Want to make a career in content writing? But don’t know where to start? Read this guide on ‘content writing for beginners’ to get started. You’ll also learn content writer resume tips, and how to find content writing jobs.
A successful content writer must have both writing aptitude and a grasp of the art. However, the extremely competitive and constantly changing trends in digital marketing call for a wider variety of abilities.
This field of writing consists of diverse options like web content writing, editorial writing, social media copywriting, podcast scripts, and much more.
Although content writing can take many forms, at its core, it produces information for digital platforms, in most cases, for marketing goals.
Through this article, I will discuss content writing for beginners, content writer resume tips, and how to find content writing jobs. But before we dive in, let’s check what’s content writing:
What is Content Writing?
The practice of organising, creating, and publishing web material is called content writing. Along with writing the information, content writers may also be expected to edit and promote it.
Inbound marketing techniques such as content writing draw customers to a certain brand, product, or website. Most businesses depend a lot more on digital marketing than on conventional marketing. Due to this, the demand for content writers has increased.
The role of a content writer depends on the industry they are working for and its requirements. For example, some businesses may want to focus on their social media strategies, while some may invest in e-books, guides, and other long-form resources. The role of a content writer is to produce high-quality material that reinforces a brand’s voice, appeals to the right audience and engages them.
Effective content can turn readers into prospects and those prospects into paying clients. Therefore, it’s undoubtedly crucial for your company’s bottom line that you can regularly provide informative, interesting content.
Content Writing for Beginners: Skills Required
Types of Content Writing
While content writing can cover many other genres, you’ll mostly come across the following types of content writing:
I. Blogging:
Blogging is a key component of content writing. Since search engines favor websites that consistently release new information, blog posts help boost a website’s SEO rankings.
Use relevant keywords in your posts so that your content appears at the top of search results. Find out what phrases, words, or search terms your ideal customers are typing when browsing the web. There is some research involved here. You can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz.
II. Copywriting:
Copywriting is the science of strategically delivering words that get people to take action. It’s salesmanship through text. There’s more to it than that, though. Without copywriting, your informative content could be uninspired and unpersuasive. Copywriting includes e:
- Website copy
- Product descriptions
- Press releases
- Advertisements
- Sales collateral
- Infographics
- Press ads
All of these require copywriting skills. These messages should be carefully crafted while keeping in mind that they are the bedrock of your brand and perhaps the first thing potential buyers will read.
III. Social Media Posts
Social media is used by 59 percent of the world’s population. Businesses mark their presence on all the major social media platforms so that they reach their ideal audience. Social media writing involves developing timely, relevant, and platform-specific posts.
As a social media writer, you posts should be entertaining and interesting – it should encourage readers to click on an ad or read a blog. To write effectively for social media, you must be familiar with the peculiarities of each online platform.
For instance, a white paper about your products will probably not be well received on Facebook, but it might be a huge success on LinkedIn. Therefore, understanding the limitations of social media platforms is also crucial. Similarly, twitter only permits 280 characters per tweet.
IV. SEO Content Writing for Beginners
SEO, or search engine optimisation writing, is one of the most popular styles of content creation. SEO content writers are responsible for writing text that incorporates keywords that cause web pages to rank higher in search engine results pages, which is an essential component of many digital marketing tactics.
Informative articles with optimised headings and subheadings are frequently used in SEO content to increase reader engagement and obtain search engine rankings.
V. Technical writing
Comprehensive written descriptions and instructions on technical topics are referred to as technical writing. Content with tutorials or information on a software, technology, finance, and engineering products are a few examples of technical materials.
While some technical writers focus on writing for an expert audience, others excel at educating readers unfamiliar with the subject matter about highly complex concepts, frequently in the form of manuals, product descriptions, or FAQs.
Copywriter vs. Content Writer
Here are the key differences between copywriter and content writer:
| Content Writer | Copywriter |
| A content writer informs | A copywriter sells |
| Content writers drive organic traffic | Copywriters turn that traffic into leads. |
| Content writing is a long-form of writing | Copywriting is generally a short writing style |
| Content writers are generally more focused on SEO | Copywriters create urgency and inspire response from readers |
| Content writers write longer-form content like: I) Blog posts II) Articles III) Newspaper pieces IV) Magazine features V) Press Releases VI) White papers VII) Magazines VIII) Books or E-books writing IX) Grant Writing | Copywriters write copy for: I) Website copy II) Product descriptions III) Press releases IV) Advertisements V) Sales collateral VI) Infographics VII) Press ads |
Content Writing for Beginners: Tips to Get Started
Content writing for beginners tips: scroll down to explore some of the most helpful content writing tips. These tips will help you understand industry trends and help you make more money as a content writer.
I. Go that Extra Mile for Research
First and foremost, read! Before writing this article, I ensured I had a fair understanding of the topic (content writing for beginners). I read with a critical eye – paid attention to how others writer conveyed information. Likewise, I kept my eye on the subject matter and writing style. This helped me gain topic-expertise.
II. Make your Content SEO-friendly
In your role as a content writer, you should learn about SEO too. Knowing how to write SEO-friendly material can help you ensure it ranks on all the platforms you use for publishing, including YouTube, Google, and social media sites like Instagram.
Even if your article is flawless but not SEO-optimised, there’s a high chance it will not come across your target audience. Additionally, you may utilise SEO to cover all relevant subtopics and write about the most asked questions associated with the topic
III. Write like a Human, not like a Robot
Put some personality into your content. While too much personality can detract readers from the main information, you cannot risk sounding like a robot. Make A Human Difference. You can do this by writing in a conversational tone.
The more you know about your audience, the better your conversation will be.
Of course, you can use writing apps or editing tools to improve your content. But do not use these tools for content creation.
IV. Make Your Content Engaging
Content creation is not just about dumping information you find on the internet. There’s a lot more to it. If your article has the same content as any other article on the internet, what could cause your viewers to stay on your article? With every topic, you cover, ensure to deliver something new. Since your audience spends time on your website, make their visit worthwhile.
V. Proofread
Imagine writing “receipt” as “receipt,” publishing it, and having your audience read it. A nightmare, isn’t it?
To avoid getting trapped in such situations, proofread and edit your piece of writing as many times as possible. Furthermore, minor grammatical errors can make or break a reader’s perception of your brand. They might conclude your content isn’t as trustworthy and well-written as other articles on the web and turn to other sources for further information.
VI. Add Examples, Quotes, and References
Examples can help you put your advice into context, make a point, and show readers how to put your suggestion to use in their own lives. You must demonstrate your points to your readers with relevant examples, especially when writing about abstract subjects. Now that I’ve told you how important it is to show some examples let me do the same for this article!
1. Pepper Content’s Article on ‘How to Blog and Make Money in 5 Ways‘
This article by Pepper content is intriguing as it begins with “Can you make money blogging? Both experienced and amateur bloggers seek an answer to this question.”
The writer grabs the readers’ attention at the very beginning of the article. Also, the content uses keyword ‘make money blogging’ within the first sentence. This ensures optimisation for search engine as well.
2. An Instagram post by Neil Patel (carousel post)
Neil Patel, the co-founder of Crazy Egg and Hello Bar, recently shared a post on Instagram about his Search Marketing Course and attached reasons to get certified. In his carousel post, he used statistical information to convince his target audience why a certification in search marketing can bolster their career.
3. Brian Dean’s Video on How to become an SEO Expert in 2022
At the beginning of the video, Brian says, “the strategies and approaches that I’m about to share with you help me go from absolutely clueless about SEO to someone that entrepreneur recently called an SEO genius.”
That is excellent writing, and it encourages viewers to stick around. Why? Because it provides a sense of credibility and informs you that the information that follows did help someone succeed.
To create a well-rounded argument, you can also include original quotes from influential thinkers or associates. Even if you are an expert on a particular topic, consider quoting people who professionally belong to the field. It helps your audience feel more confident about the content you’ve written.
VI. Meet deadlines
In my experience as a content marketer, I got to work with a lot of content writers. They were good at writing content, but all of them struggled to meet the deadlines – despite setting the calendar on their own.
This is perhaps the most underrated content writing tips. But since this article is about ‘content writing for beginners,’ I believe the most important skills beginner content writers need is ‘time management.’ Meet deadlines if you’re creating content for a client. It’s especially significant if your client wishes to post regularly and you want them to continue working with you.
VII. Check Readability
Keep jagrons to a minimum. For readability’s sake, keep your language relatively simple and don’t fill it with complex words. Always check readability of your content. Articles should be easily readable and scannable. Readers will only skim your article for a few seconds before moving onto something else.
Make your content easier to read by using paragraphs, bullet points, headers, and numbers. The brain is naturally programmed to digest small chunks of information, especially if it is visually appealing, organized, and evenly spaced out.
VIII. Answer your Target Audience’s Questions:
When creating content, keep your target audience in mind. You should tailor your writing to your target audience if you know they belong to a specific demographic.
The best way to learn more about a topic is to do some research on what questions people have been asking about it. It is helpful to provide definitions of complex terminologies and answer basic questions before moving on to a complex sub-topic.
IX. Use CTAs
When creating content for conversion, you should include a clear call to action (CTA). A call to action is designed to get an immediate response from visitors to your website. A clear call to action entices visitors to respond. Be creative with your CTAs. Nobody likes a “click here” or “click me” text. Rather than generic anchor texts, use creative ones. Your skills are better than that!
Bonus Tips on Content Writing for Beginners:
How to Get Content Writing Jobs:
If you want to start with content writing and develop a full-time career, make sure your writing abilities are on par. Read throughly on the topics you want to write on. Practice writing everyday and get your articles assessed by someone who has expertise in the field.
Once you’ve acquired basic skill-set, send out pitches to target clients on LinkedIn, Upwork, and local businesses hiring content writers. Below are some you can use to find jobs as a content writer:
- Connect with digital marketers and content creators on Linked to find content writing job opportunities.
- Create profile on Upwork, Freelancer.com, Pepper Content, and similar websites to find content writing jobs for beginners.
- Companies that need the services of a freelancer often advertise on writer job boards. So, make sure to join these groups and forums. You can also join content writer groups on facebook.
- Contact bloggers or small business and tell them you are a freelance writer interested in helping them grow. It’s called pitching.
- Visit nearby digital marketing companies to begin networking. They will contact you when a client has contact requirement.
- Start establishing contacts as soon as you start writing online. Make a few writer friends. They might provide you with some work when they have an overflow so you can build your portfolio.
Content Writer Resume Tips
Your content writer resume should communicate different aspects of your professional experience, educational background, certifications, honours or awards, etc. You can further improvise the resume with:
- Your content writer resume should be professionally formatted
- In your resume, present your most relevant job experience
- Brag about your content writing skills, posts you’ve published, and other achievements.
- Use the reverse-chronological order for your content writer resume.
- Always limit the resume to one to two pages. Since content writing is a junior role, you don’t need to list your accomplishments on more than one page.
- Send your resume to the recruiter in PDF format to prevent possible formatting issues.
- If the recruiters wish to conduct an on-the-phone interview with you, you must include your telephone number on your professional writer’s resume.
- Keep the font size between 10 – 14 points
Content Writer Checklist:
Proofreading is an important part of writing process. After you’ve completed the article, sit with it, and check whether your content agrees on the following:
Content Writer for Beginners: FAQs
What is Content Writing Example?
The practice of organising, creating, and publishing web material is referred to as content writing. Content writing is an umbrella term that includes many types of writing. Some examples of content writing include blogs, newsletters, social media posts, case studies, and more.
How to learn content writing for beginners?
If you are a budding writer, you can find several courses and helpful blogs on how to learn content writing for beginners. Apparently, the more you practice writing, the better you learn.
How can I start my content writing from home?
Content writing for beginners is not as complex. The best method to begin content writing from home is to start and grow a blog, following which you can start taking on freelance projects for online publications. Additionally, you can approach specific businesses and send content writing pitches.
How do I start content writing with no experience?
You can start content writing without experience. Get started with a blog, pick a niche that interest you, and publish few topics. You can use these published content pieces as samples to pitch to your target client. You can also write for family and friends to refine and polish your skills to become industry-ready.
Indeed Good tips for newbie writer like me. I will follow your steps and see the results.
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These guides are informative. Thanks alot!