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A beginner’s step-by-step guide to content writing

15 Nov 2020

  By Patrick de Kretser Is content writing something you want to take up? Are you looking for a way to discover your own rhythm in the field? Those first couple of sentences must make you think that I sound exactly like one of those spam ads you occasionally see on a YouTube video or on some annoying website that managed to breach your adblock software. Of course, I would like to clarify right now that this article is nothing like that at all; I try to come off more as a human being than a robot with my writing, as would any other content writer like myself. Being unique with your writing can often be challenging work. There is a reason why the term “writer’s block” is so feared amongst the vast community of authors and content creators. So here is my take on a simple step-by-step process for any aspiring content creator who needs it. First off, it is a funny enough thing to point out before I continue that I actually found the inspiration for writing a piece like this while I myself recently experienced a case of writer’s block. Hence, why doing a piece like this is as much to remind me about what I should be doing as it is to help you how to learn about doing it yourself. You might be wondering why I suddenly took a few lines to explain what would usually be a piece of unnecessary exposition, but it will link up to the tips that will follow this paragraph. So if you did manage to bear with me till this point, great! Let us jump straight into it.
  1. Creating the eye-catching headline
In any English classroom, you would have had numerous lessons that explained to you the importance of a convincing headline. After all, what good is it to write an amazing article that goes on for three pages if readers are turning their heads away in the first few seconds? Hence, the need for something that will draw in the audience like a moth to a lit flame. Take my title, for example. There is nothing particularly snazzy about it, but it contains an element of simplicity. The first couple of questions I put out, while generic, aims to engage the reader for at least a few seconds longer so that they have enough time to gain a suitable amount of interest in the article. This was one idea, of which there are many more like this that you can explore in order to reel your readers in. The important thing to remember is to always try to win your readers over in the first three lines.
  1. Make it really seem like it is YOU talking to the reader
In their free time, the average person could be reading dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces from various magazines, websites, and other platforms written by a plethora of different authors in a single week. When it comes to writing, especially in content creation, you need to create your own unique writing pattern which sets you apart from other writers. It is all about finding that right mix between being formal in your work yet casual enough that it seems like you are good friends with the reader. Look at me, for example; I wrote a whole separate paragraph just to give you context on why I decided to write this article in the first place. Once you personalise your work well enough, everything you write will be unique. Even if you write about topics that everyone else writes about on a regular basis, if it really comes from within, then everything you write about will be distinctive.
  1. Have a key message planned out for your piece before you write it
In any book or movie, which has a decently written plot at least, there always lies a key message or lesson that the author is trying to convey to their readers at the end of it. If any of you ever did debating in school, you would know that the key to creating a convincing argument lies in your ability to centralise all your points around a key message that you want to send across. In content writing, this is no different. Identifying what that main message is will be your formula for structuring the article. Take what I am writing here, for example. My key message is about providing you with the simplest ways to start content writing yourself, hence why the first two paragraphs are designed to help you determine whether or not you have interest in the topic and the rest of the article focuses on the advice that I wish to impart.
  1. Research, research, and research
Content writing is all about being creative with what you want to write about each week. While I am sure each and every one of you reading this article has a lot of different ideas for pieces you would like to write, the most common problem content writers face is when they forget to research enough on their topics. We feed off the inspiration of things that we read and see. The internet is an endless Encyclopaedia of knowledge where you will learn new things every day, if you commit to using it properly. I always personally found Twitter to be a great platform for discovering new material to write about, as many news organisations too are active on it.
  1. Simplicity is key
After all, we are content writers. We are not writing a 50-page dissertation for a university course, so try to keep it as simple as possible. Whether you are writing about something like your favourite video game or your favourite celebrity, you need to remember that the idea is to keep it simple enough so that even readers who are unfamiliar with your topic can follow it and learn something. Take this article again, for example. I have tried to market it to you as a simple step-by-step guide to content writing, instead of trying to explain to you the comprehensive intricacy of advanced coding in C++ or something like that. Of course, no offence to the coders out there. But remember that the general idea is that you want to write a piece that is capable of attracting as broad an audience as you can. Obviously, content creation is also about writing on specific topics as well, but remember to write it in such a way that it can also be interesting to those that do not have an avid interest in it. Interest the uninterested. ---- Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is that content writing, like anything else, is a trial-and-error process. Just like you would see when practising essay writing in school, it takes time to find your rhythm and how best to apply your knowledge for the piece. If you ever get stuck, much like the way I got stuck before writing this article, remind yourself of the basics. Photos CoFoundersTown, Medium, Vecteezy, Kindpng


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