Capturing Conflict in Your Content

/0 Comments/in , , , /by


“Every great story depends on conflict to propel it forward, Jane Cleland writes in Writer’s Digest. The conflict can be one of four types:

  • actual or threatened physical attack
  • emotional
  • spiritual (loss of faith or shaken beliefs)
  • mental (a puzzle or intellectual challenge)

However, Cleland cautions, “if someone doesn’t care about a situation, you don’t have a conflict.” That means, she says, “We need to understand what makes people care“.

When it comes to content marketing, “conflict is a problem that the customer is motivated enough to resolve,” Truss Creative adds. In brand marketing, though, it’s not about the business owner’s origin story or their “disruption story”, but about the customer’s story. Writing effective content, therefore, means identifying the customer’s:

  • everyday annoyance
  • burning desire
  • quiet wish
  • tower foe
  • existential threat

In other words, what does your audience notice, value, want to protect, and want to project to others?

Years ago, my friend and admired sales training expert Tim Roberts told me that, while salespeople try to develop good problem solving skills, he challenges them to  first find, then solve. Finding a problem that the prospect hadn’t considered is what makes a salesperson valuable.

In blog posts, we teach at Say It For You, the opening paragraph is there to make clear not only what need, issue, or problem is to be discussed, but also what “slant” the business or practice owner has on the issue. Then, it’s crucial not to end in a “fizzle”,  leaving web visitors trailing off in a disappointed move. The ending has to resolve the central conflict, issue, or problem you’ve raised, leaving readers with a path to action and positive expectations.

Capturing conflict in your content might be the secret to success.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Blog It Again, Sam – But Different

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

Out of new ideas? Rewrite the same piece using another POV (point of view), advises Mariah Richard in Writer’s Digest. Richards suggests a variety of same-but-different approaches, including:

  • If you told the story in first person, try telling it in third person.
  • Start with what was the conclusion in your first piece, follow with the “back story”.
  • Relate the same set of events, but from the perspective of a different character.

“Writing is rewriting”, MasterClass warns, and mastering the art of the rewrite is essential for novice writers and professionals alike. “If you put real work into your rewrite, a good piece of writing can become great.”

Both these concepts – generating new content by reworking old content and updating already published content – apply to content marketing, we know at Say It For You.

Using existing content as inspiration for content now
When our Indiana freelance blog content writers are sitting down with business owners or professional practitioners who are preparing to launch a blog, one important step in that launch is to select recurring themes that will appear and reappear over time in their blog posts. But, to add variety and maintain interest (on the part of both writers and readers!), the “templates” can be varied, including list posts,, review posts, OpEd opinion pieces, and interview posts. In addition to varying the format or template, I teach, you can offer different kinds of information in different blog posts.

Updating old blog posts
“Refreshing and rewriting blog posts can be pivotal to the success of your blog,” nectafy.com explains. “Aim for an update at least every 15 months.” The changes can reflect progress and changes in the industry as well as changes in the products and services offered by the business or practice owner.

Out of “new” blog post ideas? Re-new the “core” concepts using a different point of view. Blog it again, Sam, but different!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

You Don’t Have To Be a Blog Content Writer to Write

/0 Comments/in , , /by

 

“A writer writes, always.,” says the grand-prize winner of the Writer’s 500-word essay contest Michelle Y. Green. She doesn’t have to be at her keyboard or scribbling in a journal to write, she explains, because simply being curious and paying attention to details are any writer’s greatest tools.

In fact, several of Michelle Green’s pieces of advice for those new to writing are a perfect fit for blog content writers.

  • Many writers add one sentence, then subtract two or three words. Instead, just let the words flow.
    Blog content writing should be conversational and informal. Are second drafts even needed? Yes, but later, after you’ve let the thoughts flow, we tell content writers at Say It For You. Even more important than checking for spelling and grammar errors, though, is visualizing your target readers, and making sure your blog post is addressed to them, in their language, and that you’ve addressed their concerns.
  • Read what others are writing.
    Reading, bookmarking, clipping – and even just noticing – new trends and information relating to your business field goes a long way towards keeping the blog “quiver” stocked with content ideas. Blog marketing involves knowing what’s being said by competitors, what’s trending, what aspects of your field are being discussed..
  • Enjoy research.
    To deliver quality writing of any kind, you’ve got to keep educating yourself, reading everything you can get your hands on, citing sources by paraphrasing and hyperlinking back to the page where the information originated. You then “translate” that information by putting it into context of your primary topic.
  • Notice details.
    Successful blog content writing is all about the details. Websites provide basic information about a company’s products or a professional’s services, but the blog content is there to attach a “face” and lend a “voice” to that information by filling in the finer details about the people behind the business and the choices they’ve made.   .

You don’t have to be a blog content writer to write – just feed your own natural curiosity – and take notes!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

There Are More Than One Boy-Meets-Girl Blogging Arcs

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

“At its very heart, I believe that there is only one story arc in the world,” writes Sonali Dev. “There’s a character in an uncomfortable situation and they must find a way to resolve it.” The narrative arc refers to the structure and shape of a story, the sequence of occurrences in the plot. A good arc is vital if you want to engage your readers from start to finish, advises reedsy.com. Boy meets girl, boy fails girl, boy gets girl again is one classic example, the author says. Adding complexity to a basic story arc is part of what differentiates one story from another, even when they’re ostensibly dealing with the same ideas.

In fact, in creating blog content at Say It For You, we often use a softer version of the “hurt and rescue” story arc author D. Forbes Ley suggests salespeople use to close deals – identifying ways in something valued by readers might be in jeopardy, and then emphasizing two points::

  1. The business owner or professional practitioner understands readers’ concerns and needs.
  2. The business owners or practitioner has the experience, information, products and services to solve exactly those problems and meet precisely those needs.

Using those two points as basic content building blocks, there are a number of ways bloggers can follow Sonali Dev’s advice and “add complexity” to the story arc:

  • debunk a “myth” or false impression relating to your field
  • tie the content to a front-page news story having to do with a problem your company or practice helps solve
  • share a true story
  • use statistics to prove the extent of the problem
  • relate a celebrity story that illustrates the problem – or the solution you propose

Whichever of these “arc” tactics you select for any one blog post, a tip offered by Writer’s Digest contributor Estelle Erasmas should be kept in mind: “Focus on one specific point in time rather than on an entire life story.” Yes, your readers may in fact be seeking a way out of an uncomfortable situation, but might also be in search of information on how to perform a certain task, or looking to satisfy their curiosity on a particular subject.

There are more than one boy-meets-girl blogging arcs!

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail

Blog Topics Have Ninety-Nine Lives

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

 

“How often do we celebrate the life of a cat?” asks Kostya Kennedy in the special LIFE issue of Cats – Companions in Life. Drawn by the pictures of adorable kittens to purchase the magazine, I found quite a number of valuable blog content writing pointers. The entire issue, with all the articles focused on cats, is proof of the fact that the same general topic can be approached in a myriad of ways. In fact, in order to add variety to a blog, I teach content writers to experiment with different formats, presenting the same business or practice from different vantage points, purposely tailoring the content to different segments of the customer base. We need to remember that, even within smaller segments of a target market, individual readers’ need for information, products or services was born in a slightly different space and has traveled a different path.
.
The History of the House Cat
Once upon a time, we learn, the ancestor of today’s domestic feline was a wild creature prowling the deserts of the ancient Middle East. As hunter-gatherers turned into farmers, the found cats useful in getting rid of mice. The calmness of cats made them good house pets. In a blog, introducing the readers to the history of the brand, using stories about founders, current employees and alumni to “humanize” the content. Sharing history makes the focus less on what the company does and more about what it is. What’s more, sharing memories of the “good old times” that weren’t really so good in terms of efficiency and convenience, you have the ability to share with blog readers a sense of look-how-far-we’ve-come togetherness.

Secrets of Cat Behavior
What is a cat trying to say when it purrs? Why do cats like catnip? The blog content should share with readers the owners’ unique point of view within their own profession or industry and within the community. Myth-debunks are a great use of blogs, I’ve found, because many of the misunderstandings about a product or service present themselves in the natural order of business, in the form of questions and comments from readers and customers. The very word “secrets” is a draw in a blog post title, and shining the light of day on that misinformation shines light on your own expertise.

Shelter-Cat Success Stories
LIFE highlights stories of seven cats who, despite illness and injury, somehow beat the odds. Thanks to a network of compassionate humans… In your blog, customer success stories and client testimonials boost your credibility with new prospects, helping them decide to do business with you. Perhaps even more important, website testimonials foster commitment from those providing the testimonials and sharing success stories around using your products and services.

Just as the LIFE issue on cats takes a single topic, dealing with it many different ways, in blog content writing, today’s post can slant in one direction; tomorrow’s can take the same theme and highlight different aspect, perhaps appealing to different segments of the business’ (or the practice’s) audience. Blog topics can have, not just nine lives, but as many as ninety-nine!

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedintumblrmail