Category: Content Writing

In the past, one had to submit job applications in a box and then go through physical screening tests and interviews to be considered for a position, but now that has changed. The transformation to the digital platform has brought in the scope of social networking sites. One such platform that has gained rapid popularity for professional achievements is LinkedIn. 

Those looking for jobs have at least once heard about LinkedIn and how significantly helpful it can be to get exposure in their desired industry. Whether big or small, companies are present on LinkedIn updating their job requirements, applications, designated stipends, and additional perks almost regularly. 

How does LinkedIn help a content writer?

Easy updates- LinkedIn is extremely helpful in letting you know about reliable and ongoing openings in the industry you wish to apply for. No matter whether it is writing, editing, or proofreading, trustworthy job openings are constantly updated so you can easily research. 

Updates aren’t only made by the companies; you can also change your profile at any time. Want to list the professional achievement that you just received? Well, you can add it to your profile easily. 

High socialising- LinkedIn is excellent in allowing you to increase your social contacts locally and globally. By creating a perfect profile with proper content and details, you increase your chances of being noticed overseas. 

Also, suppose you are adequately active on LinkedIn in various domains and improve your connections with other fellow content writers. Therefore, it increases your chances of being associated with a good company more quickly. 

Self-branding- It is the way you socialise and the way you portray yourself that is important. LinkedIn gives you the chance to design your profile in a way that you feel could capture your employer’s attention. Having endorsement and recommendation features, LinkedIn lets you include reviews and testimonials that other employers have written for you. 

Appearance on search lists- If you put in consistent effort in updating and improving your LinkedIn profile as a content writer, there is a high chance that you can be viewed on search engines when companies search for content writers. It is then easier for companies to reach out to you as well. 

How to network on LinkedIn when looking for content writing jobs?

• Set your profile “open to opportunities” to let companies know that you are open to applying. 
• Follow content writing companies, agencies, or content writers. 
• Join groups and participate in discussions. 
• Reach out to potential recruiters. 
• Increase your connections with known people. 

Conclusion

If you are a content writer looking to gain more experience or enlarge your social connections in the writing agency, you should not think twice to sign up on LinkedIn. There isn’t much to doubt with so much provision on such a simple platform.

We often ignore the necessities when generating content. Reading. Experts advise aspiring authors to read widely. The act of reading books improves vocabulary. Reading content writing books can help with word usage, vocabulary, and message delivery. So, what books might assist a content writer in improving? To improve their writing skills, authors should read widely. Exposure to a variety of content can help train the brain. Writing content books is a terrific method to learn content writing and see how it has evolved through time. It’s a treasure trove! These books are based on compelling content writers’ studies. These books’ knowledge can be precious when appropriately applied. Many content-authoring books are topical. These books vary from beginner to advanced topics. Many well-known experts and thought leaders in this field say they read more books than they write. These books can educate you on how to create content. Many content marketing companies and writers made books and eBooks after the internet: content marketing and development tips from these companies’ books. Rapid internet growth has eased marketing. Content writers launch content marketing tactics, according to content marketing literature. And so on. Marketing is diversified since the user is always prompted.

1. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition)

Don’t Make Me Think was released in 2000. Since then, thousands of web developers and design directors have relied on Steve Krug’s guidebook to help them comprehend the requirements of easy navigation and design.

It’s a standout amongst other adored and highly recommended books on content writing because it’s clever, commonsensical, and notoriously pragmatic.

Steve has now returned with a fresh perspective to review the revised concepts that made Don’t Make Me Think an example with refreshed models and an additional section on portable ease of use. It’s brief, wonderfully illustrated, and, most importantly, entertaining to see.

 

If you’ve read it before, you’ll discover why Don’t Make Me Think is so essential to Web architects and engineers all over the world. And if you’ve never read it, you’ll understand why numerous folks have suggested it should be essential reading for anyone working on online locales. This is not your standard content writing book; instead, it provides a comprehensive grasp of the digital ecosystem you are creating content.

2. Hooked 

Hooked’s tagline is “How To Build Habit-Forming Products.” You’ll find a step-by-step approach for doing so inside. Content writers play an essential role in creating habit-forming products. Our writing causes consumers to connect with a product and desire to continue using it.

This book is essential for comprehending product strategy and how content writing fits it. You don’t want your content to be inconsistent with your client’s brand or out of step with the lead’s journey to becoming a customer.

The content should assist the potential customer in making a purchasing decision. You can’t achieve that until you understand the psychology of why consumers buy and continue to use items.

3. Everybody Writes

Ann Handley’s A-to-Z guide to writing content, published in 2014, is the next book you should read.

You’ll learn about crucial writing guidelines (such as using a writing GPS), grammar basics (including five rules to break), common publishing issues, and the mechanics of writing on social media.

This book is similar to a blog about writing great content written by one of the field’s most excellent practitioners, except that all of that fantastic advice is contained in a neatly packaged publication that sits on your shelf.

To edit by chainsaw, open to page 53. Page 174 explains the fundamentals of copyright, fair use, and attribution. There are also 266 productivity tools.

 

4. THE CONTENT CODE: SIX ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR IGNITING YOUR CONTENT, YOUR MARKETING, AND YOUR BUSINESS

Most content writers will agree that having merely creative content is not enough to gain visibility. Content marketing is very vital for product promotion.

Mark Schaefer’s book explains what works and what doesn’t in marketing. Mark Schaefer is a well-known public speaker and best-selling book. This book will assist you in comprehending the psychology of sharing. The author’s marketing plan recommendations will undoubtedly help you achieve some results. Your company’s success will be determined by thoroughly examining the six marketing secrets.

The author has provided practical suggestions on connecting the brand with the audience. Because of its genuine perspective, the book has acquired popularity among new content makers.

5. 365 to Vision

SEO writers, ghostwriters, copywriters, bloggers, and even novelists will benefit significantly from this new book, which will help them produce high-quality material in less time. You’ll receive hundreds of hacks to do the high-quality writing for you. The author, Ron Lieback, has written thousands of pieces for Forbes, Search Engine Journal, and other publications. This book will teach you how to create your writing habits and routines. As a writer, you’ll study the fundamentals of SEO, journalism, editing, and social media content promotion. With over 20 years of writing experience, this author will teach you how to write better and faster. A book that can change your writing journey and increase your income potential!

6. SIX FIGURE BLOGGING BLUEPRINT

Raza Imam’s content authoring book is the best-selling book in blogging. As the title suggests, this content creation book teaches a lot about blogging. This book is part of Raza Imam’s digital marketing mastery series, and its main objective is to educate blogging in 60 days. Yes, this book is jam-packed with material on content creation that can be used to launch a successful blog in just 60 days. This book teaches readers about selecting the correct niche and the secrets of constructing a blog. This content writing book contains a lot of information regarding passive income through blogging setup, which implies creating a profitable revenue structure around any blog. This book also discusses content methods for blogging, making it one of the most recommended content writing books for authors, namely bloggers.

7. The No-Fluff Guide to Writing Web Content

Alina Bradford has been an independent writer for over 20 years and has come across various nasty and terrible web content such as articles and blog entries. This left her with nothing but bewilderment and additional inquiries.

As a result, she created this book. It includes her top techniques for writing great content, as well as a few hints for boosting your image. The goal of the coming-of-age content writing book is to provide you with information that will enable you to go out into the online world and impress potential clients and readers.

This book contains:

• From start to finish, step-by-step assistance in creating articles and websites.
• Everything you need to know about SEO to please your clients, search engines, and yourself.
• Spelling and punctuation suggestions to avoid grammatical problems in your content
• Lists of free reference websites can find facts, quotes, and high-quality research.
• A content calendar ensures that your articles and blog posts are entirely ready for readers.
• A list of the top 20 sites for finding free recordings, images, guidelines, infographics, and gifs for your material.

 

Writing could be a dream job, but not everyone can become a professional content writer. While some people write as a stress-buster or even as a part-time job, others wish to take it up professionally. So, what distinguishes a writer from a content writer?

The main job of a content writer is to write content for the digital world, especially for companies who wish to portray their services to their audience. Before writing the content, the content writer needs to do prior research on the topic and the audience for whom it is being written. They also need to be in sync with the thematic and editorial style of the company’s personality.

These are the following skills that a professional content writer must possess.

• Must be unique

To be known as a professional, you must produce unique content. And this does not count for one or two pieces that you write, but for every post you curate. Your client and audience will not expect plagiarised content, and with plagiarised content, you will stain your reputation as well. Content writers who have a unique voice or writing style benefit in the long run.

• Must have basic tool knowledge

It is not necessary that you need to do courses or have full-fledged knowledge on tools such as SEO, WordPress, CSS, Microsoft Office, and HTML. It is worth your profession that you must gain understanding in their respect. Being able to perform keyword searches before writing a topic and knowing how to link content is what makes a content writer professional.

• Must be active on social media

To gain more clients, you must make your social media profile to use. Knowing what to and how to share content on social media platforms. Professional content writers are social media specialists who know how to market their skills. 

• Must master various writing techniques

Every content writer has almost their own unique style and technique of writing. The use of words in a sentence, creating catchy titles and paragraphs, vocabulary, and language, if exciting and unique, is vital to every professional content writer.

Almost every content writer either has an education degree in English or business marketing. However, if you do not have the expected degree but have prior industrial experience through internships, you can gradually become a professional content writer. What clients want the most is someone who has proficiency in understanding and writing.  

Writers often ignore ways on how to create the best writing portfolio. You might have entered the comfortable world of content writing, but it can get demotivating if you are unable to have successful contacts with clients. One of the major reasons why this could be happening, is because you may not have an impressive portfolio. Your clients can only trust you if they see potential in your work.

Working in the freelance content writing industry for almost a year now, I would recommend some best ways on how to create the best portfolio to lure your potential clients in.

Understand the significance of a portfolio

A portfolio is not just a page laid out to be discussed with your client. But a portfolio is a chance to show them yourself- your work niche, beliefs and writing style. You need to be direct in words to give a concise image to your client on who you are.

Whether you are a writer, editor, or a proof reader, mention it all. Be confident of the roles you have undertaken, and mention them boldly, just after your name. Portfolios are meant to show what you do, so never forget or skip stating your role/roles. Using your portfolio to state your goals and aim improves chances of trust in your client towards you.

Portfolios talk about you, talk about your work, and talk about the reasons behind your role.

Attracting your audience

Begin with an eye-catching, witty and straightforward biography. You need to sell yourself, but not literally. Summarize your best qualities either in first or third person, and you could even share links to your social pages (if you are comfortable enough).

Your clients might want to know about your experience and skills in the desired industry. So, including work experience that the client expects in your portfolio could improve their keenness to work with you more. Include certificates from your previous clients, images, and letter of recommendations as well. You can also consider including case studies or marketing strategies that could help your client.

You need to lure them in by answering questions that could cross their mind. Why should they hire you? What is unique about your work? How could you be beneficial for their brand? Gather as much data as you can in your portfolio, but do go overboard with unnecessary information.

Designing your portfolio in an attractive manner is another feature that captivates the attention of your client in few seconds. Maintain consistency throughout in the format and pattern. When you are assembling your written pieces, assemble it in accordance to the theme of the portfolio. You do not include every piece written by you, but the best ones of your recent works.

Points to note always to create the best writing portfolio

Your grammar and vocabulary must always be on point. Do not try using grand words which do not make sense, just to sound professional. Keep your sections, subheadings simple. Maintain correct spellings and grammar throughout, as that is a big no-no.

Under confidence will not impress your client. You want them to hire you for your skills, and a lack of trust will be formed if they find your self-deprecative. Be confident of who you are, and what you have done to the date.

You must sound professional at all times. Even though it could be your nature to be friendly with everyone, maintain a decorum of formality in your portfolio. Do not include episodes from your personal life that are not related to your work experience. This is called ‘TMI’.

Most of us believe that copywriting is a time-consuming procedure. However, after you’ve mastered the craft of writing, the work required decreases substantially. Professional copywriting services propose that you learn how to organize your thoughts and write them down logically so that business readers find the material exciting and appealing.

Just get down to business and learn how to make your writing more informative and exciting. Aside from the obvious things like producing original material, grammatically accurate articles, and so on, here are a few pointers to make your company copywriting more appealing to your consumers.

1. Back With Data

You must be aware of what you are communicating during the writing process. Before you begin business writing, you should have a general notion of what you want to write. Writing, unlike storytelling, can be a creative and continual activity. However, before beginning, business writing must have a foundation. Remember to back up your claim with facts and a value offer. This necessitates extra effort in research.

2. Transcribe Your Thoughts

Many content writers have the mistaken belief that they must use an extensive vocabulary when writing. They look for synonyms and thesaurus entries for every basic word and force them into the material. That is not the correct approach. You must strive to explain your ideas in a way that a bigger audience can understand.

3.  Recognize your medium

As you compose your content, keep in mind that each media in which an ad is published necessitates a specific tone or style. The copy you use differs depending on where you place your ad and the people who view it. Are you going to advertise in a local newspaper or on a billboard? Are you going to place your ad in a women’s magazine or a news magazine? To persuade a specific audience to act, various mediums demand different text.

Furthermore, different sorts of marketing materials need different kinds of text. Remember that, aside from traditional commercials, there are several methods to utilize text to market your brand. Use all opportunities to deliver your marketing messaging to your customers.

4. Make use of urgency

Assume you’re buying online and there are only 100 pairs of the shoes you’re looking for remaining in stock. You probably wouldn’t be in a hurry to buy. It would be a different scenario if only a few people were remaining. You’d be more inclined to buy if you didn’t want to miss out. Creating a feeling of urgency is an effective approach to persuade purchasers to act

• Inform customers that a sale is almost ending.
• If a product is running short on inventory, show how many units are remaining.
• Inform clients that a coupon is only valid till a particular date.

These kinds of strategies encourage customers to act sooner rather than later. However, you must exercise caution to avoid creating a false feeling of urgency. Imagine getting an email a few times a week suggesting that you’re missing out on the best offer of the year; you’d quickly see through it. Use the word “urgent” cautiously.

5. Provide Specific Examples

You may believe that relying on the rules would result in the most effective writing. That is incorrect because the examples you use in your writing are more significant than the rules of grammar. Grammar must always be learned and memorized in the context of the conversation; it cannot be taught and remembered in isolation.

6. Make eye-catching titles

The title is the initial point of contact between your reader and your content, and it is also one of the most important parts for search engines. There are several title formats: it might begin with numbers, pose a question, describe the topic, and then make a call, or offer a provocation, among many others.

An essential thing is that it is straightforward—that is, that the topic is self-explanatory about what the material addresses or what answer it provides—, that it contains the keyword, and that it does not exceed 55 characters to seem complete on the search results page.

7. Compare and contrast

Since ancient times, humans have used analogies and metaphors to clarify ideas, and there are several reasons why this method works so effectively. For starters, individuals are more responsive to information that is familiar to them. After all, the effort required to comprehend an utterly novel notion is far more significant than that needed to understand something that is previously known or suggested.

Furthermore, our brain creates new memories from previous ones, forming connections. As a result, if you can bring up a notion that the reader is familiar with and correlate that knowledge with the idea you are sending, the odds of consolidating the material in their memory increase significantly.

However, it is critical to avoid direct comparisons with the competition, significantly if your lines undercut the products or services of other firms. This sort of mindset, in addition to being unethical, raises suspicion.

8. Narrate a story

Telling a fascinating tale is one of the most engaging and successful methods to captivate and engage an audience. Storytelling is a tactic whose primary goal is to establish a strong connection with your audience.

One of the tenets of communication is the use of stories. They inspire emotions and memories and exhibit empathy by making individuals experience the information they receive because they are more profound and more sensitive Just make sure not to overdo it. After all, a compelling tale does not need the intricacies and complexities of a literary work. In truth, storytelling is simply a tool for enriching your communication with the reader and making this contact more human since, after all, there is nothing more human than narrative, right?

 9. Say more with fewer words

When writing long-form essays, being succinct within the material is essential. We’ve previously established that people’s attention spans are short. They don’t want to wade through your blog article to obtain their desired information. Adding filler text or ineffective writing to make it more “long-form” will irritate your readers. People can see right through your filler and fluff.

10. Write as though your audience is speaking

Your prospects are unlikely to utilize business jargon or marketing terms like “unlock,” “supercharge,” and “unleash” in their ordinary conversations. They speak in a relaxed, conversational tone. If you desire to connect with them, you should utilize language like this in your copywriting. A competent copywriter writes in a way that informs and persuades, using standard, simple terms that your reader will understand.

 

One thing is sure, whether you want to employ copywriting to generate conversions for your e-commerce firm or consider becoming a copywriter, one thing is certain. Profitable copywriting is compelling copywriting. You’ll be hard pushed to find any expertise that adds so much value to organizations across the board. We hope you found these copywriting strategies for promoting your e-commerce business into a successful brand.

I think we’ve all at one point wondered when we’ll go viral. As content marketers, we’re all striving to achieve this goal. What company doesn’t want to see their content shared and enjoyed by thousands of people?

The good news is that achieving “viral status” is completely doable. To generate content that goes viral, you don’t have to be an expert in content marketing, but you also don’t have to leave it entirely up to chance. You only need to understand the mechanics of viral content.

It’s important to know what makes content shareable and apply that information to your marketing campaigns.

In this article, I will be sharing some tips that will help you go viral.

1. Make sure your contents are interactive and have a personal touch to it

Providing the viewer with an engaging, immersive, and personalised experience is one of the most reliable methods to produce contagious content and stand out from the crowd. A simple list or how-to post isn’t enough these days. You want to make your content dynamic and unique since users, especially millennials, are bombarded with content clamouring for a second of their attention.

2. Make your headline catchy

People first read the title and then decide whether they are interested in your content or not. When writing a headline, include actionable and detailed information. Use a figure in your headline, for example, or tell your readers what they will get after reading your content.

3. Make use of attractive pictures and videos to catch their attention

The time it takes for a visitor to decide whether or not they want to stay on your site or move on is often measured in milliseconds. Apart from using the right colour scheme and font combination to convey your message, which may account for as much as 60% of your site’s approval rating, it’s also critical to break up text-heavy content with photos, infographics, and video clips.

4. Keep it short

Long-form content has less of a chance of going viral than short, focused content. Blogs are the same. Text structure should be short and crisp unless you’re trying to build an ultimate guide full of infographics. To keep your readers’ interest, organise your text into manageable chunks with the use of subheadings, bullet points, and graphics.

5. Know Your audience

You will not be able to grow an audience without first establishing your brand and determining the type of followers you wish to draw. Choose a specific area of knowledge, such as an industry expert, a social media guru, or a brand influencer, to focus your efforts.

 

Like you and me, what is the first thing that we notice in a written piece of content? Or how do we judge the quality of the content at a glance?

If you still have not guessed it, then let me tell you that it is the headline. The headline or a title is the most crucial part of your article, and if you have managed to curate an exciting or eye-ball-grabbing one, your article is already an 80% hit.

The same importance applies to naming a book, a blog, or even a TV series. Even if the plot or concept of the subject is the most motivational or spellbinding in the world, people will click on it primarily because of the title.

So, how can you write unique and catchy headlines for your content? Follow these tips for a good headline!

Apart from reading the best content writing books, you can follow these easy tips for a good headline.

1. Never skip out on the headline

Do not skip out on it, even if it is a three-word title. How else can you give an identity to your content if there is no headline? Do not be in a rush in choosing a heading. Spend as much time until you are entirely satisfied with yourself on coming up with the perfect header for your content.

2. Your headline must be promising

Your readers will only read your content if they find the headline promising to enlighten them with what they want to know.

3. Using numbers adds to bringing the attention of people faster

It could be any number at the beginning or the end of your headline. To get an idea of how to write a headline using numbers, check out the headline of this blog. But remember, use too many numbers in a single sentence or any random order.

4. Describing Words

Add and use adjectives to your headline that could relate to the audience’s issue in some way. You can use words such as ‘eye-ball grabbing,’ ‘effortless,’ ‘essential,’ ‘catchy,’ ‘important,’ etc.

5. Rationale Words

Explain what your audience might be looking for using simple words. Using words in your heading with words such as ‘tips,’ ‘ways,’ ‘tricks,’ ‘secrets,’ ‘causes,’ etc., can help your content greatly.

If you get stuck at any point on choosing a heading, ask yourself a question- “Will my audience be intrigued enough?”. Considering that the answer is yes, then move on with it. If you are still confused, reach out to your family and friends. Ask them to look at it with a hawk-eye and be honest in their opinions.

Use these tips for a good headline to skyrocket your content!