That would be a dream come true, wouldn’t it?
Content that you create wins an award.
Wow.
But that thought should never enter your mind when writing.
Why?
Because when it does, you end up writing crap.
Back to basics: why are you writing the content?
That sounds like a stupid question, but it’s not.
On the one hand you’re writing the content because your client has commissioned you to.
They want you to write for them because they need content for their new marketing campaign to sell more of their products.
But that’s only two links in the ‘reason why you’re writing the content’ chain. There is a third.
The main reason the content is required is to attract and convert readers into customers.
Fanfare please.
That’s the one that matters.
That’s the one that’s going to deliver a return on your client’s investment.
And that’s why you should never have the personal aim of writing award winning content in your head.
The basics of great content
All the best copywriters are selfless.
They don’t write for their own gratification, they write for the benefit of their readers – not clients (although they will benefit from great content too).
By only concentrating on the needs of the reader, the copywriter can drill down to what matters to them the most; what is the single most important benefit of the product or service that will make their life better and therefore will make them buy.
The last thing they want anyone to do is read their content and exclaim: “wow, that was the best content I have ever read!”
Instead, they are aiming for “wow, this company really understands what I need and their product is just what I’ve been looking for. I’m going to buy now!”
In other words, they leave their ego at the door.
If the content just happens to be part of an award winning campaign, great, but that should never be your motivation.
Great content comes from understand what your audience wants and how they want to read it. Only when you’ve mastered that will you write truly great copy.