but I need help understanding how to shape it into a piece of content
this part is easy....
If you write with the main purpose (or one of the main purposes) to rank in Google you write around a main keyword. That is, find a keyword you want to target (rank for), and then use your favorite SEO tool to find ALL of the related topics and questions about this keyword and you can use all / some of those topics as headings.
These 2 guides by
@splishsplash will teach you everything you need to know about writing and optimizing your content content for the search engines (well, for google mostly since these fuckers have monopoly over the entire traffic):
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/guide-full-example-of-how-to-do-on-page-seo.1251425/https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/seo-siloing-2023-the-last-siloing-guide-youll-ever-need.1502244/
I know that the 1st guide is 3 years old but many of those tips still apply today. And the 2nd guide is more about site structuring than about "shaping the research into a piece of content", but believe me, content structuring and site siloing go hand in hand if you're doing this for the rankings, so it's worth going over both guides despite of how lengthy they are.
If - on the other hand - you were referring to writing content for the people, the best tips I can give you are these:
- use short sentences, in short paragraphs (10-15 words in a sentence, and 3-4 sentences per paragraph is the sweet spot IMO)
- split the content into sections, each sections containing no more than 4-5 paragraphs, with each section having its own unique and catchy headline (bold the headline, too if you feel like it's needed to break the monotony of long walls of text)
- use bullet points as often as possible. The human brain loves structure and text that's broken down into small chunks. This helps the brain store and remember information easier (see what I did with this particular bullet point?)
- use images / infographics as much as possible, while not turning your content into a comic book. I'd say that 1 image every 1-2 sections is OK
- use tables and charts whenever you write on technical / scientific topics. Your readers will love these nerdy things that the common folk doesn't usually have a knack for
- write in a tone / manner that makes you come across as a professional, yet friendly writer (unfortunately, I have no exact tips on this particular bullet point since I used to struggle with this, too when I wrote for my websites. I will have to concede this point to someone who knows better and is willing to chime in)
I find myself struggling with structuring it into proper content pieces.
Again, if you write for google, find a main keyword that you wish to rank for, find 10-20 topics that are EXTREMELY RELEVANT to the main keyword, and use several of those topics as sub-headings for your content while making sure to address them in as many details as possible (google favors thoroughly explained topics)
And if you write for the people still split the content into relevant sub-topics which - if you don't want to find by using SEO tools - you can simply find by starting to type the main keyword into google and see what google's autosuggest tool... well... suggests
If google suggests you those sub-topics it means that people are interested in those subtopics, so adding them as sub-headings (sections) of your article ticks both checkboxes (google and people)
I am still determining how to craft a proper introduction
you can go something like this....
"Hey, guys! In today's post we are going to discuss [whatever topic], because I have always thought that this [whatever topic] is not properly / fully addressed... And I wanted to give my thoughts on it anyway, so what better time to address it than today?
So, grab yourselves a cup of coffee (or tea if you're a Brit), turn off your smartphones, TVs or any other distraction and let's diver right in as I have a lot to say..."
Of course, this type of introduction only works if you have a close relationship with your readers. If you're a professional whatever / academic hotshot / institution representative of some kind familiarity will probably not work, but I'm not a professional of any kind so I don't know what to recommend, so - again - I'll leave the professionalism to someone else that's willing to jump into our discussion with a tip or 2
