I hate to break it to you, but your content writing is weak. But before we dive in, let’s discuss the difference between copywriting and content writing.
Copywriting is designed to persuade and sell – think landing pages, sales pages, or sales emails.
Content writing is designed to entertain and educate – think social media captions, e-books, email newsletters, or blog articles.
What we’re discussing is applicable to your copywriting! But let’s focus on content writing today.
Hooks are important in this fast-paced world, but even more important than that is the ability to keep a reader engaged through an entire piece of content.
If your Instagram caption loses people’s attention, they’re onto the next – and they probably won’t click on your website to learn more (which is the ultimate goal, right?)
Content writing is your hook – it’s what lures in your potential customers. Once they’re hooked and happy, they’ll most likely travel to your website to learn more. And that’s where they’ll dive into the treasure trove that is your copywriting.
Think: You’re a siren calling to a sailor. Your voice (content writing) is what lures him in, and once he’s hooked he wants more, so he dives overboard. It’s in the ocean that he finds a magical treasure trove (your copywriting) which persuades him to buy what you’re selling.
(I know, I know – sirens usually kill the sailors. Disregard that. We’re writing our own fairytales here today.)
Beyond hooking your audience, your content writing is what allows them to connect with you.
When your audience consumes your Instagram captions or dives into your blog articles, they’re forming a bond with you. And if your content is wordy or difficult to follow, they will likely lose interest.
Humans are naturally deterred by confusion and drawn to clarity. When your writing is riddled with unnecessary words, typos, or odd punctuation choices, your reader will likely get lost – and that’s something you want to avoid.
Regardless of if your content is storytelling-based, it still tells a story and takes the reader on a journey – even if it’s a short one.
The truth is you’re going to have a hard time selling your products or services if you can’t hook your potential customers and connect with them first.
So let’s polish your content writing.
The #1 thing weakening your content writing? Fluff. We all use filler words, and it’s okay to use them sparingly! But I can guarantee you your content writing will read smoother without them.
Think to yourself: What VALUE do filler words add to your sentences? Probably none – if anything, they weaken the surrounding words (i.e., in the case of “very important,” the word “very” removes power from the word “important.”)
*Disclaimer: The following words and phrases are fine to use sparingly, especially in content writing where the goal is to sound conversational and human. And sometimes these words are necessary, so take this advice with a grain of salt.
Basically, you should just avoid these overused words and phrases in order to write very well-written sentences. Now, I know that it’s really tempting to use them because your everyday jargon is riddled with a lot of filler words. Well, I hate to break it to you, but these words are so unneccessary – you should absolutely avoid them at all costs.
See what I did there?
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The second thing weakening your content writing? Not using the RIGHT words.
There are millions of words in the English language that are untapped. Open a dictionary – heck, use Google – to find powerful words that convey exactly what you’re trying to say.
Words hold more power than you think, and they ALL have different meanings.
“Brilliant” is synonymous with “bright,” but these words have different connotations, right? They evoke different feelings…
Brilliant dances off the tongue in an effervescent gleam – it’s softened by the mild “L” sound at its center yet sharpened by the harsh “T” at its conclusion.
Bright punches straight to the point like an arrow – it offers a soft beginning with its gentle “Br” sound yet stops you dead in your tracks with the halting “T” at the end. (It’s also one syllable which makes it even more striking.)
It depends on the context but…
“Bright” could become “brilliant.”
“Absolutely amazing” could become “sensational.”
“So beautiful” could become “exquisite” or “picturesque” or “charming.”
The English language is your oyster. Think of ways to use different (yet accessible) words that properly connote your ideas and thoughts.
Bonus: This is also an excellent way to create a unique brand presence. Everyone uses words like “beautiful” or “amazing.” What words could you trickle into your content that are fitting enough to be accurate yet different enough to help your brand stand out?
Another thing weakening your content writing? Being TOO casual.
As stated earlier, the goal in content writing is to be human and conversational. You’re trying to form a bond with your audience so you want your content to feel like a human wrote it, right?
But being TOO casual can be damaging to your reader’s ability to digest the material.
Turning a word like “girl” into “giiiirrrrlllllll” can be fun sometimes, and it certainly adds more zest and personality to the content. But doing fun things like this TOO often can make it more difficult for your readers to digest the content – especially if your writing is chock full of frilly stylistic changes like “giiiirrrrlllllll” or exclamations like “Yikes!” or informal internet slang like “lol.”
Know when to break the rules and when to follow them.
If you’re using social media as a tool to build your business, you get to decide what tone you want to set.
If you WANT to be more informal, that’s okay! Don’t shy away from words like “yikes” or “lol” if that’s your jam. Do your thing, giiiirrrrlllllll.
If you want to set a more professional tone though (with personality thrown in here and there), then it’s advisable to stray away from casual lingo – and use it only when necessary.
Content writing ultimately affects sales. If your content writing is poor, you’ll likely deter people from your brand. But if your content writing is strong, you’ll likely grab and hold people’s attention long enough to form a bond and successfully sell to them.
Remember: You’re the siren and your content writing is your siren song luring in potential customers.
Take this advice as you will though – your content writing shouldn’t feel so rigid that it’s robotic, but it also shouldn’t feel so conversational that it’s careless.
You don’t have to be an expert in literature, grammar, or the English language to write well-written sentences. You just have to:
Here’s to writing better content and converting more leads to customers!
Jordan graduated from Campbell University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in 2021. She is the Creative Director at The Awakening, where she is responsible for all photography, video editing, graphic design, copy editing, and creative campaigns. She is a creative to the core and, in her spare time, loves to write poetry, spend time with loved ones, and listen to music from the 60's and 70's.
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