As much as we’d all love to think we’re the next J.K Rowling or Arianna Huffington, the reality is we’re content marketers.

We write content to sell stuff.

So there’s absolutely no point pouring hours of time and love into writing an article for your company blog if it doesn’t have all the juicy content marketing elements in it. Then it’s just an article.

Is it useful? Yes.

But is it going to help sell whatever it is you’re selling? Probably not.

Here is an easy way to make sure your article has all the things it needs to have to hit your content marketing goals RIGHT FROM THE START.

Don’t wait for the disappointing engagement stats to come through before “re-optimising” your article and trying again.

Use this template to plan your next article and give it a fighting chance to stand out in the crowded world of content we live in.