Writing a piece of inbound content can be a lot like planning for a trip. I know, this sounds kind of out there but let me explain. I would be willing to bet that when you are packing for a trip you make a list of items to pack and things that need to be done before you take off on your adventure.

Well, when writing a piece of inbound content, whether it’s a blog, email or a landing page, it can be a good idea to make a similar list of things that need to be considered before you hit publish. Read on to discover the 7 things you should be considering when writing  a piece of inbound content.

1. Your Audience

The first thing you should consider when writing any piece of content is, “who is going to be reading this?” Is the piece of content meant to appeal to all of your customers or a specific buyer persona you’re targeting?
Keep in mind the needs, wants and preferences of your audience. For example, would they prefer to read a bulleted list or an in depth research article? There is a reason that people always say, “Know your audience.”

2. Buyer’s Journey

We’ve all had it happen. You’re just browsing in a store when a pushy sales person tries to sell you everything in the store. Don’t be that sales person, consider where your audience is at in the buyer’s journey and create content that supports/adds value for that stage.
  • Awareness: Content to help the reader define problems they’re having and start to research solutions
  • Consideration: Provide informational content to help the reader with their research
  • Decision: Help the reader pick a product or service, ideally yours

3. Content Subject

Ask yourself, “What is the main idea of my blog post, landing page, email, etc?”  Can you summarize it in a sentence or two? If so, you’re on the right track.
Also ask yourself, “Is there something I want the reader to do because they have read this piece of content?” If you are trying to get the reader to download a content offer, check out #7 on this list.

4. Writing  Style

Writing style: The way writing is dressed up (or down) to fit the specific context, purpose, or audience. Word choice, sentence fluency, and the writer’s voice — all contribute to the style of a piece of writing.
If your organization doesn’t already have one, think about coming up with a style guide outlining your writing style.

5. Writing Tone

Do you want to address your reader in a way that is formal and professional or witty and informal?

These are things to consider when you are determining the writing tone of your content. Tone is the attitude that an author has toward their subject and their reader. If your organization has a specific tone that it uses when addressing clients and customers, keep that in mind.

6. Keywords

You can write the best blog post or landing page in the world but if it doesn’t have focused keywords that make it easy for search engines to crawl and find, sadly it might go unseen. And no one wants that!
Here are some tips for choosing keywords:
  • Use keywords that your audience would use when they search
  • Use long tail keywords or key phrases
  • Choose keywords that have high search volumes
  • Put keywords in titles, H1’s , and meta descriptions and in bold fonts

7. Content Offer & Call-to-Action

It’s important to choose a content offer your audience will find valuable and is appropriate for their stage in the buyer’s journey.
Remember my earlier comment about the pushy sales person? That applies here too. For example, a free quote or assessment would be great for someone in the decision stage but not in the consideration stage (at this stage it could be seen as too salesy and pushy).
Once you’ve picked out your content offer, promote it using a call-to-action button that is visually appealing and gives the reader a clear idea of what they are supposed to do and what they will receive (not to brag, but check out our awesome call-to-action at the bottom of this post).
Now that you’ve read these tips; go forth. Write great content and share it with the world!
To help you stay organized while you share this content, we have a great tool for you. Download our free Content Calendar below!