content for creative writing

Creative Writing

The Department of English offers creative writing instruction in multiple formats and offers several degrees and qualifications.

Undergraduate

At the undergraduate level, students who are enrolled in a B.A. program at UT Austin can pursue the Creative Writing Certificate .

For graduate students, there are two degree options in creative writing:

• the New Writers Project MFA in Fiction and Poetry , and
• the Michener Center MFA in Writing .

We invite you to visit the center's pages for information on their programs.

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Demand Gen: Growth Unleashed.

Effective Content Creation: Tools and Tips for Busy Marketers

Ron Sela / Last updated: August 28, 2024

Without  effective content , businesses will struggle to drive engagement, build brand reputation, and enhance visibility in a crowded marketplace.

Content that resonates with audiences can increase traffic, customer loyalty, and conversion rates, making it a powerful tool for achieving business objectives. 

However, consistently producing high-quality content requires constant creativity and innovation to stand out. Content creators must also navigate the ever-evolving SEO algorithms and digital platforms’ rules to ensure their content reaches the intended audience. 

Plus, the rapid pace of digital trends demands that creators quickly adapt their strategies, which can strain resources and require ongoing investment in skills and technology.

So, how will you face these challenges and consistently produce high-quality content that hits the mark every time?

Here’s an easy-to-follow guide that aims to streamline your content creation process, allowing you to  maintain quality without sacrificing efficiency . 

What you’ll find inside may transform not just how you create content but also how you think about its role in your marketing strategy.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Effective content is crucial for engaging audiences and achieving business goals, requiring a mix of creativity, SEO savvy, and adaptation to digital trends.
• A structured approach involving a content calendar and strategic planning enhances consistency and effectiveness in content marketing.
• Successful content creators adapt their strategies based on audience feedback and changing market conditions, optimizing content for different platforms and incorporating visual elements to increase engagement.

What is Effective Content?

Effective content  refers to material that successfully achieves its intended purpose, whether to inform, persuade, entertain, or fulfill another specific goal.

It understands the questions and jumps in with answers that aren’t just accurate but are also easy to understand and apply. It’s the kind of content that feels like it was written just for you, whether you’re looking to solve a problem or seeking new insights.

It has key characteristics, such as

• strong alignment with its objectives

It often uses a strategic approach, incorporating a suitable tone, style, and format that resonates with its audience and prompts the desired response.

Moreover, effective content is well-organized. It flows logically, making it easy for the target audience to follow. They won’t find themselves lost in jargon or distracted by irrelevant details.

It uses a tone that matches the professional or casual reading environment, enhancing engagement and retention.

Now, how do you master the craft?  How do we transform ordinary writing into compelling content that resonates and achieves its purpose?

Keep reading.

How to Craft Effective Content?

You need to start with a solid plan and strategy. Understanding the creation process helps you build engaging and relevant content .

This section contains expert tips that can elevate your content strategy from mundane to memorable, ensuring it reaches and impacts your audience.

Content Planning and Strategy

Creating a content calendar is essential for streamlining your content marketing efforts and ensuring consistency, which is vital for building trust and engagement with your audience.

Start by establishing SMART goals and understanding your audience to tailor content that meets their needs and interests. Then, map out your content on a calendar, assigning responsibilities and deadlines to maintain a steady flow of high-quality content.

Tools like Trello or Google Calendar can be instrumental in tracking progress and deadlines, ensuring that every type of content is timely and strategically aligned with your objectives.

Integrating SEO with your content marketing plan is crucial for enhancing visibility and driving organic traffic. Begin with thorough keyword research to identify what your audience is searching for, and craft your content to include these keywords naturally.

Optimizing for search engines and user engagement ensures that your content remains compelling and relevant.

You may also use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your content, which can provide insights that help refine both SEO strategies and content creation. This aligns them more closely with your overall marketing goals and enhances the effectiveness of your digital presence.

Keep your plan flexible to adapt to feedback and changing market conditions.

Content Creation Process 

Now that you’ve mapped out your content calendar let’s explore how to create content types that will engage and convert your audience effectively. 

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Tell a Story.  Everyone loves a good story. Incorporate narrative elements into your content to build a connection and keep your audience engaged from beginning to end.
• Be Authentic:  Authenticity builds trust. Write in a voice that is true to your brand and yourself, allowing your genuine passion for your subject to shine through.
• Use Active Voice:  Active voice makes your writing clearer and more direct. This helps keep readers hooked and encourages them to read through to the end of your piece.

Thankfully, a wealth of tools and resources is available to help streamline the content writing process and enhance your productivity.

For instance, you can keep your content relevant with Google Trends, which can help you track what’s currently capturing the public’s interest.

Now, text is powerful, but visuals often speak louder. Enhancing your content with images, videos, and infographics can significantly increase engagement and retention:

• Visual Appeal:  Break up text with relevant images to keep the reader’s attention. This visual appeal can make your content more inviting and less daunting to tackle.
• Video Content:  Videos are incredibly effective for engagement. Consider embedding explanatory videos, behind-the-scenes tours, or interviews to add depth to your articles.
• Infographics:  When you need to present data or steps, infographics do it in a way that is easy to understand and visually engaging. Tools like Piktochart or Venngage can help you create professional-quality infographics.

Content Optimization

You must optimize your content across different platforms, such as blogs, social media, and newsletters, which is crucial for engaging effectively with diverse audiences. 

For blogs, SEO is key, which we have discussed already. 

Social media marketing requires a more dynamic approach, focusing on eye-catching visuals, concise and compelling text, and frequent updates to exploit algorithms favoring active engagement. 

Newsletters benefit from personalization and direct calls to action, maintaining a clear, consistent message that resonates with readers and encourages interaction. 

Now, mobile optimization is essential across all platforms, as a significant number of users access content via smartphones. 

This involves designing responsive layouts, optimizing image sizes, and ensuring fast load times to enhance user experience and retention. 

Thus, tailoring content strategies for platform-specific characteristics while emphasizing mobile-friendly design is fundamental for maximizing reach and engagement.

Promotion and Distribution

Once your content is optimized, it’s time to focus on effective promotion and distribution strategies to reach a wider audience.

Promoting content successfully hinges on understanding the audience and the platforms where they are most active. Here are some fundamental strategies:

• Social Media Engagement : Share your content on social media platforms where your audience spends the most time. Tailor your posts to each platform’s unique format and audience preferences.
• Influencer Collaboration : Partner with influencers who can help amplify your message. Their endorsement can lend credibility and extend your reach to a broader audience.
• Content Repurposing : Convert your content into different formats to maximize its exposure. For example, a blog post can be turned into a video, an infographic, or a podcast episode.
• Paid Advertising : Utilize paid advertising options like Google Ads or social media ads to target specific audiences likely to be interested in your content.

Email marketing remains a powerful tool for direct engagement. It allows for personalized communication through newsletters or targeted campaigns based on user behavior. 

Besides emails, there are other platforms that can help in establishing authority and improving SEO through backlinks.  

• blogging and guest posting on relevant sites 
• webinars or online workshops
• press releases
• podcasts 

Lastly, always track your results. Use analytics to understand what works and refine your strategies accordingly. This continuous improvement cycle will help you maximize your content’s impact.

As a busy marketer, you have the tools and tips to shine your content. Remember, effective content marketing meets your audience’s needs with compelling storytelling and is optimized for different platforms. Don’t waste your efforts on ineffective content that doesn’t resonate. Use your content calendar, management platforms, and analytics to stay on track and make real connections. Keep refining your approach based on feedback and results. You’re now ready to captivate your audience and achieve your marketing goals more efficiently.

Below are some frequently asked questions about effective content creation, each accompanied by a brief answer to help you better understand and implement the best content strategies.

What makes content effective?

Effective content is relevant, valuable, and tailored to the audience’s interests and needs. It should be well-researched, engaging, and designed to solve a problem, provide information, or entertain.

What is the best length for a good piece of content?

The best length varies depending on the platform and purpose. Generally, longer, in-depth content performs well on search engines and can provide more comprehensive information, while shorter content may be ideal for social media to keep users engaged.

Should I focus on evergreen content or trending topics?

A balance of both is recommended. Evergreen content remains relevant and drives traffic over time, whereas trending topics can attract immediate attention and quick hits of traffic.

What is the best way to incorporate keywords without over-optimizing?

Keywords should be naturally integrated into content. Use them in crucial spots like headers, the first paragraph, and meta descriptions, but avoid keyword stuffing. Focus on creating smooth, reader-friendly text.

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About Ron Sela

Ron is a marketing advisor to technology-driven businesses. He has 15 years of digital marketing experience and an MBA from the University of Florida. Ron helps companies grow their revenue by developing and executing integrated marketing plans that align with their business goals. He has a proven track record of success in helping companies achieve their growth objectives.

What Is Creative Writing? (Ultimate Guide + 20 Examples)

Creative writing begins with a blank page and the courage to fill it with the stories only you can tell.

I face this intimidating blank page daily–and I have for the better part of 20+ years.

In this guide, you’ll learn all the ins and outs of creative writing with tons of examples.

What Is Creative Writing (Long Description)?

Creative Writing is the art of using words to express ideas and emotions in imaginative ways. It encompasses various forms including novels, poetry, and plays, focusing on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes.

Table of Contents

Let’s expand on that definition a bit.

Creative writing is an art form that transcends traditional literature boundaries.

It includes professional, journalistic, academic, and technical writing. This type of writing emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and literary tropes. It also explores poetry and poetics traditions.

In essence, creative writing lets you express ideas and emotions uniquely and imaginatively.

It’s about the freedom to invent worlds, characters, and stories. These creations evoke a spectrum of emotions in readers.

Creative writing covers fiction, poetry, and everything in between.

It allows writers to express inner thoughts and feelings. Often, it reflects human experiences through a fabricated lens.

Types of Creative Writing

There are many types of creative writing that we need to explain.

Some of the most common types:

• Short stories
• Screenplays
• Flash fiction
• Creative Nonfiction

Short Stories (The Brief Escape)

Short stories are like narrative treasures.

They are compact but impactful, telling a full story within a limited word count. These tales often focus on a single character or a crucial moment.

Short stories are known for their brevity.

They deliver emotion and insight in a concise yet powerful package. This format is ideal for exploring diverse genres, themes, and characters. It leaves a lasting impression on readers.

Example: Emma discovers an old photo of her smiling grandmother. It’s a rarity. Through flashbacks, Emma learns about her grandmother’s wartime love story. She comes to understand her grandmother’s resilience and the value of joy.

Novels (The Long Journey)

Novels are extensive explorations of character, plot, and setting.

They span thousands of words, giving writers the space to create entire worlds. Novels can weave complex stories across various themes and timelines.

The length of a novel allows for deep narrative and character development.

Readers get an immersive experience.

Example: Across the Divide tells of two siblings separated in childhood. They grow up in different cultures. Their reunion highlights the strength of family bonds, despite distance and differences.

Poetry (The Soul’s Language)

Poetry expresses ideas and emotions through rhythm, sound, and word beauty.

It distills emotions and thoughts into verses. Poetry often uses metaphors, similes, and figurative language to reach the reader’s heart and mind.

Poetry ranges from structured forms, like sonnets, to free verse.

The latter breaks away from traditional formats for more expressive thought.

Example: Whispers of Dawn is a poem collection capturing morning’s quiet moments. “First Light” personifies dawn as a painter. It brings colors of hope and renewal to the world.

Plays (The Dramatic Dialogue)

Plays are meant for performance. They bring characters and conflicts to life through dialogue and action.

This format uniquely explores human relationships and societal issues.

Playwrights face the challenge of conveying setting, emotion, and plot through dialogue and directions.

Example: Echoes of Tomorrow is set in a dystopian future. Memories can be bought and sold. It follows siblings on a quest to retrieve their stolen memories. They learn the cost of living in a world where the past has a price.

Screenplays (Cinema’s Blueprint)

Screenplays outline narratives for films and TV shows.

They require an understanding of visual storytelling, pacing, and dialogue. Screenplays must fit film production constraints.

Example: The Last Light is a screenplay for a sci-fi film. Humanity’s survivors on a dying Earth seek a new planet. The story focuses on spacecraft Argo’s crew as they face mission challenges and internal dynamics.

Memoirs (The Personal Journey)

Memoirs provide insight into an author’s life, focusing on personal experiences and emotional journeys.

They differ from autobiographies by concentrating on specific themes or events.

Memoirs invite readers into the author’s world.

They share lessons learned and hardships overcome.

Example: Under the Mango Tree is a memoir by Maria Gomez. It shares her childhood memories in rural Colombia. The mango tree in their yard symbolizes home, growth, and nostalgia. Maria reflects on her journey to a new life in America.

Flash Fiction (The Quick Twist)

Flash fiction tells stories in under 1,000 words.

It’s about crafting compelling narratives concisely. Each word in flash fiction must count, often leading to a twist.

This format captures life’s vivid moments, delivering quick, impactful insights.

Example: The Last Message features an astronaut’s final Earth message as her spacecraft drifts away. In 500 words, it explores isolation, hope, and the desire to connect against all odds.

Creative Nonfiction (The Factual Tale)

Creative nonfiction combines factual accuracy with creative storytelling.

This genre covers real events, people, and places with a twist. It uses descriptive language and narrative arcs to make true stories engaging.

Creative nonfiction includes biographies, essays, and travelogues.

Example: Echoes of Everest follows the author’s Mount Everest climb. It mixes factual details with personal reflections and the history of past climbers. The narrative captures the climb’s beauty and challenges, offering an immersive experience.

Fantasy (The World Beyond)

Fantasy transports readers to magical and mythical worlds.

It explores themes like good vs. evil and heroism in unreal settings. Fantasy requires careful world-building to create believable yet fantastic realms.

Example: The Crystal of Azmar tells of a young girl destined to save her world from darkness. She learns she’s the last sorceress in a forgotten lineage. Her journey involves mastering powers, forming alliances, and uncovering ancient kingdom myths.

Science Fiction (The Future Imagined)

Science fiction delves into futuristic and scientific themes.

It questions the impact of advancements on society and individuals.

Science fiction ranges from speculative to hard sci-fi, focusing on plausible futures.

Example: When the Stars Whisper is set in a future where humanity communicates with distant galaxies. It centers on a scientist who finds an alien message. This discovery prompts a deep look at humanity’s universe role and interstellar communication.

Watch this great video that explores the question, “What is creative writing?” and “How to get started?”:

What Are the 5 Cs of Creative Writing?

The 5 Cs of creative writing are fundamental pillars.

They guide writers to produce compelling and impactful work. These principles—Clarity, Coherence, Conciseness, Creativity, and Consistency—help craft stories that engage and entertain.

They also resonate deeply with readers. Let’s explore each of these critical components.

Clarity makes your writing understandable and accessible.

It involves choosing the right words and constructing clear sentences. Your narrative should be easy to follow.

In creative writing, clarity means conveying complex ideas in a digestible and enjoyable way.

Coherence ensures your writing flows logically.

It’s crucial for maintaining the reader’s interest. Characters should develop believably, and plots should progress logically. This makes the narrative feel cohesive.

Conciseness

Conciseness is about expressing ideas succinctly.

It’s being economical with words and avoiding redundancy. This principle helps maintain pace and tension, engaging readers throughout the story.

Creativity is the heart of creative writing.

It allows writers to invent new worlds and create memorable characters. Creativity involves originality and imagination. It’s seeing the world in unique ways and sharing that vision.

Consistency

Consistency maintains a uniform tone, style, and voice.

It means being faithful to the world you’ve created. Characters should act true to their development. This builds trust with readers, making your story immersive and believable.

Is Creative Writing Easy?

Creative writing is both rewarding and challenging.

Crafting stories from your imagination involves more than just words on a page. It requires discipline and a deep understanding of language and narrative structure.

Exploring complex characters and themes is also key.

Refining and revising your work is crucial for developing your voice.

The ease of creative writing varies. Some find the freedom of expression liberating.

Others struggle with writer’s block or plot development challenges. However, practice and feedback make creative writing more fulfilling.

What Does a Creative Writer Do?

A creative writer weaves narratives that entertain, enlighten, and inspire.

Writers explore both the world they create and the emotions they wish to evoke. Their tasks are diverse, involving more than just writing.

Creative writers develop ideas, research, and plan their stories.

They create characters and outline plots with attention to detail. Drafting and revising their work is a significant part of their process. They strive for the 5 Cs of compelling writing.

Writers engage with the literary community, seeking feedback and participating in workshops.

They may navigate the publishing world with agents and editors.

Creative writers are storytellers, craftsmen, and artists. They bring narratives to life, enriching our lives and expanding our imaginations.

How to Get Started With Creative Writing?

Embarking on a creative writing journey can feel like standing at the edge of a vast and mysterious forest.

The path is not always clear, but the adventure is calling.

Here’s how to take your first steps into the world of creative writing:

• Find a time of day when your mind is most alert and creative.
• Create a comfortable writing space free from distractions.
• Use prompts to spark your imagination. They can be as simple as a word, a phrase, or an image.
• Try writing for 15-20 minutes on a prompt without editing yourself. Let the ideas flow freely.
• Reading is fuel for your writing. Explore various genres and styles.
• Pay attention to how your favorite authors construct their sentences, develop characters, and build their worlds.
• Don’t pressure yourself to write a novel right away. Begin with short stories or poems.
• Small projects can help you hone your skills and boost your confidence.
• Look for writing groups in your area or online. These communities offer support, feedback, and motivation.
• Participating in workshops or classes can also provide valuable insights into your writing.
• Understand that your first draft is just the beginning. Revising your work is where the real magic happens.
• Be open to feedback and willing to rework your pieces.
• Carry a notebook or digital recorder to jot down ideas, observations, and snippets of conversations.
• These notes can be gold mines for future writing projects.

Final Thoughts: What Is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is an invitation to explore the unknown, to give voice to the silenced, and to celebrate the human spirit in all its forms.

Check out these creative writing tools (that I highly recommend):

Read This Next:

• What Is a Prompt in Writing? (Ultimate Guide + 200 Examples)
• What Is A Personal Account In Writing? (47 Examples)
• How To Write A Fantasy Short Story (Ultimate Guide + Examples)
• How To Write A Fantasy Romance Novel [21 Tips + Examples)

What is Content Writing? (Beginners Guide)

Content writing is an excellent career opportunity with plenty of opportunities to be creative, work with new people, and earn a good salary.

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What Is Content Writing?

What does a content writer do, how to become a content writer, content writing tips, content writing examples, how much do content writers get paid, should you become a content writer.

Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and publishing web content to satisfy the needs of a specific audience. The aim is to share valuable information to earn customer trust, improve engagement, and establish credibility in your niche.

A content writer creates written material for websites, blogs, and other digital media. They engage and inform audiences through well-researched and compelling content.

The fundamental role of a content writer starts with understanding the target audience of the company they’re writing for. The best content writers know how to adjust their tone of voice and marketing efforts to suit the expectations of their target audience.

Some of the tasks a content writer may be responsible for include:

Keyword research: While some companies have separate SEO experts responsible for keyword research, good content writers should have the skills to perform keyword research and identify terms and phrases to use in the content.

Content strategy: Content writers can work solo or with content marketing specialists and assist in developing an end-to-end content strategy. This could involve determining what kind of content to create for each channel.

Content writing: Perhaps the most important role of a content writer is actually creating content. Content writers create everything from blog posts to web pages on behalf of a client.

Proofreading and editing: Some content writers do all of their proofreading and editing themselves.

Publishing: Content writers will usually be able to upload their content to various platforms. This could mean adding posts to a WordPress site and scheduling them.

The key to successfully starting a job in content writing is developing your skills and gaining as much experience as possible. Here are some steps for beginners to start with content writing with no experience:

• Enroll in a course
• Practice your writing skills
• Develop complementary skills
• Find your niche
• Build your experience

1. Enroll in a course

While you don’t need a specific content writing degree to get into this industry, a content marketing certification or a digital marketing certification can be useful.

Enrolling in an online course is an excellent way to develop some of the necessary skills you’ll need to impress and attract potential clients. You can even get a copywriting certificate to add to your resume.

When looking for suitable courses, focus on the aspects of content writing you’re most interested in. For instance, if you want to get involved with content writing from an SEO perspective, look at courses covering digital marketing , SEO Courses , and writing.

You may decide to take a selection of different courses to build out the appropriate skillset.

2. Practice your writing skills

Many people aspire to be writers, particularly when they have a creative mind and a talent for language. However, only a handful of hobbyists turn their skills into a profession.

The only way to actively pursue your career in content writing is to begin practicing. It takes many hours to become the kind of writer a professional team or business would want to hire.

Begin by writing blogs for your own website, where you can advertise your skill, collect testimonials, and build a portfolio over time.

You can also get involved with online writing forums and groups to gain inspiration. You could even volunteer your writing services to publications you like. This will help to build your skills while getting your name out there.

Our Content Marketing Course will teach you everything you need to know about content writing.

Get Started

3. Develop complementary skills

Writing is the most important talent you’ll need to become a professional content writer.

However, there are other skills that can come in handy and improve your chances of getting the attention of potential clients. For instance, you’ll need fantastic communication skills to interact with clients and companies you work with.

Learning how to convey your ideas effectively to a wide audience will be essential as a content writer.

You’ll also need good research skills. Ensure you know how to track down credible sources of information when developing your career as a content writer.

Other complementary skills may include:

• SEO : Most companies want their content writers to have some basic search engine optimization .
• Problem-solving : Problem-solving skills will help you to come up with unique ways of using content to address the needs of your clients.
• Adaptability : The ability to adapt, constantly grow, and develop new skills is essential to a content writer. The tools you use to convert customers for your audience will likely change over time, so be ready to evolve frequently in your career.

4. Find your niche

While some content writers and copywriters will work on a broad range of topics across a wide variety of companies and industries, a general approach can make it difficult to stand out.

You may find you can reach a wider audience and spend more time on work you actually enjoy with a niche.

Focusing on a specific area of specialization could mean you work best for companies in the healthcare or technology industry. The more you focus on this space, the more you develop your reputation and attract potential future clients.

Alternatively, your niche could involve looking at a specific aspect of content writing. You might be particularly good at writing engaging blog posts, creating social media content, or producing whitepapers for technical companies.

5. Build your experience

Finally, the most important thing that matters to people planning on hiring a content writer is usually experience. Your future employers want to see evidence you have skills in your space.

The best way to begin building experience as a content writer is to create a portfolio of work you can share with your employers. These are basically examples of your content in the form of ad mock-ups, blog posts, and social media campaign ideas.

Once you have your portfolio and you’re posting regularly on your own website blog, look for opportunities to branch out and gain more experience.

Contributing to reputable sites, even if you don’t get paid for it, will help to demonstrate your writing skills. You can also consider offering clients a discount price in exchange for a review when you finish their project.

Follow these tips to become better a content writing.

1. Write content for all the stages of the marketing funnel

Content marketers use content to direct prospects through the different stages of the digital marketing sales funnel . Each stage of the customer journey requires a different approach to content.

For example, during the awareness stage ( top of the funnel ), your content would aim to inform and attract customers.

During the consideration stage, you highlight the benefits of your products or services against competitors.

At the bottom of the funnel, you write content to convince customers to purchase a product or perform a desired action.

2. Always do your research

Research is vital for content for a variety of reasons. First, you need to conduct research to determine who you’re writing for.

The best content writers cultivate a specific voice to speak to a certain audience. The more you understand your customer, the more you can connect with that person on an emotional level – generating conversions.

It’s also important to research any information you will be writing about. Factual, credible information is key in content production, even if your writing is primarily for entertainment purposes.

Studies show if a brand generates fake content about products or services, around 59% of customers will stop buying from this company immediately.

To make your content as compelling as possible, research:

• Your subject matter: Learn as much as possible about the topic and use references to reputable sources to give your work credibility.
• Customers: Know your audience. Building buyer personas and understanding how customers respond to different content at various stages in the consumer journey will improve conversions on a significant scale.
• Competitors: Understanding what your competitors produce in terms of content will give you some valuable inspiration. It also helps when you’re trying to make your content unique from what’s already available on the market.

3. Master the critical components of content

Every piece of content is constructed with a series of different elements. For written content, specific components are more important to capturing and converting customers than others. For instance, you’ll need:

Head-turning headlines: Headlines determine whether your audience will bother reading the rest of the article, eBook, or any other content you produce.

If your headline isn’t engaging, readers will just hit the back button. Engaging headlines are thought-provoking and interesting.

Try techniques like using numbers to demonstrate authority, such as “98% of marketers say…” or asking questions: “Do you know these email marketing tricks?”

A compelling hook: You only have a matter of seconds to keep readers engaged after they’ve read your headline. The first sentence or two is crucial in keeping your audience’s attention. Make sure you get this first section right.

Stay clear and focused: Don’t confuse your audience with a hundred different ideas in one piece of content. Focus on a specific topic and concentrate on giving your customers plenty of actionable advice to walk away with.

Remember, use a tone of voice specific to your target audience and the persona you’re writing for. This will help to make your content more compelling to the right people.

4. Edit and optimize everything you write

Finally, great content takes work. Most content writers don’t publish the first version of the piece they write. Taking the time to read through the content is crucial.

Remember, any grammatical error or unusual sentence can confuse your audience and send them running in the opposite direction.

Often, it’s helpful to have a separate proofreader on hand when creating content because they can examine your work objectively and spot things you’ve missed. Other ways to enhance your work include:

Checking for content SEO : Have you used keywords naturally and organically throughout the post? Are there internal links for page connections on your site and external links for credibility? Have you optimized your H1 tag , meta tags, headlines, and title tags?

Examining readability: Is your content divided into logical segments? Have you got subheadings to guide your reader, short paragraphs, and plenty of bullet points? Keep everything as clean as possible to improve readability.

Looking at relevancy: Is every part of your content as relevant as it should be? Can you remove anything that isn’t useful to your audience?

The most common forms of content a content writer may be asked to create are:

Blogging: Blogs are a central part of building a strong content strategy . They can convey ideas about products and your brand while highlighting your thought leadership. Blogs can also be useful for SEO purposes, building organic traffic , and raising brand awareness.

Email: Writing content for emails can help to convert customers, as well as generate better engagement for your business. Email marketing also helps to build loyalty and strengthen your opportunities for repeat purchases.

Social media: Social channels require content writers to communicate various ideas and campaigns as effectively as possible.

Product content: Selling products and services requires a unique set of writing skills. You’ll have to balance sales copy with storytelling and SEO strategies.

Brand journalism: PR news releases, customer and brand stories, and internal communications can all require the support and guidance of a content writer.

Whitepapers and eBooks: Content writers can help to produce highly technical and professional content that requires a focus on a specific subject. This helps to strengthen the authority of the brand.

Video scripts: If scripts are required to create videos or even podcasts for a company’s branding purposes, a content writer can assist with this.

The average salary for a content writer (1-4 years of experience) is around $52,000 per year in the US. Experienced content writers (10-19 years of experience) may earn around $60,000 annually.

Indeed.com says content writers earn around $20.76 per hour. Your exact earnings will depend on your area of specialization and the kind of companies you work with regularly.

Content writing can be a highly engaging and satisfying job role for many people. It’s an exciting career with plenty of opportunities to be creative, work with new people, and develop your skills. However, it also requires significant dedication and hard work.

If you have a way with words and you know how to produce content that speaks to people, a content writing position could be ideal for you.

Alex Chris is a digital marketing consultant, author, and instructor. He has more than 18 years of practical experience with SEO and digital marketing. Alex holds an MSc Degree in eCommerce and has consulted with Fortune 500 companies in different industries. He blogs regularly about SEO and Digital marketing, and his work has been referenced by leading marketing websites. Connect with Alex on Twitter and LinkedIn .

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Elements of Creative Writing

(3 reviews)

J.D. Schraffenberger, University of Northern Iowa

Rachel Morgan, University of Northern Iowa

Grant Tracey, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright Year: 2023

ISBN 13: 9780915996179

Publisher: University of Northern Iowa

Language: English

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Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Colin Rafferty, Professor, University of Mary Washington on 8/2/24

Fantastically thorough. By using three different authors, one for each genre of creative writing, the textbook allows for a wider diversity of thought and theory on writing as a whole, while still providing a solid grounding in the basics of each... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Fantastically thorough. By using three different authors, one for each genre of creative writing, the textbook allows for a wider diversity of thought and theory on writing as a whole, while still providing a solid grounding in the basics of each genre. The included links to referred texts also builds in an automatic, OER-based anthology for students. Terms are not only defined clearly, but also their utility is explained--here's what assonance can actually do in a poem, rather than simply "it's repeated vowel sounds,"

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Calling the content "accurate" requires a suspension of the notion that art and writing aren't subjective; instead, it might be more useful to judge the content on the potential usefulness to students, in which case it' s quite accurate. Reading this, I often found myself nodding in agreement with the authors' suggestions for considering published work and discussing workshop material, and their prompts for generating creative writing feel full of potential. It's as error-free, if not more so, than most OER textbooks (which is to say: a few typos here and there) and a surprising number of trade publications. It's not unbiased, per se--after all, these are literary magazine editors writing the textbook and often explaining what it is about a given piece of writing that they find (or do not find) engaging and admirable--but unbiased isn't necessarily a quantity one looks for in creative writing textbooks.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The thing about creative writing is that they keep making more of it, so eventually the anthology elements of this textbook will be less "look what's getting published these days" and more "look what was getting published back then," but the structure of the textbook should allow for substitution and replacement (that said, if UNI pulls funding for NAR, as too many universities are doing these days, then the bigger concern is about the archive vanishing). The more rhetorical elements of the textbook are solid, and should be useful to students and faculty for a long time.

Clarity rating: 5

Very clear, straightforward prose, and perhaps more importantly, there's a sense of each author that emerges in each section, demonstrating to students that writing, especially creative writing, comes from a person. As noted above, any technical jargon is not only explained, but also discussed, meaning that how and why one might use any particular literary technique are emphasized over simply rote memorization of terms.

Consistency rating: 4

It's consistent within each section, but the voice and approach change with each genre. This is a strength, not a weakness, and allows the textbook to avoid the one-size-fits-all approach of single-author creative writing textbooks. There are different "try this" exercises for each genre that strike me as calibrated to impress the facets of that particular genre on the student.

Modularity rating: 5

The three-part structure of the book allows teachers to start wherever they like, genre-wise. While the internal structure of each section does build upon and refer back to earlier chapters, that seems more like an advantage than a disadvantage. Honestly, there's probably enough flexibility built into the textbook that even the callbacks could be glossed over quickly enough in the classroom.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Chapters within each genre section build upon each other, starting with basics and developing the complexity and different elements of that genre. The textbook's overall organization allows some flexibility in terms of starting with fiction, poetry, or nonfiction.

Interface rating: 4

Easy to navigate. I particularly like the way that links for the anthology work in the nonfiction section (clearly appearing at the side of the text in addition to within it) and would like to see that consistently applied throughout.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

A few typos here and there, but you know what else generally has a few typos here and there? Expensive physical textbooks.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The anthology covers a diverse array of authors and cultural identities, and the textbook authors are not only conscious of their importance but also discuss how those identities affect decisions that the authors might have made, even on a formal level. If you find an underrepresented group missing, it should be easy enough to supplement this textbook with a poem/essay/story.

Very excited to use this in my Intro to CW classes--unlike other OERs that I've used for the field, this one feels like it could compete with the physical textbooks head-to-head. Other textbooks have felt more like a trade-off between content and cost.

Reviewed by Jeanne Cosmos, Adjunct Faculty, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 7/7/24

Direct language and concrete examples & Case Studies. read more

Direct language and concrete examples & Case Studies.

References to literature and writers- on track.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

On point for support to assist writers and creative process.

Direct language and easy to read.

First person to third person. Too informal in many areas of the text.

Units are readily accessible.

Process of creative writing and prompts- scaffold areas of learning for students.

Interface rating: 5

No issues found.

The book is accurate in this regard.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Always could be revised and better.

Yes. Textbook font is not academic and spacing - also not academic. A bit too primary. Suggest- Times New Roman 12- point font & a space plus - Some of the language and examples too informal and the tone of lst person would be more effective if - direct and not so 'chummy' as author references his personal recollections. Not effective.

Reviewed by Robert Moreira, Lecturer III, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 3/21/24

Unlike Starkey's CREATIVE WRITING: FOUR GENRES IN BRIEF, this textbook does not include a section on drama. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Unlike Starkey's CREATIVE WRITING: FOUR GENRES IN BRIEF, this textbook does not include a section on drama.

As far as I can tell, content is accurate, error free and unbiased.

The book is relevant and up-to-date.

The text is clear and easy to understand.

Consistency rating: 5

I would agree that the text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

Text is modular, yes, but I would like to see the addition of a section on dramatic writing.

Topics are presented in logical, clear fashion.

Navigation is good.

No grammatical issues that I could see.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I'd like to see more diverse creative writing examples.

As I stated above, textbook is good except that it does not include a section on dramatic writing.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter One: One Great Way to Write a Short Story
• Chapter Two: Plotting
• Chapter Three: Counterpointed Plotting
• Chapter Four: Show and Tell
• Chapter Five: Characterization and Method Writing
• Chapter Six: Character and Dialouge
• Chapter Seven: Setting, Stillness, and Voice
• Chapter Eight: Point of View
• Chapter Nine: Learning the Unwritten Rules
• Chapter One: A Poetry State of Mind
• Chapter Two: The Architecture of a Poem
• Chapter Three: Sound
• Chapter Four: Inspiration and Risk
• Chapter Five: Endings and Beginnings
• Chapter Six: Figurative Language
• Chapter Seven: Forms, Forms, Forms
• Chapter Eight: Go to the Image
• Chapter Nine: The Difficult Simplicity of Short Poems and Killing Darlings

Creative Nonfiction

• Chapter One: Creative Nonfiction and the Essay
• Chapter Two: Truth and Memory, Truth in Memory
• Chapter Three: Research and History
• Chapter Four: Writing Environments
• Chapter Five: Notes on Style
• Chapter Seven: Imagery and the Senses
• Chapter Eight: Writing the Body
• Chapter Nine: Forms

Back Matter

• Contributors
• North American Review Staff

Ancillary Material

• University of Northern Iowa

About the Book

This free and open access textbook introduces new writers to some basic elements of the craft of creative writing in the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The authors—Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, and Grant Tracey—are editors of the North American Review, the oldest and one of the most well-regarded literary magazines in the United States. They’ve selected nearly all of the readings and examples (more than 60) from writing that has appeared in NAR pages over the years. Because they had a hand in publishing these pieces originally, their perspective as editors permeates this book. As such, they hope that even seasoned writers might gain insight into the aesthetics of the magazine as they analyze and discuss some reasons this work is so remarkable—and therefore teachable. This project was supported by NAR staff and funded via the UNI Textbook Equity Mini-Grant Program.

About the Contributors

J.D. Schraffenberger  is a professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa. He is the author of two books of poems,  Saint Joe's Passion  and  The Waxen Poor , and co-author with Martín Espada and Lauren Schmidt of  The Necessary Poetics of Atheism . His other work has appeared in  Best of Brevity ,  Best Creative Nonfiction ,  Notre Dame Review ,  Poetry East ,  Prairie Schooner , and elsewhere.

Rachel Morgan   is an instructor of English at the University of Northern Iowa. She is the author of the chapbook  Honey & Blood , Blood & Honey . Her work is included in the anthology  Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in American  and has appeared in the  Journal of American Medical Association ,  Boulevard ,  Prairie Schooner , and elsewhere.

Grant Tracey   author of three novels in the Hayden Fuller Mysteries ; the chapbook  Winsome  featuring cab driver Eddie Sands; and the story collection  Final Stanzas , is fiction editor of the  North American Review  and an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa, where he teaches film, modern drama, and creative writing. Nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize, he has published nearly fifty short stories and three previous collections. He has acted in over forty community theater productions and has published critical work on Samuel Fuller and James Cagney. He lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

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Last updated on Feb 14, 2023

10 Types of Creative Writing (with Examples You’ll Love)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

About Rebecca van Laer

Rebecca van Laer is a writer, editor, and the author of two books, including the novella How to Adjust to the Dark. Her work has been featured in literary magazines such as AGNI, Breadcrumbs, and TriQuarterly.

A lot falls under the term ‘creative writing’: poetry, short fiction, plays, novels, personal essays, and songs, to name just a few. By virtue of the creativity that characterizes it, creative writing is an extremely versatile art. So instead of defining what creative writing is , it may be easier to understand what it does by looking at examples that demonstrate the sheer range of styles and genres under its vast umbrella.

To that end, we’ve collected a non-exhaustive list of works across multiple formats that have inspired the writers here at Reedsy. With 20 different works to explore, we hope they will inspire you, too. 

People have been writing creatively for almost as long as we have been able to hold pens. Just think of long-form epic poems like The Odyssey or, later, the Cantar de Mio Cid — some of the earliest recorded writings of their kind. 

Poetry is also a great place to start if you want to dip your own pen into the inkwell of creative writing. It can be as short or long as you want (you don’t have to write an epic of Homeric proportions), encourages you to build your observation skills, and often speaks from a single point of view . 

Here are a few examples:

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This classic poem by Romantic poet Percy Shelley (also known as Mary Shelley’s husband) is all about legacy. What do we leave behind? How will we be remembered? The great king Ozymandias built himself a massive statue, proclaiming his might, but the irony is that his statue doesn’t survive the ravages of time. By framing this poem as told to him by a “traveller from an antique land,” Shelley effectively turns this into a story. Along with the careful use of juxtaposition to create irony, this poem accomplishes a lot in just a few lines. 

“Trying to Raise the Dead” by Dorianne Laux

 A direction. An object. My love, it needs a place to rest. Say anything. I’m listening. I’m ready to believe. Even lies, I don’t care.

Poetry is cherished for its ability to evoke strong emotions from the reader using very few words which is exactly what Dorianne Laux does in “ Trying to Raise the Dead .” With vivid imagery that underscores the painful yearning of the narrator, she transports us to a private nighttime scene as the narrator sneaks away from a party to pray to someone they’ve lost. We ache for their loss and how badly they want their lost loved one to acknowledge them in some way. It’s truly a masterclass on how writing can be used to portray emotions. 

If you find yourself inspired to try out some poetry — and maybe even get it published — check out these poetry layouts that can elevate your verse!

Song Lyrics

Poetry’s closely related cousin, song lyrics are another great way to flex your creative writing muscles. You not only have to find the perfect rhyme scheme but also match it to the rhythm of the music. This can be a great challenge for an experienced poet or the musically inclined. 

To see how music can add something extra to your poetry, check out these two examples:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

 You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to ya? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah 

Metaphors are commonplace in almost every kind of creative writing, but will often take center stage in shorter works like poetry and songs. At the slightest mention, they invite the listener to bring their emotional or cultural experience to the piece, allowing the writer to express more with fewer words while also giving it a deeper meaning. If a whole song is couched in metaphor, you might even be able to find multiple meanings to it, like in Leonard Cohen’s “ Hallelujah .” While Cohen’s Biblical references create a song that, on the surface, seems like it’s about a struggle with religion, the ambiguity of the lyrics has allowed it to be seen as a song about a complicated romantic relationship. 

“I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

 ​​If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

You can think of song lyrics as poetry set to music. They manage to do many of the same things their literary counterparts do — including tugging on your heartstrings. Death Cab for Cutie’s incredibly popular indie rock ballad is about the singer’s deep devotion to his lover. While some might find the song a bit too dark and macabre, its melancholy tune and poignant lyrics remind us that love can endure beyond death.

Plays and Screenplays

From the short form of poetry, we move into the world of drama — also known as the play. This form is as old as the poem, stretching back to the works of ancient Greek playwrights like Sophocles, who adapted the myths of their day into dramatic form. The stage play (and the more modern screenplay) gives the words on the page a literal human voice, bringing life to a story and its characters entirely through dialogue. 

Interested to see what that looks like? Take a look at these examples:

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

“I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father.” 

Arthur Miller acts as a bridge between the classic and the new, creating 20th century tragedies that take place in living rooms and backyard instead of royal courts, so we had to include his breakout hit on this list. Set in the backyard of an all-American family in the summer of 1946, this tragedy manages to communicate family tensions in an unimaginable scale, building up to an intense climax reminiscent of classical drama. 

💡 Read more about Arthur Miller and classical influences in our breakdown of Freytag’s pyramid . 

“Everything is Fine” by Michael Schur ( The Good Place )

“Well, then this system sucks. What...one in a million gets to live in paradise and everyone else is tortured for eternity? Come on! I mean, I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati. Everyone who wasn't perfect but wasn't terrible should get to spend eternity in Cincinnati.” 

A screenplay, especially a TV pilot, is like a mini-play, but with the extra job of convincing an audience that they want to watch a hundred more episodes of the show. Blending moral philosophy with comedy, The Good Place is a fun hang-out show set in the afterlife that asks some big questions about what it means to be good. 

It follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an incredibly imperfect woman from Arizona who wakes up in ‘The Good Place’ and realizes that there’s been a cosmic mixup. Determined not to lose her place in paradise, she recruits her “soulmate,” a former ethics professor, to teach her philosophy with the hope that she can learn to be a good person and keep up her charade of being an upstanding citizen. The pilot does a superb job of setting up the stakes, the story, and the characters, while smuggling in deep philosophical ideas.

Personal essays

Our first foray into nonfiction on this list is the personal essay. As its name suggests, these stories are in some way autobiographical — concerned with the author’s life and experiences. But don’t be fooled by the realistic component. These essays can take any shape or form, from comics to diary entries to recipes and anything else you can imagine. Typically zeroing in on a single issue, they allow you to explore your life and prove that the personal can be universal.

Here are a couple of fantastic examples:

“On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years” by Min Jin Lee (Literary Hub)

There was so much to learn and practice, but I began to see the prose in verse and the verse in prose. Patterns surfaced in poems, stories, and plays. There was music in sentences and paragraphs. I could hear the silences in a sentence. All this schooling was like getting x-ray vision and animal-like hearing. 

This deeply honest personal essay by Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is an account of her eleven-year struggle to publish her first novel . Like all good writing, it is intensely focused on personal emotional details. While grounded in the specifics of the author's personal journey, it embodies an experience that is absolutely universal: that of difficulty and adversity met by eventual success. 

“A Cyclist on the English Landscape” by Roff Smith (New York Times)

These images, though, aren’t meant to be about me. They’re meant to represent a cyclist on the landscape, anybody — you, perhaps. 

Roff Smith’s gorgeous photo essay for the NYT is a testament to the power of creatively combining visuals with text. Here, photographs of Smith atop a bike are far from simply ornamental. They’re integral to the ruminative mood of the essay, as essential as the writing. Though Smith places his work at the crosscurrents of various aesthetic influences (such as the painter Edward Hopper), what stands out the most in this taciturn, thoughtful piece of writing is his use of the second person to address the reader directly. Suddenly, the writer steps out of the body of the essay and makes eye contact with the reader. The reader is now part of the story as a second character, finally entering the picture.

Short Fiction

The short story is the happy medium of fiction writing. These bite-sized narratives can be devoured in a single sitting and still leave you reeling. Sometimes viewed as a stepping stone to novel writing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Short story writing is an art all its own. The limited length means every word counts and there’s no better way to see that than with these two examples:

“An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa (Electric Literature)

At Starbucks, I remembered a reading Zhen had given, a reading organized by the program’s faculty. I had not wanted to go but did. In the bar, he read, "I wrote this in a Starbucks in Shanghai. On the bank of the Huangpu." It wasn’t an aside or introduction. It was two lines of the poem. I was in a Starbucks and I wasn’t writing any poems. I wasn’t writing anything. 

This short story is a delightfully metafictional tale about the struggles of being a writer in New York. From paying the bills to facing criticism in a writing workshop and envying more productive writers, Paul Dalla Rosa’s story is a clever satire of the tribulations involved in the writing profession, and all the contradictions embodied by systemic creativity (as famously laid out in Mark McGurl’s The Program Era ). What’s more, this story is an excellent example of something that often happens in creative writing: a writer casting light on the private thoughts or moments of doubt we don’t admit to or openly talk about. 

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner (Reedsy)

I tell him they’d been there a month at least, and he looks concerned. He has my tongue on a tissue paper and is gripping its sides with his pointer and thumb. My tongue has never spent much time outside of my mouth, and I imagine it as a walrus basking in the rays of the dental light. My walrus is not well. 

A winner of Reedsy’s weekly Prompts writing contest, ‘ Flowering Walrus ’ is a story that balances the trivial and the serious well. In the pauses between its excellent, natural dialogue , the story manages to scatter the fear and sadness of bad medical news, as the protagonist hides his worries from his wife and daughter. Rich in subtext, these silences grow and resonate with the readers.

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Perhaps the thing that first comes to mind when talking about creative writing, novels are a form of fiction that many people know and love but writers sometimes find intimidating. The good news is that novels are nothing but one word put after another, like any other piece of writing, but expanded and put into a flowing narrative. Piece of cake, right?

To get an idea of the format’s breadth of scope, take a look at these two (very different) satirical novels: 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality — all simply store workers. 

Keiko, a thirty-six-year-old convenience store employee, finds comfort and happiness in the strict, uneventful routine of the shop’s daily operations. A funny, satirical, but simultaneously unnerving examination of the social structures we take for granted, Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is deeply original and lingers with the reader long after they’ve put it down.

Erasure by Percival Everett

The hard, gritty truth of the matter is that I hardly ever think about race. Those times when I did think about it a lot I did so because of my guilt for not thinking about it.  

Erasure is a truly accomplished satire of the publishing industry’s tendency to essentialize African American authors and their writing. Everett’s protagonist is a writer whose work doesn’t fit with what publishers expect from him — work that describes the “African American experience” — so he writes a parody novel about life in the ghetto. The publishers go crazy for it and, to the protagonist’s horror, it becomes the next big thing. This sophisticated novel is both ironic and tender, leaving its readers with much food for thought.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is pretty broad: it applies to anything that does not claim to be fictional (although the rise of autofiction has definitely blurred the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction). It encompasses everything from personal essays and memoirs to humor writing, and they range in length from blog posts to full-length books. The defining characteristic of this massive genre is that it takes the world or the author’s experience and turns it into a narrative that a reader can follow along with.

Here, we want to focus on novel-length works that dig deep into their respective topics. While very different, these two examples truly show the breadth and depth of possibility of creative nonfiction:

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Men’s bodies litter my family history. The pain of the women they left behind pulls them from the beyond, makes them appear as ghosts. In death, they transcend the circumstances of this place that I love and hate all at once and become supernatural. 

Writer Jesmyn Ward recounts the deaths of five men from her rural Mississippi community in as many years. In her award-winning memoir , she delves into the lives of the friends and family she lost and tries to find some sense among the tragedy. Working backwards across five years, she questions why this had to happen over and over again, and slowly unveils the long history of racism and poverty that rules rural Black communities. Moving and emotionally raw, Men We Reaped is an indictment of a cruel system and the story of a woman's grief and rage as she tries to navigate it.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

He believed that wine could reshape someone’s life. That’s why he preferred buying bottles to splurging on sweaters. Sweaters were things. Bottles of wine, said Morgan, “are ways that my humanity will be changed.” 

In this work of immersive journalism , Bianca Bosker leaves behind her life as a tech journalist to explore the world of wine. Becoming a “cork dork” takes her everywhere from New York’s most refined restaurants to science labs while she learns what it takes to be a sommelier and a true wine obsessive. This funny and entertaining trip through the past and present of wine-making and tasting is sure to leave you better informed and wishing you, too, could leave your life behind for one devoted to wine. 

Illustrated Narratives (Comics, graphic novels)

Once relegated to the “funny pages”, the past forty years of comics history have proven it to be a serious medium. Comics have transformed from the early days of Jack Kirby’s superheroes into a medium where almost every genre is represented. Humorous one-shots in the Sunday papers stand alongside illustrated memoirs, horror, fantasy, and just about anything else you can imagine. This type of visual storytelling lets the writer and artist get creative with perspective, tone, and so much more. For two very different, though equally entertaining, examples, check these out:

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure." 

This beloved comic strip follows Calvin, a rambunctious six-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger/imaginary friend, Hobbes. They get into all kinds of hijinks at school and at home, and muse on the world in the way only a six-year-old and an anthropomorphic tiger can. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is, Calvin & Hobbes ’ popularity persists as much for its whimsy as its use of humor to comment on life, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between. 

From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell 

"I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell." 

Comics aren't just the realm of superheroes and one-joke strips, as Alan Moore proves in this serialized graphic novel released between 1989 and 1998. A meticulously researched alternative history of Victorian London’s Ripper killings, this macabre story pulls no punches. Fact and fiction blend into a world where the Royal Family is involved in a dark conspiracy and Freemasons lurk on the sidelines. It’s a surreal mad-cap adventure that’s unsettling in the best way possible. 

Video Games and RPGs

Probably the least expected entry on this list, we thought that video games and RPGs also deserved a mention — and some well-earned recognition for the intricate storytelling that goes into creating them. 

Essentially gamified adventure stories, without attention to plot, characters, and a narrative arc, these games would lose a lot of their charm, so let’s look at two examples where the creative writing really shines through: 

80 Days by inkle studios

"It was a triumph of invention over nature, and will almost certainly disappear into the dust once more in the next fifty years." 

Named Time Magazine ’s game of the year in 2014, this narrative adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. The player is cast as the novel’s narrator, Passpartout, and tasked with circumnavigating the globe in service of their employer, Phileas Fogg. Set in an alternate steampunk Victorian era, the game uses its globe-trotting to comment on the colonialist fantasies inherent in the original novel and its time period. On a storytelling level, the choose-your-own-adventure style means no two players’ journeys will be the same. This innovative approach to a classic novel shows the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, truly making the player part of the story. 

What Remains of Edith Finch by Giant Sparrow

"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes, and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is." 

This video game casts the player as 17-year-old Edith Finch. Returning to her family’s home on an island in the Pacific northwest, Edith explores the vast house and tries to figure out why she’s the only one of her family left alive. The story of each family member is revealed as you make your way through the house, slowly unpacking the tragic fate of the Finches. Eerie and immersive, this first-person exploration game uses the medium to tell a series of truly unique tales. 

Fun and breezy on the surface, humor is often recognized as one of the trickiest forms of creative writing. After all, while you can see the artistic value in a piece of prose that you don’t necessarily enjoy, if a joke isn’t funny, you could say that it’s objectively failed.

With that said, it’s far from an impossible task, and many have succeeded in bringing smiles to their readers’ faces through their writing. Here are two examples:

‘How You Hope Your Extended Family Will React When You Explain Your Job to Them’ by Mike Lacher (McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)

“Is it true you don’t have desks?” your grandmother will ask. You will nod again and crack open a can of Country Time Lemonade. “My stars,” she will say, “it must be so wonderful to not have a traditional office and instead share a bistro-esque coworking space.” 

Satire and parody make up a whole subgenre of creative writing, and websites like McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion consistently hit the mark with their parodies of magazine publishing and news media. This particular example finds humor in the divide between traditional family expectations and contemporary, ‘trendy’ work cultures. Playing on the inherent silliness of today’s tech-forward middle-class jobs, this witty piece imagines a scenario where the writer’s family fully understands what they do — and are enthralled to hear more. “‘Now is it true,’ your uncle will whisper, ‘that you’ve got a potential investment from one of the founders of I Can Haz Cheezburger?’”

‘Not a Foodie’ by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Electric Literature)

I’m not a foodie, I never have been, and I know, in my heart, I never will be. 

Highlighting what she sees as an unbearable social obsession with food , in this comic Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell takes a hilarious stand against the importance of food. From the writer’s courageous thesis (“I think there are more exciting things to talk about, and focus on in life, than what’s for dinner”) to the amusing appearance of family members and the narrator’s partner, ‘Not a Foodie’ demonstrates that even a seemingly mundane pet peeve can be approached creatively — and even reveal something profound about life.

We hope this list inspires you with your own writing. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be that there is no limit to what you can write about or how you can write about it. 

In the next part of this guide, we'll drill down into the fascinating world of creative nonfiction.

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How to Start Content Writing (For Beginners)

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: September 26, 2021  - Last updated: December 6, 2021

Categories Writing

Are you ready to make content writing your full-time job? To become a professional writer? If so, there are a few steps that will help you succeed. Whether it’s your first time writing content or you want to take your skills to the next level. This article is an insider guide on how to start content writing and become a successful content writer.

What Is Content Writing

Content writing is a profession that requires certain skills. Not just writing skill!

Content writers must be able to research various topics and perhaps even interview several people on a topic to find out the most important points.

Even before they start outlining, drafting, and writing.

If you’re running your own website, you may also need to learn SEO (search engine optimization), topic research, and on-page optimization. Plus some WordPress skills!

Content writing is a fundamental part of digital marketing, therefore acquiring the skill can help foster a career in marketing.

You don’t learn these things overnight! Becoming a web content writer is hard work, but very rewarding!

Types of Content Writing

There are many different types of content writing, such as:

• writing content for websites
• writing content for newspapers and magazines
• writing content for online marketing
• writing content for public relations (PR)
• SEO writing

There are many different subjects that a good content writer could write about.

For example, it could be recipes or travel guides. Or spirituality and philosophy.

Often, though, content writers tend to specialize in areas in which either they have prior experience or ones in which they develop expertise over time.

Writing SEO articles is a special type of content writing because SEO content writers need to know how keywords work so that the articles can be optimized for the search engines.

Examples of Good Content

It’s a good idea to look at excellent examples of website content online first.

For example, you could search Google for successful content writers and then find their work on various websites. That way, you can look at some of the different types of content writing and content marketing, as well as examples of the best content that’s been written.

The Working Time of a Content Writer

Content writers spend their time in different ways.

They may spend time researching a particular topic, interviewing different people to gather information, and then writing the content when they feel they’ve enough information.

Online research plays a huge role.

The content writer can then spend time editing and rewriting the material to make sure it’s as good as it can be.

Creativity and Content Writing

Although content writing is largely about formulating a topic, researching, and creating outlines to structure the content, there’s also a considerable creative component to this work.

While it’s possible to dig into the more technical aspects of content writing, such as research and editing, the content writer must also develop creative ideas and present them clearly and concisely.

A content writer can even be tasked with presenting a new perspective on a topic, showing how it works and how it can be better understood and used.

You also need to be able to write creatively to develop a story or something that’s compelling.

In content writing, you need to be able to look at a topic from a different perspective. The job of a content writer is to put themselves in the reader’s perspective and ask, “What if it were such and such?” This can be a difficult skill to learn, but a content writer must’ve some creative ability to be successful.

Content writing is a profession that depends on putting one’s thoughts and ideas into words in a way that the reader can understand. In this way, content writing can’t only be a lot of fun, but also a good income for those who do it well.

Content Strategy vs Content Writing

Content strategy is the art and craft of planning, organizing and publishing content. Thus, it encompasses both content creation and content marketing.

Content strategies are developed for different purposes. Some content strategies are created to help websites rank better in search engines. This is to attract more customers. Other content strategies aim to attract customers by engaging with them through content. This type of content strategy aims more to involve customers in the content creation process so that they’re engaged with the company.

It’s not limited to websites or social media marketing but is also an important part of advertising.

Content strategy is about understanding what you want your content to achieve and how you can use it to achieve it.

Content writing is part of content strategy.

Effective Content Writing

It’s important to write content in a way that’s effective.

This means that your copy needs to be written in a way that serves the purpose of the content.

For example, if you’re writing an article on your website to help readers in the kitchen, you need to make sure that you focus on teaching them how to make and use things in the kitchen!

When you’re writing about kitchens, you don’t want to write about something that the reader may not have wanted to know about. If you focus, your readers will be more likely to stay on your website to read more articles.

You need to learn to write clearly so that your readers understand what you’re writing about.

You also need to make sure that you use the right writing style for your audience so that they understand what you’re trying to say, and resonate with the content.

If you don’t make your content focused and clear, your audience won’t enjoy reading it and won’t learn anything.

Freelance Writing Niches

As a rule, it’s a good idea to specialize in niches as a freelance content writer. This means that you specialize in areas where you know your stuff or have a lot of experience to share.

By sharing this knowledge, you help others learn more about the things that interest them.

When you have clear niches, it’s usually easy to get more work. People see that you’re an expert in your field and hire you because they assume you know what you’re talking about.

They also find you more easily online, where they can consult your resume, work samples, and other information.

Having niches also makes writing articles much easier and faster!

Remember that certain niches pay more money for content writers than others. For example, writing SEO articles, medical newsletters, or articles for the legal industry, provided you have the necessary qualifications and expertise.

Writing Mindset

It’s a good idea to cultivate a consistent and helpful mindset as a writer.

This is important because it allows you to approach writing assignments with a certain amount of composure.

Writing daily is a helpful way to approach things. This allows the writer to write something every day, even if it’s just a few sentences, and then edit and rewrite it. It helps the writer develop his/her content writing skill.

A good attitude is also important.

No matter what your experience as a writer, it’s important to remember that no one is perfect and that you can always learn.

If you don’t have any experience as a writer, don’t worry. No one knows everything about writing when they start out. Most experienced writers will tell you that they’re still learning something new every day.

If you want to write for a living, you need to realize that writing is a business, and it’s important to approach the work with the right attitude. That doesn’t mean all work and no play!

If you’re working, you’ll probably be sitting at the computer for hours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.

Learning to write can be an exciting adventure. It’s fun to see your first articles published, whether it’s on a blog or in an online magazine.

Even if you’ve been writing for a while, it’s fun to see your earnings grow. It’s not easy to get money and work. So when you’re successful, you’ve to appreciate it. That’s part of the business of being a writer.

The benefits of writing every day include the following:

• You can work on a regular schedule, so you can plan your life around your writing.
• You can write a specific workload every day.
• You’ll have a regular number of articles with which to build a portfolio.
• You’ll have a regular number of articles that you can submit to online magazines and other publications. This will help you build a good reputation.

Know What to Write

When you set out to write a text, it’s important that you know what you want to write. In this respect, content writing is very different from writing fiction, for example.

When you’re writing content, you need to know what your message is and how you want to present it.

So before you start writing, you need to do some research and ask yourself some questions.

• What’s the topic?
• How will you approach the topic?
• How will you structure the article?
• Where will you publish the article?
• How exactly do you want to be in the article?
• How will you format the article?

These questions and the decisions you make will help you write high-quality content.

Stick to the Point

You may be tempted to write about something other than the subject of a particular article or content job, but you need to learn to focus on your message and stay on point.

This is a crucial part of being a content writer. You need to find a way to stay focused on the topic you’ve been assigned, and you also need to keep your audience engaged.

You need to keep your content clear and concise. Only talk about what’s relevant to the article!

The best way to do this is to figure out the main topic of the article and use it as a guide throughout the writing process.

• Focus on the main topic of the article.
• What do you want to achieve with the article?
• What’s the main argument of the article?
• What’s the main reason someone wants to read the article (the “search intent”)?

This is easier if you have a clear topic and audience.

If you know what you want to say and who you’re addressing, you can approach the topic from different angles, but you’ll still be able to get to the heart of your text.

Provide Value

Writing valuable content means that

a) the text is valuable to the audience, and b) it’s useful to the company for whom you are writing (which might be your own).

Content writing is a valuable business, and if you learn how to create valuable content, you’ll be able to make a good income from it.

When you think about what you’re sharing with your audience, make sure you’re giving them the information they can use.

For example, if you’re writing about how to bake the perfect apple pie, make sure you provide information about what ingredients are needed, how to mix them together, how to bake the pie, etc.

You need to make sure that your readers can use the information you give them. You’re not doing anyone a favor by giving them the information they can’t use!

Don’t Choose Random Topics

You might think that a website content writer will sit down and pick a topic out of a hat. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Each topic is chosen with a clear goal in mind.

Whether it’s to get more organic search traffic to a website, with SEO writing to get backlinks that improve SEO rankings, to generate leads for a company’s products or services, to promote a company’s products or services, or to drive traffic to a company’s landing page.

It can also be about increasing leads for a business, establishing a new brand name, making people aware of the brand, or selling a product.

It can also be about getting people to sign up for a mailing list or download a free eBook.

You get the point. Each topic is chosen with a specific goal in mind.

It’s important to be aware of this because it’ll help you write more effectively.

Pay Attention to Keywords

Even if as a writer you get an assignment where the keyword research is already done for you, it’s still important to think about the keywords when writing a content piece.

If you don’t include the keywords in the article, the article isn’t technically optimized for the keyword and someone searching for that keyword may not find the article even if your article is the best answer to their question.

Keywords help you structure your article and focus on the main topic.

For example, if you’re writing an article about how to make a perfect organic smoothie, you will need to know what’re the most important keywords for this article.

Don’t Keyword Stuff

You need to avoid the so-called ‘keyword stuffing’ in your work.

Keyword stuffing is when you don’t focus on the topic of the content piece, but try to pack in as many keywords as possible.

Content writing is all about creating the best content possible. If you try to cram keywords into an article without structuring it thematically, you’re doing yourself (and your client and readers) a disservice.

You should only use keywords when they naturally fit the topic. For example, if you’re writing about organic smoothies, make sure you use words like “organic” and “smoothie.”

Match Search Intent

The best way to meet search intent is to really understand what the person searching for the keyword is trying to find. Think about how and why they searched for the keyword.

In other words:

• Why are they searching for the keyword?
• What do they want to accomplish with the information?
• What’ll they do with the information after they read it?

Your goal as a content creator should be to provide the most comprehensive and helpful answer to the search query.

Get to the Point

As a rule, it’s a good idea to avoid long, wordy introductions.

Get straight to the point.

The same advice applies to paragraphs. Keep them short and to the point.

Because your main goal is to give your audience the information they’re looking for, and you don’t want to tell them over much. Whether they match a buyer persona or are simply looking for information.

Your job is to get right to the heart of the matter.

Write only the words that are necessary to get your message across!

Sometimes it can be a really good idea to tell a story in an article.

However, if you do this, you should make sure that you tell the story in a way that serves the purpose you want to achieve.

For example, if you’re writing about the organic smoothie mentioned above, you could also tell a story about how you learned about the health benefits of smoothies.

Efficient Research

Efficient research is at the heart of any good writing. You need to find a way to research in such a way that you don’t get bogged down in details.

Avoid rabbit holes!

Remember, you only have a limited amount of time to write your content, so you need to be able to research quickly and effectively.

The best way to do this is to use a combination of online and offline tools.

• Start with free sources like Wikipedia. Find the best sources of information on the topic.
• Use crowdsourcing websites like Quora to ask experts about the topic.
• Use Google to refine your search for information.
• Use tools like Answer the Public to find out what questions people are really asking.
• Tools like SEMRush can help you find out what keywords people are searching for.

Don’t ignore personal experience and experiments.

Let’s say you’re writing about boomerangs and you want to know how to throw them most effectively and efficiently.

The best way to do your research might be to start throwing boomerangs yourself!

In other words, go out and buy a boomerang and use it for several weeks.

This way you’ll get a good understanding of how the boomerang moves through the air and what’s an effective and what’s an ineffective boomerang throw.

You can develop a much better understanding of what you want to write about, and some fun stories, that will make it much easier to write a quality article.

Avoid Plagiarism

It’s critical to be clear about what plagiarism is.

Plagiarism is when you copy another person’s work and pass it off as your own.

When writing content for clients, you need to make sure that you never plagiarize someone else’s work or ideas.

Back up your work with your own research and opinion.

If you take the example above – the boomerang – you could simply copy and paste the information you find on the Internet about boomerangs into your content.

That would be plagiarism.

It’s important that you build on your research, expand it, and improve it. Never simply copy and paste information from other sources.

Cite your sources properly. Either with direct links in the body text or with a list of sources.

If you use a quote from a book or article, put it in quotation marks.

Understand Fair Use

Fair use means that you use copyrighted material without the author’s permission, but only for a limited and “reasonable” purpose, and that you use only as much of the copyrighted material as is necessary for your purpose, and that you credit the source of the material.

You use a copyrighted work for a limited and “transformative” purpose.

The copyright owner can still sue you if you use content without permission, but if you use it according to the rules of fair use, you aren’t technically in violation of copyright.

Mastering Opening Lines

Opening lines are very important when writing content. Whether it’s the beginning of a text or the beginning of a story, the opening is what draws your audience in.

It’s your way of grabbing the reader’s attention and enticing them to read the whole story.

Opening lines can pique the curiosity and interest of your readers and/or customers.

You make them wonder, “What’s going on here? I want to find out.”

That’s why you should avoid clunky, boring, and tedious opening sentences.

Remember that you want your text to grab the attention of your target audience and captivate them.

For example, if you’re writing a testimonial, you could start with a bold statement like “This product has changed my life”.

You can start with a question or a statistic or fact.

The most important thing is that you grab the reader’s attention. The first words – together with its headline – are the most important part of your article.

You can write captivating content, but if you don’t manage to grab the reader’s attention with the first line, they won’t read to the end of the first paragraph.

Imagine writing an article about how to throw a boomerang.

You could write:

“The best way to throw a boomerang isn’t to throw the boomerang.”

This is a snappy, creative, and interesting opening line. You can use it to grab the reader’s attention and get them excited about the article.

Get Great at Outlining

The more content you write, the better you’ll get at creating an outline quickly.

You’ll reach a point where you’re able to write a full article in a few minutes.

That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to write a great article in a few minutes, but you’ll be able to formulate the outline of an article in a few minutes.

It means that you’ll know all the important points of the article and you’ll be able to write those points down quickly.

The reason why you should write your outline quickly is that you want to make sure that you get to the heart of your ideas and concepts quickly.

In my opinion, there’s nothing better than mind mapping to quickly and easily outline your ideas and concepts and then flesh them out into a full text.

The advantage of a mind map is that you can easily see how all the ideas and concepts relate to each other.

This way you can make sure you cover all the areas and provide the most benefit to your readers.

You should always write the title in the middle of the mind map. Then you should write down the most important points and arrange them around the title.

Once I’ve outlined and restructured the article in the mind map, I export it as markdown and take it into my favorite text editor. With markdown, all the branches and sub-branches of the mind map appear as headings in the text.

Write…a LOT

When you start writing content, guess what? You actually have to write!

A lot of it.

I’d recommend at least a thousand words a day, but that’s only for beginners. If you’re a veteran, I’d recommend at least two thousand words a day.

Part of that’s making a schedule for yourself and committing to putting in the hours.

Personally, I write at least 4,000 words a day. It’s a discipline.

The more you write, the better you get.

It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun.

But it’s necessary.

You’ll get better.

You’ll become faster.

You’ll get better at developing ideas.

You’ll get better at organizing your ideas.

You’ll get better at writing.

You’ll get better at writing complete content.

Over time, your skills will improve.

So don’t give up after one, two, or three posts.

Keep writing.

And keep improving.

Have a Writing Den

Having your own place to write will help you get ready to write. If you get up, go to a specific area, and start writing, it’ll be much more effective than if you write in the same area where you do all your other tasks.

When you get up and go to a specific area, you can concentrate better. It makes you more productive.

It makes you a better professional content writer.

You can create your own space in different ways. You could set up a home office. You could set aside a room in your house for that purpose. You could set up a special room in one part of your house.

The most important thing is that you create a space specifically for writing.

This will help you start writing, get in the writing mood, and get the most done.

Time Management and Tracking

Since I use a Mac, the wonderful Session app is very useful for keeping track of time and remembering to take breaks.

However, there are many ways to track how much time you spend writing and how much time you spend on each article or piece of content.

If you get your time management right, you can become more efficient.

I recommend the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break.

First, try to write for 25 minutes at a time and then take a break.

Then increase the time you write.

Then extend the break time.

Remember that writing is only part of the job. You usually need to allow time for other tasks as well, such as research, editing, and formatting.

Master a Variety of Writing Styles

If you’re freelancing, it’s helpful to develop different writing styles that fit the tone and style of the publication you’re working for.

This will also help you build an impressive writing portfolio.

For example, if you’re writing a business-related blog post, you’ll need to develop a slightly different writing style than if you’re writing an article for a lifestyle magazine.

Each of these publications has a different target market.

Therefore, the tone of the article will be different, as will the way the article is structured.

Freelance writers who work with a variety of publications and learn to develop a unique writing style for each publication are more valuable to a variety of clients.

In my blog, I use a light, modern, and sometimes humorous tone.

In some of my assignments, I use a formal, academic style.

On some other assignments, I use a playful style.

You shouldn’t use the same writing style for all your projects.

You should make sure you use the style that best suits your audience.

Compelling Content Using the Right Words

As you progress with content writing, you’ll start to acquire knowledge about copywriting.

Although content writing is different than copywriting, it can be helpful to incorporate a little copywriting into your content. This way, you’ll create more compelling writing.

For example, you could use a headline that’s identical to the headline of a direct response ad. Or you could use a call to action that would appear in a direct response ad. Or you could create a list that’s in the style of a direct response ad.

You don’t have to do any of that, but you can.

Don’t try to copy a direct response copywriter. Instead, learn from the best and use some of the techniques to create better content.

Get Good at Editing

The ability to quickly hack into a first draft to see the forest for the trees is really valuable.

In most cases, content is better when it’s a little shorter.

Aim to cut 15 to 20 percent of your first draft.

Remember, you shouldn’t edit the first draft while you’re still in the writing flow.

You should set it aside and come back with fresh eyes.

If you’re looking for a really good first revision solution, I recommend taking a look at Instatext . With the ability to correct an entire text with one click and choose the tone and region, it’s a really cool tool. One of the benefits is that it helps keep tone and style consistent.

At a later stage of editing, I use Grammarly Premium to make fine corrections (although I find that it’s often too tedious to make all the suggested changes – I reserve that for particularly valuable content).

Format Like Your Life Depended on It

If you publish your articles in WordPress (and I recommend using the built-in Gutenberg for this), make sure the article is easy to read for users reading it on a mobile device.

The best way to do this is to reduce the size of the window you’re working in to mimic the proportions of the mobile device in portrait mode.

Be Easy to Read

People don’t want to read difficult content. They want to read great content that they can understand quickly.

If you’re writing for the web, you need to make sure you’re able to write quality content in a way that’s accessible, but at the same time educates, informs, and entertains.

Hemingway App is a great tool to make sure you’re writing in a way that’s easy to understand. There’s a readability score based on Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.

I like this app because it provides a clear, clean, and quick assessment of a text’s readability.

The tool tells you if you’re using the passive voice, how many words are in each sentence, and how hard the text is to read.

Quotes Away

A great way to spice up your written content is to use relevant quotes.

Make sure you attribute the quote, of course!

Best tools for Content Writing

For a whole article on content writing tools, check out this article I wrote recently.

Finding Work and Money as a Content Writer

Maybe you want to make money writing content as a freelancer.

In that case, I’d advise you to find online publications in your niche, read them, see what they write about, and then approach those publications about publishing content you want to write for them.

Regardless of your level, you can always approach companies in your niche and offer your services.

You might find employment in a content writing company (or set up a content writing business yourself!), Watch out that it is not a content mill, that might wear you down and degrade your skills.

As a freelancer, start small, take on jobs you’re confident you can do, and build a client base.

There are certain marketplaces that have a good reputation, including WriterAccess, ProBlogger, and some of the gigs on Upwork.

The problem with some of these sites is that you can get lost in the crowd, and it can be difficult to get the attention of the companies you’d like to work with.

Still, you can find a freelance writing job on these sites , and they can help you earn an income.

If you can get copywriting jobs, they generally will pay more than content writing.

Have a Portfolio

One of the best ways to build a portfolio and get freelance writing jobs is to set up a blog and write regularly.

You can use your articles as writing samples. If you have a blog, people can see how well you write.

Remember that not all jobs are right for you, and not all clients are either. You have the absolute right to turn down a job if the client is too demanding or if you suspect that payment won’t be made on time or at all.

A quick Google check on potential employers can work wonders!

For your part, act like a professional. Deliver what you promise, build a reputation for quality work, and for quick revisions (within reason). Make sure you follow content guidelines and client instructions to the letter.

Have and Keep Goals

Keep SMART goals in mind when planning which assignments to accept and which to reject. SMART goals mean that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

When writing, it can be easy to get lost in the words and lose sight of the overall context of the business. This is another good reason to measure the time it takes you to write certain types of content.

Your goal should usually be to increase the number of words per hour.

Dictation can be a great way to achieve this, as can an AI writing assistant like Sudowrite (which I’m using to write this article!).

Keep reviewing your goals throughout your freelance writing career.

How do I get started writing content from home?

The best way to start writing content from home is to create and grow a blog and then do freelance work for online publications. You can also approach certain companies and ask if you can offer your services.

How can I start writing content with no experience?

If you don’t have experience, you can start writing content by writing for your own blog and then using that blog for assignments.

What’re the basics of content writing?

The most important thing when writing content is that the content is relevant to the target audience and that it can be found.

What’s SEO Content Writing?

SEO Content Writing is the art and craft of writing content so that it’s seen by search engines and ranks well in search engines.

What’s the format in content writing?

The format in writing content is to make it as readable, accessible, and exciting as possible. If you can do that, you’ll do well in content writing.

What are types of content writing?

Types of content writing include blog posts, web content, articles, reviews, e-books, magazines, white papers, videos, scripts, technical writing, digital content, and presentations.

What are content writing examples?

You can find good content writing examples at major publishers like Mashable, Forbes, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Inc, Business Insider. Pick a topic that interests you and read through some of the articles. Look at how they’re formatted, how they’re written, and what grabs your attention.

What are good Content Writing courses?

There are a number of good online courses to learn content writing. I’d be crazy not to mention my own: The Content Writing Course on Udemy.

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6 Different Types of Creative Content Writers Should Know Creative writing is content that has an emotional touch.

By Bhavik Sarkhedi Oct 10, 2021

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Content writing and creative writing are words that seem interchangeable and are often confused with each other. But these two functions are very distinct when you look into them in detail. So, what is creative content writing? Who are these expert and professional content writers? Why should a passionate content writer stick to this career? How much money can this career earn?

Creative writing is content that comes from the writer's expression of thoughts, opinions or ideas. Creative content is innovative and recreational. It can be anything academic, professional, journalistic or technical, but it all gives its readers a sense of entertainment.

The writing style is free-flowing, which keeps the reader engaged and gives the writer liberty to express emotions or paint a beautiful picture in the minds of the reader through creative words. Creative content writing gets used across blogs, magazines, newspapers, websites, novels, handbooks or newsfeeds.

Creatively written content carries several benefits, such as establishing a business, building awareness and sharing knowledge. It grabs the reader's attention, increases credibility and lingers in the mind of the reader for a more extended period.

Knowing what creative content writing is, let's look at the unique types of creative content that everyone should know.

1. Press release

A creatively written press release can gather valuable media attention and leave the option to shape the story by the company itself. It serves as a perk promotion tool as it can generate demand and interest, especially when you regularly optimize press releases. It is a great content marketing tool and can get a business some publicity.

Related: 8 Must-Have Skills for an Expert Content Marketer

2. Email writing

Nowadays, email marketing has become a massive part of a successful marketing plan for any business. It is considered a highly convenient form of communicating for businesses. It has a direct line of contact with the target audience. Email writing includes value-focused or sales emails, offer emails and lead generation emails.

3. Ads scriptwriting

The goal of an advertising script is to give a product or service the way to sell commercially. A good advertisement script can keep consumer attention, build brand recognition, and attract the audience towards the product or service advertised. When writing an advertising script, the words are fewer but its effect needs to be amplified. Employing a creative content writing team can get you an ideal advertising campaign within your budget and fulfill the need meeting of your target market.

Related: Every Content Marketer Should Use These 9 Tools

4. Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting sounds mysterious, but is simply writing content for another person without taking the credit. Say you want to create a new copy for a website — a ghostwriter may be hired to rewrite and upgrade the existing copy. There are numerous similar jobs, such as writing ad or business copy or supplying new or rewritten material for personal or professional use. Ghostwriters also get hired to write books. If the author of the book wants to share some credit with the ghostwriter, they can list the ghostwriter as the co-author or editor; otherwise, the book gets written by the ghostwriter for the author to take credit entirely. The ghostwriter is hired primarily to produce high-quality writing copy that reads professionally and creatively.

5. Video content

Video content is any content format that features or includes a form of video. The general form of video content seen today includes vlogs, animated GIFs, live videos, customer testimonials, recorded presentations and webinars. You can publish your creative content in the form of video on any suitable platform. Today, video has undoubtedly become one of the most powerful marketing tools.

6. Podcast script

A well-written script provides structure and direction for your podcast episode. Having an outline and a written direction for your show can help you utilize it for an ideal target audience. Podcast scripts help convey your marketing or content in the form of a message that sounds casual, creative and free-flowing.

In today's business realm, each company is constantly trying to up its game with unique and creative content marketing. Any campaign with no qualities of freshness or distinctiveness tends to get forgotten easily. Hence, content plays a crucial role in building a healthy and long-term rapport with your audience. So, to enhance your brand value, you need to pay close attention to how you convey your ideas to your customers.

Creative content covers a wide range of writing formats and styles. The primary purpose of creative content writing is to express your thoughts, ideas and uniqueness through literary tools. Maximizing your creative content to get your results optimized is the best marketing strategy to adopt today.

Related: Developing a Hardcore Social Media Content Strategy In 5 Steps

CEO of Write Right, Estorytellers, Taletel, Bloggism and Kalam Kagaz

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How to become an awesome content writer (beginner’s guide)

Discover key insights on content writing in the digital age, balancing AI innovation and human touch. Essential guide for those aspiring to professional writing.

Stella Estee Samantha

In 2023, content writers remain crucial in creating engaging content that builds audience relationships and drives revenue, standing out even amidst AI's content creation capabilities. Their unique human touch adds value that AI alone cannot replicate.

This role is especially important considering reading trends. A survey indicates that while the average person reads for only about 20 minutes daily, top articles are often lengthy, exceeding 5,700 words. This highlights the need for engaging, well-crafted content. In the digital age, where publications are key to attracting traffic and establishing business credibility, the skill of a content writer becomes indispensable in improving a brand’s image and standing out in the competitive digital marketplace.

How to become a content writer?

What is a content writer, what does a content writer do, what skills does a content writer need, how much money do content writers make, how to become a content writer with no experien, dive in learning, identify your niche, maximize online presence, build a portfolio, start pitching.

Being a content writer involves more than just decent writing skills. Content writers must have the ability to turn any piece of information into something digestible and engaging for audiences.

With AI tools, writers can enhance their efficiency in research, generate ideas, and even refine grammar and style. AI assists in creating drafts faster, allowing writers to focus more on adding unique insights and creativity.

Furthermore, a content writer is accountable for creating well-written copy for your blog, social media account, newsletter, whitepaper, e-book, or even brochure. Anything that involves the written word for marketing purposes is likely to fall into the realm of content writing. The role is a part of a marketing team, but is specifically in charge of coming up with creative and compelling stories for the audience.

A content writer’s goal is to get audiences to take a chance on a specific product by creating purpose and value around the product or brand. They are crucial in turning curious visitors into loyal customers by pushing out first-rate content. Oftentimes, the best outcome is to have search engines rank your content as among the top results when an internet user searches for a keyword.

In essence, content writers create, manage, and distribute content and ensure that this content is optimized for search engines in order to drive traffic to the site. Most importantly, a content writer must identify a customer's problem and resolve it with a solution.

Many say that there is no secret formula to be a great content writer. However, there are certain skill sets that will no doubt make you a valuable asset to any marketing team. If you can master these skills and apply them to your work, you will be ready to kick off your career as a content writer.

1. Hook readers from the very first sentence

The average person’s attention span is only eight seconds . If your potential audience sees something that doesn’t grab their immediate attention, your content will be pointless. That’s why it’s essential to create an eye-catching headline and a strong hook at the start of any content.

2. Apply guided brand tone and voice

Every brand has its own way of conveying a message to its audience. Some skew more casual and personal, whereas others have a house style that demands technicality and objectivity. A good content writer has to be able to adapt to any writing style. Furthermore, they must be able to transform data into different formats, while still matching the brand’s voice.

3. Pay attention to details

What if you read an article and found a typo? Right off the bat, you would feel that the credibility of the content has dipped at least slightly. Trust us, you do not want your audience to feel that way. Therefore, it’s crucial to proofread and polish any words or sentences that might sound vague or questionable, so as to present your company as a credible, legitimate one.

4. Understand search engine optimization (SEO)

In this internet era, much of how well your content performs is reliant on how well it performs in search engines. To get people to read your article, one of the best ways is to have it rank highly on the search engine. A basic understanding of SEO, WordPress, and coding languages will also help you to gain plus points from any recruiter.

5. Understanding AI in Writing

Content writers can also use free AI tools like ChatGPT. These tools assist in research, proofreading for tone, style, and grammar, and suggesting creative ideas. Using AI like ChatGPT is not only cost-effective but also enhances the quality of writing.

Mastering AI tools in writing can make a content writer's work stand out. It speeds up the writing process, ensuring quick delivery of high-quality content. This skill can differentiate a writer from others, making them more attractive to employers and clients.

6. Be creative

There are billions of articles on the internet, and many of them are just reproductions of other articles. Hence, a content writer must possess the skill to turn ordinary information into brand new interpretations that capture a reader’s attention and keep them engaged and interested. It takes a lot of creativity to create valuable content that stands out.

How to become a content writer with no experience?

For someone who has no experience, it is common to wonder, where to start. Luckily, nowadays, there are accessible resources to learn how to write professionally and earn a living.

Start with writing daily for at least one hour to build a habit. Take time to do research, craft a story, and proofread it. The more you practice, the more you learn, and your chances to get a paid assignment grow.

To get your foot in the door, you may enroll in one of the free courses and tutorials in Hubspot Academy , LinkedIn Learning , or Skillshare . They will make you familiar with content writing basics, and you will receive a certificate at the end.

Do you struggle with finding the right words? The good news is there are plenty of free writing tools that can help you create great copy, avoid errors, and work more productively. For instance, if you're looking for an alternative word or phrase, Thesaurus.com will offer you synonyms to choose from.

Checking grammar is crucial and tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT are great for this. Grammarly, available as a free browser extension or online editor, offers basic corrections. Its premium version gives advanced suggestions and checks for plagiarism.

ChatGPT can help with grammar and also refine style and tone. You can use prompts like 'Can you check this text for grammar errors?' or 'Please make this text sound more professional.' These tools ensure your writing is error-free and cater to a wide range of needs, suitable for writers of all levels.

Do you want to stand out from other writers? To do so, choose a niche and focus on it. For example, if your main topic is marketing, you should write about it as soon as possible. It will help you to stay up-to-date with trends and become an expert in your field.

You can start with any topic you are passionate about. But if you are in doubt, here is our overview of the best-paying freelance writing niches. You can also focus on specific content types, such as writing case studies, blog posts, or whitepapers.

Joining writer communities is another great way to dive into the writer's market and make connections. It can help you explore job opportunities, meet like-minded people to exchange experience, and grow as a professional. Keep your eyes open for opportunities that match your interests. It will make content writing truly exciting!

Once you have your area of expertise, it’s time to publish your work. It is easier than may seem at first glance. Platforms like Medium or LinkedIn are great starting points. They simplify the process by taking care of technical aspects, allowing you to focus solely on writing. Medium is an open platform for sharing on any topic, while LinkedIn lets you build an audience and connect with industry experts.

For those seeking more control, starting a self-hosted blog is a good strategy. It showcases your work and demonstrates your SEO skills by managing your site's visibility in search engines. However, this comes with the responsibility of handling technical issues.

Remember, whether on a self-hosted blog or platforms like Medium and LinkedIn, it's crucial to actively share your work. Write at least one article per week to maintain engagement with your audience. Your blog or online presence is not just a portfolio; it's a tool to market yourself as a writer and improve your visibility in Google searches for related keywords.

A strong portfolio is another ticket to getting paid gigs.

This portfolio may include articles, social media captions, and so on — anything that demonstrates how well you can create copy and content. An additional tip: most employers seek content writers who don’t just write well, but can also create compelling stories, so that their business is seen as a solution provider and not just a business.

Starting a career as a content writer creates many further opportunities. Within this career progression, you could become an editor, or work in a more specific field such as user experience (UX) as a UX writer, SEO content writer, or even a copywriter.

Once you are done with the training and building a portfolio, it’s time to look for assignments. Start with making a list of websites that may be potentially interested in a topic you cover. Contact the editor and pitch your idea, explaining why the audience would be interested.

Don’t worry if you don’t earn a fortune straight away. Focus on building connections and receiving positive reviews. If clients are happy with your work, they are likely to come back and recommend you to others. With time, you will decide on what rates are reasonable.

Guest posting on blogs and websites with an established audience is another way to get exposure and build trust with potential clients. Popular bloggers often do not have enough time to write posts regularly or look for fresh ideas. For a beginner, this is a chance to show your skills and learn from someone more experienced.

Content writers can earn enough income to make this profession their full-time work. According to Indeed , the average content writer in the US earns US$3,719.

There are largely four factors that influence a content writer’s earning: years of experience, industry expertise, language, and content output. Naturally, writers with extensive knowledge about a particular industry will be able to produce more insightful stories, and they’ll be able to command a higher price tag.

Producing content in English language to cater to the international audience would more likely fetch you better rates as well, as compared to serving the local audience with native language. When it comes to content output, you can check some of the high-paying rates here .

As this guide reveals, while pursuing content goals, it's crucial to focus on producing human-centric content. This approach not only fulfills objectives but also creates meaningful connections with the audience.

Remember, the essence of content writing lies in its ability to touch lives and engage readers on a personal level. Balancing strategic goals with the human element ensures your content remains relevant, impactful, and genuinely resonant.

ContentGrow is a freelance writer's secret weapon for landing vetted inbound clients. The platform matches each client with niche-appropriate writers at preferred rates. Sign up to get your invite and free portfolio here .

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10 Content Writing Tips To Help You Get the Most Impact Out of Every Word

Pretend you’re holding an orange. That humble fruit is full of delicious juice — and you have two choices for extracting it: You can either squish orange halves between your palms and hope for the best, or pass the fruit through a proper citrus juicer.

You’ll get the best results using the well-oiled machine, right?

Your content writing process isn’t so different. Your brain is full of great ideas, but letting them randomly leak out onto the page won’t give you stellar results. And it might be pretty tough to separate the messy seeds and pulp from the really good stuff.

Instead, you need a strategic content creation process that works to squeeze out every ounce of creative juice while filtering out any unnecessary pieces and keeping your efforts aligned with overarching goals.

We’re sharing a round-up of content writing tips to help you fine-tune your creative process. If you’re a content creator , consider this your recipe for freshly squeezed, pulp-free writing!

Table of Contents

• Always Keep Your Audience in Mind
• Organize Your Ideas Into an Outline
• Open With an Attention-Grabbing Intro
• Research, Research, Research
• Write in a Voice That’s Unique to Your Brand
• Make Your Content Skimmable
• Adapt Your Message Based on Content Type
• Get an Editor’s Eye on Your Writing
• Optimize Your Content for Search
• Close With a Compelling Call to Action

1. Always Keep Your Audience in Mind

If you want your content writing to resonate with your target audience, you need to put the needs, interests and desires of your audience first.

Creating audience profiles or buyer personas will help you hone in on who exactly you’re writing content for. Use existing customer data and analytics to understand who your audience is.

Once you have an understanding of your audience, take some time before you write to dig into their most pressing questions or pain points.

Instead of approaching a topic from your own perspective, look at it through your audience’s eyes. What do they want to know? What do they need help with? This way of thinking can guide you to create a resource that they’ll get a lot of value from.

2. Organize Your Ideas Into an Outline

Think outlining will slow your roll? Think again.

The best digital content is well-organized — and if Marie Kondo was a content marketer, she’d recommend outlining as the best way to tidy up disjointed ideas.

Here’s a quick five-step guide to outlining a content writing project:

• Brainstorm: Jot down all of your ideas, research findings and subtopics related to your main topic.
• Categorize: Group these ideas and notes together by relevance.
• Name: Give each group of ideas a working header.
• Organize: Arrange these groups in a logical order.
• Edit: Set aside any outliers or unrelated insights for a future project.

By the end, your outline will have a clear sequence of ideas, which will ultimately be bookended by a solid introduction and conclusion.

Those working headers will become the subheads in your blog post or the page titles in your white paper. A piece of long-form content — like a pillar page , eBook or this blog post! — will typically include a table of contents with the subheads to show readers what’s up ahead.

3. Open With an Attention-Grabbing Intro

As soon as you started reading this blog, you might have thought, “Pretend you’re holding an orange?” What on earth does that have to do with content writing?

Well, if you love puns as much as I do, you might have sensed a “creative juices” metaphor coming along. (Low-hanging fruit, I know… )

But, if you’ve made it this far, that odd opening line hooked your attention enough for you to keep reading.

An eye-catching intro that encourages web visitors to stick around can increase time-on-page social engagement. This, in turn, helps boost your content’s ranking and performance. Plus, viewers can get more value out of your content marketing assets the more time they spend consuming them — helping build your reputation as a trusted industry authority.

Whether you’re working on social media captions, web content writing or a long-form downloadable resource, try:

• Creating a snappy headline that gives a preview of what’s to come.
• Opening with an anecdote or metaphor that sets the stage for your topic.
• Establishing a sense of urgency or giving the reader FOMO to show that they need to hear your message.
• Starting with a rhetorical question that makes the reader reflect and read on to find the answer.
• Presenting a compelling data point to catch the reader’s attention and hint at future insights they won’t want to miss.

Whatever you do, avoid long, meandering sentences. These are usually packed with too much information for your audience to digest. Also, steer clear of platitudes and generalizations that make your content seem like a snooze-fest.

The more unique and specific your intro, the better. Your objective is to give your audience a reason to care and keep reading.

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4. Research, Research, Research

We want to let you in on a little secret here: You don’t need to be a capital-E Expert to write great content about a topic. In fact, you can come up with a really strong and informative piece of content without knowing the first thing about the subject!

The key is to conduct sufficient research first. Before you start writing, look at:

• The basics: Collect general information on your topic from authoritative sources, to educate yourself and spark some ideas.
• Keywords: Use related keywords with the appropriate search volume, difficulty level and search intent that you can target with your content writing.
• Data points: Gather facts and statistics from authoritative sources to back up the points you plan to make in your writing.
• The competition: Look at top-ranking pieces of content for those keywords, to see what competitors are saying. This should give you an idea of what your audience is looking for, and how you can differentiate with a more comprehensive piece of content.

5. Write in a Voice That’s Unique to Your Brand

To make sure your content stands out from the crowd but fits in with the rest of your marketing, embrace your brand voice when you write.

One business might opt for a formal, polished voice because it speaks to its audience about high-stakes subjects. Another organization might write in a conversational tone because it’s on a mission to reach and connect with individuals. Wit and humor may be hallmarks of one brand, while an educational tone distinguishes another.

Wherever yours fits in, get to know your brand voice and amplify it in every new piece of content you write.

6. Make Your Content Skimmable

Your readers are pressed for time — and savvy enough to know they don’t need to read a piece of content word-for-word in order to get something out of it.

By making your writing easy to skim, you can deliver value even to readers who spend just a few seconds looking over the content. If something catches an audience member’s eye, they can take a closer look at that section and read it in more detail.

Here are some content writing tips for creating skimmable, successful content marketing assets people will actually enjoy reading:

• Outlining: As we noted earlier, building your content from an outline ensures a logical and skimmable flow of ideas.
• Short paragraphs: Split up long blocks of text with line breaks.
• Subheads: Begin each new idea or topic with a clear subheading.
• Lists: Organize ideas into lists, using bullets or a listicle format. (This blog post does both!)
• Bolded text: Put the most significant words in bold at the start of a bulleted list item or mid-sentence.
• Design elements: Draw attention to key points like important facts and quotes by incorporating them into graphic design elements.

Use this as a rule of thumb: If someone only reads the headers and bolded text, they should understand the main thrust of your message and still come away with some useful takeaways.

7. Adapt Your Message Based on Content Type

A strong content marketing strategy will include a variety of content types that each serve different purposes. What works for one type of asset won’t have as strong an impact for another.

Here’s an example of how you might change your angle based on where different assets fit into your overarching strategy:

• Blog posts: Light, helpful and highly focused resources for top-of-funnel traffic.
• eBooks: Detailed overviews of key topics for middle-of-funnel web visitors.
• White papers: Informative and data-rich assets for bottom-of-funnel readers.
• Emails : Conversational and compelling messages for bottom-of-funnel audiences.
• Social media posts: Engaging, bite-sized insights for prospective and current customers.

Although you’ll be adapting your approach, remember to maintain a consistent brand voice across all of your writing. As audience members move through the sales funnel and encounter varying types of content, everything will feel connected and on-brand, even though the messages are tailored differently.

8. Get an Editor’s Eye on Your Writing

After you’re through writing the first draft of a piece of content, you do not want the next person to read it to be someone in your target audience. Instead, you need someone else to look over the copy before it goes out into the world.

Team up with an editor or fellow content creator who can give your writing a once-over. They can catch any typos, run-on sentences or factual errors.

In addition, your editor can provide initial feedback on the flow of ideas and how you’re presenting your key points. If they’re left with some confusion or lingering questions after reading your content, chances are, your target audience will be too. Make an effort to clear up those issues when you move on to the revisions.

They say two heads are better than one — and there’s no doubt about it in editing. Consider this step a collaborative process that makes your content writing stronger.

9. Optimize Your Content for Search

There’s no point in putting so much time and effort into your writing if your ideal reader will never be able to find it. If you’re producing landing page copy, blog posts or any other type of content that could turn up in search results, ensure your writing is search engine friendly.

Writing SEO content starts with researching and selecting the right keywords. Factors to evaluate include:

• Relevance: The keyword should be related to your brand and the topics you want to write about.
• Search intent: If web users have informational intent, they’re looking to gather information — and a blog post could be the right fit. But if they have commercial intent, they’re looking for products, solutions or services — so they’re more likely to visit a landing page.
• Keyword difficulty and search volume: These indicate whether certain keywords are within reach. Avoid choosing highly competitive keywords you may never rank for.

When it’s time to write, your SEO content writing should be comprehensive, offering an in-depth overview of the subject. Aim to provide the best possible result for your chosen keyword (i.e., the user’s search query). Address a range of questions and sub-topics that align with the searcher’s intent, but keep the content as focused and specific as possible.

10. Close With a Compelling Call to Action

Your reader reaches the end of your written content. Okay, what next?

Do you want them to wander over to a competitor’s site to find some other perspectives or solutions? Probably not.

If a piece of content marketing doesn’t give your audience an idea of where to go next, it’s not doing its job. While you might mention your products or services throughout the resource, the conclusion is where you really want to insert a final call-to-action (CTA).

Depending on the type of content and your goals for it, your CTA can prompt any of these actions:

• Learn more: Tell the reader where they can go for more information on the subject.
• Contact: Point the visitor to your contact page so they can reach out directly to you.
• Like, follow, share: Invite your audience to engage with the resource or social media post.
• Get a free XYZ: Suggest that the reader take advantage of a complimentary resource like a free custom quote, downloadable eBook or webinar invite.
• Consider a related product or service: Wrap up by describing the solution you offer that could meet your reader’s needs.

If we were closing out with a CTA, we might point out that we offer an array of content writing services to B2B and B2C businesses. The content writing tip you’ll probably get the highest ROI from is to partner with a team of content creation experts who can do the heavy lifting for you.

But if you’re on a roll and ready to keep leveling up your own writing? Subscribe to our newsletter for a steady stream of impactful insights and weekly inspo, from our content marketing fam to yours.

Jessica Barker

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Jessica Barker is a Chicago-based content writer and Director of Editorial at Brafton. When she's not mixing work and wordplay, you'll find her curled up with a cat and a cuppa, dreaming up her next creative project.

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Different Types of Creative Content Writing in 2022

Table of Contents 

• What is Creative Writing?

5 Types of Creative Content Writing

How to choose creative content writing type that works for you, tips for effective and engaging creative content, examples of successful creative content strategies.

Creative content writing focuses on creating original, compelling, and exciting content. It can be used for various purposes, such as promoting a product or service, generating leads, or simply entertaining and engaging an audience.

Businesses need creative web content writing because it is an effective way to reach and connect with their target audience. It can also help companies stand out from the competition and build a solid online presence.

What is Creative Content Writing?

Creative content writing is the process of putting words and ideas together to be both engaging and effective. It can be used for various purposes, such as marketing, advertising, or even communicating with others.

There are many different types of creative content writing, but all share common elements of creativity and engagement. It can be a challenge to create effective and engaging content, but with some tips and practice, you can master this skill.

Successful creative content strategies can be very effective in reaching your target audience. By understanding the different types of creative content writing and using the right one for your needs, you can create powerful and engaging content that will resonate with your audience.

1. Advertising copywriting

Advertising copywriting creates persuasive, attention-grabbing headlines and body copy to promote a product, service, or brand. The goal is to get people to take action, such as clicking on a link, buying a product, or signing up for a service.

2. Blog writing

Blog writing is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas. A blog can promote a business or product. Still, it can also be a unique platform to share your views on current affairs, lifestyle topics, or anything else you’re passionate about.

3. Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting is when you write something that is not your original work. This can be for various reasons, such as writing a book or article on behalf of someone else or creating content for a website or blog.

4. Journalism

Journalism is the practice of reporting news and current events. Journalists gather information from various sources, conduct interviews, and write articles based on their findings. They must ensure that all information is accurate and unbiased before publishing it.

5. Technical writing

Technical writing is a specialized form of writing used to communicate complex information clearly and concisely. It is often used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Technical writers must have a detailed understanding of the topic they are writing about and explain it easily for others to understand.

1. Consider your purpose

Before you start writing, take some time to think about what you want to achieve with your content. What is your goal? Are you trying to sell a product or service? Inform people about a topic? Entertain readers? Once you know what you want to achieve, you can choose the type of creative content writing that will best help you reach your goals.

2. Know your audience

It’s also important to consider your audience when choosing a type of creative content writing. What are their interests? What do they want to know more about? What type of tone do you think will be most engaging for them? Tailor your content to your audience, and you will be more successful in reaching them.

3. Choose the right medium

Not all types of creative content writing are suitable for every medium. For example, a blog is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world, but it would not be ideal for writing an advertising campaign.

Likewise, an advertising campaign would not be very effective as a blog post. Think about the medium you are using and choose the type of creative content writing best suited to it.

4. Use your creativity

When it comes to creative content writing, the sky is the limit. Be creative and think outside the box. Try to develop new and exciting ways to present your information to engage your audience.

1. Be original

When it comes to creative content writing, originality is key. If you can find a new and interesting way to present your information, you will capture your audience’s attention and keep them engaged.

2. Use visuals

Visuals are a great way to add interest and engagement to your content. Infographics, videos, images, and charts can help break up the text and make it more visually appealing.

3. Keep it concise

Creative content writing does not need to be wordy or overly complex. It’s often more practical to keep it concise and to the point. Be clear and direct in your writing, and you will engage your readers more effectively.

4. Make it interactive

Interactive content is more engaging than static content. If you can find ways to make your content interactive, such as through quizzes or polls, you will capture your audience’s attention and keep them coming back for more.

5. Tell a story

People love stories, so if you can find a way to tell a story with your creative content, you will be sure to engage your readers. Stories are a great way to convey information interestingly and engagingly.

Below are some famous examples of brands that absolutely nailed their creative content strategies.

1. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is a great example of successful creative content marketing. The campaign involved printing the names of popular people, places, and things on their bottles of Coke. This gave customers a personal connection to the product and encouraged them to share it with others.

2. GoPro’s video strategy

GoPro is another company that uses creative content marketing effectively. They produce amazing videos that show off the capabilities of their products in exciting and unique ways. This helps to engage potential customers and encourage them to buy their products.

3. Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign

Old Spice’s “The Man, Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign is a great example of successful creative content advertising. The humorous ads were highly effective in engaging potential customers and increasing Old Spice products’ sales.

4. Red Bull’s content strategy

Red Bull is well-known for its amazing content marketing strategy. They produce videos, articles, and even music to promote their brand. This helps engage potential customers and create a strong connection with the Red Bull brand.

5. Apple’s “Think Different” campaign

Apple’s “Think Different” campaign is a perfect example of successful creative content marketing. The ads featured powerful and inspiring quotes from famous people, which helped to differentiate Apple from its competitors. This campaign was highly influential in engaging potential customers and increasing Apple products’ sales.

If you want your creative content writing to be successful, use these five tips: be original, use visuals, keep it concise, make it interactive, and tell a story. There’s a lot of room to explore your creativity with this writing style, so make the most of it.

There are many types of content writing, but some of the most common are: – Press Releases – Blog Posts – Website Copy – Sales Letters/Emails – Product Descriptions – Social Media Posts – Articles for Publication – Speeches – Podcasts – Videos

Creative writing is a form of writing that imaginatively expresses ideas and thoughts. It can tell stories, create characters, or express feelings. There are many different types of creative writing, including poetry, short stories, and novels. Creative writing can be used for many other purposes, such as entertaining or educating readers.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best type of content for social media will vary depending on your specific audience and goals. However, some of the most popular types of content for social media include images, videos, infographics, and blogs.  If you’re unsure which kind of content will work best for you, try experimenting with a few different formats and see which ones generate the most engagement from your audience.

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Content Writing 101 | A Beginner’s Guide for Content Writer

Information flows very easily and the attention spans are getting really short in this revolutionary digital world which makes the ability to create content that grabs attention very valuable. But what is content writing and how can you master this skill to engage your audience and achieve the outcome that you desire? Here, we will discuss all the key aspects of content writing including types, skills required, and even career opportunities. So, let’s quickly get into the topic.

What is Content Writing and Who is a Content Writer?

Content writing is a skill that requires creating written information that is informative, interesting, and helpful to specific audiences in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Blog posts, articles, website copy, social media posts, and email newsletters are some of its examples.

The one who possesses the above skill is known as a content writer. A content writer is a professional who creates written material for a variety of purposes online. They’re like the storytellers, educators, and brand voices of the digital world.

Not only writing but they are involved in multiple things like 

• Proofreading and Editing the content piece, 
• Analyzing the performance of their published content, 
• Understanding the client’s requirements, managing the deadlines, and
• Taking care of SEO to rank their content.

Table of Content

Skills Required for Content Writing

Types of content.

• Types of Content Writers
• Creating Ideal Content
• How to be a Content Writer?

Final Thoughts

There are many types of content writers but all content writers need to inculcate the following basic skills to be excellent at their job.

1. Adaptability

The content writing world is constantly evolving, with new trends, platforms, and audience emerging preferences. Content writers should have the ability to adjust their style, voice, and approach to different formats, audiences, and platforms.

2. Grammar and Vocabulary

A solid grasp of grammar and vocabulary is non-negotiable because an understanding of sentence structure, tenses, punctuation, vocabulary, and other grammatical elements ensures that your writing is polished and professional.

3. Research Skills

Research is a content writer’s best friend as it enables a writer to gather information from various sources and present it in an organized and coherent manner adding depth and credibility to the writing. The writer should have an eye for credible sources while doing research. That makes their research skills stand out from the rest.

4. Creative Writing Skills

The foundation of content writing lies in the ability to express ideas clearly and engagingly. A good content writer has expertise in choosing the right words, constructing sentences, and telling stories that capture the reader’s attention.

5. Understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

In the digital age, knowing the basics of SEO is crucial for a content writer to incorporate relevant keywords, understand meta descriptions, and structure the content in a way that search engines can easily recognize and index.

Now that you have an overview of skills, it is the best time to know the types of content. Yes, there are types because what you read everywhere is not in the same tone or conveys the same message, right? So let’s read about them. 

There are several pieces of content that writers have to prepare. Below we have listed some of the top types of content that you should be aware of while embarking on a journey of becoming a successful content writer.

1. Copywriting

Copywriting refers to the art of writing persuasive and compelling content to promote a product, service, or brand. To increase conversions and sales, it is necessary to create attractive headlines, appealing sales content, and effective calls to action.

2. 10x Content

10x content is a term invented by Rand Fishkin that refers to exceptionally high-quality content that provides ten times the value compared to other similar pieces. It goes beyond just providing information and aims to be comprehensive, unique, visually appealing, and highly shareable.

3. Listicles

Listicles are articles presented in a list format, typically featuring a catchy title like “Top 10 Tips” or “5 Ways to Improve.” They are popular because they concisely provide easily digestible information. Listicles often attract readers’ attention due to their organized structure and promise of quick takeaways.

4. Lead Magnets

Lead magnets as the name itself suggests, a piece of content that acts as a magnet for leads are valuable pieces of content that businesses offer to their audience in exchange for their contact information and are designed to attract potential customers and generate leads such as e-books, whitepapers, or webinars. 

5. Evergreen Content

Evergreen content refers to timeless and enduring pieces of content that remain relevant and valuable over a long period and are not tied to specific trends or events, making it consistently useful for readers. Comprehensive guides, tutorials, or FAQs are good examples that continue to generate traffic.

6. Social Media

Social media content involves creating and sharing various forms of media, such as text, images, videos, or links, on social networking platforms. It aims to engage and interact with the target audience, build brand awareness, drive website traffic, and foster customer relationships.

After you have gained information on the types of content, we have prepared a list of types of content writers that top-notch companies hire today.

Types of Content Writers that Companies Hire

1. technical writer.

A writer who communicates complex technical information in a clear, concise, and user-friendly manner, often for specialized audiences is called a technical writers. They write

• User manuals
• Online help systems
• Training materials
• Technical specifications
• White papers and research reports

2. Ghostwriter

A writer who produces content for someone else who then takes credit as the author is considered a ghostwriter. Basically, you get paid for your write-ups but cannot take the credits. Ghostwriters are usually responsible for writing

• Books (fiction and nonfiction)
• Articles and blog posts
• Speeches and presentations
• Memoirs and biographies
• Social media content

3. Copywriter

A writer who creates persuasive text to promote products, services, or ideas, often to drive sales or engagement are the Copywriters. They create

• Advertisements (print, digital, social media)
• Website content
• Email marketing campaigns
• Product descriptions
• Sales letters and brochures

4. Brand Journalist

Brand journalists are those who create content that aligns with a company’s brand identity and values, often with a storytelling approach. They write:

• Brand stories and feature articles
• Case studies and customer testimonials
• Thought leadership pieces
• Blog posts and social media content
• Internal communications materials

5. Social Media Writer

These types of writers create engaging content specifically for social media platforms, tailored to each platform’s unique format and audience. They are offered to write the following content.

• Social media posts (text, images, videos)
• Engaging captions and text-based content
• Community management responses
• Social media ad copy

6. Email Writer

These writers craft effective emails that capture attention, drive action, and build relationships with subscribers. They write:

• Newsletters and email campaigns
• Welcome emails and onboarding sequences
• Promotional emails and sales offers
• Transactional emails (order confirmations, receipts)
• Customer service emails

7. Scriptwriter

A writer who creates scripts for various forms of media, including film, television, radio, podcasts, and video games. They write:

• Screenplays for movies and TV shows
• Radio and podcast scripts
• Video game narratives and dialogue
• Corporate videos and training scripts
• Commercials and advertising scripts

Best Practices for Creating Ideal Content

Now, here is your guide to writing compelling content along with the essential tools and strategies that will help you along.

1. Develop a Reader’s Persona

Imagine your ideal reader and understand their demographics, interests, needs, and challenges to understand your audience better and tailor your content to their specific preferences. This ensures that it connects with them, fostering a deeper connection.

Tools: HubSpot’s Make My Persona, Xtensio, UserForge

2. Craft an Effective Outline

A well-organized outline is like a roadmap ensuring your readers navigate smoothly through your content. That’s why, you should structure your content logically for clarity and flow and develop a strong outline that guides your writing and keeps you on track. This increases user interaction and enhances the readability of your content.

Tools: MindMeister, Coggle, Evernote

3. Include relevant Facts & Statistics

Back up your claims with accurate and reliable information from trustworthy sources to add credibility and authority to your writing. The incorporation of relevant facts and statistics strengthens your argument and builds trust with your audience.

Tools: Google Scholar, Statista, Pew Research Center

4. Let Visuals Tell Your Story

Visual elements are not just decoration but they are powerful storytellers that enrich your content. So integrate relevant and high-quality images, videos, and infographics to enhance your message, capture attention, and make your content visually impactful.

Tools: Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Unsplash

5. Clear Call to Action, Without Being Salesy

Guide your readers towards taking the desired action after reading your content. However, avoid sounding pushy or overly promotional. A clear call to action is like extending an invitation rather than making a sales pitch, encouraging a genuine response from your audience.

Tools: CoSchedule Headline Analyzer, Hemingway Editor, Grammarly

6. Make SEO-friendly Content

SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization, which means creating and improving content using techniques to increase its visibility on search engines. If you want to learn more about SEO, read the article: Search Engine Optimization | SEO: A Complete Tutorial . Remember, mastering SEO is like giving your content a passport to be discovered in the vast digital landscape.

Tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Search Console

7. Proofread, Edit, and Edit Again

Before publishing your content, carefully proofread and edit it to ensure clarity, conciseness, and error-free writing because the final editing stage is like adding the finishing touches to your masterpiece.

Tools: Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway Editor

What Courses or Qualifications are required to be a Content Writer?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all path to content writing. However, aspiring writers can explore options like renowned online courses on platforms like  Udemy or Coursera . These online courses help you learn the basics of writing and enable you to kick-start your career.

In case, you are inclined towards taking the official degree road, bachelor programs can help you with that. You can opt for  a Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication or B.A. honors in English/literature.  These programs help you get a grasp of the language and gain insights into the plethora of writing career options available in the market. 

By that time, here’s a quick guide on how you can become a demanding content writer easily.

• Identify your niche:  Identify a specific industry or field where your knowledge and passion intersect. This will let you establish yourself as a valued authority.
• Read digital content:  Continuously consuming high-quality online content across various platforms will give you an idea of how to write different content for different audiences. 
• Build a portfolio:  Actively develop a diverse portfolio showcasing your writing skillset and adaptability by creating samples for different content types and target audiences. You can use various free portfolio builder websites like WIX.

Content writing lets you to reach out to a wide range of people to spread knowledge and achieve your goals. To do all this effectively, you would require in-depth knowledge of skills and best practices, and this article contains it all. Remember that the path to content writing excellence is a never-ending cycle of learning, experimentation, and improvement but with commitment and passion, you can create meaningful content that leaves a lasting impression. So grab a pen or now a laptop as we are going digital, let your imagination run wild, and start writing! The world is ready to be enchanted by your distinct voice.

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10 Best Creative Writing Courses for 2024: Craft Authentic Stories

Learn how to tell your story and engage your readers with great storytelling.

As a lifelong literature enthusiast, I decided to challenge myself in 2010 by participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which tasks participants with writing a 50,000-word draft within a month. Although I’ve only achieved this goal twice since then, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers, both online and in person.

Through my experience, I can confidently say that creative writing is a skill that can be developed and honed, just like any other. While traditionally associated with literature, creative writing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in various forms of writing, from copywriting and storytelling to novels and poetry. It has the ability to captivate readers and elevate the impact of written expression.

If you’re searching for the best online Creative Writing courses and resources, you’ve come to the right place. This Best Courses Guide (BCG) is built from Class Central’s catalog of over 300 Creative Writing courses and selected according to a methodology that you can check below.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

What is Creative Writing?

Courses overview, why you should trust us, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.

Click on one to skip to the course details:

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Creative writing is a genre of writing that seeks to evoke emotions and feelings in its readers. It surpasses the limits of traditional forms of literature and emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes and poetic traditions. Creative writing finds application in various forms of writing, including screenplays, plays, novels, poems, and other written works. In this guide, I will delve into some of its most popular facets.

Enhancing resilience and creativity through writing

Research shows that the brains of professional writers work differently from those of novice writers. Moreover, creative writing has been found to boost resilience in students . If you want to enjoy the benefits of writing, it’s important to develop the habit of jotting down your thoughts and words. Doing so can help you overcome writer’s block.

Creative writing is so powerful that it’s used in prisons to give inmates a chance to express themselves in programs like PEN America . “By providing resources, mentorship, and audiences outside the walls, we help these writers to join and enrich the broader literary community.”

Creative writing is a skill that can be learned and practiced like any other. Techniques such as ABDCE structure, 1st or 3rd person point of view, “show don’t tell”, dialogues, and tropes can be easily learned through the online courses in this guide.

• Together, they account for over 1M enrollments
• Skillshare, with 2 courses, is the most featured provider
• The single most popular course has nearly 400k enrollments
• Three courses are entirely free or free-to-audit.

Best Fantasy And Short-Stories Writing Lessons For Beginners (Brandon Sanderson)

Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube , originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers. The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.

Each video discusses a specific tool or technique, so you can easily select the theme you want to explore next or watch it all in sequence. It’s up to you. I recommend you take your time, watch one video at a time and experiment with each concept, or even better, find a writing buddy or form a group to practice writing together.

What you’ll learn:

• Plot construction, character development, and engaging storytelling
• Techniques for crafting immersive worlds and believable viewpoints
• Insights into the publishing industry, tailored for emerging writers
• Strategies for writing compelling short stories and leveraging them for larger projects.

“Very informative! I’m a beginner writer looking to study writing for video games, and this class gave me a lot of helpful tools to start understanding how stories work/how to organize my ideas! Will definitely be returning to some of these lectures in the future for guidance 👍” – Paige Webster

Best University-level Creative Writing Course (Wesleyan University)

Creative Writing by Wesleyan University is a specialization for those looking for a way to improve their writing structure, scene and character creations and finding your style. Each course includes writing practice (for paying learners) and insightful interviews. It’s worth your time and effort if you are a disorganized writer like myself.

• Techniques for crafting a bracing story with memorable characters and an interesting setting
• How to employ a fresh descriptive style in your writing
• Skills for analyzing and constructively evaluating peer writing
• The ability to refine your writing, critique writing in general, and draw inspiration from existing literature
• The process of drafting, rewriting, and completing an original story in the genre of your choosing.

It should be noted that the peer-grading system often lacks depth. However, the assignments are well-crafted and can be easily evaluated with minimal effort, providing some insights from other participants in the form of feedback or inspiration from their submissions.

“Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me – thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.” – Laura B, Coursera learner

Best Course to Find Your Voice (Neil Gaiman)

Neil Gaiman is currently one the most prolific writers I know of: he’s written books , comics , movies and even TV shows . Even if you’re not a fan of his style, there is definitely something you can learn from him.

In Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling you will discover Neil’s philosophy on what drives a story and learn to unlock new stories within yourself.

While MasterClass doesn’t sell single courses, a subscription provides access to their entire library, including other writing courses like Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing , Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers , Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , and James Patterson Teaches Writing . If you are considering the purchase, you should definitely enjoy the rest of their catalog.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Discover and develop your unique writing voice
• Generate and develop original ideas
• Create dynamic, well-rounded characters that come to life on the page.

This course includes a 94-page workbook that includes assignments and supplemental material.

Best Practical Writing Course With Support (Trace Crawford)

I love it when a passionate teacher like Trace Crawford puts the effort into creating a comprehensive curriculum. COMPLETE Creative Writing – All Genres is a 12-hour course with 145 downloadable resources. In this course, you will learn how to write engaging fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction, helping you become the successful writer you want to be.

• The four genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction
• How to discover, refine, and share your unique writing voice
• A series of authentic writing assignments designed to target the skills you need to develop
• Writing techniques, literary devices, and specialized skills to enhance your writing
• Opportunities for publishing, podcasts, and how to create a professional creative writing portfolio
• Discover multiple public outlets to share your writing with others as you gain confidence and experience success in your writing ability.

This is a practical creative writing course that includes assignments reviewed by the instructor, though response time may vary.

“The short snippets of theory in combination with the short assignments suits my learning style. I don’t remember the last time I’ve written anything creative, but this course gave me the incentive to set some foundation and its actually quite enjoyable if you stick to it.” – Nikolaos-Stylianos Z., Udemy learner

Best Course to Overcome Writer’s Block: 10-Day Journaling Challenge (Emily Gould)

I couldn’t resist adding Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge to this guide. Emily Gould is a delightful instructor, and her approach to inviting you to participate in the challenge is impossible to decline. It’s the perfect course to overcome writer’s block, which is exactly what she proposes. In this 10-day creative writing challenge, filled with inspiring examples, observation prompts, and clever revision tricks, writers and enthusiasts will be able to express their creativity in a personal and artful way.

This course is the shortest one on the list, and it’s more about the challenge of keeping a journal. If you decide to subscribe to Skillshare, you can also enjoy their entire library of courses. In addition to the other two recommended courses on this list, you can also check out these other Skillshare courses: Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre and The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit .

Best Course to Create Fiction From Personal Experience (Shaun Levin)

Shaun’s approach to writing in Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience is an unusual one. It draws from your personal experience to create a compelling fictional story. I can say from experience that this technique will help you write with more depth and authenticity. Every time we bring our own life to the story, it becomes alive, believable and relatable. In a way, all fictional stories are based on the author’s life.

This course will help you with techniques and a series of practical exercises to start writing your scenes from a more philosophical point of view, creating compelling stories. You’ll learn how to delve into your imagination to find everything you’ll need to become a prolific writer, no matter where you are.

By the end of the course, you will have a final project that will receive feedback from Shaun and other learners as well. Actually, if you want to check it out, in the course page on Domestika you can open the submitted projects and read the comments.

Shaun’s other courses: Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life .

“A practical course. Shaun Levin talks about theory but also demonstrates his process, which was invaluable. The exercises got my creative juices flowing. Thinking about doing his other course in the future.” – Maya Dicheva

Best Course to Make Writing Less Stressful with Best Practices (Jennie Nash)

If you struggle to start or get stuck in your writing, Write Your Book: Start Strong and Get It Done can help. With good advice and emotional support, you’ll learn techniques to make writing less stressful. The accompanying workbook guides you to think methodically by asking the right questions to keep you focused on your story and not chasing your own tail.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Design every element of your novel or memoir, including the protagonist, plot, story structure and a project success plan
• Define your narrator’s voice
• Determine where your story begins and where it ends
• Decide what point you’re making about human nature
• Make sure you’re giving your ideal reader exactly what they want
• Gain the confidence you need to push past any doubts and finish your book.

This course is more of a masterclass, so there are no assignments included but it teaches good practices and provides a very useful workbook.

Best Course to Create A Compelling Story (Lisa Cron)

Writing: The Craft of Story is a series of well-produced lectures covering the basic building blocks of a story. Taught by author Lisa Cron, you will learn how to create compelling stories based on the way the brain responds to storytelling. This course emphasizes the importance of capturing the reader’s attention through techniques such as suspense, exploring the protagonist’s inner issues and dreams, specificity, and cause and effect. Upon completion of the quizzes, you will receive a certificate for your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can watch all the videos without subscribing to the course.

“Learning the fundamentals of crafting a story was and is a fascinating experience. And yes, I would highly recommend writing to anyone interested in learning how to express the communication of feeling.” – Nicole Gillard, LinkedIn learner.

Best Course to Write Personal Essays with Impact (Roxane Gay)

Discover the art of crafting powerful personal essays with best-selling author Roxane Gay in her course, Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact . Through her honest and thoughtful approach, Roxane will help you find your story, craft your truth, and write to make a difference.

This master class offers eight video lessons that are filled with practical guidance, actionable tactics, and example essays to guide you from the first idea to a final, publication-ready work.

You’ll learn how to:

• Find a specific purpose for telling your story
• Connect your work to larger conversations and timely themes
• Conduct crucial research to support your work
• Navigate personal memories to write your truth
• Write and revise your final work, and submit your work for publication.

Additionally, the class provides a downloadable worksheet to support your ongoing creative nonfiction writing practice, as well as links to additional resources.

If you enjoy creative nonfiction writing, you might consider this course that’s also on Skillshare: Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth with Style (Skillshare Original) by Susan Orlean

Best Course to Develop Your Ideas And Research for Characters (The Open University)

Start Writing Fiction explores the writing process, from journaling and idea development to reflection and editing. It features insights from established writers such as Louis de Bernières, Patricia Duncker, Alex Garland, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tim Pears, Michèle Roberts, and Monique Roffey,  who share their approaches to research and turning events into plot. Led by Derek Neale, a novelist and short story writer, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of the writing rituals and techniques used by successful writers.

You’ll get to critique the work of other writers and receive feedback. This course is designed for individuals interested in starting or improving their fiction writing and does not require prior experience in the subject.

You’ll learn:

• Creation of characters in fiction
• Different sources and ways of presenting characters in stories
• Reading as a writer
• Writing practice including creativity, research, observation and editing
• Peer reviewing, workshops and the importance of feedback.

“This course takes learners through many aspects of writing such as developing characters, observing and describing details, finding inspiration, writing and editing. It includes some peer reviews which can be varying in quality. I was lucky enough to have some of my writing reviewed by a reviewer who gave very helpful and positive feedback.” – Pat Bowden

What’s Next

Scribophile is one of the largest online writing communities. You can get feedback on your writing and join writing groups. If you decide to join with a free plan, you need to collect points by reviewing other writers’ work before submitting your own work for review. They also developed some advanced tools for evaluating work and guidelines to make sure you give/receive feedback that is actually meaningful.

NaNoWriMo started out as a month-long challenge where you invite your friends and join other writers in your region, be it online in their forums or in person, to challenge yourself in writing your first draft. Nowadays, they run all-year round writing challenges (but November is still the biggest one in terms of participation). What is cool about it is you actually get to meet people in real life with various writing skills and backgrounds. I was able to make some great friends over the years and even met a few professional writers that decided to join our local group just to support us.

If you have any resources you would like to have added here, leave a comment below.

Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about creative writing.

When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Renowned Institutions : I looked for recognized institutions in creative writing
• Instructor experience : I sought instructors with extensive experience in creative writing and engaging presentation styles
• Popularity : I checked numbers of enrollments and views to find popular courses
• Course content : I examined courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken
• Learner reviews : I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider reviews.

Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A creative writing course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about creative writing.

Fabio Dantas

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31 Great Content Writing Examples, Tips, and Tools

• by Ann Gynn
• | Published: August 21, 2024
• | Content Creation

Great content writing must be powerful and effective to captivate your audience.

But accomplishing that with your content writing isn’t an easy task. Whether you craft words for B2B or B2C audiences, the challenges can be many.

To help, I’ve compiled web writing examples, tips, tools, and resources. The goal is to give you some insights and new tools to help address or minimize the creation stumbling blocks web and content writers face.

Let’s get to it.

1. Go for the surprise

When you write something that’s unexpected, your audience will likely stop scrolling and take a moment to learn more. In the worst cases, this approach to content writing falls under the nefarious clickbait category. But in the best cases, it can delight and engage the viewer.

Nike is always a go-to source for the best content examples. The summer of 2024 didn’t disappoint with its Winning Isn’t for Everyone campaign.

With a debut in time for the global games, Nike featured the world’s greatest athletes (well, all the great Nike-sponsored athletes) talking about they are motivated by victory and that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win. Writing those four words — winning isn’t for everyone — fosters a strong reaction. After all, there are far more people who don’t win than do. But audiences are also likely to watch more of the videos to learn what Nike is really talking about.

As you watch the video, note the repetition of the same question (“Am I a bad person?”) followed by short, staccato-paced statements. This approach creates a lyrical story. And it paid off, earning over 2.2 million views in two weeks.

2. Don’t forget text has a starring role in video

Words appear in blog posts or descriptions of product features and benefits. But writers can also shine in  video scripts, along with set designers, actors, and filmmakers. Writers can take any topic and help make it captivating.

J.P. Morgan used animation and strong scripts to explain finance-related concepts in its Unpacked series, a finalist in the Content Marketing Awards for best video. This 4.5-minute episode covers how private companies go public:

3. Tap into trends with simple writing prompts

I’m always a fan of Dove’s #KeepBeautyReal campaigns. Most recently, it created an example of powerful writing in this simple question, “ What kind of beauty do we want AI to learn?”

Capitalizing on the AI trend and interest, Dove illustrates the difference between AI-created images for prompts about “beautiful women” and “beautiful women according to Dove’s Real Beauty ads.” In the first three months of its debut, the video with few words has earned over 100K views on Dove’s YouTube channel and garnered mainstream and industry media attention.

4. Let your audience create great writing and video examples

Creativity can emerge in many ways. Sometimes, it’s a simple starting point that reflects the times, as Dove did in its content example.

It also may lead a brand to contribute to its own pop culture trend as The Stanley did with its Quencher Cup social media campaign in 2024 . Its influencer campaign prompted these fun user-generated examples of web writing and illustration in the form of memes and TikTok videos promoting the brand’s popular drinking vessel.

Hilarious Scales created this sample that’s been seen by over 10 million viewers:

@hilarious_scaless How yall be lookin with them Stanley Cups 🤣 #fypシ #fyp #stanleycup #stanleytumbler ♬ original sound – Hilarious_scales

Fans of hockey (that sport with the other Stanley Cup) also got into the action as Instagram account Daily Facebook shared this example:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by DailyFaceoff (@dailyfaceoff)

5. Nail down your headlines

I’ve said it often: Headlines are the powerhouse of your content writing. After all, if the headline isn’t a success, the content behind it will never be read.

A 2024 study published in Science Advance conducted over 30,000 field experiments with The Washington Post and Upworthy headlines. It found that readers prefer simpler headlines (more common words and more readable writing) over complex ones. They also paid more attention to and more deeply processed the simpler headlines.

The e-book headline in this example from OptinMonster is straightforward: 50 Smart Ways to Segment Your Email List. It uses a numeral (50), a helpful adjective (smart), and a second-person pronoun (your) to speak directly to the audience, all of which elevates the article’s value in the reader’s mind.

Image source

6. Analyze the potential impact of your content headlines

Size up headlines with the Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer , which reveals an emotional marketing value score.

This headline example — 14 Ways Marketing Automation Helps B2B Companies Succeed — earns an emotional marketing value (EMV) of 37.5%. Most professional copywriters’ headlines typically have a 30% to 40% EMV score.

The same headline in a similar tool, CoSchedule Blog Post Headline Analyzer , earns a score of 77 out of 100. This analysis looks at word balance, headline type, sentiment, reading grade level, clarity, and skimmability. It also identifies areas for improvement, such as the use of uncommon, emotional, and power words.

7. Adjust title formats with this content writing tool

Speed your formatting tasks with TitleCase . The tool converts your title into various circumstances — all caps, hyphen, etc., so you don’t have to rekey or reformat.

8. Write headlines with words that resonate

BuzzSumo research consistently identifies “how-to” or guidance-focused headlines that resonate far better with audiences than any other type.

It makes sense. Audiences are seeking information that will help them in their lives, and they have a lot of content from which to choose. By writing phrases like “how to” in a headline, you tell them clearly what they’re going to get.

Get more tips from CMI’s article How To Create Headlines That Are Good for Readers and Business .

9. Focus on clarity for web content

Explaining your product or service can get cumbersome, but it shouldn’t if you want the audience to quickly understand how your company can help solve their pain points.

In this example, Zendesk succinctly highlights three results gained by the enterprise clients of its customer service platform:

• Drive better conversations
• Maximize agent efficiency
• Adapt faster to change

The three- and four-word headlines are followed by short explanations (two sentences) and a link to the product’s relevant features for that category.

10. Write to win over readers

How does your content inspire readers or get them to care?

Some suggestions include:

• Focus on actionable content they could use right away.
• Establish instant credibility and expertise so they understand why you’re the go-to resource.
• Add value they wouldn’t see or find elsewhere.

This ad for the Content Marketing Institute newsletter works well as a sample of website content writing. It illustrates how to motivate the audience to see that the content is relevant for them. Its headline “Looking for Fresh Content Inspiration?” speaks directly to the reader. Its follow-up sentence explains in detail what the reader will get — expert advice, standout examples, and creative ideas.

11. Choose words that motivate actions

Sometimes, it’s a simple word or phrase that prompts someone to take the next step. Buffer offers a list of more than 150 words . These 19 words and phrases are examples of how to gain the audience’s trust:

• Bestselling
• Endorsed by
• Money-back guarantee
• No obligation
• No questions asked
• Recommended
• Transparent
• Try for free

In this web page example, OptinMonster opts for one of those words in its headline — How To Create a Fail-Proof Digital Marketing Plan in 5 Steps .

12. Keep it brief but convey a lot

Given your audience reads on screens, your web writing usually appears in a small space. Yet, it still must reflect a strong message.

For example, this American Express Business web copy uses five words to indicate that it gets the reader’s problem — “Don’t stress over seasonal surges.” Then, it uses another five words to indicate that it has a solution — “Help you keep your business thriving.” On the right, it shows the product name that will do all that (American Express business line of credit.)

13. Create compelling content with better words

Choosing a single word to convey the perfect sentiment makes the most of your available content space. To help, Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger offers a collection of words that can make a difference in your writing: 801+ Power Words That Make You Sound Smart . Here are 15 of them:

• Frightening

In this headline — Firefox Hacks for Everyone: From Cozy Gamers to Minimalists and Beyond — the Mozilla blog opted for one of the power words, “hack.”

 I’ll issue a caveat on this option: Power words can quickly become overused. “Hack” is coming close to saturation.

14. Length isn’t everything

I like to know content length rules and preferences. They give me guideposts for my web writing.

Google makes 30 characters available in its ad headlines, and it’s hard to go shorter than that. This simple sample — Best Enterprise CRM Platform — is 28 characters.

On social media, though, the character parameters are greater, and you could improve engagement by falling short of the upper limits.

Instagram is a perfect example of where writing content short of the 2,200-character maximum caption is a better decision. In fact, experts say the ideal length is 125 characters, which takes up the space visible before the viewer must click to read more.

Still, sometimes writing fewer than 125 characters can work well and draw attention in a crowded feed, as this sample from Grammarly shows. Its caption — “Learn actionable strategies for leveraging Gen AI to elevate your team’s productivity.” — totals just 88 characters.

Of course, exceptions exist. If your content’s primary goal is search engine optimization, longer content is almost always best. As a website ages, it may be able to get by with shorter pieces because it’s already established authority and has more pages, inbound links , etc. However, extended content often helps generate high rankings for targeted keyword phrases and similar words.

15. Choose short words for your web writing

You don’t need to use a lot of words to get your point across. Short ones can work in your favor. Consider these common examples of better choices:

• “Show,” not “indicate”
• “Get rid of,” not “eliminate”
• “Use,” not “utilize”
• “To,” not “in order to”
• “Help,” not “facilitate”
• “Get,” not “obtain”

16. Use a tool to keep track of word counts

Meet your word count goals and improve your word choice with the WordCounter tool. It also helps identify keywords and their appropriate frequency of use.

17. Recognize common writing mistakes

Grammar Girl , created by Mignon Fogarty, founder of Quick and Dirty Tips, outlines some common mistakes, such as this example on the use of that vs. which in writing.

“The simple rule is to use ‘that’ with a restrictive element and ‘which’ with a non-restrictive element … The cupcakes that have sprinkles are still in the fridge. The words “that have sprinkles” restrict the kind of cupcake we’re talking about. Without those words, the meaning of the sentence would change. Without them, we’d be saying that all the cupcakes are still in the fridge, not just the ones with sprinkles.”

18. Use parallel construction

Parallel construction organizes the text and relieves your readers of expending mental energy to piece together the thoughts.

• For example, this mish-mash list is not parallel because the sentence structures vary:
• It could be time to look over your business software contract.
• Consider the best products.
• If you want the product to benefit your company, include others’ points of view.

The list is parallel because every sentence starts the same way – with a verb .

• Review your business software contract.
• Shop for the best products based on features, costs, and support options.
• Ask key members of your team for their perspectives, including productivity barriers.

19. Know when to break the infinitive rule

Avoid splitting infinitives. However, sometimes you might need to bypass grammatically correct in favor of unawkward content.

Pro Writing Aid explains that split infinitives are nothing new — their use dates back to the 1300s. However, there is a time and place for them, as shown in this example from Northern Illinois University’s Effective Writing Practices Tutorial :

• Split infinitive but easily understood: It’s hard to completely follow his reasoning.
• No split infinitive, but awkwardly written: It’s hard to follow completely his reasoning.

20. Be conscious of pronouns

A conversational approach typically works best when you’re creating web content. Writing in the first or second person can accomplish this.

Embracing inclusivity also fosters a conversational atmosphere.

When you’re using pronouns, make sure it’s clear to what the pronoun refers. Given some people use they/them pronouns, ensuring pronoun clarity is especially important.

In those cases where the reader may be confused, explain the person’s use of the plural non-gendered pronoun in the text, for example, “Alex Alumino, who uses they/them pronouns …” Even better, just repeat their name in the sentence so there’s no need to explain and no misunderstanding.

21. Don’t overuse words

Redundancy bores. To figure out if you’re committing this sin, paste your text into the Word It Out tool. The word cloud reveals those used most often in your text.

We input a recent CMI article about user stories to create a word cloud for that content sample. It is no surprise that “user” shows up front and center, but it’s also an indicator for us to review the article to see if “user” is overused. “Katie” also shows up prominently in the word cloud as it’s the first name of the source for the article, and CMI uses first, instead of last names, on second and subsequent references. A review of the article could reveal it unnecessarily references the source too many times.

Similarly, WordCounter detects whether you’re using the same words too often. Use Thesaurus.com to find alternatives.

22. Try this content writing tool to replace jargon-like words

You need to speak your audience’s language, but that doesn’t mean you need to adopt the industry’s jargon. De-Jargonizer is designed to help analyze the jargon in scholarly articles, but the tool works just as well with your content writing.

In this example from a CMI article about building a social media plan , De-Jargonizer identifies four “rare” words — ebbs, inhospitable, clarifies, and actionable.

You can upload a file or paste your text to discover those rare words, aka potential jargon, in your content writing. Then, you can find more reader-friendly replacements.

23. Check your readability score

Even if readers can understand the jargon and complex sentences, they still don’t want to work hard to understand your content. To help understand if your writing is on the easier side, use a tool like Web FX’s Readability Test . It scores your content’s average reading ease and targeted readership age.

In this example, it evaluates the Fedex.com website and concludes it has a reading ease of 27.8 out of 100 and is targeted at 14- and 15-year-olds.

You can scroll down to see other readability scores, including Flesch Kincaid reading ease, Flesch Kincaid grade level, Gunning Fog, Smog Index, Coleman Liau, and Automated Readability Index.

The bottom of the evaluation includes the statistics about the evaluated text, including:

• Total sentences
• Total words
• Complex words
• Percent of complex words
• Average words per sentence
• Average syllables per word

Adjust your writing to meet the preferred readership level of your audience.

24. Evaluate sentence structure with the Hemingway App

Want more help to write content that’s easy to read? Consider tools like the Hemingway app, which provides immediate and detailed feedback on content structure, including sentence formatting. With the website version, you can replace the default text with your own.

The Hemingway app identifies potentially unnecessary adverbs, warns about passive voice, and triggers alerts to dull, complicated words.

In this web writing example from its home page, Hemingway App highlights one of the 13 sentences as very hard to read, one as hard to read, two weakener phrases, and one word with a simpler alternative.

25. Get web writing right with good grammar

Proper grammar is a necessity; you want to get everything correct to satisfy readers (and bosses). Try Grammarly .

Improve your writing with this cloud-based, AI editor. Grammarly automates grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks, often giving better, cleaner content options. The tool also alerts writers to passive voice, suggests opportunities to be concise, and assesses overall tone.

You also can save time and energy with ProWritingAid . It eliminates the need to reread to polish your content. This AI editing software offers more than grammar checks. It checks for vague wording, sentence length variation, and overuse of adverbs and passive voice. The tool also identifies complicated or run-on sentences. (“Content Writing Examples, Tips, and Resources”)

26. Read your web content in scanning mode

Here’s some sad news for content writers: Readers won’t consume every word in your content. They skip and scan a lot to see if the content is a good fit for them, and then they hope they can glean the relevant information without having to consume all the content.

As you write, think about how the text will look visually. Make it easy for readers to scan your content by including:

• Short paragraphs
• Bulleted lists
• Bolded text
• Words in color

27. Read aloud

If your content doesn’t flow as you speak it, it may not work for the reader . Pay attention to when you take too many pauses or pause in places where no comma exists. Adjust your text — add a comma or break the sentence into two.

Microsoft Word offers a read-aloud feature through its immersive reader tools, while Google Docs can use a Chrome extension to give a voice to the content .

28. Use plagiarism checkers

In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence have prompted growth in automated plagiarism checkers. Microsoft Word embeds the feature option in its software as does Grammarly. You also can use tools dedicated to ensuring that the content writing isn’t a copycat (or being copycatted), including:

• Unicheck – Verify the originality of work with plagiarism detection. You can spot outright copying and minor text modifications in unscrupulous submissions.
• Copyscape – Protect your content and your reputation. Copyscape uncovers plagiarism in purchased content and detects plagiarism by others of your original work.

Of course, no plagiarism checker is 100% accurate, so before you accuse a content writer of plagiarism, triple-check the results (and add a human touch whenever appropriate).

29. Use a topic tool for writing inspiration

HubSpot’s Ideas Generator works well to get your creative content writing juices flowing. Just fill in the fields with three nouns to get some ideas.

For example, if you input the words car, truck, and SUV, HubSpot delivers these ideas along with the targeted keywords for the topic:

• Keyword: Top truck accessories
• Keyword: Comparing SUV models
• Keyword: Truck bed organization ideas

HubSpot’s topic generator also allows users to pick a title and have an outline created for that article.

You also could perform a similar exercise by writing the prompts in other generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Gemini .

NOTE: Always review the titles and accompanying data to ensure accuracy. In the HubSpot sample, the generator included a headline — Discover the Best SUVs for Families in 2021. Yet, it’s 2024.

30. Know SEO responsibilities in web writing

Sometimes writers create content with multiple purposes. They have the burden of blending SEO into the content . I frame it as a burden because it’s one more variable to deal with. If you have a knack for SEO and goals you can measure, it’s not a burden.

Unfortunately, you sometimes don’t know what realistic keywords to pursue. Aim too low and you use rarely searched keywords. Aspire for something too competitive, and the content won’t rank.

How are you evaluating keywords? Learn how to find your sweet spot with keyword selection (and how to appear on the first page of Google). Identify potential keywords by using tools like:

• Moz Keyword Explorer
• Google’s Keyword Planner
• Keyword Tool
• AnswerThePublic
• Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest

31. Monitor relevant topics to get ideas for your content

With Feedly , you can stay informed about what matters most and avoid information overload. This AI assistant learns your preferences, then culls and curates content from the internet that you want and need.

Share your favorite writing tricks

What content creation and copywriting productivity tools do you favor? What do you do each day to make your writing tasks just a little easier? Please tag CMI on social media using #CMWorld.

All tools mentioned in this article were suggested by the author. If you’d like to suggest a tool, share the article on social media with a comment.

Register to attend Content Marketing World in San Diego. Use the code BLOG100 to save $100. Can't attend in person this year? Check out the Digital Pass for access to on-demand session recordings from the live event through the end of the year.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

• 7 Ancient Archetypes That Give Your Content Fresh Relevance
• How To Write Faster With or Without an AI Assist
• How To Get Branded Content Right: Examples, Ideas, and Tips
• How To Catch Audiences With Extraordinary Hooks
• New Study Reveals Clear Writing Tips for B2B Marketers
• 6 Easy Things You Can Do To Improve the Content Experience for Your Audience
• How To Turn Old Content Into a New Work of Art With an AI Assist

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

MARKETING INSIGHTS

What is content writing? (An explainer with tips and examples)

• Jenna Romano
• Aug 23, 2022

Content writing plays an integral role in a brand’s success. When you create a website , for instance, you choose your words for everything from the home page to the individual blog posts you publish.

Your copy can affect how well your website ranks on search engine results pages, as well as how valuable visitors find your site’s content. Without high-quality writing, your marketing efforts may flounder and, with them, your website.

In this post, we’ll define content writing, explore the benefits of good content writing and share tips for success as well as unique examples.

What is content writing?

Content writing refers to creating digital content for a brand’s marketing strategy . This includes content for:

Sales landing pages

Social media posts

Newsletters

White papers

Press releases

Content writing is just one content marketing tool in a brand’s arsenal. Pair it with robust research, diligent planning and high-quality visuals to optimize your strategy.

Your content marketing strategy will depend on your product, services and audience. For example, a restaurant’s clientele might not want to follow a blog, but they will likely want to see tantalizing food photos and reels on Instagram.

A recent Semrush survey of content marketers found certain content types are more effective and successful than others:

Video (37%)

Blog posts (36%)

Success stories (22%)

Case studies (16%)

Webinars (16%)

Every piece of content in your marketing strategy likely has a written component to it. Take marketing videos, for example. Someone needs to write the video script as well as the title, description and show notes to help with SEO and accessibility.

The benefits of good content writing

97% of the content marketers in the 2021 Semrush study said that content was a critical part of their overall marketing strategy. There’s a reason for that—well-written content provides brands with many benefits:

By creating content for different channels, a brand can attract a much larger audience.

You can tailor content to different segments of a brand’s audience, making it easier to connect.

Writing great content will help strengthen a brand. This will make it easier to recognize and more relatable.

Content offers value to customers and non-customers alike and asks for nothing in return—just their time and attention.

Google rewards websites that consistently create quality content with better rankings.

Content writing helps existing customers get more from their purchases, which can increase loyalty.

Get your ethos, pathos and logos right and you'll be well on your way to building a loyal customer base from your content.

5 examples of great content writing

Before we check out how you can optimize your content writing strategy, let’s first look at these content writing examples:

In early 2022, social media users saw posts and ads from a brand called Perpetual Pup . Users noticed the social media and video script writing before the branding. “It’s a good ad,” said Twitter user @GideonNeptune .“It made me look and find out about the show it’s promoting.”

The content campaign promoted “Bad Vegan,” a Netflix documentary . People discussed this content marketing strategy on many social media platforms, including on Reddit .

McCormick's YouTube channel is entirely devoted to cooking with the company’s spices. A lengthy description accompanies each video—like this one on how to marinate and grill pork chops —and includes:

A simple yet descriptive title

A quick summary of what the viewer will learn

A list of ingredients needed to reproduce the recipe

Information on prep and cooking time

A link to the recipe on the McCormick website

These YouTube descriptions give the viewer more context and value from the video, while also helping optimize the video for search.

An email newsletter gives brands a regular chance to re-engage with website visitors and blog readers. The Wix Blog newsletter, for instance, goes out once a week and provides readers with short and easy-to-read summaries of recent posts. Subscribers can skim the newsletter’s concise, conversational writing and get just enough details for each post that they’re eager to read more.

Instacart ’s grocery delivery service provides a great value to its customers. However, the Ideas & Guides section of the brand’s website offers an opportunity to maximize the brand’s service. It covers DIY topics like cooking tips, holiday and event planning and recipes.

This content is useful to Instacart’s marketing strategy for several reasons. For one, it adds values for existing customers using the service. Instacart can use customers’ shopping histories to send them relevant guides. It also can bring in new leads as visitors discover timely and trending topics.

Customer testimonials work great for people to sign up for a service. The only problem with testimonials, though, is the short length and faceless nature. Therefore, success stories can be a more effective form of content marketing. You’ll see why on SCORE’s Success Story page. Real people share actual stories about their businesses and how SCORE’s mentors have helped them. The Success Story pages aren’t long—maybe only 400 to 600 words—and yet they pack enough of a punch to touch visitors’ emotions.

Tips for content writing success

Here are 10 best practices to help you write high-quality content for your marketing campaigns:

01. Reference your content style guide

Just as you’d document your visual branding with a style guide, do the same for your content writing. It should include information related to:

Business objectives

Brand voice and personality

User personas

Guidelines on key company terms and industry jargon

Other preferences or rules relating to your brand’s written style

Not only will this help you consistently handle your writing, but you’ll get better quality results from contributors, too.

02. Create a content marketing strategy

According to Semrush’s survey, 78% of those who’ve been very successful in their content marketing had a documented strategy. You can create an effective strategy for copywriting by choosing 5 to 10 top-level topics you want your brand to be associated with. Then center all of your content around those major hubs, ensuring that you tackle each subtopic one by one.

03. Keep your eyes and ears open for inspiration

There are many places to find content ideas:

Subscribe to your competitors’ blogs and newsletters and follow them on social media

Follow the top publications in your industry

Listen to podcasts and subscribe to YouTube channels that tackle similar subjects

You never know when inspiration might strike with content writing. Staying tuned to what others talk about can help you avoid feeling uninspired or stuck.

04. Come up with an interesting angle

It’s common to take inspiration from other people’s content, but be careful about rewriting what others have already said on a topic. Tune into a variety of sources such as blogs, vlogs, newsletters, social media platforms, podcasts and even print journalism to help fuel your creativity.

05. Write as concisely as possible

You want to unpack the topic fully when you write a white paper or blog post. However, that doesn’t mean you need to hit some magical word count to make it a worthwhile read. Cover the topic fully, without being too wordy.

06. Focus on the user foremost

Although content writing is a marketing tactic, it usually takes a less product-forward tone than advertising.

Joe Stolte of The Tractionology Group suggests the following to Forbes :

“Make the content about the customer. Specifically, make it about what your customer wants and how they can get it. What works really well is to use your marketing to educate your target customer and help them solve real problems in advance of trying to sell to them. This naturally generates goodwill and trust in your marketplace and makes selling much easier.”

07. Format your content for readability

Content design is an important part of content writing. With consumers’ attention spans growing shorter with each passing year, ensure that the content you’ve written first gets noticed, then read. Hopefully, it’ll convert a good portion of users, too.

Even short social media posts can get more views with line breaks, attached images and strategic hashtags. Just make sure that the post’s design doesn’t distract from its overall readability.

08. Give readers a reason to engage

You can add certain assets to your content writing that encourage engagement:

More people will open a post if the headline has powerful words

Supportive imagery can help people understand the content

Actionable how-to steps can make the piece more useful

Statistics, quotes from thought leaders and real-world examples can make content more convincing

09. Proofread your work

A piece of content with an error is like a broken link on a website. While it might just seem like a minor inconvenience, frequent errors can reflect poorly on your brand. Tools like Grammarly can help you proofread your writing before publishing.

10. Use keywords organically

The point of writing website content is to create high-quality, valuable content for your audience. While you should optimize your website’s content with best practices for search engines like light keyword research, alt text for images and internal linking, you should prioritize comprehensively covering the topic.

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Copywriting 101: The ultimate guide to writing copy that sells

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