Let’s face it: this is now a digital world. You may have worked super hard to produce your latest novel – poured all your sweat and creativity into it – but getting seen and becoming well known increasingly depends on having a robust digital presence.
That’s because you aren’t just a professional writer in the industry; you’re also a business owner. When it comes to self-promotion online, your focus is on making sure your readers connect with your work – that they get what you’re trying to say and find it useful enough to encourage the next step: picking up your books!
When that happens, your readership increases. You get more eyes on your work and enjoy more sales, and become a better prospect for agencies and publishers. It’s therefore only natural to wonder if there’s a way to make your existing content any better.
Here are a few tips you can use right now to improve your content output and widen your audience:
Pre-Writing
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What is the goal of your content?
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What is the hook?
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Put yourself in the mind of your reader
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Eliminate distractions
During Writing
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Write only the relevant stuff
Assuming you already have the goal of your content fixed firmly in your mind, you should hold it in your mind’s eye so that you only write about things that help you get to that goal.
Just because you know everything about a particular topic doesn’t mean you should write everything you know in a single article. Make sure all your information is relevant because the more you dwell on information that is irrelevant, the harder it becomes to hold your audience all the way to the finish.
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Allow yourself to get into flow
It’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of writing and then deleting your work because you just don’t feel it. You should stop that immediately. Write your work in full first, and then edit it later.
When you sit to write, then let yourself write. Get everything you want to say out there in written form. You can focus on editing when you’re done.
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Write in short sentences
It’s much easier for you, as a writer, to get a short sentence out on the page. It’s also much easier for readers to digest your content in short sentences.
When your sentences get too complicated, readability suffers and your reader can end up more confused than enlightened. Try to keep your writing as succinct and punchy as possible to encourage the widest number of people to stick with it.
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Make your titles clear and direct
One of the best things you can do for your content writing efforts is to write good titles. Direct titles may seem boring, but they do the best job when it comes to telling your reader what to expect. They also communicate best to search engines such as Google – letting them know exactly what your piece is about.
Don’t make your titles too clever because they’ll probably confuse your readers. It might even give them the wrong expectations, only for them to feel disappointed when they finally read your piece.
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Make your work scannable
Writing on the web isn’t the same as writing on other media.
Here, your content will only be attractive when it is scannable. Most people don’t have the time to do in-depth reading on the web, so they prefer something they can quickly scan through while still understanding the primary message of the piece.
Break down the content you want your readers to take away into a list and use white space intelligently – nobody ever feels enticed by an unformatted wall of text.
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Have an authentic voice
Put a little bit of yourself in your work if you want your readers to get drawn to it. Speak your opinions and write about what is important to you. As an author, you’re in charge of maintaining your personal brand – and that can be whatever you want it to be. Step into and enjoy your persona. It’s what will make the greatest headway in attracting your desired audience.
If you don’t have a sense of who you are, yet, then take time to find it before you begin writing.
At Publishing
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Read your content to yourself
Read your content out loud to yourself before you publish it on the web. If you feel any part isn’t right, then your reader will probably feel the same. Read it to yourself as many times as you can until it feels just right. Only then should you publish it.
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Let someone else edit your work
Once you’re done reading your work to yourself, give it to someone else to read. Having another person go through your work can reveal mistakes that you wouldn’t have been able to see by yourself.
This also allows you to effectively market-test your work before you publish it. Just like a beta reader for a novel, your content testers will help bring to light any points of confusion, factual mistakes, or even just typos you’ve missed.
Conclusion
Writing better content to grow your audience is about constantly seeking to connect with them on a deeper level. When you keep that at the front of your mind, the growth will come all on its own.

About the Author: Peter Hill
Peter Hill is one of the editors at Best Essay Tips. He is a socially active person who likes to travel and enjoys editing photos and video. He finds himself in the challenge of writing services such as Brill Assignment and Superior Papers.
Peter also currently works in a California SMM agency as a journalist, a position he has enjoyed for more than 6 years now.
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