How to Rock Your Content and Create Engaging Messages for Your Audience

Picture it. You’re at the concert you’ve been looking forward to and the artist is just not delivering. Vocally, they’re falling flat, the energy is dull, and you’re honestly thinking about leaving.

It’s hard to connect with something that’s just not engaging. This applies to concerts, sure, but it also can apply to content.

Believe it or not, engaging concerts and engaging content are not all that different. Just like you not connecting with that boring artist, your readers won’t connect with your content if it’s not engaging.

This doesn’t just relate to readers; this can impact sales as well. Since that concert wasn’t engaging, the crowd may have left early. And they likely didn’t stop to pick up some merchandise on their way out.

So, how can you make sure your audience will connect with your content?

Easy. By creating engaging, easy-to-understand content that directly relates to your target audience.

While quick black hat SEO tips will tell you to write for the robots, ultimately you will be doing yourself and your organization a disservice. Not only will your audience not connect with the content since it wasn’t written for them, Google could penalize you for using methods to improve SEO that are not approved — this could mean losing any and all positions in search results for your company.

This penalty is far worse than taking the time to use Google-approved white hat SEO tactics and creating high-quality content that will be valuable to your readers.

Do it for the fans.

To begin the path to engaging content you need to find out who your fans (and superfans) are. Who are they? What do they want? Crafting a message with them in mind is the simplest way to connect with them.

If you were an artist planning a setlist for your fans, you’d want to make sure their favorite songs will be played at the show, but maybe you want to throw in some new tracks and see their response. This can be done with a blog, too. While you should create original messages that are what your readers want to hear, don’t be afraid to sprinkle in new information that allows them to expand their knowledge.

If you don’t do this, chances are you’ll find your audience gets bored — this could be the point where they leave the show early and you may or may not see them again in the future. To keep your audience entertained and happy to come back to show after show, make sure that your content is in tip-top shape: it’s relevant, easy to absorb, and, hey, it never hurts to make it fun.

Set the stage.

One of the biggest mistakes writers can make is not writing content that is actionable. This means once the reader has read the information, no next step has been set for them. At a show, after the performance ends, the next step is to head to the merchandise table to buy the album or a shirt to commemorate the experience. Your writing should be the exact same way.

Create original messages that will teach your reader something and also have a very clear call to action. For example, if you’re selling tickets to a show, provide a link to purchase them online. If you’re selling merchandise, use images and let the reader know when and where those items will be available. This will boost your relationship with your audience and can help boost sales all in one move.

Rock out the show.

Once you’ve determined who your superfans are, what they want, and what you can teach them, it’s time to put on the show!

By encompassing all of these tactics, your content is going to be engaging and your audience will want to stick around for the entirety of the concert. They might even pick up some merchandise on the way out, tell their friends, and come to your next show together.

It’s important to nurture existing relationships with your current fans while building relationships with new or future fans. Building a community that trusts you and looks forward to the content you produce will keep them coming back time and again.

Once a reader has determined you are a credible source, the chances of them returning to you in the future are higher. Accurate, thought-out pieces will nurture both new and old relationships, keeping your community together and thriving. Thinking of your fans while writing will help you build engaging content that will keep them coming back to your shows for years to come.

Subscribe to Beyond Bylines to get media trends, journalist interviews, blogger profiles, and more sent right to your inbox.

Lauren Klonowski is a Senior Customer Content Specialist at PR Newswire, Deputy Editor at Beyond the Stage Magazine and freelance writer. Connect with her on LinkedIn. When she’s not working, Lauren can be found traveling, reading or binge watching The Office.