Content writing has become the most intriguing skill in today’s digital era. A good content writer must write in a way that compels and engages the audience. It does not matter whether you are writing a blog, social media content, brand or self-promoting email, informative content or articles. It must be so eye-catching that the audience gets attracted and understands your perspective on any topic.
Want to start a career in content writing and don’t know where to start? The article guides you in building your skills and makes you a good content writer.
Thinking like you are a beginner and don’t know a ‘C’ of content writing? Do not worry! Everyone has to start somewhere. You can follow the present step-by-step guide to build and improve your writing skill.
Define Your Motive
- What to write?
- Where to start?
These questions always strike when you want to start something. What you need to do is define your purpose of writing. If you are clear on the motive, whether it’s persuading, entertaining, informing or educating your audience, you will be focused on the goal of the content. It helps you not to get diverted from your context of writing.
Understand Your Audience
For whom are you writing? Identify your target audience and deliver as per their level of understanding, knowledge, age and interest.
Why so? Ever seen a 5-year-old kid reading content written for a researcher? Every audience’s requirements are different based on the criteria as above-mentioned. Understand your audience and deliver accordingly. If the content is based on the audience’s preferences, it attracts more audience because they can resonate with their life, which keeps them engaged till the end.
Read And Read
In-depth research is the base of any content creation. A content writer must always collect approved information from relevant sources that could not lead to any conflict in the target audiences. Provide source, if necessary. The more you read and use logic to differentiate between true and fake, the more you bring accuracy to the content. Additionally, audiences understand your topic inside and out.
Create A Structure
Have you written so much but thinking about what to write next?
Never start writing mindlessly. Always create an outline. Creating a structure makes your content look organised. A content writer must provide step-by-step information that leads to an easier understanding of the topic without getting off-track. It also maintains the connection between the previous and next part of the topic.
Prepare An Eye Catching Introduction
A content writer must know that an introduction is the first impression.
How to hook a reader?
Create concise and compelling content that grabs audiences’ attention and provides them with a solid reason to continue reading. People always seek knowledge. If they find an introduction that brings suspense about any fact or questions their knowledge, they always seek the answers, which hooks them to read till the end. Remember, the introduction must not be very huge and boring.
Want an effective introduction? Modify your introduction after completing the content.
Time For The Main Content
Fill in your structure with detailed information supporting the topic. Add examples, facts, and other engaging information that makes the audience know more. Introduce points, relevant images or sub-headings for engagement.
Never go for long paragraphs. Break the content and provide uniform spacing to avoid a mess in bulky content. Know that it does not matter how eye-catching your topic and introduction is. If the main content is bulky, nobody wants to read it.
Engaging Language Is A Must
Engagement does not come only from pattern but also from the language. A content writer must deliver the information in easy language. If the words are too technical, the audience unfamiliar with the wording may ignore your content because it becomes difficult to understand.
What else is important to keep engaging the target audience?
Your voice, tone and perception of the content! These must be consistent all over the content.
For instance, if you continue in a conversational tone, ensure you continue the same till the end. Breaking of tone or voice may result in diverting the audience’s mind from the topic to the way of delivery, leading them to feel uninterested in reading more.
Add Visuals
What visuals can do, content cannot deliver all alone. Thus, a content writer needs to deliver content involving demographics, images, videos, GIFs, and real context to the topic. It helps the audience understand, keeps them engaged, and enhances the overall experience. Ensure to keep the relevant ones. Create the visuals to meet your requirements.
Don’t Forget To Conclude
The last impression is as important as the first impression. Always summarise your topic with key points. A content writer must deliver the conclusion in a manner that reinforces the readers not to forget for a longer duration of time, or it must leave some footprint on the readers’ minds or hearts. Remember that conclusion brings more clarity to the reader and inspires them to visit the site. Further, it helps promote your content by sharing it. Audiences always share what they find intriguing.
Edit And Proofread
Editing and proofreading is an important part of content writing. Content writers must always read their content before delivering it to the audiences.
Why?
Because nobody is perfect. You can make mistakes. It is important to record your mistakes step-by-step and modify them accordingly. Proofreading helps you to identify them and cross-check your structure and content. If you find a gap, you can correct it at the same point and better understand your writing.
Optimise For SEO
Want to publish but worried if it will receive a good reach?
Optimise search engines by incorporating relevant keywords or hashtags. Keywords aid in increasing the rank in search results, making it convenient for the audience to find your article. A content writer must include keywords step-by-step while creating the content. It simplifies the writing and tells us where to necessarily incorporate the keyword.
What is the purpose of hashtags?
When a content writer wants to deliver a topic on social media platforms, hashtags are key to enhancing SEO.
Accept Positive And Negative Feedback
When completed with the content, a content writer must always share with their colleague or friends to know their feedback before delivering it to the public.
But why?
Sometimes, a content writer’s mind gets saturated and has no more different ideas. Every person has different perspectives and observations. Different opinions bring different innovative ideas that can improve the article.
Received criticism?
Do not worry!
It is part of the work. Accept it positively and work on it for better delivery of the content. Never be underconfident, as criticism always is for a purpose.
Purpose? Your growth!
Practise More And More
Despite successfully writing content, content writers must work to polish their skills more and more. Explore different fields with different styles, patterns, tones of voices with different target audiences. It boosts your confidence. Work step-by-step on each aspect of content creation, and you will be a successful content writer.
Nobody is born a content writer. Every person has worked hard to achieve excellence. If they can do it, why can’t you? Step ahead and prove yourself.
Wrapping Up
Content writing needs a lot of skills. A beginner content writer must follow a step-by-step guide to excel in writing. The steps mentioned above aid in delivering good content and make you a potential writer. Nothing can be impossible to deliver if a good content writer sets goals for valuable content. Explore more with WOR and keep growing!
