Have you ever wondered why only some of your childhood memories are still stuck in your brain while the others have vanished? Why do you wish to see more of LOST (famous TV series by Spielberg)? Why are some stories, articles, and websites hard to forget? It is because they all have a high Recall Quotient.
Today, the web is full of content posted just for the sake of search engine optimization. Millions of writers worldwide make a living out of rewriting old content and posting the same at several places. But, you must know this – One good article can make up for 1000 or more boring articles. If the content has value your readers would willingly share it.
So what goes into writing content that people would love to read and remember?
To begin, think about a story that you can narrate to anybody right now. It could be a book, a TV series, a movie, an advertisement, or just a blog post that you read recently. Now think why you remember it so well. You will come up with following answers:
Emotional connect: I still remember an episode of “I shouldn’t be alive” on Discovery where a bunch of teenagers get lost in the Grand Canyon without water, food, or shade in the blistering heat. Now, why do I remember it? Because I have a kid and I can feel the pain when I see any child in trouble; because I have had an experience in my life where our team ran out of water and it was a long time before we could each get an unfulfilling sip. Although, we were waterless for just a couple of hours, I can still imagine how it could’ve been for those kids. What I am trying to say is that if the content strikes the right chord, it will hit the audience emotionally. So the most important aspect of good writing is understanding the problems and challenges faced by your audience and portray it vividly. That brings me to the next point, which is…
Vivid presentation: A dramatic representation and good use of persuasive language, pictures and videos is essential for today’s online audience. Can you recall the first time you read or watched “Jurassic Park”? You are right, great content must be backed by greater presentation. But, I am sure that you do not remember the second and third part as well as you do the first one? The reason…
Originality and element of surprise: You are more likely to remember something more when you see/read it for the first time. That’s why web content writers should always think of unique ideas and ways to write. J.K. Rowling has done it pretty well with her famous series of books: “Harry Potter”. Each part has a never-been-told-before story, an element of surprise as well as a flow that smoothly shifts from one part to the next – and yet each book is somewhat complete in its own way.
I know this list is incomplete. There are many more factors that go into building compelling content, and one of them is “conversational writing” style. I invite you all to please share your ideas about what goes into writing compelling web content.
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