When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re always looking for ways to gather leads and grow your business. You have a website. You try to post on social media. The business will come to you, right? Not so much.
Now you need to write. You need a steady stream of writing to keep your website fresh and lead more eyes to your site. What kind of writing? The kind that shows potential clients that your business is effective, credible and real. The kind that shows you know what you’re doing.
Teach, don’t sell
You are an expert in your field. Your potential client is not. Teach them about what you do. For example, if you’re a financial advisor, explain the tax ramifications of the latest changes to retirement accounts. If you are an insurance broker, discuss the value of partner insurance. If you’re a patent attorney, describe the process of getting that patent or the horror stories of those who didn’t. You’ve helped your reader without bombarding them with sales pitches.
Now, you have to keep it up. Think of all the knowledge you’ve acquired over the years. Tell us about it. Give examples if you can. You can change names and identifying details to keep client information private.
In practice, writing for entrepreneurs looks like…
- Case studies
- Listicles
- Glossaries
Just don’t try to cram too much into each article. Article series avoid blogpost bloat while improving SEO (search engine optimization) because you can link all the parts of the series together.
You can also include calls to action in every article. From something as simple as “Contact us for more information,” to “We’d love to help you plan your estate. Please fill out this contact form and we’ll get in touch.”
You can generate leads and sell your product without Crazy Eddie levels of carnival barking.
How often should I post?
Most SEO and content experts recommend 4-6 articles per month, and that’s a lot. They also say, if you can’t produce that many articles each month, write fewer, but stick to a cadence. Release an article on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Announce it. Post about it on social media. Make it an event. Then, follow through. Ask your network to share and/or comment on your articles and announcements, and you’ll likely see your numbers rise.
Brevity is the soul of wit
Yes, Shakespeare was being sarcastic when he gave that line to his most loquacious character, but it still rings true. Readers are inundated with content from hundreds or even thousands of sources each day. Keep yours short and to the point. Direct, concise writing shows confidence and strength. For a woman entrepreneur, those are important traits that speak to credibility.
Style and tone
A dry subject doesn’t necessarily imply dry writing.
If your field is less like lion taming and more like accounting, you can still liven it up with good writing and examples. Have you helped someone untangle years of poor record-keeping? How did that make them feel? Were they finally able to sleep at night? That’s good stuff.
Quick writing tips for entrepreneurs
- Frontload your articles: Let the reader know the subject from the beginning. This is not an Agatha Christie novel.
- Avoid jargon: You’re writing to instill confidence in potential customers, not impress your peers. If you include technical terms, which you should, define them or give examples.
- Use contractions: Unless this is a brief for the Supreme Court, contractions aren’t a crime.
- Read the room: Adjust the formality to fit your audience. “Dude, these financial advisors are the goat!” will probably not fly.
Every day we’re bombarded with words. From product announcements to tragic news stories, to gossip, our inboxes overflow with content. And let’s face it, a lot of it is less than stellar. How do you compete with truckloads of dreck pouring into your inbox? By writing with confidence, clarity and authenticity. Keeping your writing direct and informational will cut through content overload like a hot knife through butter.
For business owners, writing means staying current on the tools that can support your process. Check out AI, Writing and Desk Set.
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