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We all need traffic. Targeted traffic to our sites that’ll convert. SEO, PPC ads, organic social media posts, blogs, email newsletters,
a culture manifesto
— you name it, content
must be produced. For us, content has been a major cornerstone of our growth and it’s something we put a lot of time and energy in to.
In the early days, this sort of thing many times falls to the founder. Heck, we’re four years into it at Baremetrics, and the bulk of our content marketing still revolves around me, the founder, producing most of the content.
Lots of founders struggle with writing. They struggle with confidence in their writing abilities. But, that’s not because they aren’t good writers! It just takes practice and a few practical things to keep it from becoming a complete time-suck.
Founders wear many hats
, especially in the beginning. So, how do you find the time to dedicate to writing? Well, you’re in luck. We’re going to teach you how to conquer the content beast
in a matter of an hour per piece of content.
Don’t be so hard on yourself
You can’t efficiently write if you’re worried about what everyone is going to think.
You might not think you can write, but ask yourself, how many emails have you written this week? Slack messages? Texts? The answer is
plenty
. Thanks to tech, humans write regularly.
You might say to yourself, “Yeah but, I don’t remember all those rules from 5th grade, who or whom, less or fewer. Plus, I don’t think people would want to read what I write. I don’t know if it’s good enough.”
The fact is, all of those “rules” aren’t important. There’s a fine balance between writing that feels relatable and writing that’s overly professional and boring. The kind of writing that gets a lot of traction is much heavier on the “relatable” side
of things.
That being said, there are some easy ways to put a little polish on your writing.
Below are two free tools that many of the best writers are using to correct minor grammar errors.
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Edit grammar: commas, colons, apostrophes, hyphens
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Correct spelling
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Correct word usage: they’re vs. their, who vs. whom
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Can tell you the reading level of your content (aim for 8th grade or lower)
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Highlights sentences that are too complex
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Highlights adverbs so that you can delete ‘em
Write what you would want to read
What good is our writing if no one ’ll read it? Often, the most nerve-wracking thing is wondering,
what the heck does my market want to read?
Instead of asking yourself what your market wants, ask yourself what
you
would want to read. What content do you like? What blogs help you be better at your job? What industry blogs inspire you? Write that kinda stuff.
Write in your voice
Most people aren’t academics, nor do they talk like that. Writing conversationally removes so much pressure. Write more like you talk and less like you’re writing for a scientific journal.
Think about the content you like. You probably appreciate it, and share it, because it provides real value. It teaches you a new marketing hack or a new way of fixing some issue.
Give away intellectual property
This might seem counterintuitive, but the fresher the idea, the better. And the best content usually contains some type of tactic or resource that’s unique to the industry.
For example, instead of writing another article about SEO, find a unique angle—something that hasn’t been said. Maybe it’s “HTML hacks for marketers without coding experience that will improve your SEO rankings.” It varies industry to industry, but
the more you can giveaway and the more that’s bringing something new to the table, the more traction you’ll get.
A few quick lessons from the greats
1. Avoid adverbs
Ernest Hemingway was all about this little rule.
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, phrase, or another adverb or adjective. Adverbs are hell on paper. They junk up your writing. They un-clarify.
Example:
Have you considered how truly awful it would be to calculate all those metrics without software?
Truly
(the adverb) just junks it up, takes up space and doesn’t change the meaning or emphasize the question. When a writer says something’s awful, we believe them. What’s the difference between something awful and something truly awful?
It’s just clutter.
Have you considered how awful it would be to calculate all those metrics without software?
Without
truly
, the word
awful
can do its job.
2. Don’t use a big word when a little word will do
Mark Twain said, “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”
Big words are overrated. Don’t come off as a know-it-all when you can be precise and straightforward.
Don’t use too much jargon. When you’re in a defined niche or industry, it may be hard to avoid certain jargon words.
If you cater to SaaS businesses, you’ll likely use some industry jargon…MRR, churn, LTV, etc. This is fine because it’s educational. Just make sure you’re offering a clear explanation of your jargon-talk.
3. Avoid passive voice
Passive voice is when the verb comes before the subject.
