Content is king, content is queen, content is, well…basically any member of the royal family at this rate.

It’s nothing we haven’t heard before, and yet we often have the importance of mastering our content drilled into us without too much of a peep when it comes to ‘how’. Sure, we get given writing tips, inspiration, and maybe even a little technical advice on how to work our content management systems, but what we really need is just some good old practical advice on getting the most from your creative output. 

Notepads at the ready

1. No sleep 'til the hook’s in

Don’t underestimate the importance of your headline. No really, don’t. As the first thing your readers will cast their eyes over, you want to make it enticing, exciting, and oh so clickable. While click-baity headlines are always frowned upon, do what you can do make your content stop people in their scrolling tracks.

2. There is such a thing as the perfect size

Yeah I get it, quality is better than quantity, but that doesn’t mean that quantity isn’t an important factor when it comes to your content. While there is such a thing as too long or too short, we’d recommend aiming for something between 500-700 words as an ideal length. And remember to break up any big chunks of text into bite-size paragraphs with clear and snappy sub-headings; enabling readers to skip to the most relevant bits.

3. Jazz up your content

It’s a pretty obvious step, but one that is all too often forgotten; incorporate some visual elements into your content, if possible. Stick in some useful (and relevant) images to break up the text, make content more interesting, and add a bit of visual stimulation. It’s hard to find the will to read a massive block of tiny text, so keep your reader’s attention with a few quality images here and there (or even a GIF or two).

4. Use social media share buttons

Trust me, if you want your content to get shared a multitude of times, plant the idea in your audience’s heads - and make it as easy as possible for them to do that. With social media sharing buttons, the opportunity to spread the content across social networks is only a few short steps away. It’s one small leap for content sharing, but one giant leap for brand awareness. Using a tool like Sumo makes this process as easy as pie.

5. Keep on sharing

In the spirit of getting as many eyes on your content as possible, don’t simply shout about your content once, and then forget about it forever. If your content is evergreen, then you could keep on sharing it for months on end, and possibly even years. If your content has the power to keep bringing value to your audience, then where’s the sense in hiding it away?

6. Keep your content up-to-date

It’s one thing to create some brilliantly useful content, but you should also be regularly revisiting and improving your content over time. Check in on your content every so often to make sure that the stats are still correct, the facts are as they should be, and that your readers will still get the best possible information. And if you’re staying up-to-date? Well, you’ll be absolutely showered in link backs too (ooooh).

7. Master that CTA

Your Call to Action (or CTA) is your big opportunity to encourage your readers to check out something related, read another blog, get in touch, try out your amazing services, etc. Craft your CTA skilfully, so it’s optimised and ready to encourage the most engagement possible!

=====