Before you whip up another post that gets three likes and a supportive-yet-cringey comment from your mum, let’s pause. Writing content that actually works starts with knowing who you’re writing for and why they’d care. Not in a ‘manifest your dream client’ way, but in a: ‘stop wasting your time’ way. Here’s how to write stuff your audience might actually read. Even click. Maybe.
Step 1 | Do your homework
No, not the fun kind where you get to use highlighters. The kind where you scroll, lurk and eavesdrop like a mildly concerned digital stalker. Your job is to figure out what your people actually care about, not what you wish they cared about. That means digging into:
- What problems they’re sick of dealing with
- What questions they keep asking
- What they’re already searching for online
- How they speak when they’re not trying to sound smart
This is the part where you listen more than you post. Because if your content doesn’t speak to their reality, it’s just background noise.
Step 2 | Find them where they already are
Your audience exists. Somewhere. Right now. Online. Avoiding your content. Your job is to figure where they’re hanging and what they’re doing there. Ask:
- What socials are they scrolling out of habit?
- What types of content are they engaging with (and why)?
- What articles, memes, reels or rants are getting their attention?
Don’t guess. Go look. If they live in Facebook groups (ugh), show up there. If they’re lurking on LinkedIn (double ugh) pretending to be professional, meet them in the comments. Show up where they’re already paying attention.
Step 3 | Spy on your competitors (lovingly)
Chances are, someone in your industry is already out there trying (and maybe failing) to do this well. Lucky for you, their content is public.
Go see:
- What’s working for them?
- What’s falling flat?
- Where are the gaps you can fill without sounding like a copy-paste version of them?
This isn’t about copying, it’s about figuring out what’s already boring your audience so you don’t do that.
Step 4 | Use keywords like a human, not a robot
Yes, keywords matter. No, you don’t need to stuff them into every sentence like it’s 2007. Instead, think of keywords as a way to meet your audience where they are, literally, in search results. Find out:
- What phrases they’re actually typing into Google
- What questions they’re asking
- What topics keep coming up again and again
Then write content that answers those questions in your voice, not like you’re auditioning for an SEO seminar.
Step 5 | Time it like you meant to
Trends aren’t just for TikTok. Use tools like Google Trends to spot what topics peak when, and plan accordingly. If a topic spikes every October, maybe don’t wait until November to post about it. Creating content when people are actively looking for it = less effort, more traction.
Which is kind of the whole point here.
Write to them, not at them
This isn’t about content for content’s sake. It’s about saying the right thing, in the right way, to the right people, at the right time.
When you stop writing for ‘everyone’ and start writing like a real human talking to another real human? That’s when your content stops being ignored, and starts being remembered.