Improve Content Writing Skills!- Guide for Beginners

 

Do you have the knack of writing? Want to become a Content Writer but struggling to write even a paragraph? Want to publish your blogs, stories or articles? Want some tips for improving your content writing? Yes? Then, you have come into the right place! We are going to discuss the tips for effective Content Writing. Buckle up, and let's start! 

First of all, we have to clear the confusion:

What is Content Writing?

Content Writing is all about conveying your ideas to others in a friendly and interactive manner. In it, you play with words to express your emotions, to deliver your information and to promote your business and project. It can include writing blogs, books, articles, social media posts, website stuff, visuals, research papers, presentations, facebook ads, marketing brochures, bills etc. 

Importance of Content Writing:

Content writing demand is increasing day by day as businesses are getting online, and they want someone to write content for them. Students and teachers are looking for educational content online, so content writers are imperative for them too. Businessmen, housewives,  students, employees, teachers, doctors etc; all want to either read content or want someone to write for them.

Content Writing is a must for you if you want to start your online business as it is the heart of marketing. Without Content Writing, you can't do marketing of your business or project. If you want a successful business, develop your content writing skills or hire any content writer. This fact is enough to tell you the importance of this skill. So, if you were planning to leave the article thinking that content writing is not your cup of tea, Wait! Look into the tips for brushing your content writing skills and find out whether you can do this or not. If not, then it will be okay. You can always hire a content writer for your business or project marketing. Or if you learn it, there will be ample opportunities for you in the digital and offline business world. 

17 Easy Ways to Improve your Content Writing Skills:

If you are a newbie in this field, don't think that you haven't done content writing in your life. You have done it in the form of writing social media captions, assignments and presentations in college and university, in updating your resume and having a whatsapp chat with your mentors or friends. There are a lot of instances in one's life where he/she has done content writing. Now it's time to polish this skill into a professional one. While writing, you have to be aware of its structure, your audience, your content and your tone. But, how can you do that? For this, there are ways to improve your content writing. 

1. Write Daily:

One of the best methods of excelling in anything is to make it a part of your daily routine. In your student life, you have observed that regularly attending the lectures bears fruitful results in your exams. So, the same thing is with content writing. Write daily, and make it a part of your life. 

In the starting, write less and gradually add up your time and elements in it. When I started writing, I only managed to write almost a hundred words within a day. In the beginning, I only managed to write for almost half an hour (and sometimes for more time too) and then I started adding time into it. You can do the same. 

In the initial stage, write content about your favorite topic, on which you have expertise and enjoy writing about it. For example, if you are a lover of sports, write about sports. If you love meditation or exercise, you can go for this topic. Just choose your favorite topic, and start writing on it.

There is one tip which can help you in writing daily. 

• Make your timetable! 

If you set your timetable for writing, your mind will get immune to this activity. For example, you set early morning hours of writing, your mind will accept this routine and will work creatively at that time. In Hisham Sarwar's Ebook, he has mentioned a golden rule of 4 hours. The rule is: Work for a solid 4 hours without any social media and family distraction and succeed in your career. In between those 4 hours, do take a few breaks to relax yourself. Of course, in the beginning, you are not able to write for four hours, but there are a lot of other activities in Content Writing which you can do. Also, you can attend free online courses or watch YouTube tutorials during those hours. Those courses and tutorials are going to help you in your career. 

2. Do Friendship with Outlines:

Outlining your topic will do wonders, and will make this writing exercise easy for you. Outline what your topic is, what points are you going to add in it, which paragraph will contain which information, and how are you going to conclude it. Make bullet points and add one or two sentences in front of them. 

The outline will help you to remain focused on your main topic and also will increase your creativity and productivity. Your outline can also help you in pointing out the pitfalls of your article or topic. So, make it a habit of writing an outline on the starting page of your piece. 

For an example, I'm going to share my outline of this article with you. You can have a gist of outlining from here and can mold it according to your level of knowledge and topic. 

Outline:

 Improve Content Writing Skills - Guide for Beginners (Main Heading) 

What is Content Writing? (First Heading) 

(Definition, importance in Marketing) 

16 Easy ways to improve Content Writing (Second Heading) 

1.Write Daily: (write less, make timetable)

2.Do Friendship with Outlines: (give example)

3.Keep it simple: (using mobile for reading) 

4.Make bullet points and headings

5.Freewriting 

6.Be a part of Writing Groups (prompts on Pinterest, on Facebook and Instagram) 

7.Write catchy titles

8.Do your research

9.Hook your audience

10.SEO work

11.Imitate your favorite writer/blogger 

12.Use intimate tone (shine your personality in it too) (share example of presentation) 

13.Write what people want to read (Quora questions) 

14. Use Images 

15. Edit/proofread

16. Don't plagiarize (difference between imitate and plagiarize)

17. Use Social Media Marketing

This is my rough outline of the article in which I have included those points which I need to keep in my mind while writing. Your outline can be more or less detailed depending on you. 

3. Keep it simple:

Your piece of writing should be easy for your readers to read and understand. Do remember that a large part of your audience is using mobile for reading. In this case, they will love those content writing pieces which they can read from there and can understand it without any dictionary. Mostly, readers read while traveling, while lying on their beds and enjoying their favorite snacks, or in their free time. Do write your content in simple language.

If you learn to write in simple language, breaking your content into short paragraphs, you have started your way toward a successful content writing career. Congratulations! 

4. Make bullet points and headings:

Using bullet points and headings will increase the readability of your piece. Long paragraphs without any heading will irritate your reader and he/she will give up on your article. So, make heading or bullet points where they are needed. Use this technique especially in long pieces of writing. In short pieces, if there is no space for bullet points or headings, use short paragraphs. 

5. Freewriting:

In the beginning, maybe you will get stuck in the writing. You will not understand how to outline the article, how to write about the particular topic, or maybe you have jumbled thoughts and find it difficult to give them a structure. In such cases, don't abandon the writing or don't get frustrated with this activity. Simply open your writing instruments and start writing your jumbled thoughts. Don't fret about structuring, outlining or editing at that moment. Just keep on writing your thoughts and when you feel okay, start editing it. It will strengthen your creative muscles and gradually you will learn to give the articles a structure. 

6. Be a part of Writing Groups:

This step will help you greatly in your content writing career. In the writing groups, you will be able to have friends and seniors, you can share your writing piece which will help you in getting feedback and will give you confidence of publishing your articles. Here, you can also have prompts which will motivate you to write.

 On Pinterest, there are different writing prompts which can give you ideas about topics. On Facebook and Instagram, there are various pages and groups where different types of content are being published. You can follow them and get ideas of topics from there. Do research your favorite topic and you will find various ideas about it. 

7. Write catchy titles:

Yes, you should know this technique if you want to be a successful content writer. Practice writing catchy titles which will attract your audience's attention and intrigue them to open and read your article. In the practicing mode, you can share it with your colleagues and friends to have feedback. 

There are some points which you should have in your mind while writing titles.

1. Your title should have the main keyword of your article. For example, this article's title has the keyword "Improve content writing". This keyword told my audience what this article is all about. And the next phrase "Guide for Beginners" will grab the attention of the primary audience of this article. 

2. For getting ideas of the title, it is best to look at the titles of those articles which are ranking on the first page. For social media posts, look at the captions and titles of those pages which are getting more likes and followers. 

There is a tool called "Headline Analyzer" which you can search on Google. You can use it to find out the score of your headline. It will also tell you where the issue is which you can solve to have a great headline. 

Warning! 

Don't copy paste other's titles! It will end your content writing journey. Just take the idea and use your creativity to make the title and content. 

8. Do your research:

Another skill which you have to develop in yourself is to do strong research. Without solid research or facts, your content will not be considered credible. And there are chances that you will mislead or give half information to your readers. 

Learn to include your sources and references in your content which will make your content more credible and authoritative.

You can search about your topics on "Research gate" where different thesis, articles and research papers are present. You can read the blogs or articles of the person who has expertise in your niche. You can watch their videos on YouTube for the information. You can simply browse a topic and can read it. 

And again, just take information from the internet, don't plagiarize. 

9. Hook your audience:

Start your content with any incident, any question, or with a quotation which catches the attention of your audience. Such a start will hook your audience till the end of your content. You can also share a brief summary of your content in the starting. 

Read other successful bloggers and notice how they are starting their content. Brainstorm about your first paragraph, write it and take reviews from your seniors or friends. This activity will help you in writing great content. 

10. SEO work:

SEO is an important factor in your content writing. It is the heart of your content writing career as it will drive traffic on your website or blog and it will force Google to notice you. While practicing content writing, don't ignore this element. Practice from the beginning will make you an expert in SEO. 

So, what is SEO actually? 

It is Search Engine Optimization. In it, you have to use primary and secondary keywords throughout your content. 

Here, the question is: What are primary and secondary keywords and how to find them? 

Primary keywords are those which readers will write on Google to search about a particular topic. For example, if a reader wants to start content writing or wants to become a successful content writer, he will research either "Ways to improve content writing" or "How to improve content writing". These are the primary keywords. Secondary keywords are those which can come into the "related searches" option. See the image below for getting an idea. 

SEO-Secondary Keywords

"Ways to improve writing skills" is the main secondary keyword which can be a part of your subheadings and headings. Primary and secondary keywords sometimes are almost the same, and sometimes you can have a lot of ideas or words in secondary keywords. These keywords should be a part of your content.

For having more ideas about your relevant keywords, read top ranking articles and see what they are talking about.

 

You can also use Google Adsense's keyword planner for keyword searching. Make your account on its "without campaign" option, and use its keyword planner to find out low competition relevant keywords.  Low competition keywords will help you in ranking your article, and the "without campaign" option will save your money. 

11. Imitate your favorite writer/blogger:

Read about your niche and find out the experts in your field. For example, Khalilullah Khan is an expert in Content Writing niche so you can read his blogs. Read your favorite bloggers and writers, and try to imitate their style. 

Mind it! There is a difference between imitation and plagiarism. Imitation means to copy one's style and one's tone while plagiarism is copy pasting other's property. In imitation, you can observe whether the writer is using rhetorical questions, using humor, or simply using facts for delivering his/her content.

Follow the style or tone of one of your favorite bloggers and try to use the same style in your writing. Sometimes, a specific style doesn't suit your personality so you don't succeed in applying that style. For example, your favorite blogger is using a humorous tone and you are not able to use such tone in your writings. It's totally fine. Follow that successful blogger whose style and tone you can imitate easily. 

In the beginning, you will imitate writers and bloggers, and gradually you will be able to develop your own tone and style. 

12. Use intimate tone: 

I was in University when I gave my first presentation in front of the whole class. As it was my first time, I remained glued behind the dais, didn't make much eye contact and remained focused on completing my presentation as soon as possible. Uff! What a scary moment that was! 

In the feedback, my teacher told me that an engaging presentation includes coming closer to the audience, making eye contact with them and even giving them a smile. Same advice is applicable in content writing. Write in a friendly tone so that readers have the impression that they are reading a human's content, not of a robot's. 

Use friendly words, share your insights and feelings, use those slang words which you use. Use "you" and "we" so that you can go near your audience.  Don't treat them as a different entity. Make them feel that you and they are facing the same issue and you have a solution for that issue. Develop that tone and style which is a part of your personality so that your readers can have a chance to meet you through your content. 

13. Write what people want to read:

One of the integral elements in a successful content writing career is to write about those topics or answer those questions which your readers want. It will rank your article, and will bring more traffic to your blog, website or social media accounts. 

For example, if you love pets and want to write about them, go to Google and search what type of information people want about this topic. What type of questions they have in their minds which you should answer. 

Question answers websites are the best way to find out your readers' demands. You can use "Quora" for this purpose. See what type of questions people are asking, research about it, and write about it. 

You can also use polls, or can generate question answers on your social media accounts to know the expectations and confusion of your audience and you can help them in clearing their confusion. You can also use Facebook groups to see what clients are asking and what content writers are writing. 

14. Use Images and infographics:

In content writing, you should know the importance of images and infographics in your content. Use of relevant images and infographics will increase the readability of your write up and it will attract the attention of your readers. 

Proper SEO of images is also important for ranking your article and attracting the audience. You have to learn how to use an image and how to give it a proper title. There are a lot of videos on YouTube which can help you. 

A few reminders:

Avoid excessive use of images. 

Avoid irrelevant images.

Avoid copyrighted images. If you have to use one, learn how to give the credit. Otherwise, use copyright free images. Unsplash, Canva are some of the best copyright free images apps from where I take images. In Canva, you can make your own too! 

15. Edit/ Proofread:

Most important but ignored part of content writing is "Editing and Proofreading". I have seen a lot of content writers on Facebook who can write 2500-3000 in a day, but skip editing and proofreading at all. But, you don't do this! Make a habit from your initial stage to ruthlessly edit and proofread your content. Believe me, the first manuscript is never a perfect one. Editing and re-editing it can only make it perfect. Many writers and every company hire editors and proofreaders whose job is only to edit the manuscripts. This fact alone can give us an idea how important this part is. 

After writing the first manuscript, leave it there. After some hours, or if possible, after a day, sit and edit it. While editing, you will find a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. But don't worry, it is common. 

There are some tools which you can use during your editing. "Hemingway" is the best editor tool which will point out your grammar, spelling and readability mistakes.  "Ludwig" is another tool where you can copy paste the phrase which is confusing for you, and it will tell you whether it is right or not. "Grammarly free version" is also the best tool for editing. Hemingway and Grammarly are almost the same, try both and choose yourself the suitable one. 

16. Don't plagiarize:

The most important part of content writing is to keep your plagiarism level below 6%. Never ever copy paste anyone's property. Your creativity and your unique insights will create an image in your reader's mind. 

17. Use Social Media Marketing:

Social Media Marketing

Never underestimate the power of Social Media marketing in content writing. Make pages on social media platforms, post about your content there, and make a network. This network making and social media marketing will help you in growing and in getting confidence. 

These seventeen ways will craft your content writing skills. I know it is hard and a taxing activity. But, don't give up! All this hard work will bear fruit! Believe in it, and ultimately you will get success.