Master the Art of Content Writing
5 must-have impulses of every writer
Calling yourself a writer means you have mastered expressing yourself in written form to an audience. At least, to some extent.
However, content writing is more than just expression. As a content writer, I see myself as a marketer forced to sit at a desk and help people with information that helps solve a need, without trying to sell something.
Tough one.
The good thing though, is that people love useful information. You’re more likely to clap for, or share this post if it’s helpful. Especially when you get to the end and you confirm it wasn’t a grand scheme to push a sale.
To be successful at content writing, you need traits that make your work valuable to the reader. The more you write, the more they become impulsive to you.
So, what impulses help you master content writing?
1. Empathy
Empathy starts with being a good listener.
If you write content just for the sake of it, few people will read it. Because it won’t help anyone.
Before writing anything down, think of who your audience is, and how it will move them from a problem to the solution.
A friend of mine started a WordPress blog on fitness because some ladies her size wanted to learn workouts best for burning belly fat. She documented her journey for her audience because that’s the information they needed.
If the information you have isn’t helping anybody, there’s no need to write content about it.
Also, put yourself in the shoes of the reader.
If a broke Gen Z student reads your article ‘5 unconventional ways to make money online’, would it change anything positively for them? Are you generous with advice yet not condescending? Does your tone show that you really want to help? It should.
Seriously, don’t write just because your marketing team lead asked you to publish two articles every week.
If it won’t solve any problems, it’s a waste of everybody’s time.
2. Storytelling
Telling captivating stories is a must for every content writer.
If you’re struggling with this skill, check out my article on storytelling here.
You may have amazing information to give, but if you don’t make it relatable, nobody would read it. We all want to see ourselves in the content we read.
Your reader is asking themselves ‘Is this a problem I have currently, and can this solution work for me (or someone I know)?’
In an e-book I read by Alma Asinobi (an African travel vlogger), your readers should see themselves as Cinderella. You’re the fairy godmother that turns their rags into a beautiful dress.
And content is your wand.
3. The ability to deconstruct
Some people are good only at practicing a skill, while others can teach that skill as well. The second category is where you should be.
Whether it’s an idea, skill, process, knowledge, etc. you shouldn’t just know it. Understand the rudiments so you can teach your audience.
For instance, good storytelling involves conciseness, empathy, and highlighting emotion. These are its component parts. So, some people know how to tell a good story, but may not be able to break that down into these components. They just know they are good at storytelling.
Content writers need to go beyond that.
Even if it’s an idea/skill you’re just learning, understand processes, patterns, relationships, all that. Don’t just tell us about a topic, talk us through the process involved like you’re teaching a novice.
Nobody needs to be an expert to do this.
Some of your online gurus share insightful knowledge they gained just last week. You wouldn’t guess because they have mastered the art of deconstructing an idea and making it easily understandable and relatable to you.
4. Research
Research in content writing is twofold:
i) Get your facts straight so you can back up your opinions.
ii) Confirm the need for the information you want to write about, and make sure it’s easy to find (basically keyword research).
The first is a skill I’m still struggling to master. But it’s super important. Research ultimately makes your writing more credible and insightful. People want to know the authority backing what they read, not just the opinions of someone like them.
Unless you consider yourself an authority in your field, cite the works of others where needed (don’t forget to credit them) but make sure that most part of the writeup is original. You don’t want to put out a mere compilation of other people’s ideas.
5. Having a Unique Writing Style
Your writing style consists of word choice, tone, rhetorical patterns and sentence structure, among others. Making your style unique helps your content stand out.
Some simple writing tones include being formal, having humour, being optimistic, friendly, nostalgic, the list goes on.
Combining different elements that suit the information you want to share helps create your writing style. Whatever you chose, start harnessing your style as early as possible and make sure it’s authentic to you. Some readers can smell a fake writing persona from a mile away.
Quick question: If someone in your audience reads just a paragraph of your work somewhere random on the internet, would they know its yours?
A favourite writer of mine is Darius Foroux.
He uses simple language to express deep and profound thoughts. His writing reminds me that I don’t need to write a lengthy piece of content to pass an insightful message. Whenever I get the Medium Daily Digest in my email, I only need to read the title of an article to know he wrote it. That’s how recognizable your style should be.
If you’ve not figured out your style yet, it doesn’t matter. Write how you can for now and improve as you go on. I’ve been writing on Medium for over three years now, and I still have a long way to go. Don’t rush, just focus on refining your style.
It gets better with time and effort.
If you’re wondering how to get started with making money from content writing (or content creation in general), read my article ‘How to make money from content creation -simplified’ here
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
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