How to Write Better Content?

The written word is powerful.

Isn’t it?

In the age of social media, we might be distracted and sometimes we forget how powerful words are.

There are memes, short videos, animations, and so many types of media.

But words are still powerful.

It connects. On a deep level.

This blog DigitalDeepak.com is read by more than 100,000 readers every month.

Twitter, though short, is full of written words.

All my emails are just words. I have more than 400,000 subscribers now.

I don’t add fancy HTML designs and animations to my email.

I just write the words.

Like these words.

If you are reading this right now, then it is obvious that my words are capturing your attention.

And I believe, you don’t need any convincing on why the written word is powerful.

Now comes the next question.

You might be asking me:

“Ok, Deepak. I agree that the written word is powerful, but how do I write better?”

You might be thinking that good writers are born with writing skills.

No.

No one is born a great writer.

Every great writer on this planet learned to write better. Just like I did.

They learned it themselves, or they had a mentor to guide them.

That means…

You can also learn to write.

It’s a skill that can be learned.

You see, I write in simple language. Straight to the point.

And that’s you connect with me so well.

I write as I talk.

That’s my first weapon.

Weapon 1: Write As You Talk

If you want people to listen to you, you don’t usually have much of a problem.

You talk to them and they listen to you.

No one gets a talker’s block.

But people get something called the writer’s block.

Writer’s block is when people sit down to write and the words don’t flow.

Many people struggle with writing because they do not write as they talk.

They write as if they are writing a thesis or an essay.

They use complex words and sentences.

When it comes to digital marketing and online writing, we are not trying to impress our English teacher here.

We want our audience to pay attention to our message.

And then pay money for the products and services that we sell.

If you are reading this line right now, there is a high chance that you feel like I am talking to you, sitting next to you, in the living room, looking at your eyes while I am talking.

That’s the power of writing like talking.

Without being there with you, I am emulating the same feeling between us.

I connect with you.

And create a warm atmosphere.

Alright.

So we write as we talk.

Is that all?

No.

Sometimes, you will write as you talk, but people will not read.

Just like when you are talking to someone, and they are not listening to you.

When you talk and people ignore you, it pains.

When you write and people don’t read, it doesn’t pain that much because you don’t know. But if you knew how many people ignore what you write, you will feel the pain.

How to make sure that you can write like I do, and get 1000s of replies to it?

That brings us to our next powerful weapon in writing.

Weapon 2: Join a Conversation (Don’t start one)

The best way to get talking to people in real life is to join an interesting conversation they are having with others (or their own minds).

Imagine you are standing in a queue to vote on a hot sunny day.

There is a beautiful woman standing next to you and she is sweating.

How do you talk to her and get into a conversation?

You don’t start talking about yourself.

You don’t say random things. If you do, she will ignore you.

You will probably say something like “Isn’t the weather so hot today? And it’s damn humid.”

And she would reply “So true, I have been sweating profusely.”

And there you go.

You have initiated the conversation, and she wouldn’t mind if you talked about yourself.

(And may even be open to the idea of you asking her out on a date.)

How does this happen?

You are joining a conversation she is already having in her mind.

She was probably thinking that the weather is so hot.

And going on in her mind like “Oh man, how long should I wait, I am feeling so hot.”

And you are joining the conversation she is having on her mind already.

That’s what I did with this email.

You are reading this right now, not because I am telling something random.

The blog post title is “How to write better content?”

That’s a question that you probably have in your mind.

That’s something that you are thinking already.

And I am joining that conversation that you have inside your head.

With the power of my written words, I have entered your head.

I’ve got your attention.

That’s why written copy is so powerful.

More powerful than funny 20-second videos or TV ads that cost millions.

Now you might be asking me…

“Ok, Deepak. I have to write as I talk. I have to join a conversation with whom I’m talking to (writing to). Is that all?”

No.

There’s one more thing.

How will you find out what’s going on in her mind?

That brings us to the 3rd most powerful writing weapon.

Weapon 3: Know Her and Understand Her Well

If you do not know her and understand her well, how are you going to know what’s running in her (or his) head?

If you don’t know what’s running in her head, how can you join the conversation she has in her mind and initiate the conversation.

Even after initiating the conversation with a hook, (the hook here is what’s running in her mind), you can keep talking all by yourself.

Good talking is a good conversation.

Not just talking one way.

You let her talk, and you listen.

When you listen, you understand her better.

When you understand her better, you can have better conversations.

Imagine that she is now talking about who to vote for and why she is voting for a specific candidate. You can now start talking more. (If you remember, in our example, in our imaginary scenario, you and she are standing in a queue to vote.)

You cannot engage in further conversation without listening to her and understanding her better.

When you know her better and understand her better, you can continue the conversation and go deeper.

And why should writing be any different?

I started this email asking you if you wanted to become better at content writing.

It was a conversation you had in your mind already. I joined it.

Because I understand you to some extent. I understand that you want to become better at writing.

This understanding comes from having conversations with my audience. Via Email, meeting, events, groups, surveys, and so on.

However, if we have to continue this conversation…

Yeah, this very conversation about writing better content…

I want to listen.

I want to ask you, why do you want to become better at content?

• Are you a digital marketer?
• Are you an entrepreneur?
• Are you a blogger/author?
• Are you a freelancer/consultant?

And have you tried writing content already? And what are the challenges you face while writing content?

If you have read this blog post until this point, please comment and let me know about you and your challenges further.

Cheers,
Deepak Kanakaraju