13 Top Traits of Quality Writing

If you want to be successful with content marketing, the words you choose matter. It is not enough to dump a heaping serving of word salad on the internet and hope you will attract profitable connections to your brand. The quality of your business’ writing has a significant impact on your company’s financial bottom line. But what is ‘quality writing’ and how can you be sure your content writers are delivering the caliber of content you need to grow your brand? Look for the following 10 top traits of quality writing and you will be well on your way towards profitable prose. 1. Serves a Need Quality writing serves a need. It is not created to fill a content quota. It answers a question and provides its audience with a perspective they might not otherwise have considered. Quality #writing serves a need. It is not created to fill a #content quota. It answers a question and provides its audience with a perspective they might not otherwise have considered. Click To Tweet 2. Provides Clarity Superb writing offers clarity to the reader. The reader does not need to work to understand. If your audience needs to put on their thinking cap just to try to understand the basis of your content, you are doing them a disservice. How can you go about being more clear in your writing? 3. Be Specific Think of all the homonyms (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings) in the English language: crane, date, dog, rose, type – the list goes on. A dog could be an animal, but it could also be a wicked person. And there are thousands of different breeds of the animal (there’s a range of differences between a bulldog and a great Dane). By being specific, you’ll make sure that the reader isn’t confused by your message. 4. Use Positive Language The word â€Å"not† gets thrown around quite a bit in writing. With some revision, however, we can spin those â€Å"not† phrases into something more positive and interesting. For instance, â€Å"not known† becomes â€Å"unknown† and â€Å"Not interesting† becomes â€Å"boring.† It’s a small change, but it will subconsciously keep your readers reading. 5. Avoid Wordiness Writers sometimes fall into the trap of padding their word count with repetition. But precision is more important that word count most of the time. Think about what words you’re using. Writing should be more like archery than shooting a machine gun; preciseness is more impressive than just spraying words around and hoping something sticks. 6. Celebrates Conciseness Quality writing does not use superfluous words because it can. It uses precise words to deliver a message without added grandeur. Quality #writing does not use superfluous words because it can. It uses precise words to deliver a message without added grandeur. Click To Tweet 7. Has Structure Superior writing has structure. It helps readers follow in a logical sequence. If you want your content marketing to deliver increased ROI (return on investment), make sure you are guiding your readers through your posts in a structured manner. 8. Adds Clarity Top quality writing does not leave a reader feeling more confused than when they started reading. Clear writing explains concepts without added fluff. Brands focusing their digital marketing efforts on providing content of value with a focus on clarity are more likely to see their marketing outreach pay off. 9. Understands Its Audience Valuable writing understands its target audience. It does not speak at a university level if its target audience reads at a high school level. Understanding your audience and their reading preferences is absolutely crucial if you want to create content that resonates. 10. Isn’t Shallow Shallow content is another no-no if you want to premium prose. Surface content that skims a topic is not good for your audience and is not good for SEO (search engine optimization) either. The more effort you put into creating in-depth content, the likelier it is your audience will find your writing worthy of their time. 11. Inspires the Reader Quality writing makes the reader glad they consumed your content. If your writing makes your audience wish they had discovered your content sooner, you have done your job as a writer. 12. Engages the Mind Make your audience feel inspired to further examine your topic. If readers are excited by what you have written and can feel the wheels turning in their mind, chances are you have provided content of superior value. 13. Influenced by Reading Marvelous writing is influenced by reading. Writers and marketers who are voracious readers tend to be become better writers. Make reading an integral part of your day and your chances of producing quality writing increase astronomically. When you understand what you want to write, focus on your efforts on reading content that stimulates your mind. How you write will shift, with the result being exceptional content your target audience is happy to consume. Integrate these 13 signs of quality writing into your content creation efforts for increased return on your investment of time. Whether you are a marketer using content marketing to build a business or a writer wanting to provide a valuable service to clients, the quality of your words will determine your success rate. Understand what it takes to create quality writing and you are well on your way to achieving your content creation goals.