Being a content writer can become a daunting task sometimes. Depending on your skillset and experience, you can have the flexibility to work either from the office space or from the comfort of your home or, perhaps, your favorite coffee shop. Simply decide what topics you are interested in and want to write about and see your work get published and generate some real value.
But these content writing jobs aren’t that easy as they sound, and of course, there are few areas where you need to dominate to become a successful content writer. So here are ten skill sets that any great content writer must have their hands on to overcome some of the mightiest challenges in the industry.
Top 10 Content Writing Skills
We understand how excited you must be to begin your content writing career and start writing. However, have a look these ten content marketing skills, that will certainly help you in your content writing career path.
Brainstorming Skills
Intense research is the key to finding the most minute and valuable information about the topic you are about to pen down. It adds credibility to your work, and most importantly, it also provides great value to the piece itself.
Hence, it becomes inevitable to find exciting yet trustworthy information from reliable online resources. Generally, experts can become great resources if you can acquire the right information with some good interviewing skills. Other than that, you can look up some resources on your best friend Google but at the same time need to check its authenticity too.
Good SEO Knowledge
Great content writers know all the in’s and out’s of the world of SEO, and they are always on the top of SEO trends - after all, even if you draft a piece that you think is best won’t be effective if it doesn’t reach your audience. It becomes important that you keep up with the latest algorithmic updates from Google and know how to use keywords effectively and create SEO-friendly titles and descriptions.
Adaptability
This is perhaps the most obvious one. We usually see a lot of content that falls flat and gets rejected due to style and tone, and sometimes it doesn’t fit the purpose for which it has been written.
For instance, the content for a landing page will be short and created to get an action from the reader. At the same time, a white paper will contain many complex details to explain the topic discussed within it.
Organizational Skills
Organizing doesn’t only mean having a clean workspace. It’s about how responsibly you take on the jobs that you have been assigned. Keep a record on the calendar and meet deadlines. Getting late in sending an assignment has a bad impact on your client and boss. Prioritize your job so that you get the work done on time without any hassle.
Ability to meet deadlines
You need to understand that your client has given you ample time to work on the assignment, and submitting your work on time will show your professionalism and reliability. This means managing time is essential to determine how many jobs you can work and deliver on time without being rejected.
Staying Focused
Focus can be hard to find sometimes because writing an article requires focus. During the time of work, get rid of any distractions and try to focus on just one task at a time. To roll the ball, start with some smaller tasks that are easy to accomplish and then move on to the larger projects.
Communication
Communicate with the customer to avoid any confusion. If you have any doubts regarding the project, let your customer know about it and ask them. Writing involves a lot of communication processes, especially when it comes to your clients.
Make sure you leave no scope of error and get in touch with your client if any problem persists. While writing to your client, consider it as an official communication and proofread your message beforehand. The customer will never forget your courtesy.
Delivering quality content
Give your best shot and always deliver quality and unique content. Always ensure that your articles are grammatically correct and are engaging enough to attract the masses. When you are assigned a job, make sure that your customer knows that you are a superb writer who will get the job completed on time without compromising quality.
Consistently delivering quality work will get you more clients and off course, higher pays.
Editing, re-editing, and more editing
The very first draft doesn’t always need to be perfect. Editing skills require a lot of patience, a good eye for detail, and discipline. Look out for overused words and redundant points and keep a check on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. In content writing, more time is required for editing the content rather than writing one.
Once you have completed your content, read it once without being biased, just like any reader would. You are making your content free from a grammatical standpoint by doing this.
Using Social Media
Social sites are more of a tool than a hub for meeting people. Most business owners view social media as a whole market. Most of them spend a significant sum of money on promoting their products using social media marketing mainly because it is a great way to create word-of-mouth.
Social media is also a valuable tool for creating viral marketing. Try getting recognized first and make sure that you are a known name in the industry, and use social media sites in the most practical ways possible. You need to be great at making up relationships with people both on and offline.
End Word
Indeed, there's a whole lot of scope in content writing career. Besides, the content writing salary package is also quite tempting.
Ensure that you are plush with the skill mentioned earlier, and if you feel that none of your skill sets are lacking, what are you waiting for? Go spread the word and hit the market with your strong content writing skills. Trust me, there is no other than yourself who can stop you from being a good content writer as long as you are confident within yourself.
Get ready for your content writing interview. And don't forget to keep your content writing samples ready.
Good-luck for your content writing career!
