💡 This week, Melissa Malec is taking over the How the F*ck newsletter show. Melissa is a killer content writer I work with. Not only does her content rank SO well for my clients, but it’s always filled with that special sparkle that resonates with readers and their pain points. Need a really dependable writer to add to your freelance squad? Melissa is your person.
A few weeks ago Ben shared eight scalable ways to source expert insights for content.
But sourcing insight and finding original research is only half the battle in creating credible, valuable, and effective content.
The other half is placing them convincingly into that content.
The last thing you want to do is paste ‘expertise’ in as an afterthought.
That might convince Google you’re delivering on EEAT but it won’t convince your reader.
And ultimately…they’re who matters.
If a reader is going to buy-in to you and eventually buy from you, they need to see your content as genuinely insightful.
It needs to persuade them you *actually* know what you’re talking about.
In this newsletter, I’ll show you how to convincingly embed expert insight into content, using two examples:
- How I embed quotes
- How I embed data and use it to back up ideas
Let’s dive in!
Example 1: How to use quotes convincingly
Key takeaways:
- Place quotes during the outline phase of writing
- Make your quote fit contextually
- Establish quote authority (aka why should the reader trust it)
You can’t slap a quote into an article willy-nilly. It needs to feel congruent to the argument you’re making or the perspective you’re sharing.
That’s why I recommend sourcing quotes early so that they can inform the direction your piece takes.
Then once you have them, place them as supporting points in your outline and state why it’s a supporting point.
This ensures you’re placing the quote into the narrative of your piece rather than placing it as an afterthought or without context.
You also need to make sure the reader knows why this quote is relevant. Who is this person and why do their opinions matter?
Here’s an example from an article I wrote:
Find the full article here → One to One Meetings — Your Go-To Guide for Effective 1-1s
Example 2: Using data to back up your ideas
Key takeaways:
- Choose the data that proves your point best
- Embed it into the narrative of your content
- Make it feel credible and relevant
Numbers work. People buy in to them. But they need to be used strategically.
Too many and your readers' eyes start to gloss over.
Position them incorrectly or choose the wrong data and they fail to prove your point.
Reference something too old, too distant, or just plain irrelevant and it falls flat.
What you need to do is make sure it sells your ideas for you and it can only do that if embedded seamlessly into your content’s narrative. Because numbers without context aren’t as effective.
And as with quotes, you want to collect your data early and include it in your outline so that when it comes to writing you know the point you're making and how this data backs it up.
Here’s an example from the same article as before:
Conclusion
How you use and place your expert insights and research can be the difference between a piece of content that flies or flops in the minds of your audience.
So if you want your value-adds to genuinely add that value, make sure you are, or have, a writer who can convincingly place insights.
If you need a writer, get in touch with me here. Valuable content that resonates, educates, and converts is what I do best.
