How do you create content that truly resonates with your audience?
It’s true that what you say matters big time. But there’s another aspect you should consider — and that’s how you say it.
Let’s not forget about shrinking attention spans and all the digital distractions, all of which make the creation of compelling content even more challenging.
In this article, we’ll discuss some best practices that will help you elevate your content from “meh” to “must read.”
1) Use Emotive Words Sparingly
According to research, 95% of buying decisions are subconscious, which means they’re not driven by logical reasoning.
It’s safe to say that emotions sell, so if you want your content to be persuasive, it’s essential to tap into how your target audience feels or how they want to feel. Appealing to the hearts of your potential customers carries more weight than relying solely on logic to influence them. Emotional marketing is powerful because it allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper and more meaningful level and communicate your message in a way that will resonate with them.
Joy, excitement, a touch of nostalgia, or even urgency are great motivators, and by infusing your copy with words that evoke a desired emotion, it’s possible to turn casual interest into commitment.
That said, leaning too heavily on emotive words can be counterproductive. Over-the-top descriptions and exaggerated claims come across as insincere, which will leave potential customers skeptical rather than intrigued. People appreciate authenticity, and anything that feels forced risks putting them off.
A balanced, subtle approach is key. This means you should only choose descriptive words that naturally fit your products or services. For example, a brand promoting a skincare line that noticeably improves skin texture will opt for words such as “revitalizing,” “glowing,” “smooth,” or “refreshed” since they feel credible without promising unrealistic results. On the other hand, bombastic descriptors such as “miraculous” or “unbelievable” can significantly erode trust by setting exaggerated expectations.
On their Perth business listings page, Business for Sale manages to strike the right balance and use the right amount of emotive language to emphasize the strengths of each opportunity without resorting to overblown descriptions. The brand focuses on genuine, actual benefits and uses words that reflect the true value of the businesses listed. This way, they create a sense of excitement and possibility while maintaining credibility. Plus, these listings pair emotional words with proof, such as illustrating a business as having “a rich history of excellence” and corroborating this claim by stating that it boasts 50+ years of continuous operation.
Source: Business for Sale
2) Ensure Your Blog Post Titles Strike the Right Chord with Your Audience
With our collective attention span dwindling down, you have only eight seconds to capture readers’ attention and get them to stay on your website and explore your content.
That’s why you need to make a memorable first impression and get your audience to click through instead of scrolling past. Just like emotional language will immerse your readers, the right titles can spark curiosity and generate engagement even before they start reading the content itself.
Titles that evoke a feeling or make a compelling claim are particularly effective when the post highlights your product or service.
A well-crafted, captivating title should indicate what the content is about and hint at the value it provides. Again, it’s all about the right balance, as deceptive, clickbaity titles will only do you a disservice.
Here are some tips to follow:
- Highlight clear benefits — Let readers know what they will gain by reading your blog post or any other piece of content. A title that addresses a need or offers a solution feels relevant and useful. Think of it as a teaser that answers the question “What’s in it for me?”
- Spark interest but not at the expense of honesty — Capture readers’ attention and evoke curiosity by suggesting valuable takeaways. The trick is to ensure that the title delivers on the promise and gives the audience relevant, informative, and educational content.
- Use power words in moderation — Words like “proven,” “effective,” or “exclusive” can add impact, but use them thoughtfully to maintain credibility and avoid sounding overly promotional.
Christensen Law’s Ann Arbor Personal Injury Lawyer page is a great example of this tactic. The company takes a straightforward approach with the title by clearly communicating what it offers. The phrase “fights for your rights” adds a touch of emotional appeal and tells readers the firm will stand up for them. It’s simple, warm, and conveys a sense of reliability and advocacy.
Source: Christensen Law
3) Double Down on Your Two Main Value Propositions
Trying to highlight too many differentiators can dilute your message and leave potential customers overwhelmed or unsure of what truly makes you stand out.
Instead of casting a wide net, focus on the two strongest, most impactful value propositions your business offers. These should be the selling points that consistently resonate with your audience and drive engagement.
By narrowing your focus, you give your readers a clear and memorable insight into why they should choose you instead of your competitors. Determine what your forte is — unbeatable quality, white-glove customer service, or innovative technology, and zero in on that. This way, it will be easier for you to craft a coherent narrative that will be reinforced in your messaging across all your content.
A software company, for example, might insist on intuitive design and robust security and base its entire messaging on these two pillars.
To identify your main value propositions, ask your loyal or returning customers for feedback and conduct surveys to better understand what keeps them coming back.
Once you pinpoint your two value propositions, weave them consistently throughout your content, including blog posts, ebooks, website copy, landing pages, and social media posts.
The more consistent your messaging, the stronger and more credible your brand will seem.
Ultimately, besides simplifying your messaging, focusing on no more than two core differentiators will also amplify your strengths and make your content more persuasive.
If we take a look at the Mannequin Mall homepage, it’s obvious that they focus hard on being the #1 online retailer of mannequins in the US. As a secondary selling point, they also discuss how little risk there is for the shopper. The brand highlights customer satisfaction, the lowest price guaranteed, and a generous 7-day no-questions-asked return policy.
Source: Mannequin Mall
4) Use Copy to Illustrate a Simple Process
People will be more likely to engage with your product or service if they understand how it works. Simplicity goes a long way since overly complex descriptions create a barrier and make potential customers lose interest.
That’s why you should explain your products or services by breaking down the process into clear and easily digestible steps that will underscore ease of use and accessibility.
The copy you create needs to guide readers through the user experience without unnecessary obstacles and friction. Each step of the buyer journey should be as simple as possible, including signing up for a subscription, setting up a new app/product, using it for the first time, or making the most of it. This will prevent potential customers from drifting away mid-purchase out of frustration and confusion or experiencing severe buyer’s remorse.
Having a simple process keeps customers engaged and positions your product or service as user-friendly. Don’t forget that people are impatient. They usually want to see the results or solve their pain points right away, so any roadblock will make them abandon the process and look for alternatives.
One way to reinforce this is by using brief, action-oriented phrases such as “Sign up,” “Get a custom plan,” and “See results.”
Adding visuals can streamline the process further, but your copy should set the tone. Use bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs to break up the information into bite-sized chunks. When your readers can quickly understand how your product or service fits into their lives and make it easier, they are more willing to move forward and take action.
Bay Alarm Medical’s medical alert systems product page checks all the boxes. The brand illustrates how the system works in three easy steps: Push Button, We Answer, We Send Help. This succinct copy leaves no room for guesswork and increases customer confidence that they don’t have to worry whether they will learn how to use the product.
Source: Bay Alarm Medical
5) Eliminate Conversion Barriers
Once your prospects start seriously considering subscribing to your service or purchasing your product, even minor doubts can slow down their decision-making and prolong the conversion process, or even worse—drive them away. That’s why your content needs to be optimized for conversions.
So, you’ll need to address your potential customers’ concerns such as shipping costs, return policies, and warranties early on. In other words, it’s essential to be very transparent about all these details if you want to push those sitting on the fence toward completing a purchase.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Clearly communicate shipping costs. People don’t like unpleasant surprises, and seeing shipping costs at checkout usually results in abandoned shopping carts. To avoid this, display shipping fees or free shipping thresholds on product pages.
- Highlight return policies. Reassure customers that they can easily return the product or get a refund in case they’re not happy with the purchase. You can use phrases such as “Hassle-Free 30-Day Returns” or “Full Refund if You’re Not Satisfied” near product descriptions or the checkout button to ease concerns about commitment.
- Be upfront about guarantees and warranties. Emphasize product quality and reliability by mentioning warranties or guarantees early in the process. Statements like “One-Year Warranty Included” or “Satisfaction Guaranteed” build trust and reduce hesitation.
- Use FAQ sections to address concerns proactively. This allows you to preemptively answer potential customers’ questions and alleviate their concerns, which will, in turn, build trust and encourage them to proceed with their purchase. Cover topics like shipping times, return procedures, and product care to provide extra reassurance without overloading product pages.
These types of content can help you create a smoother and more confident purchasing experience, ultimately boosting conversions.
Patagonia does a great job of anticipating customer questions and providing clear answers right on their product pages. When a potential customer clicks on the Shipping and Exchanges button in the product info section, a pop-up appears with all the relevant details. Plus, on each product page, there’s a Help Center tab covering a number of customer service topics.
Source: Patagonia
6) Avoid Walls of Text
Few things turn readers away faster than a long, dense block of text. When content feels overwhelming at a glance, most people won’t stick around long enough to sift through it and find the information they’re looking for.
It’s worth mentioning that online readers don’t engage with content the same way they do with traditional books or newspapers.
Studies show that almost 80% of people skim and scan rather than reading word for word. So, if you want readers to actually consume your content, you need to structure it to reflect their preferences. This allows them to quickly find key talking points without digging through unnecessary information deluge.
To keep your audience engaged, present your content in small, easily digestible chunks.
Short sentences and paragraphs are easier to follow, and physically breaking up the text makes your blog posts, ebooks, white papers, or product descriptions more visually appealing and accessible, thus improving the user experience.
So, if you spot a massive wall of text in your content, here’s how to dismantle it:
- Use subheadings — Organize your content in logical sections with subheadings so that skimmers can identify key information right off the bat. Subheadings act as markers, helping readers navigate your content more efficiently.
- Incorporate bullet points — Lists are easier on the eyes, so make sure to use bullet points to simplify complex ideas by highlighting key takeaways and steps.
- Leverage white space — Don’t clutter your content. Leave enough space between paragraphs and other web page elements to allow for some breathing room and create a cleaner, more open layout.
- Add visuals — Add infographics, images, or charts to break up the text and communicate key points with fewer words. Visuals are more engaging than text, so they can reinforce your message and improve retention.
- Adjust font size — Improve the legibility of your text by using larger font sizes. This inclusive tactic also enables people with vision impairments to access your content.
Slack’s homepage is a great example, as the brand opts for simplicity and clarity. Bold subheadings break the content into meaningful sections, while features are explained in short, punchy descriptions. Lots of animated visuals demonstrate and simplify workflows, while ample white space keeps the layout clean and user-friendly.
Source: Slack
Final Thoughts
Fighting for readers’ attention is a complex task, especially if we bear in mind how competitive the digital space has become. With a number of brands vying for clicks and engagement, cutting through the noise requires more than just providing relevant information. It’s also equally important to focus on details such as clarity and user experience. These tips can help you find the right balance between educational text and engaging presentation.