Are You Packing Enough Heat?

I am on a roll!

I have been writing away since this morning.

For a favorite client of mine and a side project I’m working on.

But I couldn’t call it a day without posting here.

Some day maybe, I’ll tell you about this one time I wrote until my nose bled.

No kidding.

That aside…

My Sony headphones play hits from T.I.’s Heavy Is The Head album.

So, yes, you know I’m locked in.

The boom-twaf cancels noise, which is very good when you want to write.

After all, the only place I want a bedlam is inside my head, not outside.

And from the depths of – I think – my cerebral cortex, I present this post 😀

So, are you packing enough heat?

In the content department, that is?

Do you have what it takes to fire a round of quality content?

You know, to wow readers and make one extra sale?

Do you have the sand to pull the trigger and hit the bull’s eye?

As far as your content marketing goals go, that is.

I’m gonna squeeze this one out real quick because, aren’t you busy?

Without further ado, let me stock you up.

The Arsenal – The Tools You’ll Need

Bulletproof Vest

Shoot ‘em and then hide? No. I don’t think so.

You don’t want to go out there without your bulletproof vest on.

Now do you?

You want to know exactly what you’re saying.

You need astute research to create effective web content.

There is no other way around this.

Without sufficient research, your content will be flawed from the start.

And your competitors? They won’t struggle to oust you.

What defines astute research? A few searches on Google? No.

Rewriting stuff you “borrow” from Wikipedia? H to the E to the L to the L No.

Enough “Nos” already.

What then constitutes astute research?

Research begins with a plan.

• What topic are you covering? And what’s already out there?
• Who is your target audience? Important.
• What pain points are you addressing?
• Who are your sources? Don’t forget personal experience.
• Have you done your SEO keyword research?
• What’s your goal? Educate? Sell? Email sign-ups?
• Et cetera.

It is best to have an outline before you begin research.

Then go to Google and sift through the fluff.

Don’t forget to crank up your SEO tools for keyword research.

Go to a library if you must. Must I mention it’s quiet?

And there are plenty of books on about any topic?

Perhaps even free Wi-Fi?

The point is…

Take research seriously, and you’ll reap the benefits.

Tip: You may use AI to ask questions, but fact-check your results!

That’s right, the ghost in the machine “hallucinates” and makes up stuff.

Visit the best websites in your niche and identify authority authors.

Find reputable educational websites and read; don’t copy-paste the material.

Gather your major points and supporting materials.

Gather as much as you can; research is the most vital part of content.

Then gather some more.

If you’ll quote sources, prepare your list here.

You don’t want to run around looking for sources when writing.

And even then, don’t stop researching and checking facts.

Then read some more.

And only then write.

What does my research process look like?

I always have a pen and paper – writing down everything I learn.

I read a lot about the topic, even if I’m experienced.

Also, I read physicalbooks (remember those?) and watch videos.

And if I can spare a minute, I listen to podcasts too.

Research encompasses every source of info I can find on the topic.

And even related topics for full coverage.

All the while jotting down points. Man, I love how a pen feels in my hand.

Here’s the fun part.

I often end up writing the post in its entirety. On paper!

Then I research some more to cover anything I might have missed.

I often overshoot the word count.

But this has never been an issue with clients.

Besides, I always have enough material to edit.

You know, for clients who must stick to a word count.

So, it’s still a win-win.

The Perfect Arm

Take a knife to a gun fight, and you won’t know who won.

Creating effective content is many things, but high-quality writing surpasses them all.

Quality writing means the usual stuff you already might know. Create helpful, reliable, and people-first content, and then:

• Proofread,
• Proofread again,
• Check your facts.

Note, however…

Good writing does not mean sacrificing brand voice for the sake of grammar.

If slang works for your target audience, great. Creating formal-sounding content won’t take you far.

If formal is what works for your business, going informal won’t work.

Embrace the style that works for your target audience.

Show your audience you get them. They are already doing their part by being on your website.

Enough Firepower

An empty barrel when facing your last foe? Never.

Many “specialists” create stories about how a huge volume of content will bog down your readers.

Not true.

You can never leave out valuable information just because you don’t want to bog down your audience.

That’s like taking blanks to some serious lead action. You will get got.

Your best bet is to write everything your readers need to make an informed decision.

And to save them the strain, create bullet lists and summaries.

You can pour some of the post into a video or an infographic to add some flair.

After all, if your content is great to read, they won’t notice as they click from page to page.

Google will also love you if you have plenty of shareable information on your subject.

That is how you create great content without trying hard.

That should be enough to have you packing and ready for the hottest content shootout of the week.

If you run out, I can restock you within the week when you join the free newsletter.

See you around.