Staying focused is a problem for people who have lots of interests, are generous and unable to say no, get distracted easily, and are just plain busy. Most of us fit into one of these categories. When a business loses focus on its content, a content strategy is needed. Erin Kissane, author of The Elements of Content Strategy, believes there is only one guiding principle of good content: “It should be appropriate for your business, for your users, and for its context.”
For the content writer, the best way to stay focused when creating content is to have all the peripheral stuff (including strategy) taken care of before any writing begins. The process then becomes simple: topic + length + purpose + channel. This allows the writer to get right to the heart of the matter – connecting with people interested in your products or services.
After knowing your topic + length + purpose, choose a channel. When writing for particular channels answer one question to keep the writing focused (though the question may change depending on your purpose):
Relying on a focused, efficient content strategy saves lots of time and frustration for the writer, the business, and the audience. What ways have you and your company found to help focus the content creation process?