3-2-1 Fridays: The Paramedic Method of editing, a 60X content optimization playbook, and removing content fat.

Hey friend, welcome to today’s issue of Efikó. This newsletter by Dozie Anyaegbunam helps you curate content marketing and life insights from across the web. Anyway, hello, it’s good to see you. You’re doing great 😀

Helloooooo,

Hope you all had a good week.

This week has been a good one for me, work-wise. Things are great at UserGems; I have some of the best colleagues.

I also launched my podcast, The Newcomers. Y’ll give me a follow and listen to the first episode.

The second episode goes live next week Tuesday.

I am also working on a pet project as I hurtle towards two years as a full-time content marketer. Here’s a sneak peek:

Can’t wait to share it with you all. Plus, it’s FREE!

Ok. Let’s talk content.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 10 seconds.

1. Write concisely using the Paramedic Method

Insight from Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

Writing clearly is an essential skill for anyone. And it’s even more crucial if writing pays your bills.

Like you and me!

One way to improve your editing chops quickly is the Paramedic Method. It’s easy to learn and has a systematic process you can use to write persuasively and clearly.

Richard Lanham originally developed it in his Revising Prose book. I bought it right away. Although, I would love to ask him why he called it the Paramedic Method.

What a name. Well, here’s the Paramedic Method in all its glory:

1. Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into)

2. Draw a box around the "is" verb forms

3. Ask, "Where's the action?"

4. Change the "action" into a simple verb

5. Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom)

6. Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups

7. Eliminate any redundancies.

Like everything else in life, you’ve got to practice this and use it in real-time to get better. So, go practice!

2. An optimization playbook that can 60X your traffic

Insight from Rebekah Edwards.

I get a playbook. You get a playbook. Everyone gets a playbook.

Let’s get straight into the playbook:

Step 1: Find the keyword that gives you the best chance of winning. To do that:

• Use Google Search Console (GSC) to identify the keyword Google sees as relevant to the article.

• Check the SERPs to see if your thesis for the piece resonates with the SERPs. Then use your preferred keyword tool to see what keywords the top-ranking articles rank for.

• You should end this step with 1-3 keywords.

Step 2: Review the top-ranking articles and see what they do better than you do. The goal here is to understand user intent.

Step 3: Use a content optimisation tool like Clearscope to see what semantic terms you must include in your article. Remember, Google looks at every piece from a topical/entity POV.

Step 4: Use GSC to add related content to your piece. Yes, some folks say to use the SERPs. But I see Rebekah’s point here - because with GSC, you see the related queries with the highest impressions on your piece—especially impressions with low clicks.

Step 5: Take a second look at how your article is organized. It needs to match the user journey. Don’t bury the lede.

Step 6: Add relevant People Also Ask phrases, featured snippet target paragraphs, and any related search terms you see on the SERPs.

Step 7: Google uses natural language processing (NLP) to “read” and “rank’ pieces. So make sure your article is NLP-friendly.

Step 8: Rebekah says this step is optional, but I would say do it all the time — add SME insights and customer research. In the age of AI, this will set you apart.

Read the whole thread here:

3. Some tips for removing the fat from your sentences

Insight from Brooklin Nash.

Most times short is better than long.

"utilize" 👉 "use"

"however" 👉 "but"

"in order to" 👉 "to"

"in the event that" 👉 "if"

"has the ability to" 👉 "can"

"due to the fact that" 👉 "because"

Two things I am thinking about

i.

ii.

One book recommendation

Revising Prose by Richard Lanham is a book worth exploring. I have a hypothesis that older books are the best reads.

Thanks for reading to the end. You all make writing this newsletter worth the trouble.

Be good out there. If you can't be good, be careful.

I'll return on 3/17 with a Friday Deep Dive by Ashley Cummings.

Dozie.

P.S.: If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing it on LinkedIn or with a friend.