How do I write better original content (that gets readers hooked)?
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​- Akshay, 24
A quick break from personal finance with a content writing question all the way from India!
As I write this from my apartment in Kansas City, a few thoughts come to mind:
First, you have to define your audience and imagine that you're writing for just one person. This will help you write more contextual, actionable content. Think about these few questions: what problems do they have that you're trying to solve? what would be entertaining to them? what knowledge do you have that would be helpful to them on their journey?
Second - because no matter how good the content is, if no one clicks on or reads the article, it doesn't matter. So you have to spend a lot of time on two things:
In last week's newsletter I shared this - 4 Tips for Writing Fascinating Intros​
Also recommend checking this out: Headline Mastery Examples: 25 Templates Anyone Can Use​
When you're writing, think about where you can break the article up to make it more consumable. Like I did above with the bullet points, you may be able to do with a list or bullet points with a TL;DR.
Use subheadings to your advantage as well - it should be clear what the article is about just by reading the subheadings.
My number one tip for writing better original content is using personal stories. For example, I wrote the "tax write-off" article above. There are thousands of articles about tax write-offs out there, but I wrote part of the piece with my own perspectives and shared my own tax return - so that can help your content stand out.
Nobody else has your story and your experiences. Leverage them.
If you can't use firsthand stories, maybe you can use examples from creators who have shared content about whatever topic you're writing for.
I would also consider reaching out to people for original sources, because then they also might share it with their audience and you can attract new readers if the content delivers.
My last tip - create graphics. Not only does it help your reader absorb the information better, but you can rank in search via the image tab relatively easy. Here's a graphic that I put in an article I wrote for Creatorbread, and it's the #2 image when you search "tax deductions for freelancers" - and the post was only published two months ago:
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