KEEP YOUR READERS INTERESTED: How sticking to your key points helps you write better content

Tuesday: Write with the Pen of the Masters FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Not all reads are as enjoyable to read as the others. Especially if the writer’s main points are scattered all over the place. Be clean, concise and organized in your writing so that you can be understood and stick to your target readers’ minds. Keep reading to know how the use of key messages will help get your message across to your readers. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

KEEP YOUR READERS INTERESTED: How sticking to your key points helps you write better content People often encounter all sorts of content in passing every day. Most are ignored or forgotten. Online ads, billboards, magazines, packaging, newspapers, signs, flyers… Almost anywhere! Which of the information do people really remember? In writing copy, you want your message to stick to your readers as effectively as possible. A copywriter’s nightmare? Readers don’t finish reading what was published or even worse, readers stop reading after seeing the first sentence! How can you avoid this? THE USE OF KEY MESSAGES This is one of the rules pointed out in Joanna Wiebe’s CopyHackers Book 1 titled, “Where Stellar Messages Come From.” Always remember to think about your readers when you formulate the key messages in your piece. Key messages help you make sense of the topic you want to write about. These help you organize your ideas into main points so that your piece doesn’t come off as all over the place to your readers. Chunking your content to key points helps you determine which concepts need a more in-depth explanation. It’s the interesting points you make that keep your readers at the edge of their seats and wanting more. You want them to stay focused and hooked until the very end. It’s all a matter of narrowing down your ideas into key messages or points! Use key points that are familiar that tap on the interests of your readers. Consider the topics nowadays that already have existing discussions in place. Build on this so that you get to add to the knowledge your readers already have or want to have regarding the topic. See eye to eye with your readers by considering key messages pertaining to what’s in their minds. Answer the question: What are my current and future readers looking for? Doing so will help you create key messages that can cater to what they want to know and what you want them to learn. Not only will you get to address their wants and needs but you also get the opportunity to convince them that your content can help them. You also show them that you take their views and opinions into account in your writing. Assure your readers that your copy is worth the read by using supporting information as key content. Besides considering the trends and people’s views, your key messages should also include support. Make use of data, statistics, testimonials, anxiety reducers, and reviews to make your points stronger and impactful. This helps you assure your readers that your piece is credible, reliable, and not full of empty statements. The use of key messages helps you see things from your target readers’ point of view. You get to organize your ideas based on what they want and get the opportunity to build on what they know. You want to make sure what you write is useful and read by many. Who wouldn’t want to read something that can benefit and intrigue them? When you publish work for a brand or company, you want to provide interesting content, know what the readers want to read about, and have readers read the whole thing. Try this week’s tip in your next copywriting or content writing task! Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Write with the Pen of the Masters! Generalized and absolute statements can be harmful. Learn more about how to avoid using them on next week’s Write with the Pen of the Masters!