Impactful. Leaving a lasting mark or impression. Inspiring change and positivity. Encouraging improvement and growth. Unforgettable.
These are the first things that come to mind when I hear the word impact.
How does your content effect your readers?
Does it make them dig deeper? Does it challenge them to be a better person? Does it answer important questions? Does it erase doubts? Does it teach them something treasurable?
These are valuable things to think about when creating your content.
Being impactful is writing for the benefit of others and not just for your personal gain. When your purpose for writing surrounds care and concern for others the impact comes automatically because your readers can feel it.
I do write for my enjoyment. It is a pleasurable freeing time that I look forward to having. However, it doesn’t stop there because I also keep my readers in mind.
I ask myself this question,
How can I write about my own life experiences and lessons in a way that will bless my readers?
For me it starts from the beginning all the way to the end:
• an intriguing thumbnail and title to help bring on curiosity of what’s inside
• a storyline to easily follow
• relevant photos throughout that help set the mood and atmosphere of the topic
• using detailed words of expression that clearly shows my emotions/feelings
• creating unique ways for my readers and I to connect
• sharing a beneficial learned lesson
• adding teachable moments for enlightenment
• concluding the post with a final wrap up summary and explanation for further clarity
I want to have a positive influence here and I can achieve this through the content I share.
I gather up the things I have learned (from here and the real world) and share them in a way as if my readers were right there with me. I’ve always been one for details so that’s what I focus on including. I want my readers to be able to picture and imagine what I’m saying as this tends to help with better understanding a situation.
When sharing insightful content I try to aim to make it worth my reader’s time and attention. If I don’t feel it meets these standards then the post never gets published. I want to share at least one valuable take away from the content I write.
A good way to determine if your content is impactful is by the amount of engagement it brings.
Are your posts good conversation starters? Do your readers respond to the questions you ask?
It’s always a rewarding moment to see how much arousement your content has stirred up. When that feedback and interaction starts coming in that’s when you know people are interested in what you’re talking about. This is one of the reasons why I always thank people for their comments as it’s a confirmation my work made an impact on someone.
Stand Out!
One of the best ways to bring forth impactful content is to stand out!
I’m going to admit something to you. When I first started out blogging here, I would scroll through the trending page to study the content. I wanted to know what a trending post looked like and what topics they consisted of.
I tried similar things, mainly the topic choice to see if I too could have an impact in the way these posts did. I quickly found out it wasn’t the best choice (for me).
It just wasn’t me, I had to find my own style and niche.
When I wrote it didn’t flow. I didn’t have a natural love and interest for the topics I posted about or even a little of my own knowledge. I had to research and look up things to even know what I was talking about.
If I’m uncomfortable or unconfident in what I write about then my readers will feel the exact same things and be turned off by it. They will leave my post in seconds. This is not the type of blog I wanted for myself.
It took some time but eventually I started developing my own personal touch and found the things I preferred. For instance the way I formatted my photos with titles included, the topics I loved and were knowledgeable about, adding in what I wanted my readers to enjoy ie. transparency in a funny way when sharing down to earth truths, the flow of my posts amongst many other things.
The moral of this is:
If I’m excited about it, most likely the readers of like-interest will be too!
I only write about what I’m passionate about. It’s not forced and comes out more clearly since I am comfortable and confident about it. Sometimes I wish I could shut up and stop writing but my passion takes the wheel :D
I always make a personal challenge for myself and that is doing what is rarely done. Shining amongst the crowd by putting a lot of effort into what I publish. Even if it means being the odd ball at times, I’ll take it.
The way your readers experience you is how you stand out from the crowd. If you have left a lasting impression on them your name is sure to come up in their conversations leading others to find out about you.
The way your readers feel after reading your content will stay with them for a long time. Even if they forget exactly what the content was about, they will remember if their experience of you was positive or negative.
How do your readers feel after leaving your posts? Do they feel encouraged, empowered, appreciative, educated, anew, transformed, hopeful or delighted?
Do they feel it was worth their time or do they walk away the same as they came?
Shine Bright!
There are many amongst us who shine bright and consistently give us content we look forward to reading.
While scrolling through your feeds or reading comments you might see a name that makes you smile. Or you might even intentionally search for a certain Hiver to see if they have published anything new.
This is all because that Hiver gave you a reason to remember them. You expect that whatever you read from that Hiver will be satisfying and enjoyable.
Wouldn’t you like to have that same impact on someone else? In what ways can you benefit your readers?
Content readers are hoping to read something that moves and inspires them. Does your content hit that mark?
There is plenty of room for shining. You just can’t be afraid to do so.
You know the value you bring, you just have to find unique ways to show it.
Adding your personal spin, allowing your personality to show and sharing your passion in an unforgettable way will help you shine bright!