So you’re writing for a boring industry. Or maybe the topic you’re covering makes you yawn just thinking about it. If you’re bored out of your pants with what you’re writing about, I have the solution for you.
It’s like my mom used to tell me. There’s no boring subjects, just boring people. In other words, you can take anything and make it interesting just by applying your unique je sais quoi — that “indefinable, elusive quality” that is sure to please.
Bring on the exciting. Only you can do it.
Get Educated Yourself
There are three main reasons people write blog posts for their business or organization:
- Educate
- Communicate
- Become an authority
Writing is only boring if you are. In this case, you’re boring when you don’t know what you’re talking about. Take the first reason for writing a blog: to educate. In order to do that, you need to know what you’re writing about. And the more you know about a topic, the more it can become interesting to you.
As you research it, you’re going to develop a better understanding of it, grow more interested in it, and write about it in a more compelling way. Way less boring and way more engaging.
Be the Most Helpful Teacher
That’s how Marcus Sheridan at The Sales Lion grew into the Content Marketing Guru. By being the most helpful teacher about inground swimming pools, he not only grew a boring business, he learned the secret to online success.
Share your valuable information with your audience, and they’ll come back to you when they’re interested in learning more, or are ready to buy.
The Sales Lion defines content marketing as “the process of using text, video, and audio communication in an effort to establish your company as the best and most helpful teacher in the world at what you do.” How can you be boring when you’re being a teacher who’s got your pupils’ best interests at heart?
Make the Topic Relevant
Boring topics are instantly captivating when you can make them relate to something that’s currently happening. If it’s in the news, tie your blog post to it where possible. You will find yourself more intrigued in the subject when it’s got today’s headlines slapped right on it.
Take the boring experts on diseases. They’re given a wide berth until a fresh outbreak of bird flu or some other communicable disease makes headlines. These experts can’t say enough to fill the insatiable interest in what’s now relevant. You can do this without a life-threatening disease, I promise you.
Stay tuned to the latest news stories and see how your boring posts might use a little boost with current events. Check out sites that list the latest headlines, such as Fox News, Yahoo News, USA Today, Reuters News, and CNN.
Give Your Content a Visual Boost
Remember show and tell from your grade school days? Notice how it’s show and tell, not just one or the other. You’re going to be far more interesting when you give your presentation some imagery.
With your online content, you have the option of adding a variety of different images: photos, memes, infographics, videos, storyboards, GIFs, and charts of all kinds. Visuals are powerful communication tools, conveying your message with a single medium, where it takes the proverbial “thousand words” to say something similar with text alone.
When you’re struggling with telling a boring story, give it some moxie with an eye-catching visual. No one’s too old, too clever, or too dissatisfied to not appreciate the draw of visual mediums.
Write Like You Actually Talk
When information is tough to understand and boring, it’s tempting to write about it using the same inflated terms. When your readers consume this kind of professional business babble, it’s equally difficult for them to understand. So what gives?
You have to write like you speak in order to make it interesting. How can it be interesting when it’s not even understandable? So remove the elevated, hard-to-decipher jargon and write as naturally and clearly as if you were talking about it over a cup of joe.
Writing good content for your blog involves connecting with your audience. If you write about things as if you’ve been up close and personal with it, as if you’re willing to jump through hoops to help, as if it’s completely relevant, then you’re conveying your thoughts and ideas in a manner that hopefully won’t put readers in a cat-like stupor.