Content Creation – 5 Steps To Writing Your Best Copy
Content creation is fundamental to the success of your business or brand.
You have an idea, product or service you want to share with the world…
You’ve invested a lot of time, money and energy into your work and now you would like to start making a return on your investment. You would like to attract the right people, to let them know what you have to offer.
This article provides key questions that can act as prompts to inspire the best and most meaningful writing. Making words work for you. Having been writing content and copy for years, I wanted to share some simple strategies for getting started, so that you never need to suffer ‘writer’s block’. By focusing on who will read your content and why, you can ensure you are providing value to the right people in the best possible way every time.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the best place to start…
You need to think about who will read/buy and why. What value are you adding to their lives? What problem are you solving and how? What difference will it make and where is the proof it works? What action do you want them to take and what is the key motivation?
These 5 keys are so important to consider before you write your copy or create any content, so that you can communicate effectively and avoid costly mistakes.
The first step to making your content a resounding success is to think about WHO is going to want it…
1. WHO? The customer comes first.
Think about:
- Who is your ideal client?
- Where do they live, what do they do, where do they hang out?
- What do they care most about in the world? What’s their greatest desire?
- What pains them, blocks success and keeps them up at night?
- How can you help provide the solution to their problems?
Be as specific as you can about who your offering is for. Speak their language and talk to their pain points (and how you can solve them). You want them nodding along thinking yes this is for me and exactly what I want and need.
Talk individually to one person, as only one person will be reading your words at any time. Make your audience feel unique and special. Communicate as if you are writing a personal letter or having an informal chat with an old friend in a social setting.
Make your message relevant to resonate with the reader.
Doing the groundwork on your ideal audience and what they want and need will allow you to speak to them directly in their language, addressing their issues and providing the solution they seek. The key is in serving not selling, meaning you are aiming to give value.
2. WHY? Your purpose and why it matters.
Your why – your purpose – is the most important component of your story, it’s the glue that holds everything together, the reason you exist.
Why does the world need what you have to offer? How will it make a difference and change lives?
Think about:
- Why?
- Why?
- Why?
Fun challenge: Play the why game where you keep asking ‘why?’ to every answer to dig down deeper into why someone really needs what you are offering. Be like a child full of wonder and keep asking “…WHY?” to everything. Why would someone want or need that? Why? Why? Why?
What physical, emotional or intellectual need do you serve?
How will your offering improve your prospect’s physical, financial, emotional or mental wellbeing? How will that make them FEEL (successful, accomplished, important, secure, valued, loved?)
- Physical needs tap into deep-rooted primary instincts for health, safety and survival.
- Emotional needs come from a desire to belong, to feel validated, valued and loved.
- Intellectual needs are the highest level of expression of self, making sense of the world around you with meaning and purpose in life.
What’s the point?
Do NOT create content for content’s sake!
Every piece of communication should serve a purpose – it should offer value and insights and be of benefit, otherwise it needn’t exist. Make sure you define your why before doing anything else.
For example, this post gives you valuable insights and a step by step process to know how to create the best possible content and copy. This is important as so many people waste time, money and resources writing copy that doesn’t convert, offer any kind of value or showcase what you have to offer. After reading this to the end you will be clear on where to start and how to get the best results.
3. WHAT? What do you want to achieve?
We all know the age-old adage “Start with the end in mind.”
Think about:
- What is the big idea?
- What is the end goal?
- What do you want people to do? What is the Call To Action (CTA)?
- What results will your clients achieve?
- What big outcome can you promise?
You need to be clear on this before you start so that you can guide people through the narrative effectively.
With the overwhelming overload of information hurtling towards us at any given moment, the human mind is wired to only process information that we think is relevant or useful to us. Everything else gets filtered out. We need to make it clear why people need to engage.
What is going to attract your ideal prospect and answer their first questions:
4. HOW will you provide the solution you promise?
How are you solving a problem and offering the answer to your audience’s wants/needs?
It has been said that people buy what they want not what they need. They want to move away from pain and towards pleasure. How can you help them do that?
Think about:
- How will you deliver?
- How are you different from everyone else?
- How will your clients get the results they want?
How can you use your experience, tell your story and package up your value in a way that your ideal audience relates to?
5. Motivation. Where’s the proof and incentive to act now?
Think about:
- What inspiring success stories prove your worth?
- What’s the incentive to act NOW and take the next action?
- What exceptional value can you offer that inspires a resounding YES!
Motivation is something that encourages us to take action.
Incentives influence our decision-making and provide motivation. They give us a compelling reason to act now, rather than procrastinate, stall and stagnate.
Where’s your proof?
Proof provides credibility and confirmation through evidence. It focuses on the results that have been achieved, so people can experience what is possible in their mind first before taking action to make that a reality in their own lives.
Proof works best with real-life stories that validate your claims and bring the offering to life through storytelling.
What stories bring your value proposition to life?
As a species, we want to belong, to feel connected, and we like to learn from other’s experiences. We also do not want to miss out!
Social proof reassures us that we are not alone and gives us the opportunity to belong to something bigger and greater than ourselves.
If you are launching something brand new and don’t yet have any testimonials or reviews, then tell your story in a way that showcases how this product has helped you.
Where can you add value instantly?
Prove your value by offering the solution to an immediate problem with a gift, insight, or resource.
Give away something that will add value to someone’s life or make their life easier, so that you can demonstrate how you can help them. Then give people a compelling reason to continue onto the next action with an incentive that serves.
Incentives motivate us to take immediate action.
The tendency to delay and procrastinate can be countered by a compelling reason to act NOW. This may be heightened through a sense of scarcity, limitation or fear of missing out. Help people see the value you can offer and how you can help solve their problems first, before helping them decide on the logical next step.
Anticipation is often more powerful than reality.
Is it worth inviting your prospect to consider the different outcomes of A) not taking any action and remaining stuck where they are with the problem/pain they currently have, or B) achieving their goals and desired outcome through your product/service.
How amazing will it feel to achieve the ultimate desired outcome?
Bring it to life: “the sweet taste of success”.
The more vividly you can bring this to life through their senses, the more powerful an experience it can be. What will they see, hear, taste, smell and feel?
Science has proven that people who can imagine something in their mind first are much more likely to take the necessary action to achieve the desired outcome.
Inspire your audience with their possible future and motivate them to take action.
- What incentive could you offer to take action?
- Inspire through emotion.
- Clearly make the Call To Action (CTA) an easy logical next step.
- Offer them something that is so good it sells itself.
- Remember, you are serving not selling.
All of this should be packaged up in a storytelling structure with a compelling narrative that guides people through the content in meaningful ways.
Remember, ‘selling’ is just an exchange of value.
The more value you offer – the more valuable your offering.
Let your copy and content be your ‘sales expert’ and do all the driving work for you, so you can do what you love the best and achieve the best results.
Think in terms of serving not selling.
When you create content that serves your audience and demonstrates your value, it will be easy for people to see how their lives can be improved as a result of working with you.
If you would like to discuss how I can help you craft content that captivates, compels, and converts then please get in touch via hpcarr.com/contact.
