Decoding Content Writing and its Power to Transform

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Preface

Do you remember the innovative 2006 Naukri.com commercial? I’m sure we all remember the arrogant and grouchy Hari Sadu who made life miserable for his subordinates. The ad ends with a clever slogan: “GUESS WHO HEARD FROM US”, articulating how applying on Naukri can rescue you from a terrible demon boss. The message is loud and clear: you can land the perfect jobs on Naukri.com.

One more commercial to remember is the hilarious centre fresh ad where the dutiful security guard robs the bank but responds forgetfully when somebody calls him. Though there are multiple renditions of this “ZABAAN PAR LAGAAM,” theme, this ad created resonance. The message: Centre fresh helps avoid putting your foot in the mouth.

These ads were successful because they could make the consumers sit up. In short, these commercials created resonance and elicited a reaction with the right message. They incorporated the three important aspects of resonance, reaction, and the right message.

There were critics who interpreted the Hari Sadu Ad as a mockery of all people named Hari, consequently; but Naukri wittingly replied, “There is no Hari Sadu”. They had performed extensive research, the key trait of a content creator/writer.

These commercials are outstanding examples of great content. Great content always resonates and hooks the audience. Any optimized information that brings a ripple effect is great content.  

1. What is Content writing?

Content writing is an art, I believe. Capturing your ideas and shaping them into a written form is content writing.

You can say it is professional writing for the target audience to meet various marketing objectives ranging from increasing traffic to your website to informing about the new product/service.

Now that is simple! Jot a headline, write an essay comprising 300 words, add a few images, and proofread. Boom! You are a writer.

Well, I wish it were this simple. You can deliver such content, no doubt. But will it generate an impact? It’s simple. The answer is a NO.

Hence, content developers should practice transitioning content to high-quality content, to keep up with the others. Convert ideas into great writing; otherwise, as people keep discovering greater content, weaker content will eventually die out.

Therefore, a great article will help beat your competitors and support you in advancing towards your goals.

2. How to write high-quality content?

There are implications of writing weak content. A weak content inhibits the growth of the writer. It is true, readers become reluctant to read your articles when they lack engagement. Enliven your write-up in a unique voice and make it catchy, creative and correct grammatically to impress the reader.

Boost your SEO rankings and gain visibility provided you are competent and want exposure in the industry.

If you are still wondering how we do that, here I will show a few ways to help you create great content :

Always create an appealing headline

Writing a headline may not be difficult, but making it stand out from the existing titles is tedious. Creating great content begins with creating a great headline. Why? I’m sure all of us would overlook an article with a boring headline.

Never write an article that doesn’t grab the attention of the reader.

Keeping it short and best

Your title must be short and kept within 70 characters. Else, search engines would shrink longer titles and reduce the efficacy of your headline making it purposeless.

Keeping it simple is a golden rule

Use words that are simple and not too fancy. Be sure to keep it concise and relevant to the article. If you are unsure, here is a word of wisdom; Use powerful words and commands to grab attention.

Keeping it relevant to the content

The headline should never mislead a reader, or it could lead to negative repercussions. It must lure the reader without damaging the writer’s reputation. 

Content matter should be simple and concise

Do you remember your physics teacher lecturing away to glory? Ever wondered why you tried so hard to understand? I tried escaping those classroom lectures by drifting off to dreamland. Those meaningless rambles could have been more interesting if only they were mindful of their audience.

Likewise, make the subject meaningful by using simple words for better clarity. Here are a few techniques to adopt:

Please the audience

When you create content, focus on your target audience because they decide if your article is readworthy. Recognize your readers and identify their interests, then engage them with a language that builds a bond.

Ultimately, if you please them, they choose to share, comment, and recommend your articles to others. Never dismiss them because your reader defines you.

Use resonating words

Words give life to your thoughts. They add meaning and emotions by transforming your ideas into a tangible language. Always use words that capture the perfect essence of your thought.

Fancy words don’t always do justice to your ideas. Use words the reader can understand and relate to. Remember, the word GROUP and GANG have the same denotation yet have a different connotation.

Do not use long sentences

Long sentences confuse the reader as it requires more concentration. Write sentences that are concise and impactful.

Always structure your ideas

Your article must contain a framework that provides a structure to your storyline. Make your ideas come together smoothly by adding transitional phrases. Don’t let your sentences bunch together with no creativity.

Showcase your expertise

Ensure that your researching skills are your new best friend because without hard work you can never convert your content into great content. In order to gain reputation validate every idea you pen; this builds your reader’s trust.

As a content writer, sometimes you have to market a service, a product, or even an idea. SEO plays an important role so skillfully place your links and keywords (keyword stuffing is a bad idea) because google algorithms are way too clever to detect any malpractice. Strive to create brilliant and unique pieces of work always.

“No website can stand without a strong backbone. And that backbone is technical SEO.” Neil Patel.

3. How to Optimise Content for your Online Audience?

Your intention to put information on your website could be to inform, persuade or entertain your target audience, but how do you drive them to your site?

Therefore, doing our homework well can help us accomplish our business goals.

Here is a checklist to verify if you incorporate these traits while carrying out your duties as a great Content writer:

Is your content findable?

If your written work is worth reading, make it discoverable. Great content is nothing but well-written articles that are optimized for readers. Good SEO is part of great content and is an inevitable value-addition.

Pointers:

You can find your content in two ways:

If someone is already on your website, they should be able to spot your latest and popular posts.

Somebody who doesn’t recognize you can easily stumble upon your work in search engines. In order to increase your findability, I recommend you optimize your content with relevant keywords because search findability is easy to achieve when you align your article with the best keywords.

Here are some tips to increase the visibility of your write-ups inside your website:

• Have a search bar included on your site
• Have a popular reads sidebar
• Promote your fresh content on your homepage, other websites or Emails.
  

Is your content shareable?

We should make great content shareable. Ever shared something that you found interesting? If yes, then what made you do that?

If you can answer that question, sure enough, you would know to hook your customers. Always include intriguing headlines to get more clicks and use engaging feature images to involve your readers.

Maximize the shareability of your article by adding social media share buttons; Make it super easy to share your content on every handle.

Is your Content readable?

We can measure the readability of an article by its layout and design. Design encompasses background color, font size, spacing, and column width. These factors decide whether the content is easy on the eyes.

Writing is a skill and structuring its layout is a specialized skill. Make your write-up interesting by breaking it into chunks, your article should be scannable yet not loaded with choppy sentences.

Use smaller paragraphs, listicles, bullets, headings, and subheadings if you want your readers to recall what you wrote.

Is your content memorable?

Has there been any content that lingered long enough in your memory?

Let’s scroll up and take a glimpse at the introduction, where I illustrated two commercials. The one with Hari Sadu, and the other with the security guard.

The content of these commercials is so memorable that they lay fresh in my mind. They resonate to such a degree that Hari sadu is synonymous with Naukri.com.

Therefore, great reads must be indelible, worth sharing, and highly recommendable.

Is your content actionable?

The proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” explains well.

The general principle of this proverb is to free from poverty and foster self-sufficiency.

In like manner, actionable content is better than informational content since it allows people to execute new ideas and assists when they need help. You can tell people to write better content but it is better to show them the procedure. In this way, you build trust and make them come back to your website.

Is your content reportable?

Your content must empower you to achieve your business goals.

In case you incorporate reportability, you can track traffic to your website, reader engagement (shares), and conversion rates.

This formula will help detect your success rate and enable you to learn while you write. Thus, eliminating all future failures.

Agreed, in content creation, there’s a lot of intellectual work involved apart from writing your ideas. Professionals like content writers can craft articles from scratch and make them a worthy read.

4. What does a Content Writer do?

Writers who specialize in writing online are content writers, in plain words.

Some writers showcase their skills by engaging in a range of writing styles and topics and some adopt a niche.

Here are the most common type of writers employed :

1. Blog Writer

They master the art of conversational writing by keeping the reader engaged throughout. The humourous add-ons not only entertain the audience but also speak to them and compel them to become followers of the blog.

Any blog that is engaging boosts the organic traffic to the website. According to statistics, skilled bloggers who implement SEO techniques increase website traffic by 55%.
Blog writers too perform intensive research, interview experts, and then set up entertaining blogs.

2.  Brand journalist

“Brand Journalist” is a fancy job title everyone would compete for! Why not? It is a desirable job.
Brand journalism is content writing which sits perfectly inside content marketing, though there is an ongoing argument regarding that. It is about sharing knowledge as opposed to direct marketing or selling.

I’ll simplify it. Brand journalists are a little short of brand ambassadors who create stories about the product, in-house, to lure and engage customers. Instead of directly marketing their brand, they focus on storytelling that highlights the company’s values.
They engage readers through press releases, brand stories, and customer testimonials.

3. Copywriter

‘Wordsmith’ is the perfect word for a copywriter. They are fine artisans who strategically design content on countless topics.
Their style encompasses perfect integration of the Website copy from one end to the other. They consolidate topics such as main content, product description, and blog posts seamlessly.
Their versatility is the greatest strength as they can assume the role of many writers.

4. Ghostwriter

Sometimes authors and companies get busy and cannot complete writing projects. Under such cases, they forward the projects to ghostwriters.
Ghostwriters are highly skilled in writing and can match the tones and voices of the existing content. Often they have to study the brand voice and image to write content for newsletters from the CEO or another leader.
They also complete the written work of authors who are time-bound.

5. Technical writers

Technical writers are experts in Maths, science, and other technology-based studies. Their skills can transform highly complex topics into simple and understandable content.
They are methodical and very accurate when writing guides, manuals, or FAQs.

6. Social media writer.

Social media writers are conversant with the latest trends and changes. Sometimes they collaborate with the marketing team to create buzz and attention by creating posts, quizzes, and interactive content on the social media page.
They work on many social media platforms which allow likes, shares, and followers.

7. Long- form content writer

As the name suggests, long-form content is lengthy content with 2000- 4000 words. This kind of writer writes for data studies, case studies, and e-books. Such material remains ageless as readers always refer to them.

5.The 5 skills every content writer needs for success

Every content writer wants to be successful and so do you. Many people think that a content writer has a covetable job because they work from home, have flexible work timing, and can work as much as they want.

Sounds exceptional, doesn’t it?

The truth is no one knows the struggles of a new writer. Everyone wants to be the best, but little do they know they require a toolkit of marketing skills.

You can be impeccable at writing, but writing skills alone may not be your loyal companion. Evaluate yourself and identify your weaknesses.

I don’t want to sound vague when I refer to marketing skills as it only means your personal skills through which you promote yourself. It is the asset of every writer.

You must be adept at different writing styles.

Every writer has a style, and you must master it.

Ad copy is short and convincing, the news is in informational paragraphs, white papers are long and blogging is friendly. The delivery of each writing is unique. As you master any style category, you increase your demand.

Never pick random topics.

• It’s a fact that successful content writers use analytics to discover their customer behavior, acquisition and conversion. Random topics never fascinated seasoned writers.

• Ideation is the keyword. We generate creative ideas through ideation. However, before doing that, identify your audience. Know your reader to write what sells because you write for the reader, not for yourself.
• Keyword research is the buzzword all around. Keep a tab on keywords to maximise visits. Some statistics reveal that writing How-to posts fare well and readers share them more.

• The ever-increasing competition should never stop you from beating your enemy. Always check the content your competitor publishes and how well their content fares.
• Use a catchy headline. Catchy headlines will interest your readers and compel them to read.

Your work must be Original

An overworked topic may have thousands of writers voicing their opinions, but you have a unique talent and voice. It may sound difficult but highlight it with your own perspective and stamp your name on it proudly.

You must develop your skills in WordPress, HTML, SEO, and CSS

Don’t hit the panic button yet, you just have to learn the basics because sometimes in WordPress you have to manipulate the code using HTML (it’s not compulsory).

However, acquiring SEO knowledge is necessary as Google’s algorithm keeps changing over time. You must keep yourself updated to take part in this race.

You must be a social media specialist

You need to be a social media butterfly and build your online audience, grasp the attention of the publishers, and interview industry experts.

Be active enough to garner more likes, shares, followers, and comments and build your brand online.

These 5 skills should be inevitably a part of you. We can only accent a great writing skill when we imbibe these marketing skills too. 

6. Why does your business require Content Writing?

To begin with, Content writing is the best investment your business can make. Not only does it strengthen your online presence, but it also increases the conversion rate and yields customer loyalty.

Here are some reasons you need Content writing:

Content quality must be flawless

Always aim for well-written and well-researched articles on your website to benefit your audience. Once you establish this, your viewership would increase. On the whole, many search engines reward trustworthy websites by ranking them higher in the SERP.

Content writers are proficient at this, so hiring a content writer is a great idea.

Copywriters are strategists

You must optimize your content with the right keywords and information otherwise, chances are that you may get lost in the world of a zillion websites.

An equipped copywriter can rescue you from such a mishap by incorporating SEO strategies and increasing your online visibility.

Creativity is time-consuming

Content creation is a process, it requires countless hours of ideation and researching analytics. You must design content that has the potential to engage your audience and this process can be time-consuming.

Hire a content writer to ease your workload because they are experts in developing content. They have knowledge of different platforms and develop content best suited for your followers in the individual platform.

They create content to engage and entertain your target demographics across platforms and save your time.

Changing search engine algorithms

Poor business practices such as keyword stuffing have forced Google to update its algorithm constantly to provide the best content users are looking for.

Writers who understand SEO implement techniques and strategies to modify their content and provide high-quality results to their audience.

Be a part of the competition

You may or may not have competitors, but make sure that you are well known. Penetrate the global market by implementing marketing strategies and establish your online presence.

A content writer can highlight your customer experience, reviews and improve your visibility and site ranking. This will help your business grow and stay in the competition.

Readers want the best quality

A reader should be able to squeeze out the best within a limited time. As a reader, I would read articles that are appealing and scannable yet that hoards all the information.

A brilliant writer can make this possible by employing digital trends and strategies to satisfy the audience.

Better content, Better revenue

An expert writer can help increase the ROI as great content increases the viewership of your website. When the leads increase, revenues also increase though it may take time to reflect.

Engage in creating unique copies always, to stand tall in the race.

Be an industry expert

Establish yourself as a giant in your niche. Educate your audience by providing them with specialized content. Your readers would appreciate tips, tutorials, and tools to address concerns.

Content writers are insightful, and they have the resources to address every new topic.

Conclusion

Finally, content writing in this digital age is something we cannot evade. It leaves a lasting impression on the audience and garners praise. About 3000 words ago, I had mentioned that writing is an art, yet it requires some tools to enhance its authority. Content writers harness their creativity to enhance and modify ideas.

There were 3 R’s that I cited in the introduction: Resonate, Reaction, and Right message. An outstanding writer can cohesively work on the three without foregoing the quality of work.

The constant change in the ideologies and trends leaves the masses gasping for breath. This is where content creators and marketers step in to demonstrate their expertise. They use the power of words and their technical know-how to educate their audience.

A good writer strives to provide only authentic information. Their researching skills and strategies not only help their audience but also the brand. Genuine information increases the trustworthiness of the website and ranks higher in the SERP.

A content writer purges the content by dismissing all misleading and unnecessary information, reducing the workload of the reader.

They always use the freedom of expression ethically and act as a guide for society.

I believe society cannot survive without content writers because they are the force that drives businesses and individuals to achieve their goals. They strategically optimize information to make life easy and make the internet resourceful.

How do you become a content writer?

Here are some tips:

1. Read, Read and Read. That’s a wonderful start! Read anything and everything. Let your mind overflow with information.
2. Write different content and gain experience from practice. Use the trial-and-error method.
3. Learn the latest SEO techniques
4. Join the writer’s group or club to discuss and learn.
5. Join a Content Writing Course: You can enroll yourself in a certified course and earn a valuable degree.
   One such educational institution is Henry Harvin Writing Academy, which provides excellent training and assistance.
   They provide globally accepted certified courses with a one- year gold membership in the Henry Harvin Writing Academy. You can access the video recordings of all sessions and use their study material.
   They promise a 100% placement and internship assistance which is much needed after the course. This institution has both the offline and online teaching method which has proved much useful in times such as these.

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