One of the most difficult portions of any content to produce is the conclusion. The last paragraph or last few sentences are vital to help frame a piece and give readers a final takeaway from the information shared. Luckily, there are some simple ways to improve the usefulness of this conclusion—consider the following tips so that you can work with your blog writers to improve your concluding statements and get the best possible results from every piece you publish for your brand.
- So what? – An instructional document published by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill recommends “playing the ‘so what’ game.” This means reading the piece to another employee, or pretending you are reading it to someone and then saying, “So what?” This is a good way to make certain there is a takeaway from the piece—something that answers the “so what” question and concludes the document.
- End with a bang! – While this won’t work in every piece, sometimes you want to end with a big impact. This is especially important in persuasive writing. If you can give readers something they will think about long after they are finished reading the piece, you will notice positive results.
- Push the envelope – The conclusion is the best time to go beyond the confines of a subject. The document should flow and make sense, of course; however, the conclusion is a great place to the piece somewhere further, deeper or outside the main topic.
- Style matters – A conclusion for a formal document is much different than it is for an informal piece. Blogs, for example, may not always need a conclusion, while white papers may require a lengthy ending. Think about the needs of each article or document when deciding how it should be completed.
The conclusion gives you the last word about the subject. This doesn’t happen very often in real life, especially in the business world! Therefore, since you are getting that last word in, make it count. Don’t be afraid to try something new or experiment with the conclusion—each piece you write or have written will need a different approach and what works this time may not work for the next. Conclusions, like all aspects of content writing are an art form. As Doris Lessing stated, “There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.”
Tracy S is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
