Master Content Writing in Just a Few Hours!

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Content Writing- a journey, not a destination!

Content writing is a beautiful journey and not a destination in itself. Explorers taking this adventurous path called the ‘content writers’  are blessed with the special talent even to put any abstract concept in black and white. They enjoy the entire journey starting from the research phase till the final draft. Thus they bless life to anything and everything on this living planet. The masterstroke that plays a vital role between these phases is the combination of putting one’s heart out with the right processing mix.

Pour your heart out

Now the main question that baffles is how to master the art of content writing in a few hours and start creating fine pieces of writing? Have we ever wondered why there is a tool available for everything in the virtual world except writing? There are tools for checking grammar, punctuation, spacing, redundancy, duplication, plagiarism, etc. but is there a single tool for writing? If we might name a topic and bam, we get an article of our desired word limit. This is because writing is something that creates wonders only when it comes straight from the heart. The content writer has to nourish her writing with her heart and soul.

Dive in to get the befitting treasure

Pearls do not lie on the seashore. One has to dive deep into the ocean to get one. Content writing is an ocean with varied valuables and gems like Technical and Research Writing, Creative Writing, Copywriting, etc. It is very necessary for the freshers, especially those who have just begun the journey to be very specific about what excites them as a content writer, the genres, the type of writing, etc. This is the time to establish their style. Though it is advisable to have an inspirational figure behind writing but is not a good practice to entirely copy them. Content writing industry values unique styles of writing.

KYC (Know Your Calibre)

Hold on, dear readers. It is not a new banking regulation to Know Your Customers or an instruction to update your demographic details etc. It is Know Your Calibre or the mantra of Content Writing. Every individual has a unique DNA, and so is his/her talent. Some might get fascinated by writing blog posts, whereas some may get the adrenalin rush by website content, copywriting, review writing. Whatever be the genre, it is very important to have a disciplined approach to dealing with a given topic.

The Action-Plan

Though there is no set algorithm for perfect writing, some theoretical and practical concepts which when applied in a well-balanced way can work wonders. Generically, it is suggested to keep practicing the following concepts, so that there is never a dearth of writing assignments and one can master the art of content writing.

Healthy habits of Content Writing

1. Always keep your research radar open!

Yes, you heard it right, friend. To be an awesome content writer, it is very important to be always in the research mode irrespective of the fact that you are writing or not. She/he who reads well writes well. Not only on the subject of your action, but an avid reader always has budding ideas that keep his/her portfolio on the expanding and strengthening mode.

Gone are the days when one has to sit with a paper and pencil to jot down the ideas, whenever one comes across them. Our ‘cell’ phone has it all. Just download any app of your convenience like Evernote, Feedly, Trello and start jotting all your ideas in one place for easy reference.

2. Developing a unique style

Remember how we appreciate our favorite movie actors. Now, what is it about them that lures us and makes us fall in love with their movies again and again? It is their unique style of presenting themselves that is the winning move. Similarly while writing, try to maintain your unique style while keeping your original self-intact. Slowly but steadily this practice does reap the desired recognition.

3. Don’t beat around the bush 

It is very important to be clear, precise, and crisp while presenting your ideas to the readers in black and white. Beating around the bush while trying to convey the finer details of a subject is not a very good idea when it comes to content writing. Though a formal introduction and conclusion may be called for, that wraps up similar topics, such citations should be limited for this purpose only. Each word that does not resonate with the given subject has to find its place elsewhere as there is no space for beating around the bush.

4. Writer is the architect

Wondering how come our writer suddenly became the architect? It is usually considered good practice to initially jot down the points as they come to the mind first-hand. The next course of action should be an attempt to chalk out a framework by knitting the above points in as a structured way as possible. Once the framework is ready, fill in the details to complete each subheading. If this practice is followed, then the original thoughts that flow flawlessly from the core of a writer can be utilized to give that original touch to the write-up.

 5.  Old wine in a new bottle?

The internet is already flooded with content on basically anything and everything. Then why do we need another piece of repetition to clutter the cloud? This should not be the impression when someone starts reading a piece of your blog, website content article, etc. On the contrary, a content writer should aim at providing a fresh perspective to any idea. Despite the fact, that the topic or the subject has no dearth of presence once the search key is hit, a write-up should provide new food for thought to the readers appealing to them in terms of application and utility. So don’t pour older wine in a new bottle! So this sums up the healthy habits that content writers should follow to carve a niche for themselves.

The above-mentioned theoretical concepts should be inculcated slowly and with practice, they should become a part of the writer’s personality. Apart from the theoretical part, there are certain practical concepts to be followed to the ‘T’ to succeed as a content writer. A happy unison of the theoretical and practical concepts would be required to hit the ground.

 Let us explore the practical concepts to understand the in and out of content writing

1.    A Killer headline 

‘What is it in there for me’? This mantra is a sure success catcher for readers of any group. It is often said that the 80% readership of any article is decided by a headline that has something which attracts the reader. He/she should be able to connect to it in some way or the other. The headline is the catalyst which shall rise the article from the state of mediocrity to the creamy layer.

For example-

How to lose 10 kgs in 10 days at home without any equipment?

Want to quit your 9-5 job? Pursue your passion as a career in 30 days.

Do Sunday night blues haunt you? Here’s your daily dose of fun-packed weekdays

Be it a newsletter, technical writing, blogs, articles, etc. a headline should act as oxygen capable enough of blessing life to the otherwise dull-looking content to the target audience.

2.  The  First Paragraph says it all!

The adage ‘first impression is the last impression’ holds good even in this virtual revolution. The opening paragraph has the power to captivate the readers and spellbound them till the end. Apart from playing the role of the introductory paragraph, it contains the gist of the entire written item in a nutshell. Every writer has his/her style of hooking up the reader either with a relevant fact, statistic data, an appropriate quote, a historical or present-day reference, or a question to the audience. Every writer should make the opening as per their comfort zone, though the requirements of the write-up should also be considered.

Varieties of an opening paragraph that can be employed by the writers:

a.    The Storyteller Approach

Remember those good old childhood days, when we all liked to listen to stories and for some of us, it was a regular bedtime ritual. We yearned for those fairy tales or moral stories from our grandparents, parents, etc. As grown-up, we have our own respective professional and personal lives, but deep inside the child within us is still fond of listening to stories. The write-up that starts with an anecdote or small narrative does attract the readers and keeps them hooked till the end in 80% of cases. The storytelling approach also has the advantage of developing the write-up around the story so that readers don’t lose interest.

b.    The Pitching style Approach

Have we ever wondered what catches our attention that makes impulsive buying a real phenomenon?

The opening phrases like

Do you have 10 minutes every day to achieve that dream figure?

Mr. XYZ’s retirement fund figure is Rs.2 Crores, what is yours?

We pay you back to travel with us. Are you ready to take off?

Such opening sentences in the first paragraph do grab the reader’s attention by kindling that hidden spark in them. This may be any long-cherished plans, resolutions, or financial plannings that they are not able to undertake because of reason whatsoever be. Thus they cannot skip the urge to read the article. If the writer’s skills are polished enough to take them on a virtual tour that fulfills their desired thrust, the writer nails it. Onboarding and retaining the readers is all that matters for a great readership.

c.    The Suspense Creator’s Approach

The suspense created by the mysterious supernatural stories heard during childhood haunted us but also pushed us to know more about them. This is human psychology, the more we are restrained from doing something, the more we have the inclination to do it. This tendency is cherished by The Suspense Creator’s Approach wherein an opening statement leads to suspense and thus the curious readers want to get more of it.

ABC failed six times before becoming the entrepreneur of the millennium! Rest is history.

Sensational music Ikon XYZ could not speak till he was 5!

The round planet is flat now! Drop in to know more.

d.    The Questioning Approach

From the very beginning of evolution, a Homo sapien brain has a bent towards curiosity. This quest for knowledge has always got its answers by asking questions. Just think of the below-mentioned opening lines and their relevance in the daily life of a parent, home-maker, and shopping enthusiast respectively.

Your constipated toddler’s bowel movement horrifies you?

The ongoing pandemic disguised your kitchen to an experimenting arena?

The shopper within you gives the excuse of house-arrest at every online purchase?

The questioning approach for the opening paragraph does possess a powerful hold to catch the reader’s attention and in 70-80% guarantees full article read.

3.    Simplicity is the best policy

It is a sad trend that some of the social media channels and established writers flaunt their presence in the most ill-mannered way. By exhibiting the pomp and show by using extremely complicated words and sentences they want to gain popularity. As a result, the fresh minds in the arena of content writing have begun to feel that unless they use very difficult phrases, they can’t succeed. They start the entire journey of content writing on the wrong track and thus get lost too soon. To have a fulfilling writing career, the writing should be focused at the simplest level, such that it can be comprehended by elementary school children even.

4.    No Window dressing

It has been observed nowadays that to gain easy popularity, some of the content writers do window dress the truth. Misleading the readers by providing false, mutilated, exaggerated information is a crime in itself and the content writers should refrain from such practices. Besides failure and frustration for the content writers, it leads to a scarcity of good content writers in the industry. It is in the best interest of their careers to understand the audience and write accordingly. The information required by a CEO will be of no good to a homemaker and vice-versa. The presentation should be in simple and small paragraphs, maintaining the flow of information, short sentences, and readily approachable words.

 5.    Proofread, edit and again proofread!

Rome was not built in a day, nor does any great piece of writing. While writing the first draft always allow the writer within to jot down the ideas in a free flow. Forget about anything else while writing the first draft and write whatever comes to mind first-hand related to the subject. Let go of formatting, dismiss grammar, punctuation, and any other worldly thoughts. Just the writer’s inner self and his/her thoughts. Once the original thoughts have been engraved in black and white, start reading it again, and now comes the task of arranging, organizing, editing, etc. Finally be brutal enough to edit your work, eliminate the dead-weight and scrap the fluff. The last part is considered the most difficult as it takes a lot of courage to hit the ‘backspace’ key for your creation. But believe here, this is the tale-twister.

6.    Plagiarism- a big taboo in the content writing world!

Plagiarism in the field of content writing is the incorporation of someone else’s written work (words/sentences/phrases) without giving due credit to the source author. This has very serious consequences both on the reputation of the author in the industry as well as legal implications. Apart from the direct copying of words and sentences even mentioning phrases that are verbatim without any quotation marks and citation is a form of plagiarism. The irony of the matter is that even though many writers don’t intend to plagiarise, but due to lack of technical knowledge, get trapped. It is always better to write our notes on a given topic and proceed accordingly. Last but not least content writers should make it a habit to use plagiarism checking tools like Duplichecker, Copyscape, etc.

7.    Bank on the tools

There are a plethora of free tools available out there. The writers must make use of these tools to give their writing a cutting edge over others. Some of the most commonly used tools are Grammarly, duplicheker.com, Hemingway, Copyscape, Hootsuite, etc. These tools serve their respective purpose and give power to the writing.

8.    A rock-solid conclusion

A rock-solid conclusion is a must for every write-up because that is what allows the writers to stay rent-free in their subconscious brains. This rent-free space is the most important reward for a content writer and is known as the after-effects of reading. Though the physical words in black and white come to a stopping point, the rumination post the reading activity keeps their hunger in force for the next produce from the same writer. A conclusion should serve as a powerful tool to engrave positivity in the minds of the readers.

All said and done, the conclusion should be the beginning in disguise.

9.     Feedback-Daily Meal Plan

Inculcate the ‘feedback’ in your daily meal plan because feedback is the breakfast of the champions. It is very important to take the feedback in a constructive spirit, because only then one can shine as a content writer. Not many readers, clients, companies, peers, or superiors would be willing to invest their precious time in discussing someone else’s work. The ones that do are no less than angels for content writers. In the case of freelancers, it is very important to heed each client’s requirements and serve them accordingly. Negative feedback from the client must be immediately actioned, rectified, and notified post the needful.

10. Keep upgrading yourself!

To survive the competition, it is very important to keep upgrading one-self. Like any other field of study, content writing does keep revising and the lessons learned today may get redundant tomorrow. There are plenty of courses available to upgrade your writing skills. These courses are not only value for money but are available in all sorts of packages to suit the convenience of learners. Weekend batches, weekday batches, etc. are designed in such a way that it doesn’t disturb the daily routine of the learners. Just identify the writing type like content writing, creative writing, technical writing, medical writing, review writing, etc. Given the pandemic situation, it is advisable to opt for the online mode of learning and keep adding colorful feathers to the cap. One such is Henry Harvin’s Content Writing Course.

Conclusion

Don’t be a ship at the harbour!

• Reading check-done
• Research check –done
• Jotting ideas check done

Did I start the writing finally?

o   NO

o   NO

o   NO

At times, whether the above habit sound familiar? Don’t let that fear of the unknown hold you back from writing. A bad page can be edited, but how to edit a blank page? Just listen to your heart and soul because these tools never fail and start writing. It’s all about starting the journey. Sometimes all it takes to get your laptop, open the notepad, and write the first line, the rest piles on!

Recommended Reads:

5 Important Facts That You Should Know About Content Writing

Top 10 Content Writing Courses in India

Top 25 Content Writing Interview Questions and Answers

Top 10 Content Writing Courses in Bangalore: Be A Pro Content Writer

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