Content writers are valuable, sustainable & infinitely sought after. Why? Because their profession is one that’s as old as the art of advertising itself, which is something that has always been a part of human society, and always will be. Content writers will forever be needed for a variety of tasks such as digital marketing, writing scripts, or writing blogposts & articles.
A great content writer can be the difference between a few sales, and literally millions of them, the difference between a small reach, and going viral. In this article, we’re going to be laying out all of the details of what makes someone a successful content writer, and how to write like one.
What Exactly is a Content Writer?
A content writer is someone who thinks of, organizes, plans, and executes writing for a specific purpose. The term ‘Content Writer’ itself is a very broad term; one could specialize in script writing for videos, tv shows, movies, or podcasts, another could specialize in writing for scientific research, while others can be writers of articles for ads & marketing. Simply put, it’s a writer who can deliver necessary information to an audience, in a professional and appropriate way.
What Makes Someone a Great Content Writer?
There isn’t one clear quality that makes someone a great content writer, no matter what his or her content is focused on. What makes someone a great content writer is a blend of qualities, mixed with both experience and practice. Some great qualities a content writer should have include: writing easily understood information, keeping the writing brief where it needs to be, and keeping the content interesting.
"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.”
How to Write Consumable Content
One of the most essential qualities to being a great content writer, is writing in a way so that the audience can easily digest the information being presented, meaning that the person reading will easily understand the message that is being shared.
Why is this important? Because the content will have a wider reach, and more people will both benefit from the writing, and read until the end with ease.
How is this done? Like this. By explaining why and how an idea is important, not just listing off what’s needed to be done.
A great content writer will not only explain the general idea of their content, but also explain why it’s important, or what’s there to benefit from it.
Let’s take the idea of selling a new smartphone as an example. An average content writer would list the advantages of the product, such as “it has a Four megapixel camera”. This is a great feature, but what does it mean? An above average writer would list that same advantage, but elaborate on that idea, explaining what a Four megapixel camera is, and why it’s better than a competitor’s or one that’s on an older model of the smartphone. This is done with the mindset that not everyone reading will be an expert in tech. A great content writer may explain in their own way that a Four megapixel camera has twice the resolution of 1080p quality, and then show an example side by side of a picture taken with the new camera and an old one. The quality of the pictures shown would make everything much clearer to the target audience, and that audience will more easily understand why this new camera is advantageous, making the consumer more likely to be interested in the smartphone.
Why Brief Writing is Important
Readers are often just looking for an answer to specific questions that they have in mind. Answering those questions in a simple way, and explaining the answer is more than enough. Often times, average content writers will give a satisfactory answer and reasoning, and then go on to give even more and more reasoning, while the reader has already been convinced and understood the premise. Unnecessary drivel will make readers lose their interest faster than anything else, because they already have gotten their answer. This can be simply avoided by keeping the writing brief, and relevant.
How to Keep Your Content Interesting
While content being direct and straight to the point is essential, content can also be kept interesting by its originality and authenticity. Inspiration can always be taken from other sources, but using your own words is refreshing to readers and viewers, because they might look at things from a new angle that they haven’t thought of before. If you can provide the content consumer with a new perspective, they will remember it for longer, and you will most likely retain their attention.
How is this done? In two ways: mainly with practice, and your own reading & viewing of content. Look back at content you’ve consumed, whether it was an advertisement that made you buy something, or script writing that made you enjoy a video. What spoke to you directly or convinced you? Was it straight to the point? Did you learn something? Replicate that, because odds are that other people were affected in the same way. On the other hand, look at an advertisement or video that made you lose interest, what made you do so? Fantastic content writers will look out as to not repeat it in their own work.
The Wrap-Up
Elements that separate a great and captivating content writer from an average one include originality, simplicity, and presentability. A content writer who knows what they’re talking about, and lays out the information in their own innovative way, will fare off far better than anyone who copies and rewrites information that has already been published. These elements are not innate, expert content writers are made, not born.
Writing is no different from other skills, with enough practice, experience, and time, that skill is honed and refined to be made better. Know your topic, think about the message that needs to be shared and its aspects that you find interesting, and odds are that if you have something refreshing and innovative to say, people will listen.
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