Expressing yourself through the written word can be a challenge.
In my experience, individuals get overwhelmed by a blank page or become consumed by the fact that they have been told in the past that they cannot write well, so don’t.
Mental stumbling blocks create hurdles so high they feel insurmountable.
In moments like this, we see generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini being called upon more regularly. However, these carry challenges so I would caution against using them for content creation in their raw state (i.e., expect to edit what they produce!).
That’s not to say you should avoid AI tools to support content creation completely; the tools in the market are robust enough to help you get words on a page and provide a starter for ten.
But while the kinks in the tech are ironed out if you need to develop a piece of long or short-form content, where does that leave you?
Here are five key pointers I recommend you consider to make your content killer.
Be clear This might feel a little obvious, but you would be surprised by how many times I have read something, reached a conclusion or summary and been stumped by the point. That’s not to say I haven’t fallen victim to this myself. Usually, I tripped up from the lack of a clear content plan of what I wanted to say, the point I wanted to make, or the action to leave the audience with. Mind mapping or plotting all the possible points you might want to cover and then whittling these down to three or five points/messages to nail will mean the words will flow from your fingertips and keep you on track.
Be concise In the tech sector, we are all (yes, all of us) guilty of trying to make what we say make us sound smarter. But when it comes to content and clarity (see point 1), a rule of thumb is to remove any redundant or overly complicated terms to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. By all means, if you are struggling to get your thoughts on paper without removing any jargon jot it down in the first draft, but when you review your content strip or swap out any terms that could impact the quality and understanding of your piece.
Be focused This brings me to my next point – remember who you are writing for. If we don’t write with someone in mind, then what’s the point of making the effort in the first place? Keep that person in mind through the process and consider why they should care what you have to say over anyone else. Equally, ask yourself what you want them to do with the information you are sharing. Should they pick up the phone? Keep you in mind for a future opportunity? Know how amazing an employer you are? Recognising who you are speaking to will make you pitch your content better.
Be authentic When reviewing your piece, interrogate whether what you have said sounds like you. If it doesn’t, why not? Nine times out of ten, you won’t feel your voice is present because you have overlooked clarity, used terms you wouldn’t naturally use in a conversation or forgotten who you were writing for. Reading the piece aloud can remedy the lack of authenticity, as can including anecdotes from your life.
If in doubt, call in the reinforcements It would be remiss of me not to include this point! In all seriousness though, if writing content is not your specialism, don’t waste your time in writing and rewriting content over and over. Think of your time as a value. How much would you charge someone for what you do? If you believe this is more expensive than it would cost you to outsource a task to a specialist, then do it. Working with someone whose job it is to develop content and understand the technical nature of what you want to say will save you in the long run.
If you have been staring at a blank page for a while, consider getting in touch with brass neck. Let’s chat about how we can help you. You can reach us at hello@brassneckhq.com or visit the brass neck website.
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