The Architecture of Engagement: Structuring Your Content for Readability
Content Marketing Manager
In this article, I want to talk about a huge pain point that so many content teams face: receiving bad drafts. Those pieces that are just a mess in terms of readability, structure, and overall content architecture.
It’s frustrating. You put all this time and effort into planning and assigning content, only to get back something that's just not up to par.
Let’s look at how to best solve that.
Table of Contents
What is content architecture?
Content architecture refers to how you format a blog post – about how content is displayed on a page, both in terms of how it looks and what it conveys. It’s not all about making it look pretty, but actually building a structure that guides your reader through your content in a logical, engaging way. That means thinking carefully about things like headings, paragraph length, and overall word count.
However…
The most important aspect of content architecture isn’t always the design or layout.
It's the actual substance of your content. You could have the most beautiful website in the world, but if the content itself is a mess, it's not going to do you any good.
Think about it this way: If you're writing a piece of top-of-funnel content, you'll want to focus on providing a broad, informative overview of your topic. But if you're creating something for the bottom of the funnel, you'll need to dive deeper into the specifics and really showcase your expertise (more about this later).
The key is to match your content architecture to your audience's needs and expectations at each stage of their journey.
What to pay attention to when structuring your content
Let’s break down some key indicators of great content architecture and show you how to assess your own content through that lens.
The Priority of That Content in Relation to Your Business
This might not seem like it’s super related to what we’re talking about in this article – content structure.
But hear me out.
When you’re creating content, you’re not just writing for the sake of writing. You're doing it to achieve specific business goals, whether that's driving conversions, boosting visibility, or establishing your brand as a thought leader in your industry. To do that effectively, you need to be strategic about the topics you choose to focus on.
When I speak of the priority of the content in relation to your business, I speak of:
- Is this keyword relevant to me at this point in time?
- How relevant is it?
- Why is it relevant?
- Does it help my conversions, my visibility, or both?
This is essential to align your content team on the same goals. You might have tens of features and use cases, and some of them might be more important than others to your audience.
For example, Yahini, with its automated keyword research feature, sets a priority score for each keyword based on factors like relevance, search volume, competition, and funnel stage. You can identify which topics are most likely to drive certain results for your business (e.g. pick a BOFU topic if you want more conversions – here’s how to create high-converting content).
Know the Stage of the Funnel
If you're not familiar with the funnel concept, it basically breaks down the customer journey into three main stages: top of the funnel (TOFU), middle of the funnel (MOFU), and bottom of the funnel (BOFU).
Here's why this matters so much when it comes to content structure: each stage of the funnel requires a different approach to content.
At the top of the funnel, you're typically dealing with a broader audience that might not be super familiar with your brand or product. At this stage, your content should be focused on educating and informing, providing value without being too sales-y.
But as you move down the funnel, things start to change.
In the middle of the funnel, your audience starts to consider their options and evaluate potential solutions to their problems. At this stage, your content needs to be more focused on your specific product or service, highlighting its features and benefits.
And then there's the bottom of the funnel. At this stage, your audience is ready to make a decision and take action. They know what they need, and they're looking for the best solution to fit their specific needs. This is where your content needs to be laser-focused on conversion, with clear calls to action and a strong emphasis on the value your product or service provides.
So, how does this translate to content structure?
Well, let's take a BOFU piece as an example.
If you're creating a blog post targeted at bottom-of-the-funnel prospects, you'll want to structure it in a way that addresses their specific pain points and objections head-on. That might mean starting with a strong headline that speaks directly to their needs, followed by an introduction that acknowledges their challenges and positions your product as the solution.
From there, you'll want to dive into the specifics of your product, highlighting its key features and benefits in a way that's easy to understand and relate to. You might include customer testimonials or case studies to provide social proof and build trust.
And throughout the piece, you'll want to include calls-to-action that encourage the reader to take the next step, whether that's signing up for a free trial, requesting a demo, or making a purchase.
Have 2–3 Main Points, and a Few Subpoints
When you write a unique piece of content, whether a blog post, article, or social media update, you want to ensure that your ideas are presented in a way that is easy for your audience to follow and understand.
And the best way to do that is by breaking your content down into clear, distinct sections.
One helpful strategy is to create a brief before you start writing (or use Yahini).
Take a few minutes to jot down the key ideas you want to cover in your piece, and then organize them into a logical hierarchy.
What are the two or three most important points you want to make? Those should be your main sections.
Then, within each of those sections, what are the supporting ideas or examples that help illustrate your point? Those can be your subpoints.
Once you have your outline in place, it becomes much easier to structure your content in a way that's clear and engaging.
Use headings and subheadings to break up your text and make it easy for readers to navigate. This is especially important for longer pieces of content, where readers might be tempted to skim or skip around.
Use a Non-Linear Narrative Structure To Create a More Engaging and Immersive Reading Experience
Just because you have a clear structure doesn't mean your content has to be boring or predictable.
In fact, one way to make your content more engaging is by using a non-linear narrative structure.
What does that mean, exactly?
Essentially, it's a way of presenting your ideas in a more dynamic, interactive way.
Instead of simply presenting your points in a sequential order, try mixing things up a bit.
Start with a compelling anecdote or example that illustrates your main point, then dive into the details.
Or, present a question or problem at the beginning of your piece and then use the rest of the content to explore potential solutions.
The key is to keep your readers engaged and curious so they want to keep reading to see where you're going.
Use a Modular Content Structure To Allow Readers To Explore the Article in a Non-Sequential Manner
Another approach to non-linear storytelling is to use a modular content structure.
This means breaking your content up into smaller, self-contained sections that can be read in any order. Think of it like a choose-your-own-adventure book – readers can explore the sections that interest them most without feeling like they have to read the entire piece from start to finish.
And that’s how you structure compelling content
That’s about it. Make sure you follow all the tips above, and then go ahead and create that awesome piece of content.
Yahini offers you the strategic advice you need to create a content strategy from the ground up. Its AI has been trained by seasoned content strategists, providing you with expert-level content briefs right at your fingertips.
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