The Importance of Great Writing Skills
Sadly, there are a lot of pitiful writers out there. Thanks to Amazon, the availability of free blogs, and any numerous number of open forums, just about anyone can write anything and claim to be a writer. But if your writing is subpar, there are ways to improve it.
If you want to be a successful online marketer, you need to have great writing skills. Poor or average just won’t cut it. Connecting with your audience is important if you want to grab their attention, get them to engage, and make them believe what you have to offer will impact their lives.
If your writing is subpar, your audience will disconnect immediately. You may even be seen as unprofessional.
If you desire to make more money and gain success as a writer, author, blogger, and even marketer, there are ways you can improve quickly that will keep your audience on the edge of their seats, demanding more. To succeed means not just writing well, but having the desire to write better and learning new ways to improve.
Here are 5 powerful ways you can improve your writing.
Table of Contents
1) Read. A lot.
You probably knew this one. Here is one of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” -Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
If you have a favorite author and you know they’re better at writing than you are, reading does a lot in terms of helping you develop your own style. You see how words and sentences are properly laid out. You become more proficient at storytelling. In writing copy, blogs, press releases, email marketing, etc, you’re telling a story that connects with the reader. All of this communication is done through the written word.
2) Write interesting headlines
The first line of offense is definitely going to be the intriguing headline that catches someone’s attention. How many times have you been browsing Facebook or another social media site and saw an article you just had to open? You absolutely do not care what Justin Bieber did, but here you are reading about him and his latest shenanigan.
Writing is a skill all social marketers need to have ✍️ https://t.co/0Syf35nao0 7 tips and tools pic.twitter.com/fvlgaKPm6m
— Hootsuite (@hootsuite) January 18, 2019
Upworthy, one of the top content marketing sites on the internet today, knows how to reel a person in with a catchy headline. One of the tips they often give writers is creating what’s called a ‘curiosity gap’. If you make the headline tantalizing enough without giving away the story, they’ll be tempted to click it.
3) Don’t be lazy!
Always, always, always proofread your work. I know, you wrote a passionate piece you’re sure your readers will love and are eager to get it up on the site. But a single mistake can sap all the magic away from it. Suddenly, a potential customer is questioning your attention to detail.
Another point I need to make here: don’t trust your spellchecker! It isn’t always accurate. Therefore, if you don’t know the meaning of a word, look it up. Be diligent with your piece. It’s your story, your selling point, and your connection with the customers. Make it count.
4) Be honest with your writing
When you write, your heart and soul comes out. How you think, your passion for what you do, your level of education, opinions, etc, all come out of your words. They are who you are the reader. They will know you by it. And if you’re honest and upfront, and down-to-earth, it will show up. But so does phoniness. The moment you’re outed as a fake, liar, or someone who just isn’t truthful with the facts to make a few extra bucks, you might as well pack it up. The train stops right there. Always be authentic so your audience trusts you.
5) Know your audience
When you’re out there constantly cranking out information, you should have a good handle on who your audience is, what they like, what their interests are, and what will pull them in. If middle-aged, conservative men are the ones who seem to engage quicker and share your posts, then you’d want to avoid terms, words, and jargon that just don’t fit with their philosophy.
So, it might take you some time, but you should frequently test out your styles. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t. There could be different audiences during different parts of the day. You just don’t know unless you test the market and understand just who you’re speaking to.
At the end of the day, your ability to make money online hinges on your ability to write and connect with your audience. If you work hard at the content you put out and show an affinity to detail, your customers will notice. It can be the difference between being seen as a professional or someone they just don’t want to waste their time on.
Improve your Writing: Show, Not Tell
Become a better writer, no matter what you’re writing! I’ll show you how to take simple, boring sentences and turn them into vibrant, expressive writing. As you practice this technique in your writing, you will find it carries over to your everyday spoken English as well by Learn English with Benjamin.Watch this for more information.
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