Whipping Content into Gold Medal Shape

Good content and good copy draws readers. It attracts repeat visits and grows loyalty. As Web Professionals, we're sometimes so busy Photoshopping the images, wrestling with the CSS, designing the database and scripting the server - that we forget what the audience comes for, and what will bring them back. Content Maven Meryl Evans has written this free article for DMXzone members with a few pointers on turning your purple prose into gold medal content.

What's a product without a selling point?

When selling products, companies show excitement and exaggerate to promote the product's selling points. Jakob Nielsen conducted a study proving objective writing sells better than promotional or "marketese" style writing. Improve the site's credibility and trust by writing objectively by providing facts, offering practical information, and doing it in an interesting way. http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html

The writing style helps with creating interesting content. When selling something, give facts instead of hype. Experts have repeatedly stated that hyperbole and fluff don't work on the Web. This makes "truth in advertising" ring true, doesn't it?

Many sites have content that sound like one gigantic, unbelievable promotion. Something about the style is a turn off and makes people feel uncomfortable and untrusting. Let the facts do the talking and save people the time in filtering out the hyperbole.

Gold medal tip:

Write objectively.

Reaching the Finish Line

Sites that succeed often include four fundamentals when writing content for the Web:

• Scannable
• Concise
• Engaging
• Objective

Sites like Salon, Wired, and The Onion aren't popular because of their looks, it's what's inside them that regularly attract loyal readers. Somehow, people keep returning for more.

Meryl K. Evans (www.meryl.net), Content Maven, has written, edited, and contributed to InternetVIZ, Wiley, Sams, Digital Web Magazine, Lockergnome, The Dallas Morning News, and others. The Fort Worth native lives in Plano, just a heartbeat north of Dallas where many of the stories about the city's people are tall tales. Her latest adventure is getting a bionic ear (www.meryl.net/ci/) and working as a Web design tour guide.