What is Content Writing: A Complete Guide -2024 Edition

Download ebook

Are you someone who loves writing and has excellent communication skills? But don’t know what to do with these skills? Don’t worry, In this article I will tell you how to hone your skills, start from scratch and transform it into a Content Writing profession.

Most of us spend a good deal of time online, by watching videos, social networking, reading e-books, etc,  all these are Content. It is used to attract the end-users, persuade them to buy a particular product. This content is created by none other than Content Writers.

Content writing is the creation of content for knowledge and promotional strategy. The basic aim of a content writer is to improve the sales pitch, influence people, and create awareness about a specific product, service, or company. The success of content depends on its reach. 

Check out- Henry Harvin Writing Academy’s Content writing Course

Different Forms of Content Writing

1. SEO Writing

SEO refers to search engine optimization, it is basically, a type of content Writing optimizing a website to generate traffic. This genre is not simple, you need to keep abreast of the keywords so that it creates maximum searchability. To increase the visibility of a website in the search engine results.

Techniques for Effective SEO Writing

• Structure the content compatible with the website.
• The meta Description tag is the synopsis of the content in 160 characters. Users need to locate the site
• Keyword Selection is crucial for SEO.
• Insert multimedia and images to make it interactive and engaging.

2. Article Writing

The article is a piece of writing which provides knowledge or perspective about specific topics, published in magazines, newspapers, or online platforms. To give maximum benefit to the readers, provide ample facts and figures.

Techniques for Effective Article Writing

• Use simple language, a good writer does not use complex vocabulary but makes complex topics simple through his/ her writing.
• Avoid redundant words, make them concise.
• Maintain a flow,  the introduction, heading, subheading, and conclusion should be interconnected.
•  Use reliable sources of information to maintain credibility.
• Always make your own hypothesis and try to elicit a response from the reader.
• Never plagiarise content as it is against the ethics of writing.

3. Copywriting

Writing copy for advertising or other forms of marketing is Copywriting. It is persuasive writing to increase brand awareness and persuade people to take action. The sales copy can be written for billboards, advertisements, brochures, catalogs, and websites.

Techniques for Effective Copywriting

• Identify your goal: Think about the objective. What you want to project, who are your target audience, etc are the main factors to keep in mind.
• USP of the product: Every product has a USP( Unique Selling Proposition), identify it.  The copy needs to communicate with the USP.
• Keep it crisp but appealing with the help of colorful images and layouts
• Use divergent thinking and come up with out-of-the-box ideas.
• Highlight the credibility of the brand.
• Call to action: The copy must ensure that the reader has a favorable reaction at the end.

4. Resume Writing

A resume is a summary of your work experience, skills, and education. It plays a vital role in the job market as companies review a candidate’s resume. It is like a pass for the interview so make sure that it is structured for the job you apply for. There are 3 types of resumes; Chronological, Functional, and Combination.

Techniques for Effective Resume Writing

• Choose the type of resume: Chronological, Functional, or Combination.
• Write it according to the industry that you are going to work for.
• Make it brief: It shouldn’t be more than one page. Highlight the keywords, skills, and achievements.
• Include a brief bio, education & skills, last but not least why should they hire you.
• Include the things which are only relevant for the job, don’t include hobbies.

5. Blog Writing

A blog is an informational website consisting of informal writing, which is regularly updated. It is a platform where writers can express their thoughts about a particular subject. The posts are placed in reverse chronological order.

Techniques for Effective Blog Writing

• The first impression is the best impression, the first thing anyone notices about the blog is its title, making it eye-catching.
• Avoid redundancy, make the paragraphs short, use bullet points.
• Include SEO keywords 
• Use hyperlinks for better comprehension
• Include videos and other blogs.

6. Ghost Writing

A Ghost Writer is hired by famous personalities like business tycoons, politicians, and celebrities to publish the work in their ( the person who hires) their own name. The ghostwriter does not get any credit for the work published. Usually, they are hired by people who lack time but need quality work.

Techniques for Effective Ghost Writing

• Ghost Writer Agreement: As soon as a ghostwriter is hired, they are made to sign an agreement with the hirer. This is The Ghost Writer Agreement, the modus operandi of the agreement should be followed.
• The writer should always think from the hirer’s perspective. Make sure to do your homework about the hirer’s background.
• Understand the person’s profession for whom you are writing. Always use terminologies.

7. Technical Writing

Technical Writing defines the features and functions of a gadget in simple language for the easy understanding of the customers. It can be a user manual, journal article, or any document which guides the consumer regarding technology usage.

Techniques for Effective Technical Writing

• Use simple definitions along with technical jargon.
• Step by step usage should be provided along with pictures.
• FAQs are mandatory
• Include all the essentials such as helpline number, company’s updated address, mail id, etc.
• Write in non-technical language to increase readability.

8. Medical Writing

Medical writing is writing about the new developments in the medical field. It could be for medical journals, regarding the invention of medicines, medical-related articles. Medical terminology is a must in this type of work.

Techniques for Effective Medical Writing

• Before venturing into medical writing, make sure that you have a basic knowledge about medical terminology, preferably a degree from the science stream.
• Use jargon according to the target audience, for Eg: Don’t use the same jargon for patients and medical professionals.
• Do not exaggerate the disease and the treatment, thereby creating a wave of fear among the patients.
• Use the right medical terminologies, use infographics for clarity.
• Maintain the tone, refrain from using flowery language as it leads to several misconceptions
• While writing research documents, always use a bibliography to quote the source.

9. Creative Writing

Creative writing is the art of creating something new through words, it is solely based on imagination. The writer uses different tools of narratives, characters, settings, and literary devices to add to the beauty of the creation. The different types of creative writing are; short stories, novels, scriptwriting, and poems.

Techniques for Effective Creative Writing

• There is no specific rule for Creative Writing, but that doesn’t mean beating about the bush. You should have an outline of the story and a flow has to be maintained.
• Use flowery language, but it shouldn’t be complex.
• Make your work unique, for Eg: R. K Narayan’s use of the fictional town Malgudi, being the center of all his novels.
• Figures of Speech such as metaphor, simile, transferred epithet make it ornamental.
• Follow Goldilocks Approach: give just the right amount of description to the readers, not too much, not too little.

 Challenges of Content Writing

Writer’s Block: It is a state associated with writing. The content writer feels run out of ideas and is unable to complete or start writing about a new topic.

Noisy environment: Writing is not like other professions, where you can work in total chaos. You need to set a time for writing when you will be free from external disturbance.

Lack of confidence: You need to be confident about your skills otherwise you will be paralyzed while writing. Always be open to constructive criticism.

The dearth of Vocabulary: It is always good to have a lavish vocabulary to avoid repetition, if not; always upgrade yourself by becoming a voracious reader.

Maintaining the uniqueness of the content: If you want to be a successful writer, your work should stand out. Otherwise, it( content) will be like a drop in the ocean of flooding content.

How to Overcome these challenges

Establish a writing routine

Set up a place for writing, make sure you write every day in the very same place. This becomes a sort of routine like everyday habits like eating or bathing. Whether you write perfect or imperfect, go ahead and write daily.

Freewrite

Freewriting is a writing strategy like brainstorming but written in paragraphs continuously. It increases the free flow of ideas and fluency of writing skills.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a method to generate ideas without interruption. Write down the ideas as keywords without skipping anything. After the process just connects those keywords and delete unnecessary words.

Idea Mapping

is a visual way of representing ideas, it is a visual thinking tool to generate lateral thinking. Humans think better visually, what stands out is its simplicity.

Eliminate distractions

Delete social media and all possible distractions, focus on writing. Let your family know about the routine and the nature of your work. Time management is vital, so set a timetable.

Develop Writing goals

Practice makes perfect, the more you write, the better writer you become. Set daily writing goals, aim for a specific word count each day. Work continuously and don’t take frequent breaks as it tends to disrupt the flow.

Develop your Vocabulary

More often it is not the lack of ideas but the lack of vocabulary which adds to the writer’s block. Let your vocabulary blossom, learn 10 words every day, and use them in your conversation. ‘Reading maketh a full man’

Join a Content Writing course

Join a Content Writing course and become an adept Content Writer

Bonus Tip

You don’t need to rack your brains about which institution to study. After doing research on various academies I have come up with Henry Harvin Education

Henry Harvin Education: The Best Institution to Learn Content Writing

Henry Harvin Education was founded in 2013 by Kounal Gupta. It offers a magnum opus CDCW (Certified Digital Content Writing Course). It is ranked among the top 5 courses by India Today, recognized by the American Association of EFL, Content Writing Association of India, UK Cert, UKAF, and MSME.

Key Features of the Course

 Get acquainted with different types of Content Writing like Business & marketing Writing, Technical & Research Writing, Academic Writing, Creative Writing, Copywriting, Email Writing.

• ·Learn about Basics & Jargons, Grammar Skills, and Presentation Skills ,a pre-requisite to becoming a content writer.
•  Cover basics like Research Skills, Graphic Skills, Data & Reporting, Editing Skills,  Legal formalities, and spinning software
• Keep abreast of effective Content Writing and curating content for Social Media, upgrade brands with content, Market Segmentation, a road map to create strategic content, Ninja Writing, and Mind Mapping.
•  Master a few trade secrets about Content Writing which are, usage of Adsense and blogging to earn money and collection using Escrow, Ghostwriting. How to land big projects and set out on a Content Writing journey.
•  Focus on Soft Skills Development and Resume Writing.

Why Henry Harvin

•    Be an expert content writer and create 30+ content types and start earning nicely.
•     Expand your language skills and get international clients.
•     Become a pro content writer as per the industry standards.
•     Create an effective strategy for SEO.
•     Gain the technical skills to launch basic websites and personal blogs.
•      Internship is provided for 2 months.
•      Easy to access LMS.
• ·    1-year Gold Membership of Henry Harvin Writing Academy.
• Henry harin also offers CCWS course ( Certified Creative Writing Specialist )

Course Duration and fee: 36 hours, INR 13,500

Must-Have Tools for Content Writers

• Grammarly is a writing assistant which reviews, grammar, spelling errors, punctuation, etc using AI. It also suggests appropriate words for replacement. You can use it for free though there is a paid version.
• Spinbot is a free automatic article spinner that will rewrite articles into refined readable ones. All you need to do is, copy-paste your article and let Spinbot begin its magic.
• Small SEO Tools check the plagiarism of your work. It is a must-have in a writer’s possession.
• Hemingway is an app for checking article quality. It points out common mistakes, wordy and complex sentences.

How to Get Content Writing Jobs

•  Do an internship

    No matter how many theories we learn, unless and until we practice it, we can’t become experts in the field. An internship gives us a sneak peek into the work culture. It also helps our Content Writer resume look authentic.

• Make a good resume consisting of all your published work and highlighting your skills and the niche you specialize in. If you have a decent resume more than half of the work is done.
• Create a profile on all the job sites like LinkedIn, and Naukari.com, also join Content Writing groups on social media, and search for jobs.
• Check out websites like Fivver, UpWork, Freelancer, Outsourcely, etc.
• Do Cold Pitching by contacting entrepreneurs, bloggers, and companies. Let them know how you can help them by writing good content.

Recommended Read:

• Top 15 Content Writing Courses with Certification and Placements in India 2023
• Top 10 Content Writing Courses in Ahmedabad: 2023 [Updated]
• Top 12 Content Writing Courses in Delhi NCR: 2023 [Updated]
• Top 10 Content Writing Courses in Pune: 2023 [Updated]
• Top 10 Content Writing Courses in Chennai: 2023 [Updated]

 

FAQs

Download ebook