How to Organize
Your Content
so it Practically Writes Itself
CARA'S
CORNER
Michael Port has a new book, Beyond Booked Solid for which
I had the privilege of being an early reader and I was also asked
to compile the workbook that accompanies it. Michael always stretches
my vision and this book helps us think about new ways to structure
the architecture of our business. If you are ready to think bigger,
be in service more deeply, and take your business to a higher
level, I highly recommend you read this book.
As
a Team Leader in The Product Factory I get to support talented
entrepreneurs while they create their signature products. Organizing
their ideas into an effective communication sometimes offers a
challenge. The method I describe in this article is my favorite
way to get the job done easily. Enjoy.
Warmly,
How to Organize Your Content
so it Practically Writes Itself
I once wrote a play. Well actually I wrote a lot of scenes and
found myself laying them out all over my bed trying to sort them
in some sort of sequence. (This was before computers). It was
the only way I could take what had emerged from my imagination
and make any sense out of it.
Of course, now I know better. Even now if simply start writing
content as I get inspired, I find it much, much harder to organize
than if I had a plan in the first place. Being able to see the
overview of what you are going to create is actually a talent,
but it is also a skill you can learn. Here's my method.
Find your core message
Why are you writing this? What one point do you wish to make
above all else? I'll use the example of a book I'm working on
now. It's "How to Write Magnetic Sales Pages." My purpose
is to create a ebook/workbook that helps people pull their ideas
and phrases from their subconscious and put it into a specific
structure in order to create a compelling sales page. That makes
sense. This core message is the clothes line that will go from
beginning to end upon which I will hang my points, one chapter
"clothes pin" at a time.
Find your beginner's mind
Who are you writing to? How much do they know? What foundational
material do you have to include in order to orient them to your
content? I'm beginning my book with information on why people
buy. That makes sense. We're writing sales pages to get people
to purchase so understanding that process is an invaluable foundation
upon which to build.
Build your path
Lay out your stepping stones. What do they need to know next?
What after that? These are your chapter headings. Don't worry
about the name for them, just get the idea. In my case, I need
for people to get very clear about the purpose of their sales
page so I have organized my chapters and exercises to help them
make internal decisions that will affect their content. It takes
them step-by-step to a finished product.
Choose your equipment
What "tools" will your readers need in order to reach
the conclusion you are taking them toward? Again, in my example,
it's fairly easy to see. We have to talk about the mechanics of
creating content - headlines, subheads, keywords, the circular
paragraph, etc. Fill your reader's tool kit before you move on.
The key question
Now comes the magic organizer. Imagine that you have just mapped
out a nature walk. You have posted signs along the path to mark
the places you will stop and discuss with your students the scene
before them. Why did you choose one viewing point rather than
another? You have to know exactly what you want them to learn.
The most powerful phrase you can ask yourself is "Students
leave with an understanding of…." If you place that
question at the beginning of every chapter heading you have created
and answer it, your content will practically write itself.
The first time I created a Table of Contents for the Magnetic
Sales Page book I found that on one chapter heading, when put
in the line "Students leave with an understanding of…."
I had to answer it with "I have no clue." Needless to
say I rearranged that particular point.
This key question is a powerful measuring stick for making certain
your content is heard and understood.
Review your overview
From your work so far, create your table of contents and look
it over for a logical sequence. Do you need to move the chapter
on one topic higher up? Have you answered a question in another
place? Do chapters need to be combined? Remember your beginner's
mind and build your case one logical sequential step at a time.
Look at your core "clothesline" theme. Look at the "garment"
chapters you have hung on that line. If you have made your point,
if you know what your students will leave with an understanding
of… start writing.
Are they students or readers?
We all want to be heard. We don't write unless we want to communicate.
Whether it is fiction, a how to book or a sales page, we want
our content to be understood, So of course, we want to make our
point. For me a reader can be a casual observer. A student, on
the other hand, really wants to "get it." That's why
I use "Students leave with an understanding of…"
and let my content write itself.
©
Cara Lumen 2008
www.caralumen.com
WANT
TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-MAGAZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as
long as you include this bio with it:
Cara
Lumen, The Vision Distiller,helps proactive entrepreneurs
translate their passion into a profitable presence on the internet.
As a content strategist she guides you to copy that compels and
sells. Her own information products are noted for their clarity
and richness. Through The Magnetic Marketing Method she offers
innovative, inexpensive, and impactful ideas for internet marketing,
content strategy, and signature product development. Find more
articles like this in The Success Magnets Emagazine at www.caralumen.com
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