9 Content Writing Tips from Marketing Industry Experts

Content writing is an inseparable part of content marketing. If you think it has to deal with text creation only, you are wrong.

This activity is much more varied and often not easy.

For instance, Semrush has figured out that effective content needs lots of elements to rank high on SERP. As such, 45% of professionals think that adding related keywords in addition to primary keywords is essential. 38% of marketers also analyze and address customer questions in their blog posts.

And the list goes on!

So, what do you actually need to make your content interesting for readers and relevant for search engines?

We’ve gathered content writing tips from 9 renowned industry experts to help your content be more successful.

Contents

• 1. Leo Burnett - Make it memorable
• 2. Neil Patel - Solve problems
• 3. Ann Handley - Be clear
• 4. Rand Fishkin - People as your main priority
• 5. Julie Joyce - Provide value
• 6. Brian Dean - Create link-worthy content
• 7. Larry Kim - Leverage storytelling
• 8. Joe Pulizzi - Build loyalty
• 9. Amy Porterfield - Share educational content
• Conclusion

1. Leo Burnett - Make it memorable

Leo Burnett: "Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read."

Leo Burnett is a very influential figure in the advertising world. Actually, he created one of the most popular characters and campaigns of the 20th century. That includes Tony the Tiger, the Marlboro Man, the Maytag Repairman, etc. So, he is the one whose advice we should take seriously.

One huge piece of research by Nielsen Norman Group showed that people scan content. The way people read online did not change much during 23 years of tests. The only novelty was the layouts and patterns we can see on various sites.

That makes Leo’s quote much more vital - your content should be inviting to look at.

So, learn not only how to craft a perfect text but also how to edit and present it right.

2. Neil Patel - Solve problems

Neil Patel: "Focus on creating content that solves problems for your audience. Be the solution they're searching for."

Neil is the co-founder of Crazy Egg and Hello Bar. He also owns a popular self-titled blog about SEO and marketing. He is also a New York Times bestselling author. So, we do value his expertise.

As a matter of fact, Google itself talks a lot about helpful content. The search engine has certain guidelines in which it encourages marketers and writers to create unique and useful content.

Neil gives a cool tip. And even explains this approach in his tweet further. "Marketing isn’t about convincing people to buy whatever you are selling. It’s about convincing people that your solution is better than the competition. People have problems. You have a solution to their problem.”

3. Ann Handley - Be clear

Ann Handley: "Good writing anticipates reader questions. Answer them clearly and succinctly."

Ann is a famous marketing advisor who has worked with major companies. She was the world's first Chief Content Officer. On top of that, Ann is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. (Yes, we need to learn from the best ones.)

This way, create content around people’s challenges. Think about what clients would like to read to solve their problems. Don’t try to cover only things that you find interesting.

If you know your readers well enough, it’ll be possible for you to create fitting content for them. If you don’t know where to start, interview your customers, visit forums where they can be present, and so on.

4. Rand Fishkin - People as your main priority

Rand Fishkin: "Write for humans first, optimize for machines later."

Rand co-founded the world-famous SEO tool - Moz and is a SparkToro co-founder. He is also the author of popular books like “Lost and Founder,” “Inbound Marketing and SEO,” and more. Well, that’s why he’s on the list.

We totally agree with Fishkin’s piece of advice.

You need to focus on people-first content. That should not only be a requirement from Google but also the voice of your heart. It will allow you to create useful content that helps readers solve their problems.

To do this best way possible, you need to know your audience and how to market it.

5. Julie Joyce - Provide value

Julie Joyce: "Ensure your content provides genuine value and stands out from the rest. Quality matters."

Julie is an SEO expert and a link building company Link Fish Media owner. She has over 120 published articles in the Search Engine Journal - one of the most respected publications in the industry.

Once again, you need to give value to your customers. That’s not the first piece of advice that puts readers in the spotlight. So, it is obvious that you need to serve your customers' needs and build content around them.

We advise using clear and concise language to provide quality and send your message in the most effective way.

6. Brian Dean - Create link-worthy content

Brian Dean: "Craft content that's so valuable and unique that people want to share it and link back to it."

Brian is a Backlinko founder and a respected SEO expert. He is also a CEO at Exploding Topics - a service that helps to explore growing topics. Brian has provided tons of helpful pieces of advice via his blog.

We consider this tip to be an awesome one. It holds so many things. You need to know your audience, give them value, and make content visually appealing. Moreover, you will learn how to create quality long-form content, as it tends to gain more backlinks.

On top of that, you can learn how to conduct research to spoil readers and fellow experts with unique analysis.

7. Larry Kim - Leverage storytelling

Larry Kim: "Leverage storytelling to make your content memorable and relatable."

Larry is a founder of Customers.ai and Mobile Monkey. Medium ranks him as the #8 most popular author on the platform. He also contributes to the respected CNBC and Inc. Magazine. So, incorporating storytelling is a piece of advice from this thought leader.

And we cannot agree more here. Did you know that 55% of online users more willingly buy the goods if they love your brand's story? You can say that you run a blog or don’t sell anything yet.

It does not matter. Storytelling is a powerful tool that will help you build stronger connections with readers or clients. It allows you to show the human side of your business or site. You can articulate almost any story if you use this technique.

8. Joe Pulizzi - Build loyalty

Joe Pulizzi: "Focus on building a loyal audience through consistent, valuable content. Serve them first."

Joe Pulizzi is one of the most respected and well-known content marketing authorities. We do hope you’ve heard of him. He is The Tilt and CEX Creator Economy Expo founder. Joe is an author of highly-anticipated books that focus exactly on content marketing.

Customer loyalty can help your brand significantly. Many companies learned at first hand in this during a pandemic.

Content writing, in this case, is your powerful tool. Make articles that help your audience and solve their pains. Write an extensive FAQ to make your site or service as easy as possible. Create outstanding content for your social media accounts.

All-in-all, ensure that you are in sync with your clients or readers.

9. Amy Porterfield - Share educational content

Amy Porterfield: "Educate and empower your audience. Offer actionable advice they can implement."

Amy is the creator of the top-rated podcast called “Online Marketing Made Easy.” As an online marketing educator, she helps businesses craft engaging email marketing strategies, build digital courses, and so on.

The educator suggests educating. Not surprising at all. Yet, that’s valuable advice. Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge in an accessible and clear way. When you write well-thought, in-depth, and expert content, you build relations with your audience.

You get your readers addicted to your blog or courses. Trust us later, you can convert this loyalty and benefit from it. And that will be a win-win - for your clients and you as a business owner.

Conclusion

Now that you know what top experts think about the approach to content writing, you can compose more qualitative articles.

Let your content sparkle with more colors.

In fact, you can find the application of these tips in lots of top blogs like Semrush, Ahrefs, Backlinko, and so on.

So, it’s your time to shine and be among the best ones.