Pre-Writing Tips for Your Online Marketing Content 

Have you ever sat down to write and thought: “oh my God, I have no idea what to write?” Do you ever ask an AI to write you something only to get a chunk of words back and think: “no, none of that will be able to help whatsoever”?

You are not alone. Indeed, as someone who’s been a professional online copywriter for more than a decade now (wow am I old) I’ve found that, in my capacity as a professional writer of digital marketing in Los Angeles, one tip is bigger than the rest: 

Pre-writing matters. 

Your writing starts before you ever actually write. 

This is true whether you’re writing a blog, service page, social media post, product description, script for a video, podcast, or anything else. The better your pre-writing is, the better your own writing will most likely be. Moreover, you’ll be able to write better in less time, too. 

Start With the Subheadings In Mind 

You know SEO, so you know the importance of H2, H3, and so forth. Those can be critical to making sure that the web crawlers know how to index your work. That way, you can eventually rank for the keywords that you want to rank for. So, when I sit down to do my pre-writing, those are usually the first things I write. 

If I’m writing a blog for, say, one of our attorney clients about what to do in a car accident, I’ll look at my keywords, and see how I can fit those into the subheadings. 

Maybe I use one early, in the second section, about what to do in the immediate aftermath of an accident. Then, I know that, sequentially, people are going to have questions about what to say to the other driver, the police/should we call them, and so forth. So that’s another section. 

Thinking aloud, it hits me that “after the accident” doesn’t just mean “in the street after the accident.” It means the next day, the next week, and so forth. That’s all “after the accident.” So, that will be a section, too. 

Then, I write out the subheadings accordingly. Now, when I sit down to actually write the article, I won’t be flailing. I’ll know exactly what to do. 

For one section, I can focus on what to do right after the accident, then another I can answer questions the reader may have, and then move on to what to do in the time period after the accident. You can do this for your writing, too. 

How to Apply This to Your Writing 

You might have read that and thought: “Great, Greg, but, my topic isn’t going to be something that flows so naturally, in a sequential order.” Perfect! Just identify what the most important points to know are. 

For example, if I’m writing for a rehab treatment client and I’m doing a blog about their amenities, I’ll focus on their best amenities, that’s one section. Then, I’ll go into why that matters. Next, I’ll probably touch on what they have to offer in addition to the amenities (staff, other resources, and the like). Finally, I’ll close with a CTA. 

You can do that for anything. So, for pre-writing: write down, bullet point style, what’s most important that you want folks to know. More often than not, those will be your subheadings. 

Think of Yourself Like the AI 

As a writer, if I’m to write something I may not know all that much about, I’ll do some research. I’ll look at what my client has (if anything). Then, I’ll look at competitors/others in the industry. I’ll look at as many of those as possible. I’ll also check out news in the industry, and so forth. Then, drawing from all of that, I’ll write in what I hope is the best approximation of the client’s voice. 

If that sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. Basically, what I’ve been doing for many years in this job is more or less how AI works. (I’m better at it, but, hey, I’ve been doing it longer.) 

So, when it comes to do your next batch of writing, consider: instead of asking the AI a prompt, give it to yourself. How would you handle: “write 500 words about what makes a good personal injury attorney,” etc. 

You may find that, by giving yourself this challenge, you find possibilities that you may not have otherwise entertained. AI is good for outlining, yes, but I cannot stress enough how wary you should be of using its writing as authoritative. The AI “hallucinates” far too much to be trusted, but, if you want to use it as a starting off point to jump-start your own brain, it can be worth a shot. 

Start the Creation the Night Before 

Before I end the day/go to bed/etc., I do a quick once over of what I know I’ll have to do tomorrow (obviously, emergencies can always arise). Then, I send myself an email (or record a voice memo) of what I need to do and how I’m going to do it. 

Does that mean I follow this exactly the next day? Not necessarily. But, just by taking 60 seconds to even say this out loud to myself, I cut down on the time it’s going to take me to get to work the next morning. Instead of fumbling around trying to wake up/pounding caffeine, I at least have something to work from. 

This took me years to find – hopefully, you find something even better for you that much sooner. 

Digital Marketing in Los Angeles That Can Help 

Hopefully, these tips improve not just your writing but your content creation. Indeed, even if you don’t write, what I’ve mentioned above can help you to organize your thoughts and motivate yourself. 

If you would like some help with getting your company in front of more of your potential customers, our team of experts is ready to help. I work with some of the best digital marketers anywhere, each with a proven track record of helping companies to grow. 

To schedule a free evaluation, reach out to us through our site or call.