Creating a blog post should be relatively easy once you get into the rhythm of how you’re going to do them and what style you want to write in.
I’ve heard of clients spending hours on them and I really don’t recommend this unless you’re deliberately constructing a piece of long-form content that is well researched and has a lot of information.
Ideally you want to be limiting yourself to around an hour if you can.
The best place to start is with your headline. After all this will be what you use to “sell” your piece of content and encourage readers/users to engage by clicking on it.
When writing a headline for your content, they should ideally:
- Be informative
- Be interesting
- Evoke curiosity
- Inspire the reader
- Be truthful (to what the content is)
It is understood that not all headlines can be all things….sometimes we need to take a leaf out of Roy Walker’s book and “Say What You See” (Catchphrase).
Finding a good balance of the amount of time you spend on a headline is imperative. Evaluate the type of content. Timeless content that can be shared over and over again should always take a little longer to shape. Throwaway content which goes out of time or fashion quickly can be developed much quicker.
Depending on your brand don’t be afraid to be:
- Controversial
- Challenging
- Off The Wall
- Over Excited
However, you must be careful not to make the reader feel a negative emotion unless it is completely appropriate to do so. Making a reader/user feel emotions like these can work against you (unless of course your brand is specifically trying to invoke these emotions).
- Angry
- Sad
- Depressed
- Frustrated
- Feel lied to
- Confused
- Bored
Negative feelings can cause your potential reader to switch off before they’ve assessed whether they would be interested in your content. Always remember that people make snap decisions.
Websites To Inspire
Some media institutions are developing great content headlines already and they are working. But always remember that these institutions have big business behind them so don’t be disappointed if your content doesn’t deliver in the way theirs has.
Here are some to dip in and out of for ideas and inspiration of digital content that works:
- www.buzzfeed.com
- www.upworthy.com
- www.womenshealthmag.co.uk
- www.iflscience.com
- www.metro.co.uk
- www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
** TOP TIP ** Don’t be afraid to google the actual content you want to create and take inspiration from how other people have done it. There’s always a good chance someone somewhere has done something similar.
Can we help you with your content creation?
Excalibur Press have a great team of experienced and efficient content creators, copywriters and publicists. If there is anything we can help you with please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 07982628911 or email [email protected]