A Guide to Becoming a Professional Content Writer

With the rise of content marketing as an approach to online marketing and digital advertising, there has been a rise in demand for content copywriters who can create online articles aimed at a specific audience. To further define the value of these bloggers, there is a need for professional content writers. Many publishing platforms and blogs accept contributors. However, those with the skills to be recognized as professionals can increase their income potential and enhance their careers by becoming one of the most in-demand content writers in the industry. So, in this blog post, let’s look at a guide to becoming a professional content copywriter to compete with the bests.

What is Content Writing?

Different people define content writing in different ways. But the most basic-level definition of content writing is:

The process of researching, writing, altering, and publishing the content in a digital format is known as content writing. For example, when a writer writes content for social media posts, landing pages of a website, product descriptions, video scripts, blog posts, or eBooks, he becomes a content writer.

Types of Content Writing:

Like digital marketing, content writing is a vast field because several things fall under its umbrella. But the following are the most common types of content writing.

• Copywriting – is the art of selling the services of a business by writing successful business copy.
• Creative copywriting – is the process of critically thinking about a topic and creatively writing about it.
• Technical writing – as the name implies, a piece of content that belongs to the technical aspects, like creating documentation of an application.
• Screenwriting – is the process of writing scripts for mass media such as TV, Film and Radio.
• Newsletter – as the name suggests, a newsletter is the process of creating news in an electronic or digital form.

A Guide to Becoming a Professional Content Writer:

• Build a portfolio

The first and probably the most significant thing required to become a professional content writer is having a portfolio.

A collection of a person’s work that exhibits his achievements, efforts, and progress in his field is called a portfolio. Thus, if a person claims he is a content writer, he should have some samples to showcase to his client. Otherwise, no client would believe him. So, suppose a person wants to know how to start content writing for beginners. In that case, he should focus on creating a portfolio.

*** Pro Tip: Medium.com is an ideal way to create a portfolio for free ***

• Prefer content originality

An original piece of content is the depiction of the quality of a content writer. So, to become a pro in the content writing industry, a writer should always focus on producing original work. Otherwise, creating duplicate or copied content with the help of spinning tools won’t be a long-term success for a writer.

However, producing original work doesn’t mean limiting the research phase. Instead, a writer should extensively research his topic to include relevant information according to his subject. But before finalizing a piece of writing, a writer should use a free or paid plagiarism checker to check the originality of his content.

• Avoid fluff content

Most internet users are always in a hurry. So, they want the solution to their problems or search query instead of reading irrelevant information. Thus, a professional content writer should always focus on including relevant bits and pieces in his content. Otherwise, the content will have a negative user experience, affecting its ranking on .

• Prefer the use of good vocabulary

The quality of content depends on the use of vocabulary. A good vocabulary indicates a good piece of content. But this doesn’t mean that content wording should be too dull or too high-end because such content will be difficult to read. So, the fourth tip in a guide to becoming a professional content writer is to use a type of vocabulary suitable for both naive and experienced readers.

However, suppose a writer is not fluent in a specific language. In that case, he can use a paraphrasing tool to convert his dull-vocabulary text into good-vocabulary content.

• Develop the skill of extensive research

Despite having good writing skills, good research plays a vital role in producing a quality piece of content. Therefore, a writer should work on research skills to become a professional content writer.

A writer should know how to use search engines better to get the required results for his queries. During the research phase, he should determine the areas his counterparts have failed to address in their content. This way, he can produce better quality content than his counterparts.

• Prioritize to meet deadlines

The key to professional behavior in any industry is fulfilling the tasks before the deadline. If a candidate can fulfill the assigned responsibilities before the deadline, he will impress his clients, which could lead to a permanent client. The same is the case with content writing.

A writer should start working on the assigned task early. This way, he can effectively research his topic and produce a quality piece of writing in the allotted time.

• Develop the skill of critical thinking

Critical thinking means how much a writer can go into depth while working on his topic. So, a writer should have a good command of his niche to be called a professional writer. This is the only way to produce high-quality content and compete with competitors.

• Keep up with the growing needs of the market

As mentioned earlier, the field of digital marketing is constantly evolving. So, a writer should be adaptable enough to keep up with the growing needs of his client and the market. Otherwise, the inflexibility of the writer will not make him a candidate in the long run.

Continue Reading: A guide on how publishers can provide multilingual content using translation services

Wrapping Up

This guide is the most concise and brief advice on becoming a content copywriter without experience. As mentioned earlier, this industry is constantly changing and evolving. So, from time to time, writers will have to adapt. Copywriters will always have to think about what they are saying, how it could apply to their audience, and ensure that the content is relevant and exciting to read. Although this guide entails hard work, it is advantageous when a person gets the proper hit.