Content creation is a multi-step process. Off the top of my head, I can think of these parts:
- Voice and tone: Who are you writing as? Voice and tone tells the reader a lot about the company or publication’s intent.
- Grammar and consistency: Content needs to obey the rules. The rules govern within the piece, but also within the larger structure of a site or publication.
- Type: Are you writing a feature article, a review, technical specifications? Understanding the type of content helps guide structure and tone.
- Audience: Who are you writing for? The audience choice dictates word choice, structure, and much more.
- Accuracy: Can you convey correct information? If not, you should reconsider where you get your information from. Wrong information breeds distrust.
- Goal: What are you trying to get readers to do as a result of reading this? And what are readers trying to get from the content
All these are important — no piece of content can be successful without addressing each element. But the goal of the content is the most important.
Without a strong purpose to the content, you have to question whether the piece is even necessary. We don’t need to contribute more noise to the mess of information that assaults us constantly.
Start by understanding what you want people to get out of your content — or, even, better start with what a reader would want to get out of it, and make it work for you, too.