Things to Know About Content Writing
Unlike what the name suggests, the act of writing content (mostly for some online space) is a multifaceted task that requires much more than just writing. But in a nutshell, content writing includes creating written short or long-form content in the form of articles, social media posts, blog posts, and such.
We use this form of content to increase the search engine optimization (hereafter referred to as SEO) quotient of a particular website or webpage. More than writing, content writing requires an exponential amount of research.
Since content writing mostly involves written words on the internet, it is an area of work that requires a team of professionals to deal with delicately.
What is content writing in digital marketing?
One of the most important facets of running an organization online is how you can market it to an extended audience. This is where content writing steps in.
Whether you’re just trying to get the word out about your business or services or just want more traffic on your website so people know what you do, then content writing is the first step to do so. Indeed, this is why many individuals who train in social media marketing also learn how to write content.
Content writing in the sphere of digital marketing may include blog posts, advertisements, email marketing - and a lot more. You can find more information on this in the succeeding section of this article.
There are limitless possibilities if you’re planning to write content solely for the basis of marketing a particular product or service, as there are varied mediums you can do it through.
Content Writing is considered the Top Work From Home Option.
Types of content writing
As you’d expect, there are several varieties of content writing you can go after. Most content writers usually start out by dipping their toes into all these fields, before figuring out a niche that suits them best.
Content Writing for Marketing
As mentioned before, content writing works best when you want your message to have a certain CTA-ish tone to it. Content writing for marketing usually includes tones of persuasion, as you’re essentially encouraging the reader to take a step.
This might be, for instance, buying your product or the online course that you’re offering. You may have to write content in the form of emails, brochures, advertisements, social media posts, scripts, and much more.
Read the article on the Importance of Content Writing to know more about the value it can add to brands.
SEO Content Writing
SEO is one of the most daunting fields of work for fresh content writers. It appears to be highly specialized and incomprehensible, but it gets easier once you get the hang of it. SEO content essentially entails content consisting of researched keywords that have had the most interactions recently.
To put it simply, you’re going to include as many popular keywords pertaining to your topic as possible so your piece of writing draws more traffic.
According to the algorithm, your writing automatically ranks higher if it has a high number of keywords - so if you’re someone who’s good at working their way around some given keywords and can be precise with their writing style, then you should strongly consider SEO writing.
Have you ever wondered who comes up with concept ideas for advertisements, magazine headlines, brand tags and so on? These responsibilities fall upon the shoulders of copywriters. This sphere of content writing is popular for enthusiastic and fresh tones that convince the reader to take action.
Copywriting is something that requires you to keep thinking on your toes about the next idea that will be sure to resonate with your audience. If you have the creativity that it takes, then you can go for this incredibly money-spinning profession.
Feature Writing
Feature writing involves whipping up pieces that are informative and relate to a particular event or lifestyle. For instance, a blog catering to fashion may write about the fashion worn in the Met Gala. This is feature writing, which we can do in both digital space as well as in physical print.
As mentioned, feature writing pieces walk a fine line between informative and overly fun - and it might be a great option for you if you’re a student of journalism or take interest in journalistic writing.
Resume Writing is also an Important aspect of Content Writing.
How do I start content writing?
What do you actually need to become a content writer? Lucky for you, content writing is one of the most up-and-coming fields in which employment opportunities are instantaneous.
If you have a great command of your target language and can write creative content, you already have a better chance of becoming a content writer than many others. Along withto these qualities, you may also want:
Fret not if you don’t have a large selection of pieces to choose from so as to display them on your content writing portfolio. The first thing you’ll want is some internship experience, after which you’ll have enough know-how and hopefully published articles in order to make your very own portfolio. But, to make it big in the content writing industry, a portfolio is one of the only things you need.
Also, to make content writing a lifelong career, it is important to know others who consider content writing as a full-time career. Building contacts is one of the first things you might want to do. This makes sure that even as a freelancer, you’re never short of work.
Knowing content writers would get you in touch with employers who will frequently hire you for your services.
Read the Article on Freelancing to gather more information on opportunities for Freelancers.
Even without a portfolio, you can have something to show for yourself when you find yourself in a content writing interview. Work published on websites such as Medium or WordPress adds to the credibility of your work and displays upfront to employers what your writing style is like and which form of content writing you’d be best suited to.
What does a content writer actually do?
Now that you have some idea of what the scope of content writing is, it is important to understand what exactly it is that content writers do. As mentioned before, content writing is not just about mindlessly writing about a given topic. A lot of work goes into researching keywords, demands, writing tones, target audiences, and other specifications before writing the actual content.
After that, the content writer attempts to translate the research into copy for advertisements, brochures, blog articles, pamphlets, and anything else that contains written content. Many content writers also oversee and find out the keywords which they can use in their work. An SEO specialist will guide them through this and a Content Writer need not bother on this aspect.
How can I learn content writing at home?
Believe it or not, you can learn content writing from the comforts of your own home. Before doing so, it is important to view content writing as a journey - since it is one that will take you months, maybe even years, to master.
Hence, it is pivotal that you don’t hurry through the procedure. Here are some simple ways you can start from the grassroots level in content writing (or even make your existing content writing better!
Before fully dipping your toes into the vast world of content writing, you need to understand the niche of what you’ll like to write. It is essential to read all the different types of the existing content on the internet till you find one that resonates strongly with you.
This will also help you in gauging the tone of different types of content writing. For instance, technical content has an informative and didactic tone, while digital marketing content has a persuasive and empathetic tone.
There are a host of websites that offer content writing courses at your convenience that can help you fully understand everything about the topic.
These certified courses will also prove to boost your resume like nothing else, as it displays to possible employers that you’re not a complete newbie. You can explore some of these courses at Henry Harvin, Udemy, and Skillshare.
- Garner Popularity
This one’s a bit of a tricky one. Creating social media profiles and connecting with other content writers does not guarantee that you will be able to get your work out there.
It definitely increases your chances of making it big as a content writing freelancer. It is likely that the more of your work you showcase, the more there is a possibility of someone hiring you for freelancing opportunities.
What qualifications do content writers have?
One of the best things about content writing is that no matter your background, you can always choose to switch careers midway and go after commercial content writing full-time. It is a fact that content writers who possess at least an undergraduate degree in Literature and/or Journalism always have an edge over others.
This is because of the fact that in academic degrees such as the above-mentioned, individuals train rigorously in the art of writing in different styles and tones. These individuals would also possess a more classy knowledge of the target language, coupled with excellent communicative and written skills.
As mentioned before, you can try your hand at content writing irrespective of your academic background. All you need is an excellent grasp on a language and the ability to weave your thoughts exactly as directed, while also being able to work under deadlines and pressure.
Also, technical content writing opportunities in varied fields such as software designing, mathematical engineering, law, and so on may be the place for you if you have relevant qualifications.
Is content writing hard?
If you think you have what it takes and are ready to step into the vast and ever-popular world of content writing, this must be the looming question in your mind. Unfortunately, there’s no easy and direct answer to this.
Content writing may be extremely difficult if you’re not predisposed to spend your days writing away on an array of topics that you’ve researched. It is definitely not for you if your written work contains multiple grammatical errors and dim tones that don’t reach out to the audience.
A staple of subpar content writing is when the written content fails to draw in the reader by making the text seem overly boring or just has a bunch of “fluff.”
On the other hand, as said before, if you have excellent command over the language then you might begin to consider content writing as a viable career. You must also be able to research and write about any topic under the sun as if it has been a lifelong passion of yours.
You must also make your content saleable to any readers - meaning, it has to appropriately endorse the product/service to the reader.
Hence, content writing is extremely difficult because you should have a polished linguistic and marketing skills for your content to be going. It is also significantly easy because if you’re naturally gifted with these skills, then content writing is going to be a breeze for you.
How do I practice content writing?
The only way to be a master at your craft is by practicing it, time and again. Practicing content writing does not come easy - especially since all employers need prior writing experience. There are still ways to gain experience in content writing without working for a company.
Content writing courses often offer you the leeway of practicing your writing before you’re ready to dive headfirst into getting a content writing job. These courses will often give you feedback for your writing and simulate the environment of being an actual content writer, which would be immensely helpful for beginners.
This is an exercise that helps most content and creative writers when they’re starting out. Indeed, this is the magic formula of having all your content look professional and well-written.
What you’re doing here is imagining a particular product or service for a brand, along with its features, target audience - all other relevant specifications - and then writing long-form content infused with researched keywords. This is the best way to improve your content without actually working in a content writing position.
Internship for content writing
As we know, the fastest way to learn a particular skill is learning while on the job. Scoring an internship that allows you to navigate between various content writing responsibilities might be the best for you if you’re a beginner. Plus, it is always important to go for a paid internship instead of working for a free one, as these offer more incentives and encourage you to always be on the lookout for a higher-paying position.
Some of these websites you can visit in order to take a look at the ever-growing vista of content writing positions are Internshala, LinkedIn, Indeed, Naukri.com, Glassdoor, and other websites. The Scope of Content Writing is many, we just need to understand the tricks of this trade.
Conclusion
These days, content writers are in high demand. So, if you've decided to go after this top emerging field as a career option, it's critical that you carefully evaluate your fit with the profession.
Make a full-scale investigation into the various aspects of content writing. You can also consult an expert in this field before finalizing your decision and diving into this highly money-spinning and creative career.