Where to get information? Why pay attention to your readers? How to come up with a title? We have gathered ways to improve your writing skills.
1. Take information from trusted sources
Information is needed for any text. In reviews, they give technical characteristics, and in blog articles – descriptions of services, cases, or phenomena. Facts should be taken from trusted sources. These are not the first links in the top search results. Even if the article is in the first place, this does not mean that there are no errors in it. It is better to double-check all the data in the primary sources:
- on the official website of the manufacturer of the goods;
- in the official FAQ and product manuals;
- on statistical websites;
- in publications with the results of independent studies and surveys;
- from reputable experts;
- in video from conferences, webinars, and summits.
Technical details are best checked with tests. It happens that even in authoritative sources, opinions differ. One expert advises underfloor heating for a private house; another is categorically against them. Then in the text, you can give the opinions of both experts with their arguments for and against – let the reader decide for themselves.
It may take more time to study information than to write a text. This is normal practice – this is how a high-quality and reliable text is created.
2. Be direct
While writing, be direct. Writing directly is appreciated when doing student papers such as essays. And if you want to be sure that in your paper, all thoughts are clearly stated, it is better to hire essay writers on www.essayshark.com. Writers who know how to write clear and concise essays work there.
3. Know your reader
Usually, authors are told where the text will be placed, why it is needed, and who its reader is. If not, ask about the target audience of the text. This is to make it interesting and useful. Here is an exaggerated example of how it works. Let’s say you need to write a text about creating a website. You think that readers understand the topic and use the terms CMS, “root folder,” and CNC without explanation. Your test is read by those who are faced with the issue for the first time – they do not understand what you are writing about. Most likely, people will close the text and go to where it is explained.
Reverse situation. At the beginning of the text, you tell what CMS is, where the root folder is located, and why you need a CNC. And your text is read by those who have long been familiar with the creation of sites – people want to learn how to create a resource with complex animations. They will be bored reading the basics, and most likely, they will also leave.
Therefore, before writing the text, you need to find out as much as possible about the readers:
- whether the reader understands basic things;
- whether it is necessary to explain the terms to them;
- what presentation of materials they are accustomed to.
Think about who is interested in the topic of the material: where these people work, what they know about the topic, and what they want from the text.
4. Think over the text structure
The structure of the text should be such that the reader gets an answer to all their questions on the topic of the text. Select frequently asked questions from users and make a plan of material from them with a topic and subheadings in which you will respond to readers’ requests.
You can immediately briefly describe what you will talk about in each paragraph. Then you will get not a structure but a thesis plan of the text. It is easier to work with it: you don’t have to think about what information to add and what not to add.
5. Write an interesting title
The title “sells” the content of the text. It depends on it whether the reader opens the article and leaves in the first seconds. Therefore, you need to make the title interesting. Usually, the heading tells what will be in the text. They take out the most important things there: they say that inside the material, there will be instructions with screenshots or that it contains answers to the most popular questions.
There are many tips and tricks on the web for creating headlines. Here are the most common ones:
- Use numbers. It is believed that the numbers attract more attention and also give the reader an idea of the volume of the material.
- Promise benefits. The benefit is what a person will receive if they read the text. It can be a new or very simple way to solve a problem.
- Arouse curiosity. To do this, you can use metaphors, questions, and interesting facts.
There are many other techniques – you can ask questions and use comparisons and interesting facts. All these techniques can be combined with each other. Life hack: write several headlines, and then choose the best one. This way, you can get an interesting headline that motivates the reader to read the text further.
6. Answer the questions in the content
Good content answers all the questions a reader may have. Your thesis plan will help to make the text meaningful. Sequentially reveal each thesis so that after reading the text, there are no questions left.
To make it easier for the reader to perceive a large amount of information, structure the text. This will help them quickly find the right part of the text and, even with a cursory glance, notice useful thoughts. For structuring use:
- Subheadings of the second level. It is better if the subheadings consistently reveal the topic of the text and do not force readers to remember what it is about now.
- Numbered and bulleted lists. Numbered lists are usually used to indicate the order of actions.
- Formatting. Bold, italic, color shading, and other means usually highlight important thoughts. The reader will notice them even if they scan the text.
For the rest, be guided by the editorial policy of the resource you are writing for.
