The Psychology Behind Content Writing

Any creator knows that in order for any content to have its maximum effect on an audience it needs to be introduced and shared in the right way. No matter how informative or novel an idea is, you need to tell people why they should care for your message to pack a punch. I will be sharing some tips and tricks on how to create and introduce content that will help execute your vision and effectively portray information.

Persuasion

Persuasion goes beyond telling people why they should care about something outright. First, you need to show them something relevant to their interests. You can’t get anywhere with someone if they’re just not your target market. In the time of such an information-saturated digital landscape, people are only going to register your content if it connects to them.

Secondly, you need to make sure your content is easily digestible and easily communicable. The ultimate goal is for people to see it, understand it, and share it with people who will hopefully do the same. People are not going to find something that is overly complicated, or difficult to understand,persuasive. More often than not they won’t even try to consume a difficult subject unless something is highly relevant to them specifically, or novel/newsworthy.

Perhaps most importantly, your content needs to inspire an action or change. Whatever this means to you, it needs to trigger the consumer into feeling something, doing something, or saying something.Without this compelling argument or push for action, it will read as ornamental.

Idea Innovation

It is difficult to create something entirely unique. That being said, it is the job of a content creator to design and say something that is innovative. Psychologically, people are drawn to things that balance the line between expected and familiar, and novel or unpredictable.

You want the consumer to feel comfortable with the format and content before they even read it,but you want it original enough to draw their attention in the first place. Try thinking about what it is that you are selling, why is it rare or exclusive? How can it be both individual and familiar? Toeing that line is what makes content creation so exciting.

Formatting & Fluency

Once you have the idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it, you need to fine-tune your content so it’s exceptionally easy to digest. Using visual cues, short-hand, or even emojis are really easy ways of using a simplistic, bang-for-your-buck, method of drawing in readers.

We as humans are more drawn to things like sound bites, visual graphs, or short video clips than we are long paragraphs of text. We are naturally inclined to prefer shortcuts or graphic symbols, so including a way to synthesize information is essential when creating content for a digital sphere. Try using keywords instead of complex definitions. Or use hashtags to get at a culturally relevant feeling ormovement.

When it comes to fluency, it is always better to “kill your darlings” and opt for simplistic legibility. But, don’t ever forget your target market. If I were to write about the different flora and fauna in the french countryside, I would need to know if it was meant for the average reader or botanist/ecologist. Both would produce widely different content, but could each benefit from a simplifying infographic or classification system.

Legitimacy

Now more than ever, it is essential to promote legitimacy throughout your content and overall site. False information is dangerous and it travels fast. Good content creators can cut those cognitive corners while still maintaining the integrity of their words.

Part of this is established trust and known credentials, people will be less inclined to read and believe your content if the source is considered disreputable. This takes time and sometimes forgiveness, but it keeps you honest and helps to maintain a better digital frontier for everyone.

The good news is, that it is relatively easy to promote trust with readers. If you cite your sources,remain professional and objective, then you’re golden. It is much harder to re-earn trust than it is to develop it the first time around.