Newspapers, magazines, web sites and blogs are content machines – and they’re always hungry for more.
Creating fresh content on a regular basis serves as an important way to share your key messages with your target audience. Many media outlets now welcome “free” content, which means if you can provide a timely, newsworthy story – ideally, with photos – you can increase your visibility and expand the reach of your messaging power.
Whether you’re developing content for your own web site or to share with traditional or interactive media, here are five ideas to keep in mind to develop high-quality content:
- Always search engine optimize your web copy. Include keywords that will drive customers to your web site. Remember that good SEO writing performs well in search engines while providing helpful, up-to-date, accurate information.
- Consider writing a blog. Blogs are among the most frequented sites on the web, making them a great way to attract visitors to your web site. Write interesting, relevant blog posts that position you as an expert in your field. You’ll be amazed how many people may follow you online.
- Make it easy to read your copy. Use bulleted or numbered lists whenever possible to enable readers to scan for information that is important to them. Remember that readers often scan text instead of reading every word.
- Stay focused. Avoid digressions or off-topic meanderings. If a sentence, paragraph or section of your copy doesn’t relate to or add to the topic at hand, hit the delete button. When you start wandering, your readers will tune out as well.
- Proof and spell check. There’s nothing worse than disseminating information that is incorrect, misspelled and grammatically questionable. Ask one of your co-workers to proof behind you, verify all facts presented and be sure to spell check your work.
At APR, we excel at developing fresh copy for our clients using a wide range of tools including social media, blogs, videos and web copy. We even ghostwrite blog copy for our clients, enabling them to share their expertise without having to sit down and do the “dirty work” of writing.
However you choose to share your messages with your target audience, remember that we live an age when content truly is king.
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Jennifer Abshire is the founder and Chief Creative Officer at Abshire Public Relations. She can be reached at jennifer@abshirepr.com or 912-695-7881.
