Good writers are also good listeners.
So, the second step of how to start content writing revolves around your listening capabilities.
Again, you cannot start content writing if you don’t have ideas and opinions. Another very important channel of acquiring ideas, other than reading is listening. You cannot expect to become a well-rounded writer if you don’t believe in communicating your personal views verbally and in return listen to the views of other people. Analysing alternative viewpoints is a very important aspect of understanding a subject inside out. Having a clear understanding of a subject is very crucial for creating sensible content.
Listening is a habit that helps you know your readers better. This, in turn, empowers you to create content that takes into account the needs of your reader. People will only read your content when it is loaded with relevant values. Your effectiveness as a content writer is decided by how many readers your write-up attracts.
If you are someone who needs to improve his/her listening capabilities, a great way to start inculcating this habit is by consuming audio content in form of podcasts, audio books, relevant videos and news channel debates.
You can extend this practice by striking a conversation with a friend and consciously keeping in check your urge to interrupt.
Content writing and persistence
- As a beginner, you need to recall that Rome was not built in a day. You cannot start content writing if you don’t persevere.
- So, the third step of how to start content writing revolves around the strength of your will!
- You need to keep writing.
- You need to keep making mistakes.
- You need to learn from your mistakes to refine yourself.
- Improving any skill is a never-ending process.
- You have to be eager to level up as you ace the initial stages because there is always a new peak to achieve.
- This approach will enable you to start content writing and improve your skills with time.
Getting specific; How to start content writing?
Having knowledge of some very specific aspects of content writing is very crucial for a beginner. They are enlisted below. The following are the key points that need to be kept in mind if one wants to start content writing.
An understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and WordPress
A basic understanding of WordPress is good enough for a content writer. There are a large number of WordPress themes available with default automated outcomes. All that you need to do is install a plug-in to get going.
An inside out knowledge of SEO is very crucial to help you ace the objective of your content. Search Engine Optimization is a practice in the gigantic space of digital publication that deploys a set of well-specified techniques to increase the visibility of a webpage by acquiring higher ranks in a search engine result.
Keywords and key phrases are the words that people type to search for a particular subject. A well-crafted placement of these words throughout the content, especially in the headings and subheadings is generally suggested.
One should also keep in mind the following points if the objective is to effectively optimize a write-up:
- Bold and italicize the keywords and key phrases.
- To maintain the keyword density between 1% to 3% of the total word count.
- To include relevant hyperlinks in the write-up.
Must Read: Content Writing Tools to boost your article visibility.
Ability to conduct reliable research
There is an acute shortage of accurate information in the present times. Much of the information that is available to us with a single click will fall flat if judged on the parameter of accuracy. Your job as a content writer is to present reliable facts and figures in the write-up to achieve the objective of the content. You can only acquire reliable information from limited sources.
The sources that stand the test of reliability are limited; databases and documents in the public domain, peer-reviewed publications and journals and of course, books written or interviews given by experts.
The unreliability of Wikipedia should be emphasized here because anyone can edit and write entries. There is also a very high chance of inaccuracy of the reference source of the Wikipedia page.
Originality
The originality of the ideas, writing style and presentation is your unique selling point as a content writer. The ability to showcase this uniqueness decides your survival in the content writing business. Plagiarism is a serious offence that can land you in legal trouble. To make things more transparent and avoid trouble, it is always advised to triple check your content for any kind of plagiarism with the help of an online plagiarism checker.
A plagiarism checker has an option to copy-paste the content or upload the document that has the content. It scans the write-up for plagiarism and produces results accordingly.
Structuring
Effective structuring of content affects the readability of your write-up. A catchy, captivating, concise yet simple headline with introductory lines that hook the readers to read the whole content is the best place to start. Sorting the further content into paragraphs with bullet points, heading and subheadings are the other important elements of efficient structuring.
The ability to revise content over and over again to eliminate errors and refine it significantly sets the quality of the write-up. Also being open to criticism and constructive edits polish your work to a great degree.
After having answered the question on how to start content writing, let us know the prospects of content writing a bit.
The requirement of content writers in the present market is huge. The scope is very broad with a large diversity of sectors looking for writers that can create relevant content for their businesses.
Content writing is a well-defined craft that gets mastered with consistent practising and also expert guidance. Proper guidance can help you hone your writing ability effectively in a short span of time.
Writing is a skill that helps you go a long way to climb up the ladders of your career and guess what? You can always monetize your writing skills!
Content writing is a great channel for passive income. The flexibility of working part-time or even full time from the comfort of your home is a very attractive aspect of the life of a content writer.
Courses to consider
