How To Use Data In Your Content
It might seem like an oxymoron to dedicate a writing blog to the subject of numbers, but it can improve your copy’s quality.
And even if maths was your least favourite subject at school (anyone else?) read on, because I promise you it doesn’t involve long division or working out square meterage of anything.
Why use data in your writing?
Including statistics, references to studies and even...gasp... graphs and charts (excuse me while my brain shuts down) lends more weight to your article. Your reader will consider it to be more authoritative and trustworthy.
I’m adding a caveat here. We can use numbers to tell any story we want. Corporates do it all the time. But I’m going to assume we’re on the same page and that you’re only interested in using data to enhance your storytelling, and not to manipulate the reader into believing something that isn’t quite true.
Now, think about how you feel when you read these:
“It’s important to make online reviews of your business readily available. Social proof is a powerful tool that can help prospective customers when they are evaluating whether or not to buy your product or service.”
Vs.
“It’s important to make online reviews of your business readily available. 68% of people read online reviews or blogs to find out what other people think about products or services before they buy.”
Quantifying an impact or effect helps your reader quickly understand concepts and can shortcut your writing.
3 ways data can help
1. Uncover fresh insights
Data can tell you something new or unexpected. It can surprise you or give you a fresh angle on an old topic. If the data goes against the current thinking, it’s pretty much guaranteed to capture your reader’s attention.
2. Support your topic
If you’re writing an article or blog post, do your research. Even if you’re a subject matter expert, taking just 20 minutes to do some additional research helps make sure your thinking and insights are current. If it’s an appropriate topic, see if you can find statistics that back up your main point.
3. Spark ideas
Settling down with an industry report and a cuppa is a great way to generate new content ideas for your blog or newsletter. If you want to squeeze the most value out of a single report, you can write an overview article of the report, picking out the central themes first. Then subsequent articles can be focused on single themes with supporting numbers.
What types of data should you use?
Industry reports
Annual reports
Survey results
Government statistics
White papers
Research reports
Infographics
Larger organisations spend a lot of time and money researching various topics related to their industries. They often make these reports free or downloadable in exchange for your email address.
Get on the mailing list for businesses that are relevant to your niche. Set a Google alert for them to see any new content they post as soon as they release it.
Some of the research companies like Roy Morgan make some of their reports free, but others you’ll have to pay for, so do your sums before you fork out for a report, so you can be sure you’ll get the ROI on it.
How to include data in your writing
This depends on your style of writing and personal preference. Some options are:
Percentage: Always use % instead of the word “per cent”.
Fractions: ⅓
Ratios: 1 in 3
Paraphrasing: “A large proportion of the people who read this article found it helpful.”
If you’re using a lot of stats, try and stick to one variation like in this article I wrote.
Final tips for using data in your copy
✔️ Only use reputable sources. Otherwise, there’s zero point using statistics, and you may as well go and write for Donald Trump.
✔️ If you’re using a stat quoted in an online article, see if you can find the original source.
✔️ If you’re writing an article quoting a single report, name the report in your copy rather than just saying “according to a recent report”.
✔️ Footnote it and hyperlink it. You don’t have to, but I believe it makes the stats more credible and in turn, you too.
Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash