Turning Bland & Obvious Articles Into Reading Delights & Conversion Machines

We received a bulk order for 100+ articles spread across several sub-niches within architecture. This was to be a multi-week project. Architecture isn’t a niche you can freehand casually. We looked into precisely what the client offers and, more importantly, what the competitors offer. It was a website content project.

After having built an in-depth understanding of the various sub-niches ranging from exterior facades to blueprint considerations, we got to work. I was working on a piece covering the importance of having an excellent blueprint.

The #1 Tool: Exampled Stories

Now, generally, when an article writer gets a task like this, such as “explain the importance of something,” the output feels like a regurgitation of otherwise well-known information. Think of what AI would write about this, and you get the picture. That’s how typical article writers work. That’s not how we work, however.

We go above and beyond to ensure the article actually gives readers something new. Or at least, a new perspective.

Bad: If your whole article is just about telling your reader that without a good blueprint, the whole production will suffer and your home won’t be structurally or functionally sound. That’s obvious. At some point, we’ll drive that point home in a neat way.

Good: Your home will have aesthetic awkwardness stemming from a bad blueprint because a blueprint is all lines and numbers. As it slowly gets transformed into an actual living space for real human beings, things that were not fixed early on become eyesores.

That’s the hook. It’s magnetic.

So, that’s the path I took. Of course, I clarified all the obvious points as well. But in better dressing. Such as:

• Workers are used to working in a certain manner. If a blueprint isn’t good, they’ll need to make some calls here and there. And that’s how the production will suffer.
• A good blueprint also helps you identify problems in the overall design. A half-baked one might miss critical information such as which side the doors open. Suddenly, you’re confronted with that reality which was never identified/fixed. And now, you have to work on a compromise.

Both are simply exampled ways of illustrating otherwise obvious points: a) Without a good blueprint, production suffers, and b) Homes aren’t structurally sound without a good blueprint.

But what do you do if the client’s offering has no redeeming quality, major USP, or an actually worthwhile differentiator?

Taking a Step Back

Examples aren’t the only way to make things more engaging. A good hook, something less-known, a somewhat controversial take, and better dressing for otherwise boring descriptions. It’s a mix of all of that and more.

Of course, each article reflects the style of its writer. But clients whose business relies on the articles you’re writing also need to be an active component. Whenever possible, we reach out to our clients or dig a little deeper than normal to find caveats unique to them. If that’s a dead end (the business is as stereotypical and mediocre as is possible to be), we take a step back.

How do you take a step back? How does it work?

Once, I was writing about duck hunting trips/experiences. The client offered less than the average expected experience. It’s safe to say that the offering was mediocre at best. Yes, they were cheaper. And that was the main USP. But slapping “we’re cheap” all over your content is bad article writing. It just means you’re not being creative enough.

As an article writer, it’s your job to turn over all stones, so to speak. Relying on a USP like “we’re affordable, so choose us” is just a cheap trick. Yes, affordability is an excellent part of any conversation. You should 100% clarify just how affordable you are. But that can’t be your whole spiel. “We offer this, but affordably.” Now, that’s a much better angle.

If there’s nothing like that to talk about, take a step back in this way:

• Look into the larger domain, industry, or niche.
• Find fun things, hot takes, unpopular opinions, evergreen questions, points of contention, things people always argue about/can’t decide on across online discussions, etc.
• See how your client’s service is solving that issue or contributing to that story.

Voila! I got to work.

Here’s the thing about duck hunting. Ask a random person on the street whether hunters are good or bad for duck populations, and almost everyone says bad. They shoot ducks, come on. But that instinct is exactly the point of contention because the opposite is closer to the truth.

Even you are intrigued now, aren’t you?

Hunters fund a staggering amount of wetland conservation. In the US, waterfowl hunters have to buy a federal Duck Stamp, and nearly all of that money goes straight into protecting and restoring wetlands, the very habitat that keeps duck populations alive in the first place!

Now, if you’re a seasoned duck hunter, you already know this. But internalize this: the bulk of people who will be coming to this article on our client’s website probably don’t have a clue because they’re still in the discovery phase. They’re amateurs. Telling them that groups like Ducks Unlimited have conserved millions of acres of wetlands is an excellent point.

So the people shooting the ducks turn out to be, weirdly, the same people paying to make sure there are ducks. Of course, their own business depends on it. But they add more back to conservation in general (wetlands entirely, not just “funding the breeding of more ducks so our customers can shoot them”).

I asked the client about their stamps, how much they fund annually, and how does the process work exactly. Weaved all that into a fine story of commitment toward wetlands and conservation in general. And for a low price of so-and-so, you, the customer, get to be a part of this conservation story.

We have strong ethics. We never invent stuff about clients. Our final duty is toward the readers of our articles, not the client. The client is just the intermediary for us to reach an audience. But with the lack of good points to talk about for a commercial website’s articles, you’re left with this. Taking a step back.

That’s a neat way of turning bland text, monotonous descriptions, and regurgitation into actually juicy articles that people want to read.

I talked about Duck Stamps, non-toxic shot, respecting bag limits, and connected it all to the client’s super-reasonable offering to be a part of the marshland conservation story.

Bad: We’re the cheapest duck hunting trip providers. Cheap. Very cheap!

Good: The most affordable way to join the people who actually keep waterfowl alive in Texas.

There, nailed it to the board. All it took was taking a step back, looking at the bigger picture, and perhaps asking a question or two. You translate the good and bad in the world into stories people care about. That’s what your job as an article writer is. You can’t just write a thousand words on how your client offers cheap duck hunting. That’s terrible. Nobody will read that. Even if it ends up converting, you have done a poor job as an article writer.

And, like how I found an intriguing/fun fact type of anecdote for this particular client, I find other types of anecdotes for other clients. It depends on a bunch of factors. Sometimes, it’s a controversial hot take that I hone in on. Sometimes, it’s a mix of plugging the client’s offering into a story bigger than itself.