Does your content lead the reader toward a solution?
Story Development in Content Marketing refers to taking the reader through a logical, common thought process and connecting ideas in a way that creates a narrative.
Storytelling is becoming increasingly popular and more and more potential clients are looking to convert their traditional marketing materials into content that tells a story. Even if the brand doesn’t seem particularly intriguing, it’s always possible to deliver the content in a way that engages the reader.
- Connect problems to solutions: A common mistake is to raise a problem early in your content and fail to deliver a clear, succinct conclusion. Don’t bury the lede! If the reader has discovered the published work on the web, they’re looking for answers, not more problems. Getting into the habit of clarifying your solutions is not only good storytelling but essential for SEO.
- Pace Things Properly: Avoid rambling. When aiming for a narrative structure, we don’t want to fill out the story with unnecessary detail. The goal here is to drive the reader to each section of the content naturally and fluidly, without detracting from readability.
- Match The Brand: Every brand has a voice and target audience. Your content might be narratively sound, but if you aren’t tailoring that to the intended audience, it can still fall flat. Review the Content Brief and Style Guide on every job, checking out the client’s website and social media to learn as much as possible about them. Sometimes, even their website design can tell you a lot about how they want to present themselves.
- Play To Emotion: This isn’t about being manipulative or writing a tear-jerker. Emotion drives most of our lives, even when we don’t realize it. Excellent content evokes an emotional response from the reader and hooks them from start to finish. However, the angle you choose should always match the branding. For example, someone concerned about how to file their taxes will empathize with an article that understands how frustrating and time-consuming the process can be for a first-time filer. Learn more about this in our Three Keys of Engaging Content.
As usual, please contact support@scripted.com if you have any questions or concerns.