Part 2 of 3 in the Content Series
The #1 Way To Up-Level The Perceived Value Of Your Content
At this point, you've created a pretty awesome piece of content… right? Right? Now it's time to get your content into a deliverable format that looks professional and easy to read.
NOTE: This lesson focuses on content that your readers will download, such as a freemium / giveaway (often referred to as a "lead magnet") or product. In this lesson, we're not talking about things like blog posts, though obviously those too should look polished and professional.
Here's the key point I want you to remember:
Your presentation is just as important as your information.
And that's because people are going to judge the quality of your content based on its presentation. If the presentation looks the least bit shoddy, your readers are going to assume the content is low-quality too.
Sidebar: I've used the example of the presentation of a steak as an illustration for years. You can have an amazing steak – best in the world – but if you serve it to a customer on a garbage can lid with flies and filth, it's going to be repulsive to the customer. The steak is still best in the world, but the way it is presented makes all the difference on whether or not the customer eats it and pays for it.
End result of poorly presented content? If this is a paid product, you could get a flurry of refund requests. And even if this is a free piece of content (like a freemium or "lead magnet"), you can bet it's not going to generate much in the way of reads, clicks or sales.
So, let's avoid all that with this lesson where you'll find out how to create an attractive, high-quality deliverable.
NOTE: Because this step is so important, I highly recommend you outsource it if you're unsure about doing it yourself. You can find a designer who'll do the layout and design for your Word document and then convert it into an attractive .PDF (portable document file) format. A good place to find an affordable designer is on Fiverr.com.
Here's what you need to do…
Step One: Start With an Attractive Layout
If you want your final product to look good, then you need to start with an attractive layout and design. Again, you should highly consider outsourcing this part to a professional. If you decide to do it yourself, then follow these tips.
1. Layout the Document
To make this easy, you'll want to use a template design for your text document. You can find some of these templates within your word processing software. You can find additional templates online. Just search Google for your software followed by the word "templates." E.G., "Microsoft Word templates."
The template (or your custom design, if you're so inclined and skilled), should have a header and footer. The colors and graphics should match your branding. These sections should also include the title of the course and your name, along with your website name/URL.
NOTE: Need an example of a professional layout/design? Just look at this PDF that you're reading right now!
2. Add Graphics
A document consisting entirely of plain text can be kinda boring. That's why you'll want to add graphics, which add value to your deliverable and make it more attractive.
Here are the types of graphics you can include:
- Icons, such as an exclamation point next to a tip or a lightbulb icon next to an idea.
- Photos.
- Illustrations.
- Infographics.
- Charts.
- Tables.
How about some examples...
Example #1: If your bodybuilding giveaway report talks about how to do a squat, then you'd include a photo or illustration demonstrating the proper form.
Example #2: If you have a dog-training course, then you might sprinkle photos of dogs throughout the course just to make it more appealing to readers.
Example #3: If you have some data-heavy content – such as how to divvy up a business budget -- you can make it easier to read using a table, chart or infographic.
Again, a designer can help you choose the right graphics and insert them into your document. If you do this yourself, then you may obtain photos and illustrations on a stock photo site like DepositPhotos.com. You can edit these graphics or create new ones using Canva.com.
3. Format for Easy Readability
If your content merely looks like it's difficult to read – especially if it has very little white space – your audience isn't going to read any of it. No one likes to read a wall of text.
So, with that in mind, here's how to format for easy readability:
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Be sure to use short sentences and paragraphs. This makes the content easier to read due to the extra white space.
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Break long lists in paragraphs into bulleted lists. (Like this one.)
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Emphasize important items. You can use headlines, subheadlines, bolding, italics and font changes. Look at this lesson as an example of text that emphasizes important items, so that even skimmers can get the gist of the content.
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Use one-inch margins at the sides, top and bottom. (Again, to create white space.)
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Use normal-sized font (around 12 pt). Going too big looks cartoonish, and going small makes it hard to read. While PDF users can make a document bigger or smaller, remember that we're talking about first impressions here.
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