Creative Copy: 5 Tips for Writing Educational Content
It’s been a while over here on the blog, but I’m back! One of the main reasons I’ve been absent for so long is that I’ve been working on my longest-running project to date – writing German grammar lessons for a language learning app.
Now, before I started this project, I didn’t consider myself to be an expert in writing educational content. It didn’t occur to me that most of the content we consume on the internet could be classed as educational: from blog posts to video tutorials and online courses. It’s all learning!
When asked to write a couple of simple German grammar lessons for a language learning app, I was surprised at the extent to which I was able to lean on the skills I’ve developed translating marketing content. Since most content is educational, it turns out that most content marketers are also good teachers.
Having now written over 150(!) German grammar lessons and received feedback from specialist editors, my approach to writing educational content has shifted from intuitive to intentional. With a little time between projects to reflect back on my recent work, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you my top five tips for writing educational content. Bear in mind that this applies pretty broadly, given that most of what we do here on the internet is keep each other informed – and entertained, hopefully ;-)
1. Preparation is key
This first one might seem slightly obvious, but before you sit down to write something educational, it’s important that you really understand the topic. Even if you think you’re an expert, a little extra research always comes in handy.
On my recent project, I was writing German grammar lessons. This is a subject that I know a lot about, given that I have a German degree and I interact with the German language on an almost daily basis. That being said, I definitely needed to refresh my memory on certain topics. Before starting work on each lesson, you’d find me rifling through dusty grammar textbooks that I haven’t touched since I was a student.
Accuracy is extremely important when it comes to educational content. You need to triple check all your facts – there’s no point in teaching somebody something if it’s the wrong information.
2. Watch your tone
Tone of voice is, of course, important no matter what your copy is about, but you’re striking a particularly delicate balance when it comes to educational content. Keep the age of your target audience in mind: if you’re educating adults, you need to keep your tone clear and simple without coming across as condescending.
It’s also a good idea to make things fun! Obviously, this might not be appropriate in every context, but if the situation allows, why not inject a bit of humour into the mix? The best teachers keep their students engaged and when people are having fun, they’re paying attention.
In my most recent project, I never missed an opportunity to add a joke or a good bit of word play. Grammar can be a dull topic, so it’s important to liven things up!
3. Break it up
Big blocks of text are intimidating when you’re trying to learn something new. You also have to bear in mind that internet users have short attention spans and are likely to skim over your copy. For this reason, it’s a good idea to break your content up into smaller sections.
In blog posts like this, it helps to use headings and paragraphs, but you also need to think about how you’re distributing images and examples. In particular, diagrams and quote boxes are a good way to give your readers a break from intense reading while still encouraging them to learn.
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash
If you find yourself with a really gigantic paragraph and you can’t think of a way to break it up, it’s worth asking yourself if all the information you’re trying to share is essential. The secret to great educational content is that it expresses complicated ideas in a simple manner. More is not always more and too much waffle will only drive learners away.
4. Put yourself in the learner’s shoes
Photo by Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash
Learning something new can be frustrating and disheartening – that’s certainly the case when it comes to learning a new language. Most of us prefer having all the answers over needing to be told how to do something.
When writing educational content, try thinking back to how you felt when you learnt the information you’re now sharing. Maybe you found it really confusing at first, but over time, it all clicked into place. Why not share this with the reader? Knowing that they aren’t alone in their experience of finding certain topics challenging will make learners feel motivated to continue.
Coming back to the point on tone of voice, it’s important not to come across as a condescending authority talking down to the reader, but a little encouragement goes a long way. Put yourself in the learner’s shoes and consider the kinds of phrases that would make you feel supported and motivated.
5. Be careful about what you assume
One of the things that really helped me to improve the content I created as part of my recent project, was working with an editor who didn’t know German grammar. The number of times she would pull me up for using a term or concept I hadn’t explained properly was very revealing. When you know a topic well, it’s easy to make assumptions about what people already know. Watch out for this!
It's also important to remember that repetition helps people to learn. Especially if you’re working on a long course or a book, for example, don’t be afraid to keep reminding your audience of key terms and concepts. Even if this seems repetitive to you, don’t assume that learners will take everything on board the first time around.
Final thoughts
We’ve all been learners and we’ve all benefited from educational content. That’s why producing your own informative resources feels really rewarding. It’s fun sharing your expertise with other people and they’ll certainly thank you for it!
I feel really lucky to have had this experience, working on a long content creation project, because the skills I have developed will certainly help me in future endeavours – whether they relate directly to educational resources or not. I hope you’ve found this blog post educational, and maybe even a little entertaining ;-) Good luck with your educational content projects!