Whether you’re blogging, Tweeting, or creating copy for sales pamphlets or websites, the content of your pieces remains crucial to the success of your writing. Because there are only so many things to write about regarding a specific topic, it is probable that someone else will have written a similar piece. So how do you stand out amongst all your competitors?

Let’s refer to what I have literally JUST coined, “The Five Q’s”:

Quality – I think this is pretty obvious but still really important to consider when writing content that will represent either your own brand, or a client’s brand. Quality means not only the standard of editing and making sure that grammar and spelling are sound, but also choosing a topic that is relevant and engaging.

Quantity – remember in high school the first question we would ask when assigned a paper was, “how many pages does it have to be?” Our teacher’s answer, like clock-work was, “Use your judgement; however many pages it takes you to adequately make your point, is how many pages I expect from you.” Okay so…how many pages would THAT take me? What I’m getting at here is you don’t need to write and write and write just so that it looks like you’ve really done your research. Oftentimes, you can write the same thing with half as many words. As a general rule, prompt and thorough pieces engage the most readers. Also keep in mind that you need to write enough to make your piece comprehensive and to exude proper research.

Question – Ask your reader or yourself a question, and then be sure to answer it within your piece. People like to learn new things, and if your research proves that you are well-educated in your topic, people will be more apt to continue coming back to read your content. Also try questioning a popular topic spinning it in a different way so as to get your reader to think outside the box. If you get your audience to think of something in an entirely different way, they will surely respect you more as a writer.

Quotes – When necessary and appropriate, use quotes. Whether to give proper credit to a speaker, or to show that you have retrieved data from an outside source, it is crucial that you properly credit any source. Quotes can also add a little flavor to a piece, and give your writing more credibility.

Quench – So this was a bit outside of the box, so stay with me here. When I think of the word quench, I think of the Gatorade commercials (with the popular tag line, “Quench your thirst”) where a very sweaty and parched athlete takes a long, savory sip of the cold beverage. I want you to think about your thirstiest time, and how good it tasted to finally sip a cold drink. Now leverage that thirst when you sit down to write content. Give me something that, after a long day, people will read and feel refreshed and want to hug you for giving them such a gift. Okay…maybe that was a bit dramatic but you get the idea.

Happy writing y’all! Let me know if you have any more Q’s you feel deserve to be on this list!