It’s hard nowadays for writers to stay original in what is often a copy-heavy and AI-driven internet.
As a writer, you must always be working on your craft. Honing your skills and refining them so that your content performs better is ultimately one of the main goals all writers have.
For those who are struggling with the changes that have appeared as a modern writer, here’s a useful checklist worth knowing about to keep your copy forever original.
Write conversationally
When you’re writing the copy, it’s always good to try to use natural language and contractions, like you would if you were talking to a friend.
It’s important to try to make your writing feel as natural and easy to engage with as possible. That’s often why a more conversational tone comes across better when engaging with content as the reader.
Infuse personal stories and experiences
Personal stories and experiences are good to infuse into the content you create. Instead of repeating generic advice that they could find anywhere on the internet, look at how you could use this advice through the eyes of your own experiences.
Share a story about your own journey or successes related to the topic. Adding in that human element helps to build trust and makes the content more reliable in general.
Be bold and opinionated
Try to avoid bland and generic statements that a lot of people would use when writing copy online.
Offer a unique viewpoint or take a stance on controversial issues so that your content is thought-provoking and does something to the reader.
Synthesize information
It’s beneficial to read from a number of credible resources before you create your copy. Make sure to write down all this information in your own words, and that will help to synthesize the information so that you understand it properly.
Go deeper than surface-level
Whenever you’re doing research for a piece or for content in general, it’s always good to go further than surface-level.
Identifying the content gaps in existing information can be helped by filling them in with case studies, step-by-step guides, and in-depth explanations.
Be sure to back claims with credible sources rather than just from random websites that don’t provide much confidence in their legitimacy. Research is better to support rather than dictate what others have already said.
Avoid plagiarism and ensure authenticity
A lot of companies now are using software to detect plagiarism, especially when outsourcing their writers. Ethical use of information is paramount when you’re trying to maintain your integrity as a writer or for those responsible for hiring writers.
Be sure to paraphrase effectively and cite all sources properly. Use plagiarism checkers and use other tools like Grammarly to help with adjusting any sentence structures or spelling mistakes.
Being a modern writer certainly has its challenges, so it’s a good idea to always be aware of this checklist to help stay original when writing copy online.