Article Design to Keep Your Note from Becoming Just a Diary | 5 Article Roles That Lead to Work
You are writing on note, but it doesn't feel like it's leading to work or inquiries. When that happens, it's easier to organize your thoughts by reviewing the "role of the article" before focusing on writing skills. In this article, I will introduce a way to categorize articles into five roles to help you grow your small business note into an "article shelf" rather than just a collection of one-off posts. Before adding new articles, start by assigning a role to the ones you already have.
Hello. This is Tsuyoshi Watataru from Netarie.
I provide support for small business note publishing.
As you continue to write on note, your articles will gradually increase.
Work-related stories.
Daily realizations.
Things asked by customers.
Stories about books read.
Thoughts on services.
At the time, each one has a reason for being written.
However, when viewed as a note for work,
"The number of articles is increasing, but I don't know where I should have people start reading."
This state can sometimes occur.
There is nothing wrong with writing a diary.
The problem is not that there are many articles.
The problem is that it becomes unclear what purpose each article serves.
Decide "what role this article plays" before focusing on the number of articles
When you want to make your note lead to work,
"I must write more useful articles"
"I must increase the number of searchable articles"
It is easy to think that way.
However, if you already have articles, stop and take a look before writing a new one.
Do you want first-time visitors to read this article?
Is this an article for organizing problems?
Is this an article to help people understand your way of thinking?
Is this an article you want people to read before consulting you?
Is this an article that answers frequently asked questions?
By assigning roles in this way, the way the same article is perceived changes.
Before increasing the number of articles, first decide the role of the articles you already have.
This is the beginning of building your article shelf.
There are two entrances to note
Before thinking about the roles of your articles, there is one more thing to look at.
Readers do not always come to your note from the same place.
Broadly speaking, there are two entrances.
Entrances that come directly to an article from the outside, such as search or SNS
These are readers who come directly to a single article from Google search, SNS, or other articles.
These people have not seen your profile or pinned articles.
Based on just the first article they read,
"What does this person do?"
"Are there any other articles to read?"
I judge it as such.
Therefore, it is important to have a next destination at the end of the article.
An entry point from your profile or pinned articles
Another type is the reader who comes because they are interested in your note account itself.
Read the profile.
Open the pinned article.
View the magazine.
In this case,
it is important to be able to see
"what to read first."
In other words, an article shelf cannot be created with articles alone.
Profile.
Pinned article.
Article body.
End of the article.
Only when these are connected can readers move around easily.
Looking at note articles through 5 roles
When I organize notes for small businesses, I view articles in terms of 5 broad roles.
You don't need to create the same number of each.
For now, it is enough to just look at "which role this article is closest to."
1. Entry articles that meet readers through search
These are articles that help you meet people who don't know you yet.
They answer questions or problems that readers are already experiencing.
For example,
・What to prepare when consulting for the first time
・Things to know before starting XX
・Why XX doesn't go well
・The difference between XX and △△
These are the types of articles.
In articles with this role, there is no need to rush into explaining your services.
First, answer what the reader is looking for.
2. Articles that organize problems
Readers themselves sometimes find that,
"I don't know what I'm struggling with."
This happens.
For example,
Even with the problem of,
"I'm writing articles, but it's not leading to work,"
is the profile the cause?
Are the articles not connected to each other?
Is the service invisible?
Is there no exit at the end of the article?
There are many possible causes.
Organizing these states,
"Perhaps you are stuck here"
is what an article that organizes problems makes visible.
Instead of sending them to a service immediately, first have them understand their own state.
3. Articles that convey personality and way of thinking
In small businesses, not only products and services,
"Who to ask"
also becomes a factor in decision-making.
Therefore,
・Why I do this work
・What I value in my work
・Why I chose this method
・What kind of work I do not accept
・What I changed after failing
articles like these are useful.
These are articles that convey a person's judgment criteria, which cannot be seen just by listing achievements.
4. Articles to read before considering a service
Just because a reader has become a little interested does not mean they will apply immediately.
"Will this suit me?"
"What will they do for me?"
"How much can I ask of them?"
they will check these things.
Therefore,
・People who are suited and not suited
・What can be done with the service
・What cannot be done
・How to proceed
・Things to know before consulting
・Things to prepare before requesting
and so on.
Even if it is not a sales page itself, it is an article that serves as material for deciding whether to apply.
5. Articles that answer frequently asked questions
If you are explaining the same questions every time, you can turn that into an article.
How you think about pricing.
Delivery time.
The flow of the request.
Initial consultation.
Scope of work.
Things to prepare.
If you turn these questions into articles, people can check them before making an inquiry.
FAQ articles are modest, but they play a role in reducing anxiety before a consultation.
First, try dividing your existing articles into five categories
You don't need to try to create five new types of articles here.
If you already have articles, take inventory of them first.
Starting with just the last 10 is fine.
List the titles and decide,
'This is an entry point'
'This is for organizing concerns'
'This is for showing personality'
Label them tentatively as "This is for pre-consideration"
or "This is an FAQ."
It is fine if you cannot categorize them perfectly.
In fact,
the very existence of articles where you wonder,
"What is the purpose of this article?"
is a discovery in itself.
For example,
if you only have entry-level articles, you might be getting traffic from search or social media, but lacking follow-up content for readers to engage with next.
If you only have personal-interest articles, you might be conveying friendliness, but it may be difficult for people to see what kind of professional advice you can offer.
If you only have service announcements, it might be a bit too soon for first-time visitors.
Identify the missing roles, then add only the articles that are truly necessary.
You don't need to remove diary entries from your article shelf either
I would like to add one note here.
You do not need to stop writing diary entries or essays entirely.
Even articles that seem unrelated to your work
have the role of helping people understand your personality,
showing them, "This is the kind of person who thinks about these things."
They can also become articles that are read for a long time via search.
What is important is
It is not about dismissing them by saying, "They are unnecessary because they don't lead directly to work."
It is not about dismissing them.
It is about distinguishing between the main articles you want first-time readers to walk through and the other articles.
Creating an article shelf does not mean reducing your note to just a few posts.
It is about deciding on a path so that readers do not get lost among the many articles you have.
In fact, here is an example of how a note with many articles was organized by selecting the "articles you want them to walk through first" while keeping the other articles as well.
Your profile is the place to convey "what kind of person you are"
Even if you organize the roles of your articles, if readers don't know what you do from your profile, they will get lost.
You don't need to write your entire career history in your profile.
At the very least,
・What you do
・Who your work is for
・What you can be hired for
should be visible.
When someone who read your article and became interested visits your profile,
"I see, so this is the kind of work they do."
create a state where they can understand that.
Use pinned articles as a guide board for your article shelf
A pinned article is not necessarily just a place to put your "most read article."
For someone visiting for the first time,
"Please start reading from here."
You can use it as a place to convey information.
For example,
・An explanation of the entire note
・Who you are writing for
・Entry points by problem
・Representative articles
・A place to learn about your work or services
guide them.
If they read one pinned article, they will know how to navigate that note.
When it becomes a guide board like that, the entire article shelf becomes easier to use.
The end of an article is a place to pass the reader on to the next article
If you finish writing an article and stop there, the reader also stops there.
Therefore, at the end of the article,
"What should I read next?"
Think of one thing.
If it's an entry article, lead them to an article that organizes their problems a bit more.
If it's an article about organizing problems, lead them to an article that explains ways of thinking or case studies.
If it's an article about your personality, lead them to an article that explains your approach to work.
If it's an article before considering a service, lead them to service information as needed.
If it's an FAQ, lead them to related detailed articles or information pages.
You don't need to place the same link every time.
Decide the next destination according to the state of the person who has finished reading that article.
An article shelf includes not only classifying articles but also connecting them to each other.
Only create new articles for what is missing
Once you have organized things this far,
look at "what is missing."
If you can use existing articles by making minor adjustments, there is no need to write new ones.
Sometimes, simply adding a link to the end of an article can give it a specific role.
Sometimes, you just need to update old articles to align with your current work.
Only if there are still roles that remain unfilled should you create new articles.
Creating a library of articles is not just about writing new ones.
Look at the articles you already have and:
Keep them.
Fix them.
Connect them.
Create only what is missing.
This is the order to follow.
You can find ideas for your next article from customer questions
When you categorize them into five roles,
you will start to see imbalances,
such as "there are almost no FAQs"
or "there are not enough articles for people to read before consulting with me."
In such cases, questions actually asked by customers are very useful.
Questions contain:
What the reader is anxious about.
Where they are feeling lost.
What they want to know before consulting you.
are included.
Rather than thinking of the next article from scratch, keeping a record of questions that arise during your work makes it easier to find the themes needed for your article shelf.
I have organized how to save questions as article material and choose the next one to write here.
→ How to Create a 'Question Ledger' to Turn Customer Questions into Articles
Summary
When you want to connect your note to your work, simply increasing the number of articles can sometimes leave readers feeling lost.
First, let's look at articles through five roles.
・Entry articles found via search
・Articles that organize concerns
・Articles that convey personality and mindset
・Articles to read before considering a service
・Articles that answer frequently asked questions
Then, classify the articles you already have.
Convey 'who you are' in your profile.
Guide readers on where to start reading with a pinned article.
Connect to the next article at the end of each post.
Only create new ones for the roles that are still missing.
Once this flow is established, your note will transform from a place where individual articles are lined up into an article shelf where readers can find the information they need.
It is okay if you don't create a grand design from the start.
First, look at your last 10 articles, and
Try assigning a role to your article, such as "What is the purpose of this piece?"
From there, it becomes easier to see what needs to be organized next.
This is for those who want to organize not just the roles of their articles, but also conduct an inventory of existing posts and learn how to grow their entire note as a small owned media platform.
If you want to organize not just the roles of your articles, but also conduct an inventory of existing posts and learn how to grow your entire note as a small owned media platform, look here.
→ How to Grow Your Small Business Note as an "Article Shelf" | How to Build a Small Owned Media