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Start with an outline for long-form content<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Starting an article is probably the hardest bit of writing. Here\u2019s where creating a structure or a blueprint comes handy. Even before I started penning down this article, I drew up an outline which looked something like this:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Title<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Introduction<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 8 Points<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I find that this technique takes the stress out of writing (if that\u2019s what you\u2019re feeling). You know what your article is going to look like, you\u2019ve got the main points in place, now just fill them in! <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For website content, a technique that I use is the 5W1H technique – copy that answers the What, When, Where, Why, How questions. Let\u2019s look at an example. Say, you\u2019re writing about Comodo SSL Certificates. Your copy should answer the 5W1H<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What – It is a digital certificate<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When – Used when you have to secure your website for safe transactions, purchases<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where – Used on your website<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why – Security for your website, trust for customers, Google recognises your website as \u201csafe\u201d etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How – Install an SSL certificate by following these steps…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And just like that, I gave you a bonus tip – use examples in the copy! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s another article I wrote a while back on 9 Stages of Creating More Effective Landing Copy<\/a> that will help you with website copywriting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Use Rhyming Words and Alliterations <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is probably my most used technique for taglines, social media copywriting, Facebook captions, and website hero banner content. It\u2019s fail-safe, easy, effective and memorable! Here are some popular examples:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember years ago, when we were planning for an event, we were setting up a drawing booth as a fun element where attendees could have a caricature artist draw an illustration of them. I was asked to give a catchy line for the booth for which I then came up with – Fetch Your Sketch Here<\/strong>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you can\u2019t think of rhyming words, opt for alliterations ie. words beginning with the same sound or letter. They have the same effect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Use Storytelling and Be Real<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Storytelling has a reputation for being a great content technique, be it in design, art, theatre, or copy. Storytelling is everywhere – stories you were told as a kid, Netflix documentaries, TV advertisements, novels, letters. I like to use this technique, especially in blog writing. Blogs are personal opinions and most of the time, informal. It\u2019s a great place to be real and use storytelling. Use storytelling to share a bit about yourself and engage audiences as I did here<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The key is to be authentic and be real.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another important bit here is to use the active voice with a first-person point of view in writing. It makes your readers feel like you\u2019re talking to them and gets them involved. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Be respectful<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes, written words can come off as harsh, or sarcastic even though we don\u2019t intend it to. This is because the tone <\/em>is hard to convey in words. Most of us probably learned this the hard way when that email we sent in our first job was blunt or a bit curt. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve found that the best way to write emails is to be respectful and use words that convey that. For example, let\u2019s look at this email:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hi XYZ,<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Send the document now, please.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Regards,<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abc<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although the first one has the word \u201cplease\u201d, the verb \u2018send\u2019 sounds like an order even if it wasn\u2019t intended to. Let\u2019s look at how we can modify this to sound respectful:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hi XYZ,<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Request<\/em><\/strong> you to <\/em>kindly share <\/em><\/strong>the document <\/em>as soon as it is possible.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Regards,<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abc<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n By modifying a few words to \u2018request\u2019, \u2018kindly\u2019 and \u2018share\u2019, I\u2019ve managed to make the email polite and respectful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cut out the \u201cvery very\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This tip is great for spoken English as well and I love it, even more, when I see it in written content. All too often, we use the word \u2018very\u2019 to describe an object, a service or a product to convey effectiveness but in actuality, using \u2018very\u2019 just makes it lose emphasis. But what\u2019s worse than a \u201cvery\u201d is \u201cvery very\u201d! Next time, instead of saying \u201cit was a very nice holiday\u201d, try saying \u201cit was a wonderful holiday\u201d. It\u2019s effective and conveys the point better. Here\u2019s a list of ways to avoid writing \u201cvery\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can find the full list here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With these tips, you\u2019ll be able to create content that\u2019s interesting, apt and fantastic! Now jump back to my first point about creating an outline. You\u2019ll see how the outline helped me organise my content yet, as I wrote the article, I also kept it flexible – I clubbed some points, edited out a few etc. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In parting, I\u2019ll leave you with some common best practices for writing, namely:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Got more tips for us? We\u2019d love to hear them in the comments section below. Check out more articles that can help you up your Marketing<\/a> game!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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