influence the reader. For example, sense the changes with these words “catastrophe” instead of “end”, “pummel” instead of “beat” “hazardous” instead of “dangerous”, and “Apocalypse” instead of “end of the world.” Words are powerful and influential, and the choice of words helps to influence the mind of the reader. Joseph Conrad, the author of Lord Jim, wrote: “My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, before all, to make you see.” The better you do with power words to convey your ideas, the more likely to influence and impact the reader.
Conclusion
The biggest impediment to becoming a better writer is your mind. It will try to procrastinate and will try to convince you that you cannot do it. Overcome this by taking action and writing. Expressing your thoughts is easier than you think. Remember that with creative writing the reader is your most important consideration. Understand whom you are writing for and you will be able to keep their interest.
Great information Paul, thank you! Very well written and informative, I appreciate you taking the time to share this.
Paul, you wrote over 2000 words here and you did not get even a simple 'like', so here is one 'like' from me. Thank you man.
The use of ellipsis is another great too. They will tease a reader to continue to the end punctuation. eg.: Once you finish implementing this book you can sit back...have a glass of wine...and watch the money roll in!
One of the thinks that I have heard and read Kyle mention a bunch of times is "show " them rather than "tell" them. Meaning use screen shots or video of what you are talking about to show your audience. Also don't underestimate the power of some simple graphics. When not over used they can compel a reader to read on and get to your call to action in a longer post.
Let me start us off. Talk to your audience like you are in the same room. Visualize them sitting across from you, then start writing. You want to avoid talking "to" or "at" them, rather talk "with" them.
See more comments
WRITING CREATIVE CONTENT: MAKE IT INTRIGUING, INTERESTING & INFORMATIVE
The focus of creative content writing is to provide people with content that they are coveting. Creative writing, by definition, involves being “creative”-- providing factual and objective information, communicating ideas and arguments in the clearest way possible and attempting to enhance the reader’s knowledge. It requires sustaining the reader’s interest by accomplishing the following:
a. Answering a question;
b. Meeting a need;
c. Providing material that is fascinating and entertaining; and
d. Providing an article that flows.
These are some suggestions for writing creative content:
1. Construct an attention-getting title
Compose a title that arouses a readers’ attention and makes them want to discover what the article is about. Without an enticing title, the potential reader may not even bother reading the content. Studies have shown that in excess of 60% of people will not read the article after viewing the title. The title should be succinct and precise as to the subject matter—exciting and compelling. But it needs active words with a sense of urgency to grab the attention of the reader, who wants to be entertained, informed and helped. If the article is instructive and engrossing, it will draw readers to continue to read it. Titles with fascinating questions or “how to” lists are generally successful. Be specific so that the reader will know exactly what is offered in the article.
Getting a title that conveys a sense of excitement and urgency will generally not occur on the first try. Keep revising it and you will see that it gets better with successive drafts. Do not stop the revision process until you are satisfied and until you believe that it will lure the reader to the article.
2. Use your introduction to arouse readers' interest
If your headline has passion and fire, your readers will want to read the content. But, to keep the curiosity of the reader, the first few sentences must maintain or increase the thought-provoking interest. If the beginning of your article plods along and is uninteresting, you are likely to lose your reader. For example, an intriguing beginning could contain an engaging question that will be explored and answered later in the article. Or, it could contain a dramatic statement that will be explained or tease them with what will follow. Whatever approach is chosen, consider what the reader wants and how to interest them. If you are unable to maintain the interest of the reader, you have lost.
3. Focus on the reader
The first question that a reader is generally asking is what is in it for me. People want an article to solve a problem, satisfy a need or provide a reason why they should continue to read the content. We are in an era of information overload, and the reader will quickly decide whether the content is worth his or her time. The reason why the article is worthwhile has to be given in the first several sentences. It needs to entice them and keeping their interest with what will follow. Balance your article by seeking to create curiosity and being informative. You do want to bore the reader, but you also cannot completely focus on an enticing style without enough substance. If you become too creative, it may camouflage the content. Instead, give the content enough personality to lure the reader while providing quality information.
Maintain your professionalism. You want to maintain your stature as a writer who has valuable information to provide. That character should be maintained in the article. With practice, you will develop your “voice” of formality without being stiff or tedious.
Put yourself in the place of your reader. What do they want? What will keep their interest stimulated? Try to understand what are their needs and concerns, and show your concern for them. Answer their questions. While you may want to share some of your stories, the focus is on the reader and not on you.
4. Recognize Your Audience.
When you are writing, you are attempting to reach a specific group of readers who are searching for the information that is found in your article. The prime focus is what will satisfy their wants or needs. Knowing this, you are able to thoroughly explore the topic so that the reader leaves the article which a much better understanding than before and is appreciative for the information. If your reader enjoyed this article, other relevant topics are likely to pique the interest of the reader, who may become one of your followers.
Try to avoid clichés and well-worn phrases. Add new words and powerful adjectives. This will give you article an additional sense of freshness. Bring your creativity to your readers by using words that are compelling. With the right words, you will create and inspire your readers. It may take a while to break old habits, but eventually, the words will flow and your writing will emit a sense of energy.
Use active verbs. There are a lot of ways to construct a sentence but frequently, the clearest and most concise way is to use verbs correctly. A verb shows action and is often considered the main word in a sentence. The verb is either active or passive. An active verb is when the verb is clearly the subject, or “the doer”, of the sentence. For example, “Keith loves his car” has an active verb while “the car is loved by Keith” has a passive verb. Using a passive verb can be awkward or vague. Make your writing more precise and exact by using an active verb and an active voice. It will invigorate your article. This will also avoid excessive use of passive words like “is” “are” “was” “were”. The words in your article should be specific. “It is recommended that Keith’s car not be cleaned until next week” is not as specific as “Keith’s wife recommended not washing his car until next week.” You will be able to construct a tighter and clearer sentence with active verbs.
With an ever increasing number of articles on the internet, try to avoid having familiar, stock content. The goal is an article that is more exciting, has more emotion, anecdotes and examples. Make the effort for your content to be prominent and compelling.
5. Write Personally.
When you write, be yourself. Do not try to assume a corporate persona or try to be an intellectual. Do not abandon your brand, but write personally and let your emotions blend in with your writing. Use words that you regularly use in conversation and even use some humor. The reader will find you more genuine. Bring your perspective into the article since you have something informative to say that is different from the many other articles on the subject.
6. Use Images or pictures
Readers may turn away from an article that does not have any images or pictures because we have short attention spans and studies show that we like to see images or pictures to break up the text. You can do this without distracting the reader and reduce or eliminate any monotony in the article. Images or pictures lead into the text; they break up text; they introduce the text, and they support the text. We live in a visual age—television and computers. Images in your articles – photos, illustrations, or other graphics — are often the first thing visitors look at in your articles. If the image is compelling, visitors tend to stay to read the text. If the images in your articles are of poor quality or unappealing – or non-existent – visitors tend to leave.
Consider these statistics to demonstrate how important images and photographs are:
a. Articles with images get 94% more total views
b. Including a photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%
c. 60% of consumers are more likely to consider or to contact a business when an image shows up in a local search results
7. Inject some emotion
Emotions have energy and evoke strong feelings and depth. An article written with heart provides it with a quality that is more interesting and allows you to communicate with readers. It aids a reader to relate to the subject more than if it is mechanical without any emotion. Writing with passion will make the article come to life and draw readers into the article. You want your article to have strong feelings with positive emotions. Use strong adjectives to emphasize your feelings on the subject. For example, instead of writing that this is an “important article”, describe it as a “stimulating or thought-provoking article”.
8. Be conversational.
Stay away from esoteric or technical terms, if possible, and write as if you were talking to the reader.
If you are regularly writing articles, consider varying your style and trying different techniques. Writing and posting articles online is a compelling and influential method of reaching many people. Vary your writing style to aide readers to better digest your content and understand your viewpoint. The goal of your creativity is to reach many people.
Proofread the article
No matter how informative an article may be, if there are spelling and grammatical errors it will detract from the article and the reader may leave the article. There is simply no excuse for not proofreading an article, particularly with the tools available on the computer and internet to accomplish this. Furthermore, reading the article several times before posting it will help to find sentences that should be rewritten or thoughts that could be better expressed. Once the article is posted, it is highly unlikely that you will return to correct or revise it. Do not damage your reputation with errors. If a new reader finds errors in the article, it is probable that they will not finish the article nor read any other articles by you. Take pride in the thoroughness of your work, proofread it carefully.
Drafting and revising
A single draft is not enough. Even J. K. Rowling continually revised Harry Potter until she had it absolutely perfect.
The same goes for your content writing efforts. No matter how perfect the information and sentiment contained in your first draft might seem, there will likely to be at least one grammatical or spelling error. A truly great piece of work has been revised to identify not just mistakes that need to be corrected, but areas for improvement in the subject matter.
Use Power Words
Jim Rohn (entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker) aptly described that words do two things “They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.”
You write down ideas and then formulate them to bring those ideas into thoughts that may impress the reader to consider, evaluate and, perhaps, adopt them. Words can be used to make people think, to impress, to excite and to create other emotions. Try using power words to achieve these goals because they are more likely to influence the reader. For example, sense the changes with these words “catastrophe” instead of “end”, “pummel” instead of “beat” “hazardous” instead of “dangerous”, and “Apocalypse” instead of “end of the world.” Words are powerful and influential, and the choice of words helps to influence the mind of the reader. Joseph Conrad, the author of Lord Jim, wrote: “My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, before all, to make you see.” The better you do with power words to convey your ideas, the more likely to influence and impact the reader.
Conclusion
The biggest impediment to becoming a better writer is your mind. It will try to procrastinate and will try to convince you that you cannot do it. Overcome this by taking action and writing. Expressing your thoughts is easier than you think. Remember that with creative writing the reader is your most important consideration. Understand whom you are writing for and you will be able to keep their interest.
Great information Paul, thank you! Very well written and informative, I appreciate you taking the time to share this.
Paul, you wrote over 2000 words here and you did not get even a simple 'like', so here is one 'like' from me. Thank you man.
Thanks. Much appreciated. Hope this is helpful.