What is ‘good content,’ and how do I write it?
Put simply, good content is content that offers some kind of value to the reader. Good content, in this context, is not simply content that’s designed to feed the Google machine, but that’s a topic for another blog post.
Genuinely good content answers a question, overcomes an objection, or inspires or enables an action. Good content generally changes the reader’s situation for the better by making something easier to understand, or by providing actionable advice or instruction. The goal of good content, in the first instance, is to provide information that actual people, with actual problems or questions, can actually use.
The goal of good content, in the first instance, is to provide information that actual people, with actual problems or questions, can actually use.
When it comes to creating good content, it’s helpful to frame your Big Idea as a question. The first draft of every article written at Offscript includes a title that ends in a question mark: headings like “How Can Artificial Intelligence Drive Benefits for Micro-Businesses?” or “Why Does Analytics Matter for Workplace Health and Safety?” provide great jumping off points that force you to think of your content as a response, not a lecture, and make it easier to identify when something you’ve included is irrelevant or unnecessary.
And once you’ve gotten further into your process, completed more research, and fleshed out a few ideas, you can begin to crystallise your idea around your most salient point or points. This is the magical moment when your question transforms into a value proposition!
“Does Artificial Intelligence Drive Benefits for Micro-Businesses?” becomes…
“Three Ways Micro-Businesses Are Using AI to Save Money”
Now, all that’s left is to deliver digestible, engaging content that’s somehow different than everything else already on the internet.
Easy, right?
To be honest, if you’re actively attempting to deliver value to your reader – and not just shoving every single truth about your product or service into every piece of content that you create – you’ve already got a leg-up on the competition.
Of course, if you do find yourself rudderless in a sea of keywords and deleted drafts, there’s always Offscript, and you know exactly where to find us.