Article Writing and Branding: Best Practices When Discussing a Brand

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Follow These Guidelines to Deliver Brand-Specific Content!
Do you write product reviews or discuss brands in your articles? If you do, it’s key the content is EXCLUSIVE to the brand that’s mentioned.
Why?
If a person searches for information about a certain brand and they come across generic content that could apply to multiple brands, the reader is left with a poor experience. For the author, it means they won’t find value in your content or click through to your link.
For that reason, it’s crucial your content is high quality, informative and specific to all brands that are discussed.
First, keep these facts in mind before naming a brand in your article.

DON’T: Write anything negative toward any brand or company.
DON’T: Mention brands in articles on EzineArticles.com in which you have an affiliation or vested interest. This is considered promotional. Refer to our Editorial Guidelines on promotional content here.
DO: Maintain proper brand spelling and capitalization.
DO: Use generic terms when you’re not specifically referring to the brand. In other words, don’t use trademarked terms in place of a generic term unless it’s important to the meaning of your writing. For example:

• Write: “photo editor” instead of “Photoshop”
• Write: “tissue” instead of “Kleenex”
• Write: “permanent marker” instead of “Sharpie”
• Write: “bleach” instead of “Clorox”
• Write: “smartphone” instead of “iPhone”

In the instances when you DO want to intentionally refer to a brand name (for the sake of a product review or other reasons), take a moment to look over your content and ensure it provides enough value that’s specifically related to the product you’re discussing.
What are Ways to Ensure Your Content is Brand-Specific?

1. Include details about related models under the brand.
2. Share what sets it apart from others.
3. Shed light on the history.
4. Discuss certain components or features.
5. Share how it has evolved over time.
6. Introduce accessories that can be used.
7. Discuss the benefits of using it.
8. Share fun or interesting facts.
9. Tell a story of its success.
10. Explore the future of the brand.

Are you still not sure if your article has enough brand-specific content?
Ask Yourself These 3 Questions:

1. Could the brand name be removed without affecting the article meaning?
2. Could the brand name be replaced with a different product name and have the same meaning?
3. Are there only a few details unique to the brand?

If you answered “yes” or “maybe” to any of these questions, it’s in your best interest to either remove the brand mention(s) or add more exclusive information to the brand that’s discussed.
Keep in mind, your article needs to be legitimately specific and shouldn’t read as if the details were stuffed in for the article to pass review. For more information on how to deliver genuine value that isn’t thin in nature, we suggest this blog post.
Bottom Line:
Ensure your articles are exclusive to any products named in your content and you’ll develop more trust with your readers. In all regards, quality content is crucial to success in article writing. We can’t say it enough!
For more information on how to write a product review, we suggest reading, ‘Make Your Next Article a Great Review.’
Do you write about brands? What is your advice to others? Share in the comments below!

Posted by Courtney, Member Support Manager on March 3, 2015 at 10:46 am | 10,907 views