4 Tips to Help Your Content Stand Out

When used effectively, content marketing can be an awareness gem. This is no secret. In fact, according to MarketingProf’s, approximately 2 million blog posts are written every day.

Therein lies the problem. With so much content being created, how do you stand out? For starters, make sure your content is likable, creative, and compelling. Let’s take a look at four ways you can make this happen.

1. Do your own thing

Everyone’s heard the expression, “be yourself” in your everyday life, but it should apply to your writing as well. One of the keys to compelling writing is to create your own unique voice. Copying others may be seen as a form of flattery but in writing, it just means you’re saying the same thing. Imagine seeing previews for a new movie that is all about sharks attacking beach goers while two ominous notes continue playing in the background repeatedly – you would probably think ok, that’s just Jaws. You’re probably not Spielberg, so don’t try to be.

Though you may not be able to speak to something no one has ever written about before, it’s crucial to sprinkle a bit of your own style on it to spice up the flavor. The way I do this is by weaving in corny analogies like the previous one.

2. Say stuff that matters

For me, the actual process of writing is only half the battle. The other half falls under finding something interesting to talk about. (Enter corny analogy). For instance, we’ve all came across a stranger in one setting or another where we chime in with the typical greeting then engage in some kind of empty conversation like the weather. This conversation never stands out and hardly ever gets remembered.

The trick is to find a topic that will be as equally of interest to you as it will be to your audience. As a rule of thumb, it’s always good to stay up to date with current trends and figure out what people are talking about these days — then aligning those topics to what you’re passionate about. Once you find that balance, the quality content will start flowing.

3. Include visuals

As a half PR pro, half graphic designer (was going to go for a Centaur analogy here…but that’s a stretch), I can’t argue this point enough. The statistics on including visuals in your content marketing campaigns speak for themselves. Adding graphics will help people process what you’re saying faster, increase traffic and engagement, and sustain interest among your readers. Visual content, such as infographics, videos, or just simply images could be what makes your article, blog, ebook, pitch deck (the list goes on), stand out from the rest.

4. Make it thought provoking

Leaving your audience with questions can be a good thing — it typically means whatever they read engaged them enough to think about the topic further. However, this doesn’t mean you should stop mid sentence. That abrupt ending would leave your audience confused – much like the season finale The Sopranos. And to continue on the TV and film theme, some of the best ones typically have you on the edge of your seat and leave you hanging in suspense once they’re over. Can you say Breaking Bador Dexter anyone?

Making your content thought provoking typically sparks engagement – or the desired reaction of wanting more. Thought provoking content can also open up the possibly for debate or just further discussion in general.

The amount of content on the web is increasing daily, as is the challenge of standing out. While you may feel a little bit like Waldo lost in the crowd, following these tips can put you on the right track to rising above the noise.