Have you just entered our marketing and sales program? If so, you'll soon be introduced to the content compass. These are four questions you answer every time before you write an article that will help you write better content.

Maybe you're wondering if a content compass works for you. Perhaps you already create an outline for your articles or prefer to write from scratch. So what does a content compass add?

As a content manager at Buzzlytics, I too didn't immediately see the value of the content compass at first. Until I gave it a serious chance and something magical happened: my articles became better and my writing became easier. The content compass proved to be a really useful tool and since then I fill it in for every article I write.

As a content trainer, my colleague Bastiaan also has a lot of experience with content compasses. He sees content compasses from content managers pass by daily and knows exactly which mistakes are often made. I have included his observations and advice in this article.

In this article, I explain exactly what a content compass is and why it's so important to fill one out before you start writing. I address common mistakes when filling it out and I give you practical tips on how to use it. After reading this article, you will know exactly how to use the content compass to write better articles in less time.

When I gave the content compass a serious chance, my articles got better and my writing got easier.

Filling out a content compass may cost you some extra time before you can start writing. But that investment will pay off handsomely. And for the reasons below.

As a content manager, you naturally want your content to be read by the right target audience. Yet this regularly goes wrong. For example, Bastiaan told us that as a student he once wrote an article on keyword optimization that attracted a lot of traffic, but not from the right target group. His article was pre-read by students, while he was targeting SEO specialists. By thinking carefully about your target audience beforehand, you can avoid these kinds of misses.

As a content manager, you often write on behalf of an expert. The content compass helps you get clear in advance exactly what the expert wants to convey. Without this alignment, you run the risk of writing an entire article that does not align with what the expert had in mind. This also happened to me when I was just working at Buzzlytics and was not yet familiar with the content compass. I had an article in my head, but the person I was interviewing had a completely different article in his head. The result? The writing was laborious and the article ended up being "just not there. Since I create content compasses, this situation has not occurred again.

The content compass ensures that you and the expert on whose behalf you are writing are on the same page.

By thinking in advance about your target audience and their specific questions, you'll prevent your article from going in all directions. The content compass ensures that you stay focused on what your reader really wants to know. This prevents your article from becoming too broad or just too specific for the stage in the buyer's journey your reader is in.

Writing and thinking about what you want to write are two different thought processes. If you get these mixed up, you'll get stuck. The content compass helps you do the thinking first, so you can then write undisturbed.

Writer's block often occurs because you still have to think about exactly what you want to say while writing. With a completed content compass, you have a clear plan, making you less likely to get stuck.

The Who section is the most important part of the content compass.

This is the most important part of the content compass. Here you describe not only the basic information about your target audience, such as function and role, but more importantly why this person is currently facing this question. Is he under pressure? What are his concerns? What stage of the customer journey is he in?

To give an example, we sometimes get asked by potential clients what HubSpot costs. These customers don't simply want to know the cost of HubSpot (this information is also on the HubSpot website itself), but more importantly whether HubSpot is too expensive for them and what package of HubSpot they need for our marketing and sales program.

So instead of writing a generic article about HubSpot's costs, we wrote an article that specifically addresses these questions. We could only do this because we know from our conversations with customers the context in which they ask this question.

By thinking carefully about these things, you can tailor your content perfectly to your reader's needs.

In this section, write down what questions your reader has, in their own words. Close your eyes and imagine this person sitting across from you. What questions would he ask? What objections would he have? Write down everything that comes to mind here. By putting yourself in your reader's shoes, you will get to the heart of what he wants to know.

Here you'll show why you (or the expert on whose behalf you're writing) are the right person to answer this question. It's important that you not only describe your general expertise, but more importantly why you are an expert on this particular topic. Use concrete examples and anecdotes to back this up.

In our article Can every senior content manager become a TAYA content manager? Lucas shares his own experience working with an experienced content manager who was initially in resistance:

This last section is a concise outline of how you will help the reader. It is not a detailed outline, but a rough outline of the main points you want to cover. Make sure these points flow logically from the questions you noted in the What section.

As a content trainer, Bastiaan sees that many content managers make the same mistakes when filling out a content compass. Below I share them so you can more easily avoid them.

The most common mistake according to Bastiaan is describing multiple target audiences that do not have the same problems and concerns. It also often fails to specify what stage of the buying process the reader is in. This is important because someone who is at the beginning of the buying process has different questions than someone who is almost ready to make a decision.

This is where Bastiaan often sees too many questions being addressed at once. According to Bastiaan, this indicates that the content manager is not yet completely clear on who exactly he is writing for. Again, the formulation of the questions regularly fails to take into account the stage of the buying process in which the reader is sitting.

A common mistake in the Why I section, according to Bastiaan, is using the same text in multiple articles. It's not about being an expert in a general sense, but why you specifically have expertise on this topic. Moreover, this section should be written from the expert's perspective, not the company's. Also, there are often not enough concrete examples given to support this expertise.

Finally, the How section, according to Bastiaan, often forgets the promise of the article or instead creates an overly detailed outline. The How section should be a concise representation of how you are going to help the reader, not a fully fleshed-out article structure.

A content compass is a tool, not an extra task to check off.

The content compass is a tool that should make your job easier, not an extra task you tick off just because you have to. These tips will help you use it effectively.

Some content managers create a very comprehensive table with different audiences and details. This almost makes filling out the content compass a bigger job than writing the article itself. That is not the intention, it should instead help you write faster and more focused.

As a content manager, you're the one who fills out the content compass, even if you're writing on behalf of an expert. Precisely because you are a bit further removed from the subject matter, you can better empathize with the questions of your target audience. However, always coordinate the completed content compass with the expert on whose behalf you are writing, to prevent both of you from having a different article in mind.

The content compass is a great foundation for your expert interview. By sharing it in advance, you both know exactly what the article should be about. You can also use it during the interview to keep focus and ask the right questions.

At first, filling out a content compass takes a little more time. But as you get more experience with it, it gets faster and faster. It took me half an hour to complete my first content compass, but now it takes me no more than 10 minutes. Think of it as an investment in the quality of your content, not as an obligation.

By thinking carefully about your target audience and their specific questions beforehand, you avoid getting stuck later or having to rewrite your article.

With a content compass, writing good content doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. It may feel like extra work to fill out the content compass, but it actually helps you write faster and more focused. By thinking carefully about your target audience and their specific questions beforehand, you avoid getting stuck later or having to rewrite your article.

At Buzzlytics, we see daily how the content compass helps content managers write better articles. We have already helped many companies implement They Ask, You Answer and time and again, the content compass proves to be an indispensable tool for writing high-quality content.

Whether you're an experienced content manager or just starting out, the content compass can also become your new best friend. Start small, take the time to master it and use it as the tool that it is, not as an extra task to check off.

Want to learn more about how to write good content according to the They Ask, You Answer philosophy? Then read these articles as well:

• How do you write a blog that generates traffic, leads and sales? [proven method]
• Business blogging: 5 blog topics that drive traffic and sales (+ examples)
• From tofu to bofu: this is how to start writing TAYA content