I have always been able to write well. When I was younger, I didn’t realise that being able to write was a skill as it came so naturally to me. My friends would simultaneously marvel and roll their eyes as I ‘blagged’ good grades at school, despite often not putting in the leg work.

Stepping up from college to degree level taught me how to refine my writing to get across necessary points within a word count, how to present both sides of an argument and use research to come up with a suitable conclusion, and how to write incredibly dull topics in a way which was both informative and engaging. Still, I didn’t see writing as something important in itself, more as a way of getting across something important.

It wasn’t until I dipped my toe into marketing that I realised that without good copy, even the most exciting news can be discarded as trash. I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase ‘Content is king’, and by heard I mean had drilled into your conscience repeatedly. While I appreciate content writing does not come naturally to everyone, there are key steps you can take to ensure you produce interesting and original content for your blog, website or marketing campaign. It may take a little time but I believe it’s better to take time to do a job properly, than to waste time on a half-hearted attempt which won’t contribute to your goals.

If you’re interested in creating good content, here’s what you need to do.

Do your research

It’s unlikely that you will be an expert in every piece of content you write, but this shouldn’t be an excuse to write poor content. Familiarise yourself with the concept background by reading authoritative sites and publications on the subject before researching the specific topic, rather than diving straight in. Draw on this knowledge when writing to ensure your content is well informed – inaccurate information is a sure fire way of ensuring that the reader hits that back button.

Serve a purpose

What is it that your target audience wants? Find out, and then give them it – whether ‘it’ is facts, advice, or comparisons of multiple products or services, finding out what the purpose of your content should be will make sure it is read and shared. If there is already plenty of articles out there similar to what you want to get across, bring something new to the table – up to date research, a fresh opinion, a different angle; anything that makes your content stand out from the crowd.

Keep it to the point

We live in a fast paced world where people are no longer prepared to wade through unnecessary sentences. Keep the readers interest by keeping points short and sweet, avoiding unnecessary jargon and cutting out words and phrases that don’t add value. An excellent way of gaining the readers interest is to have a brief, captivating overview as the introduction, and then clear sections entailing extra information to ensure readers can find the information that they’re looking for, without getting bored.

Break up long sentences

You might remember being taught how to conduct long, well-articulated sentences in high school – now is the time to forget that. While they’re great for setting the scene in a novel, writing content for websites and blogs requires the use of snappy sentences to keep the readers interested. Grammar is a great way of breaking up long sentences without interrupting the flow of words.

Keep it evergreen

Good content should never have an expiration date, so making sure you produce evergreen content should be top on your list. While this may not seem applicable to trends and current affairs, it is possible to keep the content evergreen by focusing on the underlying issues that make a subject important, using the story you’re covering as a way to illustrate your points.