How do you write compelling content? If you’re a beginner-level sports writer, answering this question can be difficult. Writing is a delicate task, and even minor flaws can throw entire articles out of balance. Even if you know your topic well, putting the writing process in motion can be daunting.
Nevertheless, as is the case with most disciplines, there are a few broad-scale principles that can help you find the right track as a writer. More experience is what ultimately refines your skill set, but these tips — if applied with diligence — can help you progress from beginner to expert.
In this article, we’re operating with the assumption that you’ve already chosen your area of focus and refined your brand image. We’ve written about how you can use marketing principles to strengthen your brand. That comes before content creation, and the writing delivers on it.
5 Tips for Beginning Sports Writers When Striving for Compelling Content
1) Read Other Content To View Examples and Find Inspiration
If you’re looking to write content, a great way to get into the proper creative mode is to first read content. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers, and see what makes a reading experience good, compelling, and worthy of extended attention.
Obviously, you want your writing to be authentically yours. But it’s okay to find inspiration in what you see from other creators, and you can pick and choose rhythmic, grammatical, and structural devices to input into your own work.
Pick a writer you respect, or a writer with an established following, see what they do, and explore ways you can integrate specific strategies while also keeping your unique personal style.
2) Emulate Speech and Hear the Words You Write
When you write words, they appear as simple markings on a page. But when your reader consumes your content, they hear the words inside their head. Writing doesn’t have to be all too different from speech — and if you want to remain authentic and relatable, you should emulate speech to a degree in your writing.
Often, there’s a misconception that writing has to be totally professional, which is why some beginning writers sound stilted when they try to expand outside of their natural voice. Yes, your writing should absolutely be polished and refined — but it should also feel like you’re speaking to someone.
If your writing ebbs and flows like a conversation, you’ll find it easier to relate to your readers, find common ground, and extend time-on-page.
3) Construct Roadmaps and Outlines to Sustain Content Flow
Writing is equal parts spontaneous and planned. You can find the rhythm as you go with your prose and your writing voice, but you should have a plan for how your pieces progress.
Most pieces begin with an intro section before diving into the heart of the content, then build to a conclusion that ties a bow and leaves the reader with takeaways to carry onward. The intro and conclusion are almost universally essential elements, but it’s up to you how you build and break up the middle.
To support the progression of your writing, build an outline — or a roadmap — for each piece. Have the landmarks you want to hit in mind ahead of time, and let your writing fill the gaps and connect the dots.
4) Stay On-Target and Keep the Theme From Beginning to End
Presumably in your intro, you’ll establish a theme or a main subject of your article. To keep your audience’s attention, you have to stay on target and stick to your theme from the beginning of your piece to the very end. Stray too far from the main subject, and your readers may either lose the flow or lose interest.
You can build these thematic elements into your piece outline. Ensure that, at each landmark, you’re supplementing the theme you chose to explore with more supporting information and more substance. And it all develops into a digestible, packaged conclusion that helps readers take away knowledge from the piece.
5) “Show Don’t Tell” to Demonstrate Meaning in Stats and Anecdotes
Odds are, you’ve heard the “show don’t tell” phrase in the context of writing. Beginning writers often feel the need to be regimented with their presentation; sometimes it’s to pursue an air of credibility, and sometimes it’s to maintain conciseness and avoid over-explaining. But in this process, many writers miss the mark of what makes content compelling.
Don’t be afraid to explain a little bit more if it better paints the picture you want to paint for your audience. Don’t be minimalistic and simply tell something. Show it through demonstration or extrapolation, and leave your audience with more knowledge than they came with.
For a contemporary example, we can use Saquon Barkley, running back of the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are two ways to summarize his 2024 season:
- “In 2024, Saquon Barkley added 2,005 yards to his career rushing yardage total, while also accounting for 15 total touchdowns, and averaging six yards per touch.”
- “In 2024, Saquon Barkley increased his seven-year career rushing total by almost 40%. He demolished his previous career-high by almost 700 yards, and his 2,005 yards were eighth all-time in a single season in NFL history — surpassing O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, and others.”
Both descriptions revolve around Barkley’s statistics in 2024, but the second one is infinitely more effective in communicating the incredible nature of Barkley’s campaign, because it shows how Barkley performed in the context of his own career and in NFL history.
Show, don’t tell. It’ll help you enrich your content and your messaging, and your audience will show more gratitude for writing that is not just informative, but intellectually stimulating.
Playbook:
1) Read to find inspiration and fill your readers’ shoes
2) Emulate speech in the words that you write
3) Construct outlines to maintain flow
4) Stay on-target and stick to a theme
5) Use “show don’t tell” to demonstrate meaning
