Ingredients of Content Writing
When you throw a baby shower for your friends, you invite them through phone call or by letter. In this new age tech-savvy world, people prefer to send exciting evites or email for the same. When you send an online gift to your friend and you wish to make them feel more welcomed and satisfied by your present, you write a note or a special message to remind them of you; hence, in any form, you attract an audience to watch what you’re up to.
Since the world is going paperless and sustainable for a long time, people prefer to make the best use of technology by posting their invitations online to attract audience.
These short messages or evites are symbolic of the content creation and advertising companies do for promoting digital marketing/ SEO services and other kinds of posts online, in a larger space. This new concept that has emerged over the decades is called Content Writing. It could be as short as a 50 words message or as long as 1000-words brand promotion online.
Online experts say this is the best way to promote your services in the digital space. In fact, content writing is the first of a very few steps that are needed to promote a product/ business.
According to online market research, as many as 2.3 million blog posts are going online every day, i.e. so many people are showcasing their talent by online advertisement. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is another platform where Content Writing services are used as a medium to enhance the digital experience.
Content writing is a very vast concept that could be categorized into various types as follows:
- Blogging- It is the most trusted and oldest form of content writing which is used by companies, government organizations, or even freelancers to showcase their writing skills. The bloggers use their writing ability to engage the target audience/ readers. They either use varied topics to write about or just one niche topic.
- Social media writing- This type of writing is used to create sensational/ controversial or buzzing topics on social media to engage likes, comments, and shares. The writers use their skills to engage in entertaining or controversial writing with the help of graphic designers, web developers, videographers, etc. to stay up-to-date and create engaging content.
- Scriptwriting- We all have heard of this field, particularly through documentaries or films. These types of writers specialize in creating storylines and plots for characters. Their message and writing skills are delivered through motion films/ dialogues/ podcasts, etc.
- Ghostwriting- A ghostwriter is generally a freelancer who engages in writing for bigger companies who do not have the time to invest in delivering their speech or advertising their product. They work as anonymous writers who are highly experienced in writing for different tones and voices to match existing content.
- Technical writer- These types of writers hold deep knowledge of the latest technology. They meticulously inform the target audience about the product/services in easily understandable language. Their work requires precise detail-orientation and accuracy to deliver their subject.
- Advertisement- Ad-writers combine the words and sentences in the shortest form possible to deliver their message. Their note needs to be accurate and catchy at the same time so that it hits the audience with the right message.
- Brand Journalist- just as brand ambassadors there are brand journalists to ensure the promotion of their brand. They write content and engage with various intermediaries to make their target audience reach their brand.
- Copywriter- Their field of writing is not limited to any topic. They hold expertise in various topics/ fields to engage their readers. They write in certain levels like main content, site articles, product descriptions, infographics, sales collateral, and blog posts. They are a highly versatile group of writers who understand the business needs and their client demands.
- Long-form content writers- They are known for unique and lengthy pieces of content. Their writing is often curated and written at length for eBooks, data studies, case studies, etc. It is a timeless piece of writing which is different from blogging. Blogging is done about the current sensational topic/ controversy/ method writing but long-form writing is generally fictional or non-fictional.
- Journalist and Public Relations- They are often hired by media agencies or organizations for delivering real events and news to the readers. These writers use the newswire service to deliver the latest news to anchors, readers, and writers through press media releases.
- Creative writing- These types of writers have a deep understanding of the business or company they are going to write for. They work in unison with the company and use various methods to make creative content, such as humor, wit, sarcasm, irony, pictures, etc. Creative writing could also be done singly without being involved with any company
Many companies offer Content Writing Services on their platforms, like MindStick, Content Whale, Contentwriters, etc.
The Internet has always been an evolving discipline, thus, to create something out of nothing requires thorough research about the topic you’ve picked. Also, it has to be made sure that the content is not plagiarized (to increase your credibility). The use of keywords is encouraged in content creation but the keywords that are used should not be too stuffy or else, it would be spammed.
What are ‘Keywords’? - Keyword is a tool used in the SEO process. They are used to describe the gist of your content. When you create a whole document out of nothing, you must make it relevant and easier to search for the audience. Hence, SEO uses a set of keywords to define your content. It is helpful in Google search rankings. Google uses the keywords to determine which content is relevant to a particular search query, and how the page should rank in searches for a particular term.
Tips for creating engaging content:
- Always use proper tone and diction to connect with your readers- In the field of writing, having a deep knowledge about everything is not adequate. You have to learn how to put that knowledge into use so that your content doesn’t seem boring to the readers. Words are a writer’s way of connecting with the world; use your words properly.
- Curate your content- When you do not have too much knowledge about something, research other writers/ bloggers who have posted about the same content online. You can create links to their page, but it has to be authentic. Another way of curating your content is by reading various books and enhancing your knowledge (even though they are unrelated to the topic). Create impactful titles to your writing- this draws the reader on the very first go to read the entire piece.
- Usage of SEO tools- To enter into the online market of content writing you must have basic knowledge of SEO tools like- Plagiarism, Keywords, External & Internal linking among others. Many writers lack this in the beginning but they learn it as their journey continues.
- Create an outline of your content, visualize it- Whenever you’re about to start your piece, make an outline of it first and then work within the boundaries. It will help you stay connected to the topic. Visualize that you’re writing for a single person: create your content in a way to captivate a single reader. In this way, you would be able to give a personal touch and connection to every reader. Also, it would be very powerful to increase your website’s traffic without marketing.
- Integrate ‘user feedback’ with your content- Through this process, you are giving your audience a bridge to connect with you. Make sure it is limited to positive criticism and not offensiveness. To enhance your worldview you have to give this power to your readers.
- Know that content is King- You can tackle tough/ controversial content to engage your audience but be backed up to receive all kinds of reactions as well. Based on their understanding people will either devotedly entertain or ardently hate your content. One important thing to note here is to be cautious or else your content will backfire on you and it will sway away your audience.
- Engage with others in the Writer’s community- It is always healthy to engage with others to enhance your reach as well as quality. When you’re new in any business there are always other people who are experts in that field. Try to engage with them & build a community.