Understanding The 5 w’s and h – The Alchemy Of Great Content

Content creators are continuously trying to bridge the gap between their audience and themselves by understanding the 5 w’s and h technique.

However, several marketers and writers are unable to understand the secret of creating great content by implementing the five W’sand h technique.

By thoroughly understanding the who, what, where, when, why, and how, writers can easily produce valuable and quality-oriented content that both search engines and users love.

So, if you’re willing to learn this technique called “reporter’s questions” or “the 5 W’s and the H”, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re going to tell you about a stellar technique that you can leverage to create relevant and quality content.

We’re going to help you understand the following 5 w’s and h questions:

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

Note that the questions mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. Once you dive into the details of 5 w’s and h methodology, there’s a whole new world waiting to be explored. Additionally, by following the 5 w’s and h technique, you’ll be able to create more informative and relevant content for your audience.

So, without any further ado – let’s skim through the 5 w’s and h that will enable you to get a whole new perspective on the story you’re trying to cover.

Exploring The Questions Held Within 5 W’s and H

The “Reporter questions” or the “5 w’s and h” technique is a set of some of the most insightful questions. These questions will help you brainstorm and create a structure for the story that you’re about to cover in your content.

There may be instances where any one of the“who, what, where, when, why, and how” may feel unnecessary concerning the subject. So, before opting for the question, make sure that you understand the niche of the topic you’re about to cover.

Here’s a complete list of the five W’s and H that will help you get more details about the subject.

1.  Who?

• Who was or is involved?
• Who was affected by the situation or condition?
• Who will benefit the most?
• Who will be harmed in the end?

2.  What?

• What is the main idea behind the topic? Try to write it down in a single sentence.
• What type of things you’ll be covering in your topic?
• What is it similar to or matches to?
• What can get affected by your blog, article, or topic?

3.  When?

• When did the story take place?
• When should this had been taken place?
• Does the “When part” affects the story/topic?

4.  Where?

• Where did the story take place?
• Where did it take place?
• Where will it take place?
• Where should it take place?
• Does the “Where” matters? Will it affect the story?

5.  Why?

• Why is the topic important? Why does it matter to the audience or yourself?
• Why did things happen?
• What were the causes?
• What were their effects on the topic?

6.  How?

• How does this topic work?
• How does it do what it does?
• How can those involved be affected?

The above-mentioned set of questions (five W’s and H) are what a reporter would usually ask before covering any topic in detail. Answering these questions in the lead paragraph will enable you to showcase your command over the topic to your audience.

Moreover, there’s another part that I would like to add myself to the equation, and that is the “What if” part. This part is usually asked by the reporter to uncover the details on “What could’ve been?” instead of “What has been?”. In a nutshell, this additional part, “What If,” may consist of the following questions.

7.  What If

• What if everything would’ve worked just fine? (If in-case it went wrong)
• What if everything would never have worked out? (If in-case it went perfect)
• What if the entire topic/subject didn’t exist?

To some of the audience, the “who, what, where, when, why, how, and what if” mentioned above may feel a bit confusing to cover for the content so, I’m going to tell you about their usage.

How To Use The 5 W’s and H Technique?

Some of you may be having a little trouble while understanding the five w’s and hand the approach, and that’s totally perfect. Numerous writers face a little hassle while understanding the five W’s and h technique at the start.

However, practicing and gaining experience will enable you to skim through these questions quickly. Let’s check out an example in which I will explain the way I answered the 5 W’s and H.

Moreover, know that the main idea behind the process is to get quantity and not quality. When getting answers to the questions, don’t worry about listing down just the most innovative ideas.

Once you have ideas, you can simply write them down and then extract the most relevant and best points. Furthermore, here are the answers to 5 W’s and H that I wrote for this particular article that you’re reading.

1. Who?

Who was or is involved?

The reader and, of course, the writer. I’m the writer; hence, I’m involved, but since I’m writing for my audience, who can be anyone a blogger, SEO, designer, or developer, they’re involved too.

Who was/will be affected by the content?

These are the same personalities who are consuming the content.

Who will benefit the most?

The creator and the consumer both will benefit from the article. This article’s benefit would be that I will get more traffic and higher SERP rankings. From the reader’s perspective, he/she will get more knowledge.

Who will be harmed?

Since this is just an informative article, no one will be harmed.

2. What?

What is the main idea behind the topic?

I’m covering the five w’s and h technique, which is a brainstorming method. The questions I’ll be covering in the article are who, what, when, where, why, and how.

What different parts you’ll be covering in your content?

The content revolves around a series of questions that, once answered, enable the creator to create more credible and authoritative content for the audience.

What is it similar to or matches to?

The content is similar to those that help you improve your content by better understanding the topic. Also, the structure of this article resembles a checklist and a questionnaire.

What can get affected by your blog, article, or topic?

The quality of the content might be affected positively by implementing the 5 W’s and H written in the article. It can also enable you to make your content more detailed.

Once you have a clear idea of the topic you’re writing about, you can focus on the information on a deeper level and provide better content to your audience.

3. When?

When should you opt for brainstorming?

The brainstorming should take place during the starting phase of the article. Usually, when you implement the five w’s and h from the start, you can easily jot down all the critical aspects and points that can help you map out your article’s journey.

When should this had been taken place?

This question covers the stage at which you should initiate the brainstorming.

Does the “When part” affects the story/topic?

The brainstorming technique is designed to help you cover all the important points of your topic at the start. It gives you a more strong hold over the subject.

4. Where?

Where did/will/should the story took place?

Technically, the whole technique takes place in the creator’s mind; however, physically, the creator uses a laptop, computer, or a notepad to write down all the answers. The “will and should” part of the question is avoidable because the creator usually works on their laptops or computers to create content.

Does the “Where” matters? Will it affect the story?

The story can get affected if the creator works in a noisy or disturbing environment; however, this part depends on a person’s personal preference.

5. Why?

Why is the topic important? Why does it matter to the audience or yourself?

The five w’s and h help the creator generate ideas. The method plays an important part in mapping out the feasibility of the content. It helps the creator to identify the most obvious and crucial questions and their answers. Moreover, from the reader’s perspective, when they read quality content, they share it, which brings in more traffic.

Why did things happen? (the causes and their effects)

In this part of the five W’slets, you explore the topic from various angles. The “Why” part would allow you to explore the fabricated or in-depth ideology behind the topic. Basically, by covering the “Why” part, you’ll be incorporating more details related to your topic.

6. How?

How does this topic work?

The topic works by persuading you to try the methodology if you want to create effective content. The topic gives you more insights into the “Reporter’s questions” method.

How was the 5 w’s and h method found?

The 5 w’s and h technique generally belong to the journalism domain. Over the years, many creators have adapted it for the purpose of brainstorming.

How can those involved be affected?

The 5 w’s and h method enable the creator to create more detailed, relevant, and informative content. Through this technique, the creators can easily explore the topic to the core. This understanding can lead to some good ideas and important discoveries.

7. What If

What if everything would’ve worked just fine?

If everything went according to the technique, the creator could be able to create quality content.

What if everything didn’t work out?

If it didn’t work out, then the first thing the writer is going to do is discard this technique. However, even if the method didn’t work out, the writer would still end up with several answers that would eventually lead to quality content.

However, the writer would still be able to answer some difficult questions. Hence, the technique would prove to be helpful by the end of the project.

What if this technique didn’t exist?

If this technique didn’t exist, the content writers would probably have another technique that would’ve enabled them to create quality content by covering all the essential information.

Conclusion

Here is a complete breakdown of the who, what, where, when, why, and how the technique. Although writing blogs and articles for a website is not technically counted as a “news story,” you can still create valuable content by following the 5 w’s and h technique.

Moreover, I know that too much knowledge can be overwhelming; hence, the following is a nutshell version of the 5 W’s and h that we just covered above. Note that the following answers will be precise:

• Who? – the content creators.
• What? The 5 w’s and h
• When? – When they’re writing content, to ensure quality.
• Where? – Generally, the medium the creators are using to create content. (In this case)
• Why? – To incorporate more insights into the topic and give more valuable information to the audience.
• How? – By answering the questions, the writer can explore the topic from different perspectives.
• What if? – It is important if you want to discuss the positive or negative impacts of the topic on the reader or etc.

The above-mentioned precise answers are there to help you ideate and iterate the topic before initiating it. Hence, after thoroughly researching the topic, you can easily create impactful content.

Moreover, if you’re someone who’s struggling with ideas, the 5 w’s and h technique is definitely worth a shot.

Also, read our guides on subjects like Content Management System (CMS)? How Can You Use it? to raise your knowledge.

Nabeel Ahmed

Nabeel Ahmed is a coffeeholic with an itch for creativity. He loves learning and understanding technology and how it is changing the world for the greater good. He puts forth his creativity to explain how technologies and humans are continually interacting to create a more sustainable and facilitating world. During his free time, you'll find him watching "Family Guy."