If you are struggling to write engaging content for your content marketing strategy, then you are not alone.

Trust me on this one.

Even those of us who do this for a living *cough cough* wrestle with this. 

Not because there aren’t plenty of ideas out there, but because there is so much else for people to look at instead of the content you are creating.

Here are some quick and dirty tips to get you pointed in the right direction, though!

Engaging content starts at home

Before we dig in, though, I need to say something else first.

You are who you hang out with.

Out of context, that seems like a weird thing to say, but I have a point here.

The kind of people you surround yourself with and simultaneously a reflection of your character while also influencing your character.

The same line of thinking applies to content marketing.

If you are not consuming and reading the type of content you want to create, then you have no chance of creating it. You have no frame of reference.

If you spend your time reading white papers, case studies, thought leadership, etc. but want your brand voice and content to be witty and creative…

…then you don’t even know what you are doing wrong or how to course correct.

So, lesson #1 is to consume all types of content, but especially consume the type of engaging content you want to write yourself.

Now, with that covered, let’s move onto some of those tips I mentioned earlier.

1. Headings and Subheadings

Humans scan content. Written or otherwise, we naturally try to skim and see if we can find what we are looking for.

That being said, something to keep in mind is that, sometimes, what we are looking for is vice content–so we are scanning for what will make us smile, laugh, relax, etc.

This means your headings and subheadings are vital to the survival and success of your written content.

Make it easy to read. Make it even easier to pick out the main points!

2. Keep it short and sweet

If you pay attention to my blog, then you will notice that I don’t do long form content.

I looooove long form content, but I know I am an outlier.

People want to get what they are looking for and to get it quickly. Which is why I love micro content so much!

So, when in doubt, aim for shorter content if you are wanting to write engaging content.

3. Get help from content creation tools

Now, I won’t sit here and try to list every content creation tool out there. 

But, here are a few that can help you generate some ideas that I like to use from time to time:

• HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator
• Portent’s Content Idea Generator
• Hemmingway – to help you recognize when you are repetitive or using too many cliches or whatever
• Exploding Topics – stay ahead of/on trend with popular topics on the internet
• Readable – similar to Hemmingway

Some of these help you with the actual content, but others will help you make your content magnifique. 

4. Let’s get visual

Here’s the thing…

I hate having to scroll past images and videos I have no intention of watching/viewing. So I don’t use visual elements much because I just want you to be able to get your content QUICK.

That is not everyone’s strategy, though, and research shows that the most engaging content is accompanied by high-quality visuals.

So…there you go!

5. One sentence

The first chance you get to grab someone’s attention is the meta description. 

But the second chance you get is the first sentence of your content! So, make sure to use that one sentence to your advantage. Draw them in with your first sentence!

6. Quoth the Raven…Nevermore

People love quotes, but not Ravens. (Get the reference there? If you do, then you are my hero. If not, then…this is awkward)

People love to be able to quote things.

So, here are some thoughts:

• Make quotes from your content easily shareable (preferably, Tweet-able).
• Don’t be afraid to intentionally write something quote-worthy
  • But also, don’t try toooooo hard

7. Stay on target

It is easy to meander as you are creating content. If you want your content to be engaging, though, then you are going to need to stick with your topic.

Cut out anything that doesn’t add value to the content.

You should always be cutting more content than you create. Paradoxical, yeah, but if you cut out anything extra, then every sentence of your content will be worthwhile to your readers.

8. Make that CTA sparkle

If you have created engaging content but it isn’t pointing them anywhere, then what was the point??

You’ll need to have a call to action (CTA) that helps add further value to your readers. A great content marketing strategy is always trying to keep moving potential and current customers and clients through a funnel that, eventually, hopefully ends with a sale. 

So take some extra time to make your CTA something worthwhile to read while pointing to more content or more relevant services/products!

Feeling better about how to write engaging content?

I genuinely hope this was helpful. I have to remind myself of these all the time.

In fact, moment of pure honesty here…I had to go back and rewrite this post as I was working on it because I wasn’t putting some of these into practice!

BUT

If you need help making your content engaging, then I would love to help in some way. Just reach out with a contact form or email me directly. Otherwise, please read through different posts on the DSM blog to see if there is anything there that might help!

As always, I appreciate you, friends!