How to write content for a Job Board
Writing isn’t only an important part of your successful marketing strategy but also an integral part of your search engine optimisation. Knowing how to write content for a job board can provide you with important leads, valuable communication opportunities and an easy way to develop the conversation further.
Without a topic of conversation however, you won’t get very far with writing.
When it comes to selecting a subject matter, think about what people are talking about in your industry and within your workplace. These will be critical and topical pieces that people will want to talk about, so they’ll immediately be of interest and be able to draw readers in who frequent the same circles that you do.
Now that you’ve remunerated on a few ideas, you should have a topic in mind; now, you’ve got to write it.
1. Introductions
Writing an introduction is widely regarded as one of the hardest parts of writing an article. Right from the off you need to inspire and engage your audience.
Ironically, it’s perhaps the piece of the article you should write last, as you’ll have a clear direction on the journey the reader will take as they’re reading their article. In some ways, it’s a bit like a long car journey. If you haven’t made the long trip before you’ll be guessing at what to take and where to go, but if you’ve already been down that road, then you can prepare accordingly.
If you know what the conclusion of the piece is, then you can often begin to reference it in the opening paragraph, leading your article to being able to tie up the beginning and end in a fitting way.
2. The Format
The way you present your content is also important, one unimaginative page with reams of text won’t grab people in no matter how interesting the content might be.
There are a number of ways you can do this, the obvious being through the use of images both at the top of the piece and sporadically throughout.
What about the words though? Well, using sub-headings, lists and infographics can go some way to making your words stand out from the page and draw attention to the reader, but you need to ensure it fits the subject matter. Writing a list for the sake of it will lose a reader’s interest quickly.
3. The Writing Part
Like many things in life, you’re only good at writing through practising over and over again.
Your topic and the way you’ve decided to present your article should help you with a rough guideline from intro to the conclusion; you just have to fill in the blanks.
Think about the major points you want to make, put them down in a bullet point list if necessary and craft your words around them, making sure you hit the specific points and explain the details you want to.
There are a number of tools that you can use to assist you with your writing.
The Power Thesaurus allows you to easily find alternative words that you can use to really mix your writing up a bit. In a similar fashion, Cliché Finder is able to identify common clichés from your text so that you can work out whether you really need to use the most common of phrases.
If distractions are an issue, then ZenPen can remove all the distractions of the modern internet, allowing you to focus on a white background and black text only.
4. Writing the Conclusion
The final part of the piece is your opportunity to wrap it all together and leave the reader with a final thought or statement that you want to stay with them long after they close the tab.
Think about the main idea behind the article. If there’s one point that you want the reader to take away, then make sure that forms the main part of your conclusion.
5. The Call-To-Action
Ultimately, your content should be an incentive for your readers or customers to do something. In order to achieve this, you may need to point them in the right direction, this is called the ‘call-to-action’.
The call-to-action can take many forms but it’s usually a link somewhere that shows the next steps in order to buy a product, submit a CV or a phone number to call. This means that after reading the article, your audience can be funneled towards exactly where you want them to go.
6. Proofreading
Once the writing is finished it feels like the hard work is over, but the proofreading is just as important.
Ensuring that your writing is not only free of errors but also makes sense is vital before hitting that publish button.
It’s best not to start proofreading straight after finishing an article though. Take a break, grab a drink, or go out and get some fresh air – doing so will free your mind up and draw you away from the words for a time.
Often, writers who check their work straight after finishing will glaze over glaring spelling and grammatical errors. Ideally, waiting until the next morning is preferable, as it allows you to come back to the piece fresh. If you have deadlines to meet, then a quick break should help sharpen your eye for detail.
Another good idea is get a friend or colleague to check over your work to run a critical eye over it.
By letting someone read the piece before publication, you’re getting another pair of eyes who will undoubtedly spot things that you’ve glanced over.
Further Help …
At Strategies, we’ve put together a number of helpful blog articles that can provide assistance with a range of different media-related and branding issues. From Social Media to SEO Tips for Recruitment Agencies and the advantages of Open Source software.
Writing an article isn’t easy, especially if you’re not used to it, but by making sure you have a topic, a start, and an end point, you can begin to see how your piece will develop, allowing you to envision your article before you’ve started to write it.
The main thing is to stick with it. If you’re not sure how to start then just write; writer’s block doesn’t exist, it’s just a case of ideas that haven’t come to fruition yet. By following the tips in this piece, you can reach your customers in interesting ways and develop the conservation with both them and within your industry further.
For More Information …
If you’d like more information on cultivating articles or if you’d like us to help you with your copy, feel free to get in touch with us. Our friendly team will be happy to assist with your copy, SEO or website.
