Samuel Johnson, a prominent literary figure in 18th century England and a distinguished writer widely believed to have conceived and produced the first modern English dictionary, remarked, “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write.”

I couldn’t agree more, as reading exposes us to different writing styles, enhances our vocabulary, and helps us become better writers. That said, as a treasury or payments expert, thought leader, speaker, editor, writer, or content creator, you may be an avid reader and a recognized  authority or influencer in the corporate treasury or payments industry, however, it’s equally important to turn to webinars, podcasts, and videos to deepen your understanding of treasury and payments. This multi-faceted approach to knowledge acquisition will assist you in creating engaging content that resonates with your audience, advances your career, and open doors to new opportunities for both you and your organization.

Beyond reading, webinars, podcasts, and videos, what other practices or techniques can help you produce compelling treasury and payments content? Here are some vital tips that will help you craft consistently high-quality content:

Understand your target audience

Understanding your target audience is critical and forms the foundation for creating exceptional content. By comprehending your audience’s objectives, needs, preferences, interests, and pain points, you can develop relevant and actionable content, increasing the likelihood that it will connect with them.

Create a content outline: Steps for building an engaging structure

Before developing content, choosing a topic that captures your audience’s interest—whether they prefer reading, watching, or listening —is crucial. The subsequent step is to create a structure or outline, and then fill the content around it.

The first task in this process is to craft a catchy title, which acts as the initial hook to grab your audience’s attention. Thereafter, determine the relevant aspects of the topic you want to cover. Aim to establish a differentiated point of view or explore a unique angle or ambitious idea related to the topic, then organize your main points into a logical structure.

Next, identify the keywords and phrases your target audience uses when searching for corporate treasury or payments information. Strategically weave these throughout your content to boost its discoverability. Finally, focus on writing attention-grabbing headings and subheadings. These should facilitate the understanding of each aspect of the topic without overwhelming the audience, allowing them to navigate the content effortlessly.

Craft a compelling introduction

The introduction is perhaps the most important part of any content piece, whether it's an article, speech, video, podcast, or webinar. It should immediately pique the audience's interest and draw them in, making them want to learn more or continue reading, watching, or listening.

Make your introduction standout by including a relevant, authentic, captivating, or intriguing anecdote, story, example, quote, or data-driven insight that ties into your main topic. It should also highlight the problem you’re addressing or introduce the solution you’re offering, effectively setting the stage for the rest of your content. Additionally, be sure to attribute or cite the source of any quotes, stories, data or statistics included in the introduction to ensure credibility and strengthen your argument while avoiding any claims of plagiarism.

Ensure that the content educates, informs, and adds value to your audience

The key to producing persuasive and impactful content is delivering well-researched, top-notch, meticulously edited, accurate, and engaging material that simplifies complex treasury and payments topics into an easy-to-understand format, and is designed to educate, inform, and add value to the audience’s comprehension of the subject.

By consistently providing targeted and valuable analysis and perspectives, you can increase your visibility, position yourself as a trusted resource in the corporate treasury and payments sector, forge long-term relationships with your audience, and help them make informed decisions.

Power your content with visuals

People are more likely to engage with content that integrates visual elements. By incorporating images, graphs, charts, infographic, presentations, or videos, treasury and payments leaders and their teams can more easily grasp and act on your content’s insights. Adding visuals to your content also fosters information retention and increases engagement and content sharing across your audience’s networks and social media platforms.

Guide your audience to the next step with a desired call-to-action (CTA)

No piece of high-quality content is complete without prompting your audience to take the next step with a specific call-to-action (CTA). For example, if you want your readers to download a white paper, report, or eBook, use brief trigger words or phrases to encourage them to act.

Ensure the content in your white paper, report, or eBook is useful or valuable enough to motivate your audience to respond immediately, by creating a sense of urgency. Examples include: “Download the white paper today—exclusive insights await!", “Immediate access to the latest data—your report is just a click away!", or “Limited time offer: Get your free eBook today!”

Remember, content creation is about building connections, strengthening relationships, and driving action, and an effective CTA plays a vital role in bolstering conversion rates.

To sum up, crafting content in the treasury and payments space offers a terrific opportunity to articulate and share your knowledge, experience, or expertise. This endeavour not only influences your target audience but also showcases your statement of differentiation, augmenting your value in the workplace.   

Moreover, with your content out in the public domain, you may experience a subtle positive pressure to continually expand your understanding of the topics you’ve covered. This commitment will benefit your audience and also elevate your abilities as an expert, thought leader, speaker, editor, writer, content creator, or communicator, while honing your observation, risk-taking, and problem-solving skills.