Writing remains one of the cornerstones of digital content. The demands for fresh, original content on websites, blogs, social channels, and in email marketing put pressure on content creators and business leaders everywhere to consistently produce and publish engaging and useful content to multiple platforms. This is where having a useful writing template can come in handy.
Getting Started
Sometimes when I sit down to write, I don’t have a specific topic in mind. In situations like this, I am writing to discover something to write about. Freewriting is an excellent exercise in discovery, and it’s arguably the one tactic that generates the most potential content for me.
Within the first few minutes of freewriting, I can usually come up with several ideas to turn into blog posts, book chapters, or content to share on social media over the coming weeks. Once I have these ideas written down, I circle or highlight them using colored pencils so I can easily find them later and then build them into long form pieces.
Now the fun really begins!
The Writing Process
Turning an idea into a completed piece of content is a lot like putting together a puzzle. For those who have trained themselves to do it, the process is straightforward and mostly painless.
For those who are newer to the modern demands of content generation, turning an idea into something worth publishing can be a lot like putting that puzzle together without having a picture on a box to guide you.
An idea is only that — an idea, until it begins to take shape with four corners, the edges (or frame) and then the content that fills it all in.
In my years of working with writers of various experience levels, I’ve seen my fair share of resistance to getting writing done. Not because they don’t believe writing is important. But because writing isn’t [always] easy to do. They’re afraid their message won’t come out right, or they won’t be able to organize their thoughts coherently, or — perhaps worst of all — no one will care about what they’ve written.
Here’s where asking key questions can be a lifesaver during the writing process. Tackling them one at a time — regardless of topic — can make the writing process less stressful and more productive.
A Useful Writing Template
Think of the following questions as the corners and edge pieces of the writing you are about to do. They are a guide to forming the frame around any piece of writing you create, short, long or inbetween. Whether you’re writing an email marketing campaign, a series of posts for your Twitter feed, or a full length book, these questions can help you think through the essential parts to effective written communication in the digital age.
Answering these questions can help make the writing process faster and the results more satisfying. Regardless of the platform your writing appears on, the principles remain the same for good writing.
Keep in mind these are not the only questions every writer must ask. But they provide a useful framework when you have to sit down and get a writing project done.
- What is the goal of this piece of writing? (How will it be used…)
- Who am I writing this content for? (Audience, audience, audience.)
- Why does this content matter? (Also known as the “So what?” question. If no one cares, no reads. No one reads, no one engages and shares. If no one one engages and shares, no one knows. If no one knows, it’s not useful and thus, doesn’t matter.)
- What is the right style and tone for this writing? (Make sure it matches the audience. One of the reasons the writing on BuzzFeed is so popular is it has a distinct voice that resonates with its primary audience: college kids.)
- What statistics or authority resources can I reference to lend credibility to this writing?
- How much time do I have before this writing needs to be published?
- Who can help me proofread and edit my writing before it’s published?
Next, let’s look at how each question can be applied to two common writing scenarios including:
Twitter
Email marketing campaigns
Writing for Twitter
Posts for Twitter are limited to 140 characters or less, making brevity and efficiency of your message top priorities. This is one reason why Twitter is arguably the most immediately responsive of all the social channels. In an attention deficit world, we appreciate short posts that pack a punch!
Here is a sample tweet taken through the seven question writing template:
Have you listened to @BrandonGaille The Blog Millionaire #podcast yet? It’s a must for super valuable #content https://t.co/Cgl7rQwegY
— Mary Lou Kayser (@MaryLouKayser) August 1, 2016
This tweet was one of the more popular tweets from my Twitter feed during the week of August 1st. Let’s take a look at why.
Q: What is the goal of this piece of writing?
A: To share a thought leader’s content (e.g. Brandon Gaille who runs The Blog Millionaire) with my audience and to engage my Twitter followers and attract new ones
Q: Who am I writing this content for?
A: My Twitter followers; Brandon’s Twitter followers
Q: Why does this content matter?
A: This content matters because a lot of people are looking to find reliable and reputable strategies for growing their businesses through blogging. Brandon is a Master Blogger.
Q: What is the right style and tone for this writing?
Framing my tweet with a question followed by the source for where to get the answer to the question makes this tweet a touchdown. Using a tone of curiosity through asking a question can move people to click the link and get the information AND retweet the content to their feed.
Q: What statistics or authority resources can I reference to lend credibility to this writing?
A: By promoting Brandon through this tweet, I automatically embed credibility into it.
Q: How much time do I have before this writing needs to be published?
A: Within the week. I use the social sharing app Buffer to schedule my tweets each week and make sure each one is aligned with my brand.
Q: Who can help me proofread and edit my writing before it’s published?
A: I have a part time social media marketing expert working for me who is happy to look over my content when I need that second set of eyes.
With each question from the writing template answered satisfactorily, I felt confident about adding it to my social sharing dashboard in Buffer. The content was relevant to my Twitter followers (a mix of small biz owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals). Its style was simple and straight forward through the use of asking a question and then providing a link to the additional content. It shared someone else’s content, adding credibility to that person as well as to myself (showing followers I like to share).
The engagement results speak for themselves.
Writing for Email Marketing
As more brands look to the power of email marketing to foster relationships with existing customers and sell their products and services, composing the right kind of messages is more important than ever.
Think about all the email messages you get from brands you’ve signed up for. What keeps you opening them? What turns you off?
As a former English teacher, I’m a snob about proper grammar, spelling, and tone. Nothing makes me delete an email or unsubscribe from a list faster than poorly composed email content. And I’m not alone.
Writing mistakes cost brands billions of dollars each year. For example, spelling mistakes cost online retailers in the U.K. millions of lost sales each year. According to Sean Coughlan, an education correspondent for the BBC, “Spelling is important to the credibility of a website. When there are underlying concerns about fraud and safety, then getting the basics right is essential.”
Getting the basics right is essential to email marketing especially as it is one of the more personal forms of business communications brands use.
Let’s now examine (through the lens of the seven questions) an email message I sent to my most recent podcast guest letting him know his episode is live.
Original Published Message
Subject Line: Your PYP Episode Is Live, David!
Body: Good morning, David!
Your episode (PYP72) went live this morning and will be heard around the world in more than 80 countries! It’s a great conversation and I enjoyed learning about you and your vision to make the world a healthier place.
Sharing this news with your audience helps spread the message about Mobius Nutrition and helps bring more listeners onto Team PYP. A true win-win!
Here are some quick ways to spread the love!
Share this on Twitter:
I recently shared my story on the PYP #podcast with @MaryLouKayser ! Listen here: http://buff.ly/2axFAfZ
Your episode at PYPPodcast.com:
David Taylor on How to Optimize Your Mind & Body for Peak Performance
iTunes link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/play-your-position-where-your/id835004202
I have also attached the show’s cover art if you would like to use it for any reason.
Your episode turned out really great. Thanks, David! I look forward to staying in touch and seeing you grow Mobius into one of the great nutrition companies.
Have a fantastic day,
Mary Lou
Here are the answers to the writing template questions using the content of the email message:
Q: What is the goal of this piece of writing?
A: To inform my podcast guest that his episode is live, and to give him an easy way to share this news with his audience and circle of influence.
Q: Who am I writing this content for?
A: My podcast guest
Q: Why does this content matter?
A: This content matters because my guest needs to know his episode is live. By asking him to share the episode with his audience, two main goals are accomplished: 1. he gains more credibility and 2. my podcast has the potential of reaching new listeners.
In a social sharing world, spreading the word like this remains one of the fastest ways to grow awareness around your product or service.
Q: What is the right style and tone for this writing?
Friendly and casual yet still professional is the right style and tone for this writing. While David and I now know each other because he was a guest on my podcast, we aren’t best buddies. Notice how my language is clear and upbeat while remaining professional.
Q: What statistics or authority resources can I reference to lend credibility to this writing?
A: Offering pre-written copy for him to use and share with his audience adds credibility because it makes his life easier. Notice I don’t ask him to share without providing any content. Simple resources like pre-written copy can go a long way in an email communication when you are asking the recipient to do something.
Q: How much time do I have before this writing needs to be published?
A: I publish a new podcast episode each week, so I need to customize my templated message the day before the episode is scheduled to air. I send the message to my guest the morning of the show going live. I like to read over the message and double check for spelling and data mistakes before hitting the send button.
Q: Who can help me proofread and edit my writing before it’s published?
A: I have a part time social media marketing expert working for me who is happy to look over my content when I need that second set of eyes.
Because I have a new guest each week on my podcast, I’ve created a basic email message I customize for each guest. I will write about creating email templates in a future blog post, so stay tuned.
When to Use the Writing Template
You can use these questions as a planning tool before you write. You can also use them after you’ve composed your first draft. And they certainly come in handy as a last minute walk through right before hitting the publish or send button. The more you use this writing template for your projects, the more intuitive it will become.
Taking the extra 5-10 minutes to go through these questions with your writing can make a big difference in how your writing is received. It can save you from embarrassment from spelling or grammatical errors. And because your writing will be tighter than it is now, you may even notice an upswing in engagement with your readers on the platforms you publish on.
If you found this post useful, share your thoughts in the comments below!
