Thinking of witing content for various platforms, Olaolu Olowu, versatile content writer writes on the skills you need accomplish your aspiration.
If you’re reading this content, then you probably want to be a content writer. Or perhaps, you hope to become one someday, right?
However, wanting to be a content writer is not enough, being equipped with the right knowledge of what it takes to become one is key.
And by now, you probably already know what content writers do. Put simply, they write content or are involved in content writing. Content writers are professional writers and internet-savvy individuals who create blog posts, articles and other different forms of written web materials.
From this definition, it’s easier for you to deduce that content writing means putting together meaningful words and ideas.
That being said, being a content writer is not as simple as the definition looks, and it’s more than just talking about being one. It involves unwavering commitment, hard work, patience, resilience and efforts, and particularly, willingness – because most times, you will be unwilling to put down your ideas into text words.
However, this is not to deter you from becoming one, rather, it’s to prepare you for the days you find yourself unwilling to pour yourself into your craft. When that happens, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, find ways to win and do what you have to do.
Well, let’s say it gets easier when you know the skills and what’s needed to become one.
With the few skills added below, you’re well on your way to becoming a successful content writer. Ready?
- COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Since writing is a form of communication, your main goal when writing is to communicate certain information or knowledge to your readers as clear as possible.
There is no need to verbose or impress with big grammars. Write in a language your reader would understand – and make your writing as simple as possible.
Remember you are trying to pass a message across, not show off your grammar skills
Importantly, understand your readers and know what your readers want to know more about. Accept feedbacks and never stop working on your writing flaws.
- ANALYTICAL SKILL
This is the ability to analyze information and draw out conclusions from them.
When writing any form of content or article, be sure you know and understand what you are writing about. It’s important.
Sieve what’s relevant, and draw out your own conclusions in your own words after thoroughly going through different information.
- LEARNING SKILL
One of the important skills a writer should have is the ability to write on any given topic, whether it’s your niche or not.
This is not to say you can’t specialize or define your niche of writing, but just to prepare your mind that when starting out, you will most likely write about unfamiliar topics. Well, except you will be writing for your personal blog.
You should ensure that you are versatile, and be willing and open to change. Follow the trend, know a little about everything and be able to adapt to changes.
Also, do not always be fixed on one style of writing, the reader gets bored when there is nothing new to bring on the table.
- COMPUTER/TECHNICAL LITERACY
This is a technology-driven generation. Make sure you are familiar with the use of computer – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and also other writing tools.
These packages come in handy even when you do not expect.
In addition, own a laptop or make sure you have access to a computer.
Work on your typing speed, work on editing. Make sure you are a computer literate
- RESEARCH SKILL:
Research is the life of content writing. What is content writing without salient information in it?
You have to make a thorough research, spend more time on research than you do on writing.
Get your facts right and avoid any form of plagiarism.
- The Ability Focus
It’s easy to get distracted when writing, especially by the internet. Writing, however, requires focus which can sometimes be hard to find.
When you’re set to start your content writing, get rid of distractions and focus on one task at a time.
In order to be productive and get more work done, it’s advisable you start with the easy ones on your to-do-list before dabbling into harder ones.
- Have the Ability to Meet Deadlines
When writing for clients, keep in mind that your clients have deadlines to meet, and so do you.
Your ability to churn out high-quality content at a stipulated time will not only portray you as a professional but also a reliable content writer.
This is just to let you know that good time management is of the essence as it gives you a realistic number of how many jobs you can accept and deliver on time.
Keep Editing and Editing
Just because you are done writing your content doesn’t mean it’s perfect. That’s because there is bound to be lots of grammatical errors and typo errors that need cross-checking.
Nonetheless, editing takes patience, discipline and a good ability to pay attention to details.
Apart from grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, look out for lame points and overused words. Besides, you may even find yourself spending more time editing than writing.
Ultimately, these skills would help you become a better content writer. Most importantly, do not forget to have a clear, meaningful and easy to understand thought flow in your content. A preceding paragraph must connect to the next paragraph, and proofread your content again to be sure it is error-free.
And you are good to go!
