Content writing Archives - Page 3 of 8

Guide to sharing an opinion in B2B content

An old typewriter with a piece of paper in it on which is written opinion.

Sharing an opinion in a LinkedIn post or in a web article can understandably be nerve-wracking, but in the sea of vanilla B2B content, it’s important.

Not only does it set you apart, but it helps your audience to get to know what you stand for – and get to know you. It can also help position you as a thought leader within your industry.

Here is a guide to how to share an opinion through your B2B content without being deliberately or unnecessarily provocative, and steps you can take to feel comfortable and confident putting your thoughts out into the world.

(NB: All property-related examples are made up for illustration only.)

Getting started with sharing an opinion

Start small. You don’t have to dive straight into big industry-wide topics; focus on smaller areas of influence. It might be a particular process or way of working. Or something that happens in the workplace.

And if even that seems daunting, try sharing your views in comments (in a non-troll-like way, obviously).

What is your friendly take on the topic shared in a LinkedIn post? Can you add to the discussion based on something you’ve experienced or seen in a short comment?

Got more to say? Maybe you are ready to share it in your own post.

Choosing the right tone for opinion-led content

How you express your opinion is critical. Think of it more as sharing a perspective than handing down a decree. Language choice is important.

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Audience engagement

Audience engagement lessons from lemons

A picture of a lemon on a yellow background.

Attracting audience engagement with your B2B content is getting harder, but we can learn a lesson from the man who set up a famous London music venue – and his use of lemons.

Let me explain. In the Summer, I saw a play based on the life of Simon Parkes, who, back in the 80s, turned an old, decrepit cinema into a well-known gig venue, the Brixton Academy.

It’s a fascinating true story, involving struggles to get bands to play, gangs and bomb threats.

But what was striking about Simon Parkes, aside from his determination and resilience, was that he didn’t follow the crowd.

When London’s established music venues were putting on themed club nights, he focused on a different type of music.

To get people through the door of the Academy, he sent out invites wrapped around lemons.

What he did stood out.

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Content ideas

How a self-employed content writer is using AI

A struggle to find practical applications for using AI in my work, coupled with fear, led to a lot of scepticism about the technology. I love writing and don’t ever want it to replace that, but reading about how others in a similar position were using it for other things inspired me to experiment.

So here I’m sharing some of the ways I use AI as a freelance content writer and trainer, in case it’s helpful to others in a similar position.

Help with sorting through interview transcripts: Otter.ai

I’ve been using Otter to transcribe interviews for 6/7 years, but it now has an in-built AI chat function.

It means I can ask questions like ‘what did Jane Smith say about knitting with blue wool?’. It will summarise all the mentions with the time stamps so I can verify and pull out relevant quotes and particular phrasing.

If a bit of time has passed between doing the interview and sitting down to write, I might ask it to give me a summary of the key points as a refresher so I can sketch out my structure.

Technical topic research: Perplexity.ai

Perplexity is great for helping with research on technical topics. It comes up with legitimate business sources and the relevant links, so it’s easy to check the information.

I was updating a 7-year-old report on a construction-related topic for a client and wanted to find out what the Labour Government’s stance was.

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Audience engagement

How to write B2B content with purpose

A person sitting outdoors holding a black notebook titled “MISSION” on their lap. They are wearing blue jeans, a white top, and a black bracelet, and a white-and-brown tote bag rests beside them. — *Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash*

What is the business purpose of your B2B content? No one is putting fingers to keyboard for fun, but how do you angle your content so that it delivers on your goals while still engaging the audience?

Business goal: Raise visibility and become an authoritative voice

Through your content, whether that is on LinkedIn, your website or a newsletter, you need to demonstrate a good understanding of the sector/industry you work in. Obviously.

It’s important to have ideas or a fresh take. Talk about the problems that no one else is talking about, or if it’s ground that has already been well discussed, can you add a unique take?

Lots of people talk about well-known problems and challenges, but few are offering a way of navigating issues.

Can you highlight alternative approaches and a means of delivering a positive change? Is there a different way of doing things that isn’t really talked about? Can you move the conversation on in some way?

Could you spearhead a campaign behind which you can rally industry peers to make a material difference to your sector?

Building a reputation as an authoritative voice takes time and consistency, but it opens a lot of different doors:

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General

Starting point: Four questions to deliver effective content

Effective B2B content starts before the creative work. There are a number of key questions to answer, which should set you on the right path to delivering effective content.

What is the purpose?

Or another way of putting it is: What does success look like?’ It doesn’t matter if it’s a panel event, video, podcast or piece of writing, you need to be clear about the aim.

Success is unlikely to be just one thing. Getting attendees along to an event or downloads or clicks might be a short-term goal.

Longer-term success might be building trust and authority so that it leads to more business or earned media as an industry expert or speaker invites.

It will take time and consistency in delivering good quality content.

Who is it for?

Who is this for, and why would they care?

Purpose means diddly flip if you don’t know who your audience is. I’ve written before about being specific, so I won’t repeat that.

Why would they care?

Once you’ve identified them, you need to determine why they would care – what’s in it for them? Why should they invest the time?

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