8 Do’s and Don’ts of Content Marketing

Content marketing can be a highly effective tactic to capture attention and build awareness of your brand—when crafted and optimized effectively. If you’re thinking about adding it to your marketing strategy, follow these do’s and don’ts for writing and distributing content that performs well.

1. DO tell a compelling story

Writing an article for content marketing isn’t just a different medium for your corporate marketing messaging. It’s a way to show authenticity, inspire and/or educate readers, and make your brand relatable.

2. DO have a great headline

Start with a boring headline and that’s as far as readers will get. Instead try something that evokes an emotion: curiosity, humor, or fear (of missing out). For example, instead of “Invest in a Taco Bell Franchise” we chose “Why Taco Bell Is Nacho Average Franchise.” “How to” and listicle article (5 Ways to…) titles also perform well.

3. DO write the story with specific topics and keywords in mind

Think about the audience you’re trying to reach. Choose topics and keywords that align with their interests and questions they’re searching online. (We’ll talk more about that in a minute.)

4. DO share the content

Share via your company social channels, emails, website, newsletters, etc. to get your content in front of the most eyes. Also ask everyone in your company—employees and franchisees—to share your content via their networks.

5. DON’T “sell” your brand

Remember, this isn’t a direct sales piece. It’s an educational or inspirational piece of content that should position your brand as a helpful resource and authority on a given topic. This is an opportunity to connect with your audience in a relatable way and an invitation to engage with your brand to learn more.

6. DON’T be too brief

Longer content performs better than shorter content. But DO be sure to break up long copy with subheads, bullets, numbered lists, images, etc. to make it easy to read.

7. DON’T use “salesy” images

Images that are branded or look like an ad may turn off readers. Instead, images should be high-quality, and like the content, should be engaging and not “salesy,” like this Cruise Planners photo, for instance.

8. DON’T expect leads immediately (or to come directly)

The purpose of content marketing is not to generate direct leads. Rather, the purpose is to create brand awareness and build trust with readers as one component of your overall marketing strategy. The more articles you publish, the greater chance you have of influencing readers and driving traffic to your site over time.

What You Need to Know About Topics and Keywords

One of the other major benefits of content marketing is that you can optimize it for search engines (SEO). Google and other search engine algorithms are changing all the time, but it’s still important to identify topics and keywords that your audience is likely searching for. Those keywords should be included in your title, copy, and meta description to help your post rank organically on the first page of Google. Keep in mind, though, that ranking near the top of the page doesn’t happen overnight, and rankings can change day to day.

Example of an SEO Optimized Story:

Client: Travelin’ Toms (published June 2025)
Keyword: How to Start a Mobile Coffee Truck
Title: Want to Start a Coffee Business? Start a Mobile Coffee Truck
Ranking: Already ranking on page 4 in June 2025

Example 2:

Client: Cruise Planners
Keyword: How to start a travel agency
Title: How to Start a Travel Agency: A Step by Step Guide
Ranking: Already ranking page 4 in June 2025

Example of Franchisee Story Not Written for SEO

If you’d like to write a story on one of your franchisees or your founder or some topic that doesn’t lend itself well to SEO you may do so. But, please remember that these topics will have a much harder time ranking. This type of content is great for sharing through social, email, press releases, etc., but you shouldn’t expect it to rank organically.

These are both amazing stories that performed very well on social media but were not written with SEO as the primary goal.

Example 1:

Client: Wild Birds Unlimited
Keyword: Franchise for Nature Lovers
Title: Thriving in a Franchise for Nature Lovers
Ranking: Page 1

Example 2:

Client: Mathnasium
Keyword: teacher to franchisee
Title: From Teacher to Franchisee: Love of Math Means New Career
Ranking: Page 1

Making Sponsored Content Part of Your Marketing Mix

If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. Unlike many other publications that require you to craft your own articles, FBR’s editorial team does all the heavy lifting for you.

Our editorial team will schedule a call or virtual meeting with your team to discuss topic ideas and key points based on your audience and objectives. Then we’ll research the topic and market, identify keywords to target, and write the article with your content marketing goals in mind.

We,ll send you the completed article for review and invite any edits and insights that you may have. Next, we’ll finalize the article, publish it on the FBR candidate website, and share the link with you so you can also promote your new article.

Learn more about FBR’s content marketing program and get in touch with us to discuss how we can partner to boost your content marketing efforts.

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