How to Write Better Content (Tips That Work)
Your content is a reflection of you. Make it a good one.
No matter your industry, content marketing is going to demand a lot of words from you. Blog posts. Video scripts. Social captions. Newsletters. Tutorials. The list goes on.
Anyone can write, but to write well is how you stand out. With so much content flooding our feeds, inboxes, and search results, your writing needs to be better than average to engage and keep your audience.
So the $64,000 question is: but how?
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Create a Content Mission Statement
Good writing always has a clear purpose and a clear audience. Why are you writing it, and who is it for?
Your content is exactly the same: it must have a defined purpose and a defined audience. The best way to ensure consistency is to create a content mission statement for your platform. It should answer the question of what your platform is about should someone ask. It’s your elevator pitch. Think it out, write it down.
It’s usually a short sentence that looks like this:
Need some inspo?
"To inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, we can change our world."
"To empower and educate people everywhere so that they can improve their lives and achieve their goals."
"To build relationships so that we enrich the lives of others."
"To reimagine fashion by creating, assembling, improving and rethinking so that all can benefit."
"To connect millions of people in real life all over the world, through a community marketplace – so that you can belong anywhere."
"To serve and facilitate so that others can elevate themselves and experience more happiness and love."
Be Consistent in Tone and Voice
How would you describe your brand in a couple of adjectives? Fun and flirty? Rigorous and detail-oriented? Empowering and uplifting? Serious? Frivolous? Formal? Laid-back? There’s no right or wrong answer, although your industry will naturally influence your description (a fun and flirty funeral home or a strict and rigid indoor play space is probably not the way to go).
What do you want people to associate with your brand? Identify that, then stay consistent.
Use Good Grammar
Would you do business with someone whose writing was full of spelling and grammar mistakes? Probably not.
There’s no excuse for shoddy grammar anymore. Tools like Grammarly and Hemingway make clean, clear writing accessible to everyone. Use the active voice. Know your homonyms. Vary your sentence length. Choose the simple word over the fancy one. When in doubt, look it up.
Check your work. Twice. Then ask someone else. Twice.
Read It Aloud
There’s no better or simpler way to check your writing than to read it out loud.
Pay attention to the sound and flow. Is it smooth or clunky? Are you naturally pausing in spots without punctuation, or rolling through places that need it? Running out of breath mid-sentence? Break it up.
You don't need an advanced grammar degree to catch a problem. If it sounds wrong, that's your red flag to take a closer look.
Make It Scannable
As readers, we like to quickly scan a piece of text before committing. A long, unbroken block without discernible sections? Many people won't bother.
You can increase the chances someone will read your writing by making it scannable:
Short paragraphs
Subheadings in bold
Bulleted or numbered lists
Bolded text and links to draw the eye
Is this an exhaustive list for better writing? Far from it. But if you take these suggestions to heart, your writing will be stronger and more compelling with minimal effort.
This is the starting point. Great writing is a practice, and there's no shortage of books, courses, and resources to take you further.
You just may find you become addicted to it.
Sarah Whyte is Bright Light Content’s Copywriter and Brand Strategist. She’s a quick talking, avid reader who delights in noticing big truths in everyday places.
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