If you take the time to write you'll want to do your best to get your point across in the simplest, shortest, clearest way possible.

(I'll keep saying "write" even though this clearly also applies to creating video or other types of content)

If not, writing can quickly turn into a giant waste of time.

Ask me how I know .. 🤪

I've always loved writing so I didn't feel like I'm wasting my time, which I'm tempted to say is the reason I didn't catch on sooner to the fact that my content was missing 2 of the 3 key elements that make content engaging 😳

And engagement is what we want, isn't it? We want to turn a broadcast into a conversation.

After all, conversation carries opportunity.

The result of skipping 2 out of 3 key elements?

My subscribers told me I was a great storyteller but few asked about my services or responded to my sales emails.

So what are the 3 key elements of engaging content?

The Point

What's the point of this email, post or article?

What core message do you want to get across?

How is it relevant to your audience and/or to your services?

People are busy and bombarded with lots of messages and while they have all the attention span in the world for the stuff they feel is interesting and relevant to them, they'll give you precious little headspace until you've proven that your content falls into that category, so .. be CLEAR (and yes, trying to be clear for your audience will help YOU gain deeper and deeper clarity too).

The Story

Illustrate, make a case, prove your point.

The point can often be a bit "dry" on its own, a bit too abstract for people who don't live inside your head to pay attention.

We all love a good story that helps us bring a point to life.

It's not about sharing private details, it's about making people reflect, laugh, cry ... engage.

The Call to Action

What do you want people to do next?

It doesn't have to be (and usually isn't) a straight "Buy now" button.

It could be

a link to check out
an invitation to comment or reply to an email
an invitation to do something or just think about something
telling them about the next post to look out for

Whatever it is, just don't leave people "hang there" like a movie that suddenly finishes without any sense of closure 😛

It doesn't matter where you start, what matters is that you don't skip any steps.

Sometimes I think of the point I'm trying to make first, then come up with a story to illustrate it.

Sometimes I think of a story first and then decide on the point I want to make. (Yes, that's how I repurpose content .. same story, making a different point and leading to a different call to action ...)

Here is a golden rule I wish I'd learned earlier:

Make ONE point only, illustrate with ONE example only.

I used to be the queen of

pulling multiple lessons out of one story, or
using multiple stories to make/prove one point

In case you're wondering, NO, it didn't lead to engaging content with a clear message 😛

Stick to ONE.

*****

If this makes sense, consider yourself challenged (or invited if you prefer :-) to write to your audience using this structure. Extra points if you tag me (if you share on LI or FB) or invite me to your email list.

And let me know when responses come in 💃

The Simple 3-Part Structure For Engaging Content

The 3 key elements of engaging content you don't want to skip if you want your content to do its job.

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