"What is content writing? Do you get paid well for writing website and social media content?" These are some of the questions I had to answer every other day when I started my content writing career in 2008. Those questions have now become a thing of the past. I get a different set of questions nowadays: "Content writing, isn't that easy? All you have to do is copy and paste the required content from another website, or copy it, tweak a little, and make it yours, right?." Yes, the questions are different, so are the snarky comments: "You write content for a living? Even I could do that!"
But contrary to popular belief, content writing is not everyone's cup of tea. Original, simple, attractive, engaging, should be keyword-rich, should match the requirement and tone of the company or brand -- content writers are responsible for fulfilling all these requirements and more in every project. From brainstorming to putting thoughts in order, finding the right words, rhythm, and style, and avoiding grammar errors, overused words, and phrases, content writing is a long and hurdle-filled journey we take every day, with tight deadlines.
To be a good content writer, we have to understand the company or brand, the target audience, the current SEO practices, the basics of organic search metrics, and more. We have to make sure that the content draws visitors, provides accurate information, answers the commonly asked questions, creates interest, and encourages people to buy the products or services offered.
In addition to the general rules and guidelines, every company or brand has its style guide we have to adhere to while writing and editing content.
We should be good at both short and long forms of writing. We should learn how to use the correct words and sentence structure. We also should be good at adding playfulness and fun in the right instances without overdoing it.
The list is pretty long and keeps increasing every day.
So, if you hear someone saying, “Content writing? Even I could do that,” please tell them it is not entirely true.