what is content writing example

• Aug 24, 2022

What Is Content Writing? (An Explainer with Tips and Examples)

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.

By Jenna Romano

Blog Writer

• Promote Your Site
• How To's
• Social Media Marketing

Recent Posts

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This Blog was created with  Wix Blog

24 Content Writing Samples Examples & How to Create Yours

Check these content writing examples and create yours with the help of our free templates!

• Content Writing
• November 18, 2022

Can you show us some samples of your writing? If that’s something you keep hearing but cannot say a confident yes to, you’re at the right place. We’ll show you 24 examples of how others write and present their content writing samples and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. 

So the next time a potential client wants to see your samples or HR requests them for your job application, you won’t have to worry about it anymore. You can just send your writing portfolio over with all of your best projects included.

Looking for a quick and easy way to build your portfolio? Try Copyfolio and create a stunning website that’ll look good on every device. It’s free, no credit card required.

Read until the end, because we added free content writing sample templates for you!

• 24 content writing sample examples

Why do you need to have content writing samples?

What kind of jobs do you need content writing samples for, types of writing pieces to include in your content writing samples, how long should your content writing samples be.

• How should you format your content writing samples?
• Free content writing sample presentation template

Content writing sample examples

1. Kevin Anderson

2. Shanice Perriatt

3. Astor George

4. Allana Schwaaab

5. Margaret Reeb

6. Sera Ozkivanc

7. Hazel McLaughlin

8. Julie Yuen

9. Halle Snavely

10. Robin Catalano

11. Tania Lewys-Lloyd

12. Caitlin Wright   

13. Nidhi Pathak

14. Kelsey Ray

15. Angela Rodgers   

16. Hannah Smith  

17. Leah Presser   

18. Paul Maplesden

19. Marijana Kay

20. Laura Howarth from left field.

21. Yvonne Reilly

22. 3rd.Life

23. Julie Gabriel from Copywriter.world

24. Shoaib Marfatiya

Okay, yes, these are great… But why do we need to have the content writing samples again? Isn’t it enough to just list all the previous clients and work experiences? 

Not really.

Even if you worked with some big brands, it doesn’t mean that your next client or employer will like your writing style. Or that they’ll think you can adjust your tone of writing to their brand’s. 

Getting to see multiple samples of your work in your writing portfolio , even if they’re not very long, will help them decide if you’re going to be a good fit or not. It’s kind of like trying an exotic new dish. You like how it sounds, but you’d still want to try it first before you can say that you actually do like it.

And that’s all the more true with clients working in complex industries. When it comes to highly technical topics, people like to see that you not only thoroughly understand it but can explain it in an interesting, easy-to-understand way.

First of all, you’ll need them if you’re a freelance writer, offering copywriting, or content writing services. Your prospective clients will want to check out your writing style before they hire you, that’s for sure.

But if you’re applying for an in-house or agency position that involves content writing, you will also be asked for it. It can be called a copywriter, content writer, SEO writer/specialist, or even a digital marketing position. So make sure you check the job description carefully and get your samples ready before you hit apply.

Now that you’re pretty sure you indeed need to collect your content writing samples, the next step is to decide what type of writing pieces you want to collect. If you’re an experienced writer, this will be a given. 

But if you’re just getting started, choosing certain types of writing for your samples could help guide your projects later on. Because logically, for example, if you have a lot of podcast script samples, you’ll feel like a great candidate for the podcast writing gig. Just as a client would happily hire a writer to write for their blog if the said writer has loads of amazingly written article samples.

Blog posts and articles

One of the most common and popular types of content to write nowadays are blog posts and articles. As content marketing is becoming more well-known amongst companies, the need for writers who can write highly converting content is on the rise as well. So you’ll find that most content writers have blog posts or articles as samples in their writing portfolios.

Long-form webpage copy

Another type of written content all businesses need is copy for their website. With everyone trying to get their pages to rank on Google, if you can write SEO-optimized content for websites, you can get yourself ahead of the competition. Knowing at least the basics of SEO is a valuable skill for writers, so if you have it, don’t be afraid to show it off.

Content for social media

Do we even need to get into why businesses need to have an active social media presence? We all know that by now. But what many people often don’t think about is that writing content for social media is not something that just about anyone can do. 

Yes, many social media platforms focus on the visuals – but without outstanding copy to go with it, even the best visuals will fail to convert. You need to know how to reflect on the consumers’ pain points and how to lead them to take the action you want them to take with the right CTAs.

So if you know the popular social media platforms and their requirements like the back of your hand –and can write content for them that will convert… Consider social media specific getting content writing samples and creating a social media portfolio .

Scripts for podcasts or videos

Blogs and websites have been around for ages, but it was in the last couple of years that the popularity of podcasts took off. So much so that now many podcasts are looking for writers to help out with their scripts. And the same goes for video content too.

It’s an exciting new genre, but also one that requires lots of time and effort. Podcasts tend to be quite long –and in most cases, you’ll have to do some research to be able to write a whole podcast script on a topic.

But if that’s something you’re interested in, add podcast or video script pieces to your writing samples to establish yourself as a promising candidate for these types of projects.

If you don’t mind ghostwriting (meaning that your name won’t be displayed as the author), writing eBooks for businesses that sell them is a great way to earn money as a writer. Similarly to podcasts, they’re lengthy and require lots of research –but the compensation usually matches the effort.

So if you’ve written eBooks –or want to get into writing them–, then samples or case studies to show your expertise will come in handy for your writing portfolio website .

The length of your samples will depend on a few things. Let’s start with the easiest.

If you’re adding a piece that was a previous project, the length is what it is. Although, for your portfolio, you can choose whether you want to showcase and publish the whole thing, or just an excerpt of it.

And that’s the second factor. Whether it’s a finished project or you’re just writing it now for your portfolio, you can always include just an excerpt of it. If it’s good enough that it shows your writing style, and your expertise in that specific type of writing, your sample doesn’t have to be thousands of words long.

Of course, if reading the whole piece is needed to assess your skills, write and publish it all. But showcasing only an excerpt can make reading it less overwhelming for the viewer. And as we all know, HR managers and potential clients often don’t have much time to review each content writing and copywriting portfolio . So making it easier for them by keeping the reading material shorter is a great idea.

How to format your content writing samples – a guide for freelancers and in-house content writers

This is another “it depends” kind of situation. Why?

Because if you’re applying for an in-house or agency position, the writing sample requirements might be very specific. They might ask you to send a certain number of samples that have specified length and format too. Or might even ask you to write something replying to a prompt or topic they gave you.

But if there are no such requirements, or you’re just putting your content writing portfolio together, you have more freedom in choosing the format. Our recommendation? A portfolio website , with each sample a separate project page.

Having your personal website with all of your content writing samples on there won’t only make you feel instantly more professional, but will also make it super easy for anyone to review your samples.

When each of your writing samples has its own project page, you have space to not only showcase the finished product but to also talk about how it came to be. Oftentimes the background information such as

• what the initial brief or your task description was,
• how you researched the topic and went around writing it up, and
• the impact it made, the conversions it drove,

…are just as important – and this format will enable you to write about all that. 

Free content writing sample presentation template s

To make it even easier for you, we put together two free content writing sample templates. These templates will show you the ideal structure that a content writing sample project page should have. 

If you follow one of these templates, your projects will be easier to review, will give insights into and background information on the project, and will convert better. 

This first template is for previous projects that are already published. Start out with your project title and follow up with a screenshot. It doesn’t have to show the whole piece, just that it exists and it’s out there.

People often simply link to the blogs and websites where their writing was published, but they forget one thing. It’s not guaranteed to stay there forever, unchanged. It happens that a company goes out of business, unpublishes some blog posts, or decides to change things in the copy you originally wrote. See how just linking to it becomes problematic?

But by providing a screenshot you can prove that it’s a real project that was published online. 

Following the screenshot, write a few sentences about the project background. What was the task you were given? The brief or prompt you got? Who was the client you wrote for? Then, if you can, go into the creative process too.

In the end, show the final result. You can add large-enough images containing the content you wrote so that people can read it there – or even type it out. Additionally, you can link out to the live version of it online.

To maximize your conversions, always end with a clear CTA and your contact information. For example: “If you liked my writing and would like to work with me, email me at [email protected]”

This template is for you if you’re writing samples just to go in your portfolio. Because if you do that, you won’t be able to start out with a screenshot of your writing published online. You can still add a photo to make the whole page less overwhelming and easier on the eyes.

Next to the image, write a few sentences about its background and your process. Even if it’s a project you made up, you can still write about why you chose that topic and format, and how you got around to working on it.

For the final result, feel free to just type it out, or attach a screenshot of the document you wrote it in. 

Collect your samples and add them to your portfolio with Copyfolio

The easiest way to create an online writing portfolio where you can add your content writing samples is using a website builder like Copyfolio. 

Copyfolio was designed specifically for writers and will not only let you create a stunning website with just a few clicks but will help you with prompts and questions to write your case studies.

Just choose a template, write the copy, add your projects and you’re ready to go! Start building your professional writer website with Copyfolio, sign up today!

Written by:

Dorka Kardos-Latif

Online marketing manager @ Copyfolio. Booknerd, coffee lover & travel enthusiast. Drop me a message at [email protected]

Wanna get inspired? See more topics.

Content Writing

• Content Production

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and editing web content, typically for digital marketing purposes with the aim of solving a problem for a specific audience. By solving the audience’s challenges, you create value and importance for the target audience thus establishing trust; a necessity in building a brand. It can include writing blog posts and articles, scripts for videos and podcasts, as well as content for specific platforms, such as tweetstorms on Twitter or text posts on Reddit.

Why Is Proper Content Writing Important?

When most people hear “content writing”, they think “writing articles”.

However, writing content isn’t just important for blog posts.

In fact, content writing is important for all types of different content formats, including:

• Video scripts
• Email newsletters
• Keynote speeches
• Social media posts
• Podcast titles
• White papers
• Web page copy
• Landing pages
• YouTube video descriptions

Or put another way:

Writing is the foundation for pretty much any content that you publish.

Best Practices

Create an outline.

Creating an outline is a GREAT first step in the content writing process.

Outlines help your content come out better for two main reasons:

First , outlines force you to put all your thoughts down in an organized way (rather than writing everything off the top of your head). Which really speeds up the writing process.

Second , outlines usually lead to a much better structure for your content. That’s because an outline lets you see your content from a “high level” that’s impossible to see as you’re writing.

Plus, because you have an outline, your final content will hit all of the major points that you set out to before you started writing.

So: how do you actually go about creating an effective outline?

Here are three main strategies that work well:

So when we start working on a new guide, we use a lot of the structure from our existing guides as a base.

• Use a template: Most professional content writers work off of proven templates. Here are 5 content templates you can use to create outlines .

For example, let’s say you’re about to write a guest post about the keto diet.

Well, you’d want to type “keto diet” into BuzzSumo to see what’s already done well.

Make It Easy to Consume and Share

Content that’s super easy to read and share is of the keys to great content .

You can have a post written by the world’s top copywriter. But if that post is hard for people to consume, no one will read it.

Here are a few tips to help make your content easier to consume, skim and share.

Keep it Snappy, Rich and Entertaining

Whether you’re writing about content creation or cars, your writing needs to grab (and keep) people’s attention .

Otherwise, they’ll click over to something else.

How you grab someone’s attention depends on the format you’re working with.

When I create videos, I use “Family Guy moments” throughout the video. These are little asides that add some humor to and spice to my video content.

And when I write videos, I focus a lot on formatting and layout.

Specifically, I try to keep my paragraphs short:

I also sprinkle in visuals and screenshots to mix things up.

And if you’re about to sit down and record some audio, you want your lines to be short and snappy. You also want to avoid parenthetical statements. Content in parenthesis is easy to follow when you’re reading it. But you can easily “lose the thread” if you’re listening to your audio as a podcast.

In short: your final content needs to be super engaging to work. And no matter what format you’re working with, that starts with the content writing process.

Quotable On Social Media

According to a study that we conducted, very few blog posts get shared or linked to .

And to increase the odds that your content ranks in search engines and gets shared on social media, add shareable quotes.

For text-based content, this can be a statement that you highlight in your post.

And if you’re making a YouTube video, you can pull out a short snippet from that video to share on LinkedIn.

The important thing here is to have these quotes ready before you publish the post. Then, highlight them in your content.

Choose Interesting Angles

With 2.3 million blog posts going live every day , you can’t just publish something generic and expect a wave of visitors.

Instead, to get traffic to your content, it needs a compelling angle.

An angle is simply the hook that makes your content stand out from all the others on that topic.

Your angle can be a personal story. A bit of controversy. Or something that simply looks better than what’s out there.

The angle you go with depends on your target audience.

For example, when we published our guide to becoming an SEO expert , our 8-bit design helped it stand out.

Make It Actionable

For most niches, your content can’t just be entertaining.

And it’s not even enough for it to simply be informative.

For your content marketing to work, your content needs to be super useful .

Here’s how:

Our SEO audit post is a great example of this.

• Keep it up-to-date: A single outdated step or example can derail an otherwise great piece. I recommend going back and updating your old content at least once a year.

Make it Trustworthy

For people to share and link to your content, they need to trust it first.

And while design factors in to how much people trust your content , your writing plays a big role too.

Here are a few tips to make your content more trustworthy.

• Use proper grammar: If you want to improve your writing skills, a tool like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly can be a huge help.

For example, whenever we write a guide, we add lots of stats and references.

Here’s an example from our blog.

Give it a Magnetic Headline and Introduction

Most visitors only spend 15 seconds reading an article before leaving.

With such a short window of time, your headline and introduction are incredibly important.

Here’s how to create headlines and intros that work:

Note how these bullet points aren’t topics . They’re benefits that someone will get out of reading and implementing what’s in the guide.

The Definitive Guide to Writing Blog Posts : I recommend sending this to any content writer that you work with.

The Complete Guide to SEO Content : How to write quality content that’s specifically engineered to rank in Google.

Evergreen Content : How to plan and write content that continues to bring in traffic for years after you publish it.

The Definitive Guide to Copywriting : Learn how to write SUPER compelling copy for blog posts, sales letters, videos and more based on tips from the world’s top copywriters.

25+ Content Writing Examples, Best Practices, and Useful Tools

Organizations use data to analyze their customer behavior. They study what their customers are searching for and what kind of content they are likely to consume. This insightful data is then used to plan and create content that is relevant and meaningful to their customers

Great content comes with great effort. Any organization on its way to creating a marketing strategy cannot ignore content today. This blog will focus on collating some winning content marketing examples, best practices used in the industry, and content writing tools that will make your job as a content marketer easy. 

A fantastic visionary that he is, Bill Gates could see deep into the future. In an essay written in 1996, he wrote with conviction about how content is king. In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant “new normal” have drastically changed the way people buy, sell, and work across the globe. Businesses have no option but to adapt and change. This entire situation has propelled the online space to the stature of a marketing hub. We are at a point where leading organizations across the globe are adopting content-led marketing strategies. 

In a digitally connected world, content is the new gold mine. Organizations and brands across the globe are using content to leverage their products and services. With more and more consumers moving online, the more agile brands have quickly made the shift. They are using content to tell their story and create brand value among their consumers.

But Wait. What Exactly is Content Writing?

Content writing is the art and science of creating content for the digital medium. Yes, you read that right. It is a finely crafted art as much as it is science. Why do we say that? Well, you will agree that writing is an art form. It requires someone to logically and meticulously put together thoughts into a coherent, readable format. But why is it a science? Because every piece of writing needs to have a structure. It must present a point of view in a well-framed, grammatically correct manner. The best content comes from a great mix of these two traits. 

Organizations use data to analyze customer behavior . They study what their customers are searching for and what kind of content they are likely to consume. Then, this insightful data is used to plan and create relevant and meaningful content for their customers. While science defines what needs to be written, it is the art and craft of writing that helps create highly readable and engaging content .

Different Types of Content Writing

Content is created primarily for digital marketing. Just like water takes the shape of its container, writing must mold itself to the medium. The tone, tenor, style, and length of the written piece must change based on where it will appear. Here are some classic content writing types :

• Scriptwriting for videos
• Writing for e-zines
• Newsletters
• Social media posts
• Case studies
• White papers
• Website content
• Landing page content
• YouTube video description
• E-commerce product description
• Reviews (books, movies, product, or service)
• How-to guides

While this list does not cover the vast ocean of content writing possibilities, it will give you an idea of what comes within its purview. From technology to recipes, from education to entertainment, from food to science, content can be created for any topic under the sun and beyond.

We have already established that content is the key marketing tool for any organization in today’s world. What, when, and who to write for is defined by an organization’s marketing strategy. Organizations or individuals setting out to make their mark must ensure that their content is customer-centric. This calls for a deep understanding of customer behavior, both online and offline. Brands have moved away from talking about what they can do for their customers. Instead, they speak about what the customer would like to hear within the context of their brand. In the highly competitive online space, content must be interesting and unusual to retain customer interest. The challenge is to create such content consistently .

8 Best Content Writing Examples

So, in short, organizations need to tune themselves to their customers’ frequency. They must clearly define their audience and create suitable content for this target segment. If customers find their content interesting, they will stay tuned, interact with the brand, and maybe even share it with their friends. Therefore, it is important to write honest and targeted content.

Here is a closer look at a few content writing examples via brands that seem to have got their content marketing formula right. They have a massive social media presence. They have a signature content style and have consistently maintained it through the years. This has resulted in their large social media following. Safe to say, they seem to have honed the art of creating content that connects with their customers.

1. Amul 

The iconic Amul girl graduated seamlessly from the traditional print advertising medium to the online space. This helped the brand stay connected with their customers while adding a new base of a younger audience. By maintaining the style and tone of its content in the online space, the company has earned the love and respect of its audience. Their communication is always topical, offering a brilliant mix of humor and current affairs. The brand also has frequent contests in its online space to keep its customers engaged and entertained. It is one of the best content writing examples.

2. Flipkart

A product of the e-commerce boom in India, Flipkart is a relatively new entrant to the market. However, they are in a highly competitive space, and they understood early on that they must follow the customer journey from research to actual purchase. 

User-generated content like customer reviews and recommendations forms an integral part of their content strategy. They maintain an active social media presence across all channels and ensure constant interaction with their customers through contests. Their Big Billion Day sale is a brand by itself, and customers withhold their purchases as they wait for this sale, much like the iconic Black Friday sale.

Like Flipkart, Zomato is a “millennial” brand that engages with customers largely between the age group of 18 to 40. It is a food delivery app that offers a listing of restaurants. The company uses a versatile range of content to engage with its customers; this includes blogs, videos, and infographics. Their target base is clear: foodies. They also send out constant emails to their database of customers on topics ranging from food to safety. This is an excellent strategy, as it helps keep them on top of the customers’ minds. Their quirky, 

topical, and witty catch on food consumption behavior hold their large base of customers joyfully engaged. Again, an exceptional content writing example. 

4. Fevicol 

“ Fevicol ka mazboot jodd hai, tootega nahin ” is an iconic sentence, without which the history of the Indian advertising industry will remain incomplete. Be it Kareena Kapoor’s dazzling dance number “Fevicol se” or PM Modi’s speech in which he says India-Japan relations are stronger than Fevicol, the brand has glued itself to the Indian collection of words and phrases. 

This extraordinary journey began with a textbook marketing tactic: directly approaching the target audience ( carpenters). After gripping the entire market and implementing brilliant strategies, this digital content writing example has come a long way from conventional newspaper ads to rocking meme games on social media. 

Bumble is more than a dating app, connecting like-minded people for friendships as well. The marketing strategy of this product is noteworthy, from maintaining an all-yellow (also the color of happiness!) theme throughout their profile to reeling in trending influencers. Bumble is famous for launching quirky campaigns that tick all the boxes. The most famous one is the one regarding women “making the first move.” Bumble is a women-first dating app, and they are not afraid to leverage this fact. This is one of the best digital marketing content writing examples.

Nobody can start a sentence with the word “Paytm” and not finish it with the famous “Paytm Karo .” Paytm India’s topical marketing strategy and overall branding communication have helped the brand become an intangible neighborhood of their users’ lives. They’re able to find branding opportunities in mundane online trends, instantly becoming a platform for a much bigger, topical conversation. Paytm sneaks marketing and branding in its entire online presence. 

7. Simplify360 

Simplify360 explains interactions with customers and audiences across different social media platforms for leading businesses. It also allows you to keep tabs on your customer reviews and answer them. Their social media feeds comprise detailed guides on customer management, sales conversion methods, and statistics-supported social media analytics. Simplify360’s marketers seem to highlight their skills and features through their posts and hashtags extensively. This brand acts as the perfect content marketing example. 

8. Shaadi.com

It is right there in its name— shaadi ! But, can you imagine a brand discouraging its value proposition? Shaadi.com recently launched a campaign where they conducted a survey among women and found out that around 82% of women do not want to rush into marriage. This survey and the advertisement around it garnered a lot of attention and applause. While raising a serious issue, they also drew attention to their easy-to-use, user-friendly interface, suitable for all types of people and mindsets. Isn’t this content writing example mind-blowing? Other than that, they are known for their emotional campaigns as well. 

Content Writing Best Practices

COVID-19 has irrevocably disrupted the traditional marketing funnel. It has driven more people and organizations online than ever before. Although the e-commerce growth figures in India were not as high as they were in other big markets like the United States and China, the industry is optimistic about the financial year 2022. This also means that organizations must have their content strategy in place and employ proven best content practices to leverage the online presence of their customers.

1. Have a clear content strategy

Your content needs to be customer-centric. It must engage with your audience, and it must convince them that you can help meet their needs or solve their problem somehow. It must imply that you understand their situation and empathize with them. Any content created must be about what the customer wants to hear rather than what the organization wishes to say.

2. Have a deep understanding of your target audience 

Who is your customer? What are their likes and dislikes? What are the challenges they face (in the context of your brand), and how can you solve those challenges for them? Any content created must strive to answer these questions. Build a customer persona and ensure that your content is always about your customers. It should reassure them that you are earnest about solving their problem.

3. Create content that connects with your customer

Once you have clearly defined who your target audience is, it is important to create content that resonates with them. Content that they can relate to so that they, in turn, share it and talk about it with their friends. Make your content so compelling that customers begin to interact and, over time, build a relationship with your brand.

4. Create the right mix of content

Ensure you hold your customers’ interest by offering them a fantastic mix of content . Incorporate blogs, videos, social media posts, infographics, and thought leadership material into your content marketing plan. Give your customers a reason to keep coming back to you.

Source 

5. Ensure your content is SEO-compliant

Optimize your content. This is an important best practice for SEO content writing. This means you must add all the relevant keywords, descriptions, alt tags, and meta tags. How can you do this? You need to obtain data on what your customers are looking for and create content based on their requirements. Ensure that there is a mix of the right keywords in your content to attract and retain your customer’s attention.

6. Make your content engaging

Once the content is out there in cyberspace, your customers should consume it and stay engaged with your brand. How can you do this? Keep your content simple and relevant, engage in storytelling, use humor, use images and statistics, and keep it topical and honest. Above all, once you arrive at a tone and style, stay consistent, so that you do not confuse your customer. This is equally important in social media content writing . 

7. Have a compelling call to action

Now you’ve got awesome content out there. Your customer reads it or views it, and then what? It’s important to have a relevant and logical call to action (CTA). What is the answer, reaction, or activity you want from your customers? Do you want them to fill a form, register on your site, sign up for your event, or bookmark your upcoming sale? Whatever it is, ensure your customer perfectly understands what action is expected. A clear CTA is essential to meet your desired communication objective. 

8. Have impeccable grammar 

There is nothing more off-putting than badly written,  grammatically incorrect content. Be picky about grammar. Ensure that your content is constructed coherently and has a logical flow – regardless of whether it is a written medium, a social media post, or a video. Also, make sure that you get your facts right. Be meticulous so that your customers don’t feel let down. Check your punctuation, or it can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Dot your Is and cross your Ts.

12 Content Writing Tools to Bookmark 

Does generating the right content seem a little overwhelming? It need not be. There are plenty of content writing tools out there to help you at every stage of content creation – from ideation and design to conclusion.  

1. Hemingway Editor 

It makes sure that your writing is simple, lucid, and grammatically correct. It uses color codes to point out issues in your sentence structure. For instance, this content writing tool highlights long, complex sentences in yellow. If you see a sentence marked in red, know that the sentence is long and hard to understand. It pinpoints large words so you can think of smaller, simpler terms. It is easy to use and even helps you format your content well.

2. Grammarly

It is an AI-powered content writing tool that can help you create impactful, error-free content. It rates content based on correctness, delivery, engagement, and clarity. 

This tool scans data points and helps you create SEO-friendly content. It is driven by AI, and helps you search for keywords, edit content, as well as audit your overall piece. 

4. YoastSEO

It is an extremely popular WordPress plugin. Yoast helps you manage titles, tags, descriptions, and keywords. It also helps track how often you are using the keywords.

5. Copyscape

It is one of the best content writing tools to check your content for plagiarism. As soon as you enter your content into the box, it combs content across the internet to check whether your piece is original. 

6. CoSchedule Headline Analyzer

It is a fantastic tool that assists you in writing powerful headlines within the prescribed word limit.

7. Cliché Finder

Do you have a penchant for repeating your favorite word? Cliché Finder is your go-to app. It will find and highlight words that have been repeated too often and help enhance the quality of your writing.

8. Readable 

Keep in mind the average reader’s ability. We don’t want readers trying to find word meanings in a dictionary. They won’t. They will simply lose interest and go away. So your content must be readable. And this is where this content writing tool can help you. It ensures that your content is simple and easy to read.

9. Hubspot Blog Ideas Generator

All you have to do is enter a word, and it opens the floodgates of topic ideas. It is effective in helping you come up with blog ideas regularly. 

10. SEMrush

SEMrush has more than 50 tools, add-ons, and products to help you market better online. From finding keywords and enhancing your overall SEO efforts to auditing your content, you can find everything here. 

11. Evernote

Evernote comes with useful features like templates for blog posts, reviews, planners, annual calendars, meeting notes, strategic planning, event budgets, checklists, and so on. 

12. Google Analytics

This is a free service by Google that helps get insights into different parameters regarding content. These include website traffic, advertising ROI, and more. 

13. Pepper Docs

Pepper Docs is an online writing platform that provides a range of features to help writers create, edit, and collaborate on written content. It also enables the sharability of documents with other users and the tracking of changes in real time. Additionally, the platform integrates with various other apps to streamline workflows and boost productivity. Some features of Pepper Docs include content rewriter, plagiarism checker, keyword researcher, and more.

To conclude, it is clear that content marketing is the way forward. Whether you are an individual looking to make your mark as a content writer or an organization seeking to build your online presence, content is key. Therefore, you must devise a strategy for the whole year and plan your content dissemination accordingly. Remember to use an interesting mix of content that includes social media posts, blogs, and videos. Podcasts are emerging as the next big thing in the content space, so you might want to consider adding that to your mix. 

The best part about digital media is that you can evaluate what is working and what is not. 

The trick is to orient your content according to what customers seem to consume more of. At the same time, ensure your content is topical and relevant to the consumers. Once you have a winning content formula in place, run with it, stay consistent with the style, and be honest about the promises you make. Because, as Maya Angelou says, “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

Key Takeaways

• Content marketing supported by great content writing is an important arsenal in any brand’s marketing strategy today. 
• Content writing is the fine-crafted art and structural science of making content for digital media. 
• The different types of content writing examples on the digital front include blogs, scriptwriting for videos, emailers, social media posts, whitepapers, etc. All of these are important for the digital growth of a brand. 
• Some of the best practices in content writing include optimizing for SEO, understanding your target audience, and creating the right content mix for your brand. 

Content, today, comes in all shapes and sizes, from the written word to an engaging video. A good content marketing strategy uses a mix of different types of content to reach your target audience. Some examples of content include blogs, emailers, newsletters, social media posts, case studies, and more.

Apart from the necessary skills, motivation and passion are crucial to write content that compels audiences to take action.

SEO content writing is the art of writing content keeping the practices of SEO in mind. The idea is to plan, create, and optimize content with the goal of ranking it in search engine results.

Content writing tools are important to create engaging and unique content. Some of their benefits include: – Improved writing – Enhanced readability – Fresh ideas  – Structured content

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What is Content Writing? (Beginners Guide)

Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and publishing web content. It’s an important marketing channel for modern brands and an excellent career opportunity.

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The term content writing has grown increasingly common over the years, as traditional forms of advertising have fallen to the wayside.

Companies from all industries have discovered that success in the digital age requires more than traditional, outbound marketing strategies.

With content writing, companies can build emotional relationships with their target audience, paving the way for customer loyalty and brand engagement.

Content writing often forms the foundations of every digital marketing strategy, as emotive content is necessary for everything from blogging and SEO strategies, to email and social media promotion.

Here’s your introduction to content writing, and why it’s so valuable today.

What is the meaning of content writing?

The term content writing in today’s digital age applies to the art of planning, writing, and publishing web content. Content writers may also be responsible for promoting and editing the content they produce.

Content writing is a form of inbound marketing designed to attract an audience to a specific company, product, or digital location.

The aim is to share valuable information about a product or brand, earn customer trust, improve engagement, and create opportunities for sales.

Today, content writing practices are used in the creation of various forms of content, including:

Blogging: Blogs are a central part of building a strong content strategy , they can convey ideas related to 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.

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

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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 which 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.

What does a content writer actually do?

As the definition of content in the digital marketing world continues to evolve, the role of a content writer can vary. Some content writers focus specifically on a certain aspect of content production, such as researching and writing blog posts optimized for search engines.

Other content writers might provide a host of different services related to the production of engaging, relevant content.

The fundamental role of a content writer starts with understanding the target audience of the company they’re writing for.

At the same time, these professionals can write content optimized for both a human audience and search engine algorithms.

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, content writers can also assist with this task.

They can help with pinpointing potential terms and phrases you should be using in your content. Some will also give you guidance on things like long-tail and semantic keywords.

Content strategy: Content writers can work solar or with content marketing specialists and assist you in developing an end-to-end content strategy. This could involve determining what kind of blogs, eBooks, listicles , and whitepapers you should develop and publish.

Your content strategy might include a plan for social media and email marketing, or video creation too.

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

Some will offer things like edits and updates for free with their work. You may also be able to request ongoing metrics to see how content is performing.

Proofreading and editing: Again, this can be a task completed by a separate person in your marketing team.

However, some content writers do all of their proofreadings and editing themselves. This could mean you need to pay for additional hours of service, however.

Publishing and outreach: 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.

Many professionals will also help with the creation of a content calendar, so you know exactly when to publish and promote each piece of content. Certain content writers can also assist with outreach to other guest blogs and publications,

The exact work done by your content writer will depend on who you hire. As the content writing marketplace grows more saturated, many professionals are offering bonus services to increase their opportunities for attracting customers.

What are the basics of content writing?

Content writing is the practice of producing content that engages, motivates, and potentially converts a specific target audience.

Around 87% of marketers use the content for directing prospects through the different stages of the digital marketing sales funnel . Each component of the customer journey requires a different approach to content.

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

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

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to content writing, there are some basic content writing tips that should apply to any content strategy:

1. Always do your research

Research is important 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’re going to be writing about. Factual, credible information is key in content production, even if the content you’re 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 you can 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 are producing 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.

2. Master the key components of content

Every piece of content is constructed with a series of different elements. For written content, there are certain components 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 also 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.

3. 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 every eBook or article 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’ll be able to examine your work from an objective perspective 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 which isn’t going to be useful to your audience?

How do I start content writing?

Getting into content writing doesn’t have to be as complex as it seems. Though content writers can earn a decent income (often around $49,204 per year), you don’t necessarily need a specific degree to become one.

The key to successfully starting a job in content writing is often developing your skills and gaining as much experience as possible.

Here are some steps to get you started.

1. Enrol 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 come in handy.

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 talents

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 this landscape is to begin practicing. It takes a lot of 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. Following accounts like the One Minute Briefs Twitter page is a great way 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.

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 fantastic research skills. Make sure 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 Make sure you know about things like backlinking and keywords.
• 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 copy artists 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.

How Much Do Content Writers Get Pay?

The average salary for a content writer (1-4 years of experience) is around $49,204 per year in the US. Experienced content writers (10-19 years of experience) may earn around $60,000 per year.

Indeed.com says content writers earn around $18.76 per hour. Your exact earnings will depend on your area of specialization, and the kind of companies you work with on a regular basis.

Should You Become a Content Writer?

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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10 Examples of Content Writing, When To Use Each, and Content Writing FAQs

December 11, 2020 • DJ Team

In the world of content marketing , video and image-based content continues to rise in popularity—but nothing has dethroned written content as the foundation of any brand’s digital marketing strategy. There are many different types of written content, from the standard blog to social posts and much more.

What is Content Writing in Marketing?

In simple words, content writing in marketing is the process of creating digital content and allows you to show your customers what your business is, what it specializes in, and how you can help them with their needs. >Let’s take a look at 10 examples of content writing to inspire you and help you round out your content writing efforts.

Content Writing Example #1: Social Media Posts

Creating social media posts is a great way to hone your content writing skills. Since posts are typically very short, snappy, and quick, you can easily try out different styles of writing and see what people respond to. It’s easy to change direction and adapt if you need to tweak your writing style since social media posts are typically fluid and changeable by nature. You can also practice A/B testing with your social media ads—try writing two different posts and sending it to similar demographics and see which one performs better.

Before you write social media posts, make sure to check character limits as well as the demographics of customers who use each platform. This will help you word the post for each platform in a way that will attract the most potential customers.

Content Writing Example #2: Website Content

Your website is a huge piece of content writing that is often overlooked as content. From writing each page to creating Frequently Asked Questions or a resource center for customers, your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers. Keep in mind that content writing for your website needs to meet customers who are at all different places in their journey to purchasing, so you should have content that engages customers at all levels.

Content Writing Example #3: Newsletters and Emails

One thing that sets newsletters and customer emails apart from other types of content writing is the fact that typically your audience for these pieces of content are people who are already customers and familiar or loyal to your brand. Offering unique content that they cannot get other places can help keep their interest and make them pay attention to your emails.

Content Writing Example #4: Infographics

While you may not think of an infographic as a piece of content writing, the truth is that infographics are a combination of visual and written. Think about different statistics. Or interesting facts about your company or products, and use those to create infographics to distribute to your social media channels. For a simpler infographics, you can try creating a comparison sheet. A simple chart that compares your products to others can help educate your customers and make the case for your product.

Content Writing Example #5: Ebooks

Creating ebooks for your customers is a great way to offer in-depth explorations of your products and services. This is a great educational tool and can help you to convince potential customers to convert to actual customers. Content writing for these pieces can be more technical, but make sure that you keep the jargon and specialized vocabulary to a minimum or explain it so that you bring your audience along with you.

Content Writing Example #6: White Papers

White papers are similar to ebooks in that they are longer pieces that are meant to be educational and delve deeper into subjects. However, white papers help you to establish your business as an industry expert and gives you authority in the eyes of customers. White papers can expand on topics that you use in your blog posts or cover other related topics or opinions.

Content Writing Example #7: User Guides and How-To's

These types of content writing are very helpful for your current customers and for people who are close to making the purchasing decision. You can show off your products and how to use them and help your customers understand and utilize your products fully.

Content Writing Example #8: Case Studies

If you’re looking to optimize your conversion rate, case studies are a useful tool. Customers are often convinced by case studies that prove your products and solutions work. It’s important to show things like the value your business provides, sales history, and compare and contrast to your competitors’ solutions. Writing about a customer challenge and showing how your products solved that issue is a great technique to create your first case study.

Content Writing Example #9: Video Content

It may seem strange to think about videos as a place where you need content writing, but the truth is that your videos will be much more successful if you script them before filming. Writing out the conversation points or scripting the entire video is a great way to make sure the videos stay on topic and cover what they need to cover. Think about your goals when creating video content and consider writing out outlines or full scripts if necessary. Sometimes people can be nervous about being on camera, and having a script or loose talking points can help take the anxiety out of what to say.

Content Writing Example #10: Blog Posts–Our Favorite!

There’s a reason that blogging is the most common type of content writing, and that is because blogs have a wide range of business benefits. From helping with SEO and getting your website to the top of the rankings to elevating your business as an expert in your field, blogs are still an important type of content to focus on. These are a bit more informal than other types of content but should provide good information to your potential customers.

Not sure what to write about? Turn to your team for help—brainstorming topics for content writing with your team will help you discover blog topics you may not have thought about. You can also auto-generate content topics by running an insight report in our DemandJump platform. No matter how you come up with your blog post ideas, the important thing is to have a blog and use it.

At DemandJump, we specialize in creating the exact blogs, articles, and other written content that will boost you to page on search engine rankings. Our clients frequently come to us with questions about the ins and outs of writing content. Let's take a look at some of the top questions we receive.

What Are Some Popular Content Writing Topics for 2022?

From cryptocurrency to TikTok trends, we've seen some major changes to the content writing landscape in recent years. First, we always recommend that you write about topics you would like to be seen as an industry expert on. If you're looking for some inspiration, here are a few of the top content writing topics we've seen lately:

• Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin
• Online shopping
• Remote work, working from home, and hybrid work
• Foodie blogging
• Pillar-based marketing
• Small business advice
• Diversity, equality, and inclusion
• TikTok ideas
• Real estate
• COVID-19 (we know, we wish it would go away too)
• Making money online
• Mental health
• Social media marketing

How Do I Pick Topics for Content Writing in 2022?

To pick the best and most relevant writing topics, ask yourself these three questions:

What is the Format of Content Writing an Article?

You can write an article in many different formats: lists, FAQs, instructional guides, case studies, infographics, interviews, how-to’s—there are numerous possibilities. Regardless of the exact format you choose, here are some key formatting tips to keep in mind:

• Keep your visual style consistent. If every page on your website has different fonts, colors, and graphic styles, that can be confusing to a reader and won’t help your brand image.
• Use bullet points when you can. Reading a little list in the middle of a blog can be a great break for the eyes. Use this tactic to make your most important points scannable and easy to read.
• Watch your font size. Most users can change the font size on their own device for easier readability, but why not make it easy for them to read right off the bat? Setting your body font (aka anything that’s not a title or header) between 16 and 18 px is considered a good size.
• Stick with shorter paragraphs. Bite-size paragraphs are easier to read, and you want your reader’s experience to be as effortless as possible. Plus, it’ll help your content flow better on a tiny cell phone screen, which is where we find ourselves doing the majority of our content reading nowadays.

What Should Be Included in Content Writing?

Generally, your content writing should include answers to your target audience's most pressing questions. When you get into the trenches of content writing, here are some key things to include in your content to climb the search engine page rankings and drive conversions:

• Keyword questions and phrases to appeal to all those search engine algorithms
• H2 headers that include keywords for easy reading and scannability
• Backlinks to other articles on your website
• Linked or cited sources to back up any claims
• Intriguing statistics and facts that prove your points
• Imagery to add an eye-catching element
• A call to action (CTA) to prompt your readers to "click here to sign up" or "contact us today"

How Do You Write Marketing Content With Strategy?

There are tons of strategic approaches to writing marketing content, but we think the best method is pillar-based marketing . This kind of marketing is all about combining the science of keywords and content structure with the art of good writing.

If you'd like to write content using pillar-based marketing, your content should be divided into three different types:

• Pillar - A pillar page will cover a broad keyword topic, be around 3,000 words long, and include 15-20 high-value keywords.
• Subpillars - This content should explore subtopics within your pillar topic. They will be 1,500-2,000 words long and include 10-15 keywords.
• Supporting Blogs - Supporting posts will get into the nitty gritty of the subpillar topics. They should be about 750-1,000 words long and include 6-8 keywords.

How Do You Write Good Content Marketing?

Anyone can write good marketing content with practice and a few helpful tips like these:

• Don't edit as you write. That's a one-way ticket to writer's block. Let your thoughts flow as you write, and worry about whether it's "good" or not when you edit later.
• Always keep your main point in mind . Remember good ole thesis statements from school? That same concept should apply to your content marketing. Make sure each point you make can somehow connect to your principal topic.
• Kick distractions to the curb. Turn your phone on "do not disturb." Close your office door. Find a comfortable spot. Clear your desk. Put up a sign that says "leave me alone...or else." The battle for distraction-free writing never ends–you have to fight for that peaceful work space!
• Take a writing class or certification course. If writing is not your strong suit, try taking a class or certification course to boost your writing skills.

Are There Content Writing Topics for Practice?

As they say, practice makes perfect, and finding topics for practicing your content writing is an excellent way to level up your abilities. Any of the trending content writing topics for 2022 we mentioned above are excellent for a little content writing practice. Looking for some more specific topics to practice on for your industry? Try writing a piece of content that finishes one of these statements:

• Our product/service will make your life easier by...
• Here are things I wish I knew before starting my business...
• Behind the scenes, my business...
• The history of our organization started with...
• I wish everyone in my industry knew these things...

How is Content Writing Done?

Depending on the writer and the industry, content writing methods will vary. Across the board, though, there are a few steps every content writer will take:

• Plan - You can write one-off blogs, but in our experience, that doesn't help with search engine ranking. Create a content plan with multiple articles that dive into every aspect of a topic, and schedule when each piece is due to be published.
• Research - In your research, you'll want to investigate who your target audience is, what they most want to know, what industry experts are saying, and any other information you may need to write intelligently about your topic.
• Write - Write the content! Type it on a laptop, handwrite it, use a typewriter–whatever brings you joy.
• Proofread and Edit - When you're proofreading, it can be helpful to read your writing aloud, as that will help you catch more mistakes than reading it in your head. You should always proofread your writing first, and then send it on to at least two other sets of eyes for review.
• Publish - Send your fresh little blog out into the world, and announce its publication across all your social media accounts. Then repeat the whole cycle! The more quality content you write, the more search engines will recognize you as an authority on a topic.

How Can I Write a Content Plan?

First, figure out what topics are important to you, what topics are important to your audience, and where those two areas overlap. Plan to have long-form content cover broader areas of that topic, and use short-form content to cover more detailed questions on that topic.

For example, let's pretend you design, make, and sell custom temporary tattoos. If you're using the DemandJump platform, you would first run an insight report for a broad phrase you'd like to rank for–let's go with "custom temporary tattoo" for this example. After our platform auto-generates an insight report, you would see something like this:

Bada bing, bada boom–content ideas about custom temporary tattoos. From here, you can write your content plan. If you're following a pillar-based marketing strategy, you'll first want to pick out a pillar topic. "Temporary tattoos" would be great for your pillar, as it's a broad topic that can easily squeeze 3,000 words out of. For subpillars, you might explore semi-permanent tattoo ink" or "long-lasting temporary tattoos." And for the supporting blogs, look for long-tail keywords or questions, like "Can I get a temporary tattoo for 1 year?" or "How do you make a temporary tattoo at home?"

One important thing to note when you're planning your content topics around a pillar-based marketing strategy–this strategy is about answering your audience's questions. While at first you might say no to “How do you make a temporary tattoo at home?” because you want people to buy temporary tattoos from you instead of making temporary tattoos at home, this type of thinking won’t get you to page one of Google.

Some of the topics might not apply to you directly, or even answer questions you’d prefer your audience not think about, but it doesn’t matter—these are the questions your audience is asking. Answer them, win your audience’s trust, establish yourself as an authority on every single facet of custom temporary tattoos—and that is how you win page one rankings.

How Do You Write Content?

Creating content is a very specific skill set that requires good research and writing abilities. We have our own content writing team here at DemandJump, so we get asked this question a lot. All the tips we’ve shared with you so far have come directly from our writing team. In fact, they—me? Hello, it’s me, a member of the writing team—wrote this blog you’re reading right now, so we must be doing something right if you’re still with us.

When we write content, we always use our DemandJump platform. It’s way easier than spending hours doing keyword research and topic planning on our own (and trust us, we’ve all done it without the DemandJump platform—those were dark times).

It’s so easy to pull topic insight reports to see the top keywords trending on any topic at any time. After choosing an area to focus on, our platform assists with organizing the topics into pillar pages, sub-pillars, and supporting blogs. It even shows us which topics aren’t performing well so we can reexamine that piece of content and beef it up a bit. The DemandJump platform is by far our favorite way to write content!

Which of the Following Examples of Content Marketing Came First?

Before we wrap things up–quiz time! Not because we enjoy torturing you–it's actually good to know a little bit about the history of content marketing. It makes us appreciate how far we've come from the days of paper pamphlets and magazines.

Which of these content marketing examples came first?

A. John Deere's "The Furrow" magazine, which promotes John Deere products.

B. Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack," which he used to promote his printing business.

C. Johnson and Johnson's "Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment," which advertised products to the medical community.

If you bet on Ben (answer B.), you are correct! The first edition of "Poor Richard's Almanack" was published in 1732 . Johnson and Johnson's "Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment" came around in 1888 , followed closely by John Deere's "The Furrow" in 1895 . Although we're guessing they weren't so focused on SEO and keyword research back then...

Find the Best Topics for Content Writing Marketing With DemandJump

If you're struggling to figure out what content to write, we get it–it's not easy! But with the right content writing tools, like DemandJump, it can be. With our prioritized lists of content to create, insight reports with keywords and topics, and a customer service team to support you every step of the way–success is well within your reach!

Want to see our platform in action? Try it for free today!

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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 Content Writing , 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.

What Is Content Writing? Plus 12 Tips to Take Your Content to the Next Level

Updated: March 01, 2021

Published: February 25, 2021

When you search for "content writers" on LinkedIn, you're bound to come across an incredibly diverse range of professionals.

For instance, you'll see some content writers create social media copy for small businesses, while others write press materials for insurance brands.

You'll also find that some content writers write long-form editorial content for glamorous magazines, while the more entrepreneurial-type write scripts for their own branded content, like podcast or video.

So, what's going on here ... Are some of them lying?

In fact, they're all telling the truth. Content writing can take various forms, but in essence, it comes down to creating content for digital formats — and (at least in our case) for marketing purposes.

Here, we'll explore what content writing is ( hint, hint … I'm currently doing it ), as well as tips to take your own content to the next level. Plus, we'll explore examples of incredible, high-quality content writing.

But, to start — What is content writing, anyway?

What is content writing?

Content writing is the process of writing, editing, and publishing content in a digital format.

That content can include blog posts, video or podcast scripts, ebooks or whitepapers, press releases, product category descriptions, landing page or social media copy ... and more.

Simply put, content writers are the storytellers for their brand. They convey meaningful, helpful, and insightful messages to inspire and move an audience to take action — that action being a final sale.

Nowadays, content creation is a critical component of most businesses marketing strategies — in fact, as of 2020, 70% of marketers now actively invest in content marketing .

This means the role of content writer is more in-demand than ever before. However, the role varies depending on both industry and business needs.

For instance, some businesses might invest heavily in a social media strategy, while other companies prefer creating content in the format of blog posts or e-books.

Regardless of format, a content writer is critical for creating high-quality content that represents and strengthens a brand's voice, while attracting, engaging, and delighting the right audience.

When done right, content writing has the power to convert readers into prospects, and prospects into paying customers. So it's undeniably important for your business' bottom-line that you're able to consistently create helpful, engaging content.

But that's easier said than done. To help take your content to the next level, let's dive into some of my favorite content writing tips (these have personally helped me, as well).

12 Content Writing Tips

1. write unique and original content, and go above-and-beyond what you find online..

Whenever I start a new blog post, like this one, I start with plenty of online research — but that's not where it ends.

After Googling relevant topics, including "content writing tips", I begin creating an outline using some of the information I find online.

However, your piece will never rank if you just copy-and-paste the same information that already exists online — and, even if it does, when your readers catch on (and they will), they'll lose trust in your brand as an authority within the industry.

Once I finish my rough outline (which will include about 60% of the information I found through online research), I fill in the remaining 40% with unique, original insights. If I know about a topic personally (as is the case with "content writing", since I'm a content writer myself), I'll fill in the outline with original anecdotes, tips, or personal examples.

However, if I don't know much about the topic at-hand, that doesn't mean I simply use what's already online. Instead, I'll reach out to internal HubSpotters who are experts on the topic or use other original internal-company resources, or I'll conduct external outreach via my social networks to find a reputable source willing to provide tips, quotes, or original examples to beef up my piece.

Additionally, I'll look for content regarding the topic across a wide range of sources — including YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Quora, as well as podcasts — to ensure when readers' come across my content, it's both comprehensive and unique.

If they can find the same information elsewhere on Google, why should they stay on your page? As a good content writer, it's your job to take your content to the next level, always.

2. Write a good hook to grab your reader's attention.

Sometimes, it's easy to write a good hook — particularly if the topic is intriguing or exciting to you, as the writer.

But what about more boring, mundane topics, like Rel=nofollow?

In certain cases, writing a good hook requires pulling back and looking at the bigger picture. For instance, while rel=nofollow isn't the most fascinating topic (in my opinion), what is interesting to me is SEO, and how SEO can directly impact a company's ability to reach new audiences — plus, how Google has needed to change regulations in recent years due to an increase in illegitimate sites.

Which means, when I started writing 3 Reasons Why SEO's Are Upset About Google's Rel=nofollow Announcement , I used that angle to inspire my hook, and painted a picture: Myself as a Wikipedia editor, writing about zebras, and getting paid $500 to link to a fake news website.

( Now you're interested, aren't you?)

My Creative Writing background helps in this case, and I'm willing to bet your own passion for writing will help you create exciting hooks, as well.

Oftentimes, the introduction and hook is your best opportunity to use your writing skills to truly inspire, move, surprise, and delight your readers from the get-go. Take advantage of that space by thinking: What would make me and my friends want to keep reading?

3. SEO-optimize your content for search engines.

Your writing can be absolutely stunning, but if it's not SEO-optimized, no one will ever read it.

As a content writer, it's critical you become familiar with SEO when it comes to writing .

Being an SEO-savvy writer can help you ensure your content ranks on whichever platforms you're publishing, including YouTube, Google, or even social sites like Instagram.

Plus, you can use SEO to ensure you're writing about the most popular topics related to your products or services, and covering the right sub-topics when you're writing about a given topic.

For instance, "content writing tips" is a keyword phrase I found when conducting keyword research on the topic of "content writing" as a whole — it's not necessarily a sub-topic I would've considered covering in this blog post had I not done the research to recognize HubSpot readers are seeking out that information.

Ultimately, learning key SEO tactics will help you become a writer whose more attuned with your readers' challenges, and ensure you create content that more accurately answers those challenges.

4. Consider how you can attract an audience across a wide variety of platforms.

While SEO is critical for ensuring your content ranks on search engines like Google, it's not the only opportunity for distribution.

To reach a wider audience, it's helpful to learn how to write content that performs well on various platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, or email.

Plus, you might be a content writer whose sole job is to write newsletter content or social media copy , depending on your business' needs.

To ensure your content reaches and inspires audiences regardless of the platform they prefer, it's vital you consistently consume content via email and social to pick up writing tips specific for those sources.

5. Incorporate multimedia components to break up the text.

Whenever possible, try to incorporate videos, images, graphs, or other multimedia content to break up the text and make it easier for your readers' to consume — particularly if it's long-form content, like pillar pages or whitepapers.

Consider, for instance, the blog post I wrote: " How to Develop a Content Strategy: A Start-to-Finish Guide ".

That blog post is long, with over 3,000 words. To break it up, I embedded videos and other multimedia elements (like blockquotes), to keep the reader engaged throughout.

This is also a good opportunity to increase traffic to your company's various marketing materials. For instance, if you have a new company podcast, try embedding episodes in relevant blog posts to drive listeners to the podcast while providing additional value for your readers — a win, win.

6. Segue into appropriate and relevant calls-to-action.

As a content writer, your job isn't just to create good content (that's what novelists are for). It's also to ultimately convert those readers, listeners, or viewers into prospects and customers.

As such, it's vital you learn how to appropriately include relevant CTAs throughout your content , particularly if those CTAs can help your readers learn more about the topic at-hand.

Consider, for instance, the relevant CTAs embedded in the body text of HubSpot's YouTube video, " How to Understand Facebook Video Insights (Guide) ":

When you're creating your own content, it's important you ensure you're consistently directing your audience to various business offerings to convert those viewers into prospects and, ultimately, consumers.

7. Edit, edit, edit.

Whenever I finish a first draft of a blog post, I take a few hours off and then return to it at the end of the day. With a fresh perspective, I'm able to edit for small grammatical errors or fix structural issues.

Good content writing is impossible without good content editing.

We're all human and will continue to make mistakes in our writing: That's okay, as long as you remember to go back and edit for those errors, later.

Additionally, small grammatical errors can ultimately make-or-break a readers' trust in your brand as a whole. If they notice you've forgotten periods or misspelled words, they might make the judgment that your content isn't as authoritative and clean as other content on the web, and look for future information elsewhere.

8. Jam-pack value into every sentence.

When I worked with an editor a few years ago, she consistently told me: "If your sentence isn't telling the reader anything new, delete it."

This was a tough pill to swallow. That meant some of my most beautiful, moving sentences needed to be deleted. But it's a fair point: In content creation, you need to move quickly onto your next point, or you'll lose your reader entirely.

Most of your readers are busy people with plenty of distractions, including other businesses' social posts, blog articles, or YouTube videos. Make it easy for them by making your point — and then moving on.

9. Play around with interesting angles.

Good content writers consistently test out new, surprising angles to keep readers engaged and coming back for more.

Consider, for instance, how often "consumer product" has been written about. I'm willing to bet if you've ever researched the topic, you've already seen a wide variety of angles as different content writers try to make an old topic feel new again.

But … have you ever seen consumer product compared to water , before?

Articles like " Be Like Water — A Guiding Principle for Consumer Product " do an excellent job at finding new angles to pull readers' in, even if those readers have seen plenty of consumer product-related content before.

The more unique and surprising your angles are, the more likely you are to capture new audiences.

10. Incorporate original quotes from thought leaders or colleagues to paint a well-rounded argument.

No matter how good my writing is, my readers still don't necessarily want to hear my advice on protecting your mental health while working from home .

Which is why I didn't try to tackle the topic myself — instead, I found a psychologist to provide well-researched, helpful tips to take my piece to the next level.

Even if you're an expert on a topic, consider how you might provide alternative opinions to create a more well-rounded argument. If you're writing a blog post like, "Video vs. Podcast: Which Is Better For Your Business?", see if you can get quotes from both podcasters and video producers (or your own internal colleagues who feel passionate about the subject).

Expert quotes or original insights will impress readers and show them that what they're finding on your website, they won't find elsewhere on the web. And that's powerful.

11. Tell the reader why what you're writing about matters to them and their daily lives.

Let's say you're creating an ebook: "A Comprehensive Guide to Excel".

Not exactly what excited you most when you majored in English, is it?

Imagine how your readers feel: Sure, they might download your ebook if they need the information to excel (ha, ha) in their jobs, but they won't necessarily be excited about it.

Consider, however, how critical Excel is for certain functions. Excel can help a company's financial department analyze year-over-year performance to determine how much budgeting a marketing team will receive in the upcoming year.

That budget contributes to critical growth, and the business' ability to reach and convert new customers. Without it, the marketing team won't be able to increase brand awareness as effectively as they'd like — and the business will suffer, as a result.

When you recognize that Excel can actually be tied to a person's job security, it suddenly becomes much more fascinating, doesn't it?

Content writing isn't just about creating pretty sentences. It's also about telling a reader why a topic should matter to them, and how your content can help them become better in certain areas of their lives — be it work, family, health, or travel. Now that's purposeful.

12. Ground your advice with examples.

As I've covered these content writing tips, I've tried to include a few relevant examples (i.e. my Rel=nofollow blog post).

Examples can help ground your advice and drive a message home — and they can also help demonstrate how readers can apply your advice to their lives.

Particularly when you're writing about loftier, less tangible topics, it's critical you show your readers what you mean, rather than just telling them.

But what better way to demonstrate the importance of examples than to … Show you some examples? (Great segue, huh?)

Let's dive into some examples of powerful content writing, next.

Examples of Content Writing

Along with the examples I've included above, let's take a look at some impressive examples of content writing.

1. Harris and Harris Wealth Management's Blog Post, " What Keeps Me Calm For Clients As Markets Gyrate ":

Why It Works

If you have the chance to read the whole article, do — the entire piece is informative and engaging. But what this introduction does particularly well is hook the reader with an opening that's surprising and intriguing. 

"You never see it until it happens ... We were due ... I just didn't expect it ..." are all phrases that work to create suspense and encourage the viewer to keep reading. Zaneilia Harris, the author of the post, uses emotion to engage with her readers and make "market downturns" as a topic both personal — and universal. A great example of using a powerful hook to attract, surprise, and delight readers. 

2. The Rachel Hollis Podcas‪t‬, " No Motivation? Here's How to Create Your Own! "

The podcast script is exciting, relevant, and powerful. I found myself nodding along as I listened: something most content writers hope will happen in reaction to their content. 

In particular, take a look at the description for the podcast (if you don't have the time to listen to the whole episode): "This week ... Rachel is delivering her best secrets for creating a firestorm of motivation inside a season where even a spark feels hard to find." 

The language is compelling and unique — and who doesn't want a  firestorm  of motivation? This is an excellent example of content writing that encourages a reader to complete a task: In this case, downloading the episode. 

3. Trello's Business Plan Template post via LinkedIn.

Simply put, sometimes, timing is everything. 

Trello's content writers published the right message at the  right  time —in this case, the very beginning of 2021. Entrepreneurs were likely attracted to the hook, "Are you thinking about turning your passion project into a real-life business in 2021?"

Additionally, the copy uses a wide-variety of examples to attract as many viewers as possible. For instance, the copy mentions the template can help you organize product descriptions, finances, or industry analyses.

Whenever possible, it's helpful to ensure your copy can attract audiences with different challenges or needs — which this post does well. 

4. Brian Dean's YouTube video, " How to Start (And Grow) a YouTube Channel in 2020 ":

When the video starts, one of the first sentences Brian says is this one: "These are the exact same steps I used to take my channel from zero subscribers to over 5,000,000 views."

That's powerful script writing, and goes a long way towards convincing viewers to keep watching. Why? Because it tells you the content that follows actually helped someone succeed, and creates a level of authenticity that could be missing if Brian simply said, "I've heard from others that these tips work." 

5. Ally Bank's "Save for what matters in 2021" newsletter email:

I was immediately drawn to the punny slogan at the top of this email when I opened it in my inbox, which reads: "On your mark. Get set. Goals." The rest of this newsletters packs a punch, too — each sentence is jam-packed with valuable information, and best of all, the content is directed right at me , the reader. 

And who doesn't want to make 2021 the "year you save for what matters"?

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to Find Clients for Content Writing (with the ‘State, Story, Strategy’ Technique)

Not knowing how to find clients for content writing can derail even the most determined new writers. 

There’s no shortage of freelancers (myself included) who’ve grappled with:   

• Flip-flopping between marketing tactics and succumbing to shiny object syndrome,
• Frustration with our woeful incompetence at selling (because we’re doing something new), or 
• Battling the fear of self-promotion that messes with our ability to follow through

Struggling with the marketing side of your business can leave you riddled with self-doubt (despite how good you are at what you do!) and undeniably cranks up the procrastination levels.  

Yet, to become gainfully self-employed — self-promotion, sales, and sourcing new leads are skills you must practice (and ideally master). 

The good thing is, success leaves clues. 

And one of the fastest ways to clear your biggest hurdles and catapult your business to the next level (more money ? better clients? extra confidence?) is to model the habits, systems, and strategies of other successful writers. 

Find clients for content writing: the first step

Going from being a writer to running a writing business requires a massive shift in mindset …

Flexing new skills and implementing what you learn comes with a hefty dose of doubt and indecision. 

After all, feeling incapable before we feel capable is why real learning is so difficult. 

But all this proves is that savvy self-management (upgrading how you think, feel, and act) is a precursor to building the business you want. 

And it’s why today we’re exploring how to upgrade how you operate by:

• Discovering how to quickly change your emotional state to enforce better decisions 
• Modeling your peers and mentors so you can bypass ground zero and progress toward your goals faster

Not only will you discover some strategies to find clients faster, but you’ll also learn how to adopt a more bullish mindset (the kind where you aren’t your own worst enemy) that makes all the rest of the work significantly more manageable. 

Overriding your inner critic to increase your income

“Your mental and emotional state colors your perception and experience of everything in life.” – Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins’ dedication to helping people access their most powerful, resourceful selves is incredible. 

And while his delivery rarely resonates with me (he’s a little too extroversion-y for my tastes), there is no doubt his methods work. 

But what does that have to do with finding new clients and boosting your income? 

Well, given that fear, procrastination, and perfectionism (when left unchecked) can seriously impact how well your business does, evolving your mindset and reining in your emotions can instantly boost your chances of success and getting discovered as a writer . 

That is why I want to share Tony’s simple but mind-blowing framework to help you with that. 

State > Story > Strategy: A simple idea that can help you find clients for content writing 

The “State, Story, Strategy” heuristic is how Tony Robbins changes people’s lives. 

Here’s the three-point summary: 

• You can’t make the moves you want with a weak or limited state (think: irritable, frustrated, tired, hangry, anxious). 
• Your state influences your story (self-talk becomes enabling or disabling depending on your feelings). 
• Your story shapes your strategy (directly affecting how you decide, develop, and execute your best ideas).  

In other words, how you feel affects how you think and execute.  

• Bad moods make for disabling stories inside our heads. 
• Limiting stories keep us from finding the right strategies or, even if we have the right strategies, from executing them. 
• Failure to execute or make sound business decisions means progress stalls, and self-doubt ensues! 

But, the good thing is, you can make anything happen if you learn to: 

• Control your state. 
• Change the story you’re telling yourself. 
• Create new pathways in your brain to find better strategies for success. 

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How to access your most powerful, resourceful self

The next time you’re: 

• mulling over a problem, 
• choosing which idea to work on first, or 
• making any major decision in your life

… before diving into solution mode, remember the State > Story > Strategy framework to avoid making decisions when you’re unfocused, frustrated, or pessimistic about the future. 

Instead, use a few of the ideas below to shift into your “best self” mode. 

Change your State: What are you feeling? 

“I teach many ways to create immediate change in your state, but one of the simplest ways is to change what I call your physiology. You can change the way you think by changing the way you move and breathe.” – Tony Robbins

What you do (or don’t do) has everything to do with your state. 

How you feel mentally, emotionally, and physically (even spiritually) affects how you see the world and the possibilities available. And thankfully, it’s within our control.  

The fastest way to change your psychological state is to change your physical state first. 

It’s incredible how quickly it works.

• Do a set of pushups
• Practice yoga for five minutes 
• Perform focused breathwork 
• Take a cold plunge

They can all be an (almost instant) catalyst for changing how you feel. And if you’re feeling crappy, doing this before you try to tackle any of your problems is guaranteed to produce a more favorable result.

“ The state you’re in when you’re creating will be what the outcome is. The more ease and love you put into it, the more other people will get out of it. ” – Brianna Wiest

Conquer the emotion. Conquer the task. 

Change your Story about how to find clients for content writing: What are you thinking or telling yourself?  

“When someone has the right strategy in front of her, and she still doesn’t succeed, it’s because she’s missing the second key to a breakthrough: the power of story.

“If you’re not taking action and the answer is sitting there in front of you, there’s only one reason: you’ve created a set of beliefs that you’ve tied into a story — a story about why it won’t work, why it can’t work, why it only works for other people.” – Tony Robbins

Changing your physical condition can instantly help you feel more capable, confident, and optimistic.

But if you notice your inner dialogue still focuses on everything that can go wrong, use “the story I’m telling myself” as a prefix to any troubling thoughts.

For example: 

The story I’m telling myself is that I woke up feeling tired and gross, and now I’ll never do everything on my to-do list. And will ultimately fail at achieving my writing goals this year and disappoint everyone in my life.

Why? Because perspective is everything. 

And when you announce to your brain, “ Oh yes, this is just something I’m making up. It’s not a fact, ” it can help flip the way you feel. 

Our emotions erupt from our thoughts about the situation, and we can change how we think. 

And if you change how you’re thinking, you can change your response to the situation.

Change your Strategy: What can you do? 

Now that you’ve tossed aside the bad mood and the doubt-driven thinking, your next job is to turn your attention to your most pressing problem. And solve it from this more mindful and optimistic state. 

Coming up later in this post, I’ve got a Q&A with several excellent professional writers who share their experiences with starting their writing businesses and what they did to build their reputations and drive real results. 

But first, I want to share a bonus framework to help you make your next business move with more confidence, clarity, and conviction. 

Need to find clients for content writing fast?

Here are five eye-opening questions to help you decide what to do next …

Alex Carter is a masterful negotiator. 

She’s also the author of one of my favorite books, Ask for More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything .  

The premise is that, ultimately, negotiation is how we create our future. And the first negotiation in any situation is the one you have with yourself. 

“When you ask the right questions, of yourself and others, you open a window to create value far beyond what you can imagine.” 

In her book, Alex shares an incredibly compelling set of questions that can help you shape a new strategy (that perfectly aligns with who you are, what you’re good at, and what you want to achieve).

Note: Today, I’m only sharing the first five questions from her book, as they have the most relevance and can positively impact your path (but I highly recommend you read the whole thing!)  

Here are the five questions to ask yourself when you need a new strategy, in this order:

Q1: What’s the problem I want to solve? 

If helpful, ask: “What makes me most frustrated or ignites the most fear?” Alex suggests writing it out with all the details and then summarizing it into one sentence. 

E.g., I’m not making enough money yet for my freelancing to be my full-time job. 

Then, frame your problem as positive and forward-thinking. 

E.g., My problem is finding clients and marketing my content writing business.

Then, change it into a question starting with how, what, who, or when.

E.g., How do I find new clients and consistently promote my business? Or perhaps, how do I get more work from existing clients? 

Then, turn the problem into a potential solution by picturing what success would look like and rephrasing the question.  

E.g., How can I attract high-value clients who value my expertise, trust my judgment, and want to retain my services?  

Q2: What do I need …

• from this idea? 
• to win more jobs?
• to create more time?
• to get this done?

Identify what you need to solve your problem and list anything that comes to mind. Be honest about both your tangible and intangible needs as they stand today. And be sure to avoid any self-censorship when you’re answering. 

Q3. What are my concerns? 

Address the barriers of entry, sticking points, and gaps in your knowledge that might distract you from your goal or disrupt your progress. Think about how you feel and what emotions are at the forefront when considering the tasks required to make meaningful progress.

Q4: How have I handled this successfully in the past? 

Considering a prior success will make you feel more confident when negotiating your next move. So, list out the steps you’ve taken to solve something similar. 

If you can’t think of something you’ve experienced — how has someone else handled it? Envision someone similar to you who has reached the level you want to be at. 

(Keep scrolling for some examples from other writers!) 

Q5: What’s the first step? 

This final question is important for two main reasons: it builds momentum and enables the next steps to help you find clients for content writing. 

As Alex says:

“When facing a negotiation or steering ourselves toward a big and exciting goal, trying to design the whole solution from the outset can feel more overwhelming than productive. And being overwhelmed can lead even the most motivated people to give up prematurely or approach things in a haphazard way.”

To figure out the best first step for you to take, you need to:

• figure out where you want to go, 
• what you need, 
• what you’re feeling, and 
• how you have been successful in the past. 

Answering all these questions prepares you to answer this final question and helps you solve your issue.

Let’s hand the mic over to five amazingly accomplished writers who have taken their content writing businesses to new and incredible heights … 

And get a behind-the-scenes look into their self-management, how they found their first clients, and how they fuel their business now. 

How five writers catapulted their content writing careers 

Gainful self-employment relies heavily on strategically using your time, energy, and attention. 

And as Copyblogger CEO Tim Stoddart would say: Do the things that compound. 

• Build skills
• Build relationships
• Expand your knowledge 
• Invest in high-quality assets

Focusing on those four key strategies can quickly catapult your career if you put in the effort. 

But how do you find clients for content writing when you’re just getting started? 

Well, I interviewed some awesome writers and had them share their experiences with starting their businesses (what it felt like, what they were thinking, and what they did) PLUS dig into what their businesses look like now!

Here’s who I interviewed: 

• Jessica Malnik is a B2B SaaS content strategist and writer. She’s also the founder and host of Remote Work Tribe . 
• Kaleigh Moore writes for eCommerce platforms and the SaaS companies that power them. She’s the founder of Content Remix and the host of Freelance Writing Coach podcast .
• Adrienne Barnes is an ex-B2B freelance writer who pivoted to writing for her business at Best Buyer Persona .
• Ashley R. Cummings is a freelance writer for e-commerce, retail, and marketing SaaS companies. She writes a newsletter for content marketers and is CMO at Reading With RIK .
• Kat Boogaard is a freelance writer with bylines in The New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, Inc., TIME, Mashable, Business Insider, and more. She also writes an excellent newsletter for freelancers .  

Ladies, over to you!

How it started …

What did you do in the beginning?

Jessica: “When I was ready to go all-in on writing, I made sure I had a few safety nets including more than 6 months of living expenses saved up, a couple of small freelance writing gigs, and I also negotiated a deal where I moved to part-time with my then-employer. (That amount of money covered my bare-bones living expenses at the time).

“Then, I worked A LOT. I sent cold pitches every single day for the first six months of my business to build up my initial client roster.” 

Kaleigh: “I started outsourcing pieces of my daily workflow and diversifying the services I offered to mix things up and free me from time-for-money services.”

Adrienne: “Just kept going. Wrote, published, and promoted even when no one cared or interacted.” 

Ashley: “I started slowly by moonlighting and then, when I felt financially ready, I made the leap and haven’t looked back. It took a lot of trial and error, and I’ve spent 13 years developing processes, refining my craft, and networking, and now I’m in a place where I continue to grow each year.”

Kat: “One of the biggest turning points in my writing business was when I totally shifted my perspective on what it meant to be a working writer.

“I stopped chasing the big bylines and glossy publications and switched to content marketing — primarily helping clients produce content for their blogs. As I landed a few opportunities, I found a niche in writing content about the ‘world of work,’ and that’s where I’ve stayed ever since.”

How it’s going now …

What positive or negative feelings do you have about your business at the moment? 

Jessica: “Overall, I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to achieve. However, as an entrepreneur, there is always something that I need to improve, change, or do better. The minute you stop improving is when your business is in trouble.” 

Kaleigh: “I’m feeling generally uncertain about the economy, but so far, things are going well. I feel less stressed than normal and am taking time to exercise during the day instead of being chained to a desk for eight hours a day, which is a step in the right direction.” 

Adrienne: “I’m passionate about helping B2B SaaS companies break through their growth stalls, and I know I can be helpful. Now I’m just in the waiting game, and I’m consistent and persistent enough, so the market has time to respond.” 

Ashley: “I am proud of the business I’ve built. I’ve 10xed my income since I started, met many great people, and have more time on my hands to be present with my family and travel. I will say it’s exhausting in a lot of ways though.

“It’s challenging to sit down and write nearly every day for 4–5 hours. I always joke that I do homework for a living and that I write a term paper every day. It’s actually true, and my brain gets overloaded.” 

Kat: “I feel fortunate that most of my feelings are pretty positive! I feel like I’ve really zoned in on the clients I most enjoy working with and have also found a work-life balance that works well for me. I think the negative feelings mostly come from trying to keep my balance in check.

“There are a ton of ideas and opportunities that I’d love to pursue, but I simply don’t have the time to do so. That can feel frustrating or even like I’m ‘falling behind,’ but I try to remind myself that it’s a trade-off for the balance I enjoy at the moment.”

What is your self-talk like? 

Jessica: “I don’t always give myself time to celebrate wins or reflect on my accomplishments. I also tend to dwell on the negatives or what could be better more than highlighting what is working.” 

Kaleigh: “Always pretty poor in general, but I’m working on it! I do feel more confident in my skills, knowledge, and abilities lately, so that brings some new confidence.”

Adrienne: “Whew … that’s a daily rollercoaster. Just today, I had to thank my body/mind for making me nauseous and anxious after pitching myself for conference talks. There are moments of amazement, and gratitude, where I’m my biggest cheerleader, and then moments of awful self-talk where I berate myself.” 

Ashley: “Mostly positive. I don’t like to beat myself up for running an awesome business. But, I’m human, and there are days when I wish I were growing faster, doing more, and achieving more.”

Kat: “I try to keep it positive, but I definitely have some moments of impostor syndrome creep in particularly when I see other people creating, launching, or pursuing the things that I’m not prioritizing right now.

“I also think with all of the external factors that are getting a lot of attention right now — economic uncertainty, layoffs, AI, etc. — I have to actively work to keep some of that, ‘You’re not anythin’ special …this is the end for you!” self-talk at bay.” 

What are you doing differently to find clients, or what is working well for your content writing now? 

Jessica: “There is no such thing as a true solopreneur business. If you want to scale, you need help. So something I started doing more was slowly building up a small team to own tasks that I’m not good at, don’t want to do, or just to give me breathing room.” 

Kaleigh: “Saying no more often, not just jumping at any opportunity that comes my way.”

Adrienne: “I’m creating a lot of video content from my podcast Break Through the Stall, writing for my newsletter, and being very intentional and pre-planned in what I create.”

“There’s a strategy behind my content, and it’s making it easier for me to show up in an intentional way every day, while still having space and time to show up in off-the-cuff ways if I want to.”

Ashley: “I try and manage the workload by hiring help — not only in my business but also with life-tasks. For work, I have a VA that helps, research assistants, and an editor that looks at every piece. I also have processes that reduce the amount of time I sit in front of a computer.”

Kat: “I grew my business pretty drastically last year, bringing on a ton of clients and quite a few subcontractors to help me keep that afloat. It was a rewarding experience, both in terms of learning and finances. However, after welcoming my second son, I craved more comfort and predictability.

“I reflected on the times when I felt most ‘in control’ in my writing business and realized it was when I was working completely on my own. I’ve since scaled things back and am focused only on taking on the clients and projects I can serve really well on my own. It’s been an adjustment, but one I’ve felt really good about so far.” 

That’s a wrap on how to find clients for content writing, folks! 

And whoahhh, we’ve taken a deep dive into self-management today! But I simply cannot help myself. Because it’s So. Freaking. Important. 

Self-employment is an emotional roller coaster. 

But if you get in the habit of doing the daily work that helps you: 

• restore calm, 
• sharpen your mindset, and 
• reframe your approach to getting the results you want 

… you’ll arm yourself with practical strategies to find clients for content writing. You’ll also gain perspective and shift into your “best self” mode — spurring better decisions about where to spend your time, energy, and attention.

Claire Emerson

Claire Emerson helps business owners execute their best ideas. She is the curator of Flourish and the creator of Implement My Course — a free 10-day email course on how to apply what you learn without procrastination poisoning your progress. Join (free) here .

Reader Interactions

Reader comments (1).

March 7, 2023 at 2:15 pm

Great tips for overcoming self-doubt and procrastination as a writer! Modeling successful habits, evolving your mindset, and using the State > Story > Strategy framework are all effective ways to boost your chances of success. The Q&A with professional writers is also an insightful read. Thanks Curt

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30 Content Writing Examples From Top Content Writers, Journalists, Marketers, and More

30 brilliant content writing examples, 10 each from renowned writers, journalists & marketers, to inspire you!

Protim Bhaumik

Director, Content Marketing

24. Oct 2022 , updated 17. May 2023

This guide is for content writers and those working in any form of content writing, whether it is the writing itself, editing, content planning, content marketing, and more.

The article has a collection of 30 content writing examples from various spheres, bucketed under 3 broader headings of content marketing, content writing, and journalism, respectively, with 10 examples of content from each.

Even if you're not a content writer yourself and are looking to hire one, this guide will stand you in good stead, as it will give you an idea of what the best-in-class content writer does via the examples that have been curated below.

Before jumping into the examples, let's first cover a few basics.

What is content writing?

Content writing is the act of creating content in written form.

The history of content writing

Ever since the advent of the written language, humans have been writing in some form or the other. In the past, books were written by hand and copied meticulously and painstakingly by expert scribes who possessed phenomenal skill in handwriting. The invention of the printing press simplified this process and brought about a surge in writing and reading all over the world.

Then, a relatively short time later (in cosmic terms), the internet came about, and practically overnight, humankind created more content than our forefathers had in millennia.

Content writing today

Most content writing nowadays is meant to serve online audiences. That said, the act of writing and creating remains the same. Content writing, at its heart, is the art of making something new — it is creativity at its core — a throwback to those early humans who, like us, yearned to create , as exhibited by their cave paintings and even their rudimentary tools — while borne out of necessity — were some of humanity's earliest creations.

What is good content writing?

Content writers worth their salt, not only explore the artistic side of the process but also delve deeply into more scientific, logical, aspects of writing. A result of that process is good content writing which, in essence, is great storytelling. And great storytelling is backed by research, thought, love, soul, creativity, art, and all the things that make us human.

What is great content writing?

And so, what makes for great content writing? In a word, great content writing achieves what it sets out to do. And that can be a host of different goals depending on the situation. A blog post may look to garner signups, a social media post might look to attract engagement, and a poem will hope to make us feel and think.

To sum up : Since you're reading this on the internet, you understand that most content writing is for folks like you. To that end, content writing is the act of creating written content backed by research, that engages its audience (through emotion, fact, or both), tells a great story, and, most of all, achieves its objectives.

And that leads us to the various content writing types.

Different types of content writing

As touched upon earlier, content writing takes many forms and has different goals. Here's a (most decidedly non-exhaustive!) list of the various types you would've come across. It has been divided into three sections for easier parsing.

Types of content writing in marketing

• Blog content : Content written to build awareness around products and services, to help prospective buyers compare solutions, or to finally nudge them into purchasing (possibly with how-to guides).
• Emailer content : To inform an existing target audience about a company's pursuits and engage with them meaningfully.
• Social media posts : Folks write content for social media posts with various targets, like engagement metrics, to inform their audience of happenings, solicit requests, or act as a helpline.
• Newsletter content : Marketers create content for newsletters to connect with their current audience, build new readership, and generally educate and inform.
• Website content : Written primarily to market to customers and potential customers about the numerous offerings businesses have. That said, each page of the website usually has, depending on their digital marketing strategy, different types of content to cater to those specific customers and audiences, serving to achieve the marketing goals of these businesses.
• Advertising copywriting : Clever, concise, catchy copy that captivates customers, coaxing them into commerce via a call-to-action.
• SEM content : SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing — typically referring to Google Ads — where the copy is written to entice viewers into clicking through.
• SEO content : SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the act of optimizing your content for search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc. And SEO content writing is the act of creating content that follows SEO guidelines. In fact, there are other types of SEO as well, such as App Store Optimization (ASO) for apps on Android and Apple. SEO content is also created for sites like YouTube , Amazon, and more.
• Social media advertising content : Copy created for social media ads on platforms such as Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn. Again, each ad usually contains a call to action.
• Landing page content : Landing pages are where prospective customers land on a website. This can be via an ad, a video , a social media post, a Google search, or more. Typically, marketers create content for landing pages with conversion in mind.
• Case studies : Metric-driven content highlighting a company's achievement in a specific project. The template generally speaks to the problems, outlines how they were solved, and the results (read: numbers) thereby attained.
• Success stories : Slightly similar to case studies, success stories focus on the happiness of the customers and are not number-driven and hence have a softer approach when compared to case studies.
• White papers : Heavily researched, thought-leadership content written by subject matter experts that are highly sought after.
• Scriptwriting for video content : Scripts written to entertain, engage, educate, and explain via the video medium. Generally created for YouTube, along with the descriptions, but it can be made for ads, TV commercials, etc.
• Ecommerce-specific content : Product descriptions and the like to help a potential buyer make a purchasing decision.

Types of content writing in journalism

• News : Everyday reporting by news journalists covering nearly two hundred countries across five continents, from New York to New Delhi to New Zealand. Also, these journalists write on Covid, Climate Crisis, Breaking News, Environment, Science, Global Development, Politics, and more.
• Opinion : Columns and Editorials by respected journalists and writers who critique, comment, and expound on topics that are of local, national, and international concern.
• Sport : Journalists who write content on international sports like soccer to the Olympics, as well as national sports franchises, for example, say, the US-based ones such as the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB.
• Culture : Journalists covering Culture write on topics such as Books, Music, TV, Radio, Art, Design, Film, Games, Stage & Theater, Movie Reviews, etc.
• Lifestyle : These journalists write on Fashion, Food, Recipes, Love, Sex, Health, Fitness, Home, Gardening, Men/Women/People, Family, Travel, Dance, Science, Luxury, and more.
• Business : Industries such as Manufacturing, Trade, Technology, Finance, Construction, Education, and Agriculture, are just some of the beats that these journalists write on.
• Features, Interviews, and Others : There are so many more types of journalists creating content and reporting on various topics in formats such as video, podcast, photojournalism, doing features, interviews, and more.

Types of content writing in other creative pursuits

• Scriptwriting : Content written for videos, TV shows, podcasts , audiobooks, movies, and plays all the way from William Shakespeare to Aaron Sorokin.
• Poetry & Music : Poets from the times of Lord Byron to more recent work by Rabindranath Tagore, who was a prolific music writer as well, to contemporary artists like Nikita Gill.
• Novels : Since this is a bit more obvious, I'm going to name a few of my favorite authors: Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, PG Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Agatha Christie, and Zadie Smith.
• Non-fiction books : Covering innumerable topics from productivity guru David Allen's Getting Things Done to lexicographer Susie Dent's Word Perfect .
• Short stories : Isaac Asimov and Italo Calvino are masters of this genre, but there are a ton of writers working on short fiction online.

Content writing for content marketing

Over the last decade, content marketing has become integral to digital marketing strategy. To lend some context to what to look for in top content writing examples from a marketing perspective, let's briefly talk about what it is.

Parts of content marketing

The final goal of all marketing is to lead to sales. But there are many steps to get there. As with all marketing, there are a few parts to this process.

• Content marketing strategy : Based on an understanding of the audience, the product or service, and with the use of research tools, a macro content strategy is formulated, i.e., what content is going to be created or written, for whom, when is it going to be published, and which channels is it going to be promoted on.
• Content writing or creation : At this step, written content, usually a blog post, is created for the part of the marketing funnel (we'll go over this in the next section) that it is in. Here, when possible, quality content, as discussed before, is created.
• Content distribution : Once created, the content needs to reach the target audience, and that's achieved via distribution — social media posts, newsletters, emailers, SEO, etc., are all distribution channels that can be explored, depending on where the audience is most likely to be found.

SEO content writing

One of the most important content distribution channels is SEO. And that's where SEO content writing comes in.

In essence, SEO content writing is the process of creating content for search engines, primarily for Google, as they have the most search traffic.

The process is as follows:

• Technical SEO : Done to ensure that your website is crawlable and indexable by search engines. Usually involves seeing that the web development side of things is SEO compliant.
• Keywords research : Using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush, research is conducted to find the best keywords to target. This process then informs the overall content strategy.
• Content writing for SEO : Using tools like SurferSEO or Frase (these are optional), a content writer will create content that is likely to rank, using the best SEO practices, such as using the correct headings, keywords, or more.
• Off-page SEO : After the content has been published and indexed, many marketers will try and solicit backlinks to help rank higher on search engines. This step doesn't strictly fall under "SEO content writing," but I thought it helps round out an understanding of the SEO process.

Content writing for journalism

Journalists frequently report on actual occurrences while meeting deadlines, digging through sources to locate the most accurate information, and completing all of the above tasks incredibly quickly.

Journalists also have to adhere to journalism ethics and standards. According to Wikipedia , journalism ethics and standards are defined as :

"Truth,” "accuracy,” and "objectivity" are cornerstones of journalism ethics. Journalists should strive to detach themselves from regions, groups, and even countries they reside in. Allowing for that separation to prevent influenced bias plays a part in their journalistic writing.

There are many kinds of journalists: some are freelance, some are staff journalists, and others work in the space as editors, reporters, writers, and more. In the section above (types of content writing in journalism), we've discussed the numerous "beats" that journalists can be on.

10 amazing content writing examples from top content marketers

Here's a curated collection of fantastic content writing samples of writers working in the marketing space. If you're thinking of creating your own website or portfolio to showcase your content writing skills, definitely take a page (or two) out of their book.

1. Bruce Kasanoff — social media content writing example

Leading businesspeople use social media ghostwriter Bruce Kasanoff.

He assists each client in identifying what is most important to them and sharing that information on social media platforms. Over 850,000 people follow him on LinkedIn because they value his practical advice on "doing well by doing good."

Here's a link to the article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gearing-up-excellent-8000-mile-adventure-bruce-kasanoff/

Check out more of Bruce's content here.

2. Marijana Kay — B2B content writing example

ConvertKit, Shopify Plus, Hotjar, CoSchedule, and other top B2B SaaS firms in marketing, e-commerce, and analytics use Marijana's services as a B2B freelance writer.

She's also the founder of the Freelance Bold, a library of tools for aspiring independent authors.

Here's a link to the article: https://www.shopify.com/retail/merchant-services

Check out more of Marijana's content here.

3. Carin Marais — B2C content writing example

Carin Marais is a freelance content & copywriter creating content for B2C, ATL, BTL, SEO, localization, translation, ghostwriting, and health & wellness.

She has over a decade's translation and copy and content writing experience in South Africa and internationally, working in US, UK, and SA English.

Here's a link to the article: https://www.truerelaxations.com/relax-stiff-tired-painful-legs/

Check out more of Carin's content here.

4. Jorden Makelle — video content example

YouTube influencer Jorden Makelle has 51.8K subscribers. She discusses books, reading, entrepreneurship, creative writing, self-development, and freelance writing. She also plays music!

Here's a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbfUQMTH1f0

Check out more of Jorden's content here.

5. Scott Baradell — website content writing example

According to O'Dwyer's, Scott Baradell, the CEO of Idea Grove®, is a Top 25 technology PR firm in the United States and a combined PR and marketing agency.

Scott has spoken on PR and marketing-related issues at trade shows across the US and holds an accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the PRSA. The Dallas branch of the PRSA named his agency, Idea Grove, the 2020 Agency of the Year.

Here's a link to the website: https://www.ideagrove.com/

Check out more of Scott's content here.

6. Gari Cruze — advertising copywriting example

Creative director Gari Cruze has worked with companies like Slack, Lyft, iRobot, Google, M&Ms, The Home Depot, NPR, Sunglass Hut, P&G, Sotheby's International Realty, Cracker Barrel, Folgers Coffee, and more.

He’s also worked at some brilliant firms as well, most recently at Huge.

Here's a link to the example: https://www.garicruze.com/#/litespeed-bicycles/

Check out more of Gari's content here.

7. Kayla Lewkowicz — landing page content writing example

Kayla Lewkowicz is a writer, content marketer, and teacher. Her portfolio's landing page is an excellent example — of who she is and what she does — like "turning great ideas into compelling stories.”

Here's a link to her portfolio and landing page.

8. Rosanne Barrett — business content writing example

Rosanne Barrett is a quality content writer, journalist, and copywriter who writes credible, SEO-ready content for websites and businesses.

She has used her considerable writing skills in content creation for industries and businesses across Education, Property, Health, Supply Chain, and Finance, to name a few.

Check out Rosanne's content portfolio here.

9. Dan Rosenbaum — PDF content writing example

Dan Rosenbaum is a highly experienced editorial leader, content strategist, and copywriter in content marketing and consumer publishing, having been a top editor of a half-dozen magazines/online properties.

He has extensive experience in conceiving, launching, and repositioning magazines and websites and is also an award-winning advocacy writer with extensive media experience.

You can read the PDF here.

Also, check out Dan's wonderful content marketing portfolio.

10. Carrie Cousins — content writing example

Carrie Cousins has more than 15 years of experience in media, design, and content marketing and is a freelance writer and designer.

This is an example of her content writing skills with an article at Design Shack.

Find more of Carrie's work here.

10 brilliant content writing examples from top journalists

Here's a studied selection of exceptional content writing examples from distinguished journalists working in various spheres, from music and arts to politics and breaking news.

1. Mary Ann Gwinn — content writing examples on current news

Mary Ann Gwinn is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Seattle Times, and Kirkus Reviews.

Here's Mary's insightful article on a hot topic from a different perspective written for the Los Angeles Times.

Find more of Mary's content here.

2. Simon Denyer — content writing examples from 35 geographies!

Simon Denyer is a wildlife conservation consultant, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and author. He's the former bureau chief with The Washington Post and Reuters and is also the author of "Rogue Elephant: Harnessing the Power of India's Unruly Democracy.”

His work has seen him cover topics in an outstanding 35 countries, such as Japan, North Korea, China, India, Bhutan, South Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Libya, Ukraine, Taiwan, Mongolia, Somalia, DR Congo, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Tibet, Malaysia, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan & South Sudan, Botswana, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Egypt!

Here's his report on concerns around the Olympics in Japan written for the Washington Post.

You can find more of Simon's work here.

3. Joey Kennedy — expert opinion pieces as content writing examples

Joey Kennedy is another Pulitzer Prize winner who currently writes for Alabama Political Reporter and B-Metro Magazine, is based in Birmingham, Alabama, and has been an opinion writer for 40 years, mostly for The Birmingham News when it was still a newspaper. He's also an adjunct professor at UAB.

Here's Joey's opinion piece on voting in Alabama.

Check out more of Joey's work here.

4. Scott Matthewman — theatre critique as content writing examples

Scott Matthewman is a former Online Editor of The Stage and has been a theatre critic for over 15 years for several publications.

Here's Scott's review of the play titled: "The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes" on The Reviews Hub.

Check out more of Scott's work here.

5. Jarrod Kimber — sports journalism as content writing examples

Jarrod Kimber is a sports journalist who was a global writer for ESPN.

He is a highly respected name in the world of cricket (a tiny sport compared to soccer but still has a following of billions), and he continues to ply his trade in the sport, currently reporting on the T20 World Cup on YouTube.

Here's an example of Jarrod's work.

Find more of Jarrod's sports journalism here.

6. Carrie Back — travel journalism as content writing examples

Carrie Back is a Native American journalist with bylines at Travel + Leisure , Parents , Postcards , Culture Trip , Matador , Popsugar & more.

Here's Carrie's article on the best beaches near Cartagena, Colombia.

Read more of Carrie's work here.

7. Crystal Housman — photojournalism as content examples

Staff Seargent Crystal Housman is a writer, photographer, and brand journalist.

Her work primarily focuses on the Military but also extends to Aviation, Wildfire, News, People, Features, Music, Sports, Food, Travel, and more.

Here's a very compelling story from her on Grizzly .

You can find more of Crystal's writing here.

8. Steven Levy — tech journalism as content writing examples

Steven Levy is a renowned tech journalist, author, and Editor at Large for WIRED. For almost 40 years, he's had tech columns in Rolling Stone and Macworld and has been leading technology coverage for Newsweek.

Here's his latest article on WIRED.

Find more of Steven's work here.

9. Brandon Hill — music journalism as content writing examples

Brandon Hill is a multimedia journalist covering music and culture, public policy, mental health, the labor movement, and social inequality.

He regularly writes for Okayplayer and CentralSauce and co-hosts the "In Search of Sauce Podcast."

Here's his article on Okayplayer about guaranteed incomes for artists.

Check out more of Brandon's work here.

10. David Worsfold — finance journalism as content writing examples

David Worsfold is a journalist and author specializing in finance and insurance and has also written books on social media, presentation skills & 20th-century military history.

Here's his World Finance article on the new era of geo-political turbulence in the context of finance.

For more of David's work,go here.

10 outstanding content writing examples from top content writers

Here's a handpicked assortment of content writing examples of acclaimed content writers, many of whom are authors, novelists, poets, short-fiction writers, and non-fiction writers, but ultimately, all artists in some form or another.

1. Brian Clegg — popular science writing as content writing examples

Brian Clegg is a popular science writer with over 40 books in print and specializes in physics, cosmology, and maths (with a touch of fiction).

Some of his popular science books include A Brief History of Infinity , Cracking Quantum Physics, and What Do You Think You Are . He also writes for magazines and newspapers, has written 7 novels, and has had several short stories published.

Here's a link to his book A Brief History of Infinity.

You can find more of Brian's work here.

2. Diana Rosen — flash fiction writing as content writing examples

Diana Rosen is a freelance website content contributor, essayist, flash fiction writer, and poet.

Here's a beautiful piece of content from her.

Here's more content from her.

3. Kathy Parker — poetry writing as content writing examples

Kathy Parker is a writer, poet, and spoken word performer.

Here's a thought-provoking poem about grief and love.

Here's more of Kathy's work.

4. Geraldine Brooks — novel writing as a content writing example

Geraldine Brooks is a journalist and novelist.

As a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, she covered crises in The Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. She has written three works of non-fiction and six novels, including March , which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and the international bestseller, People of the Book .

She speaks about her latest novel here.

Here are more examples of her work.

5. Kaely Monahan — podcast audio producing as a content creation example

Kaely Monahan is a Pulitzer-nominated and Scripps Howard Award-winning Podcast Audio Producer at The Arizona Republic.

Here's an example of a podcast on azcentral.

Find more of Kaely's content here.

6. Tabitha Potts — short fiction writing as content writing examples

Tabitha Potts is a published writer with several short stories in print anthologies as well as online.

She recently had stories long-listed for the Royal Academy Pindrop Award and the Sunderland Short Story Award, one was a Finalist in MIROnline’s Folk Tale Festival, and the other was Highly Commended in MIROnline’s Booker Prize Competition.

Here's one of her short fiction pieces.

See more of her content here.

7. Pam Moore — fitness writing as content writing examples

Pam Moore is an award-winning freelance health and fitness journalist and content marketing writer with over ten years of healthcare experience.

She is a regular contributor to The Washington Post's Wellness section and has also written for Time, The Guardian, Runner's World, SELF, Outside, Forbes, and many others.

She's also a two-time Ironman triathlete and six-time marathoner!

Here's her article on Mindy Kaling enjoying exercise.

Read more of her content here.

8. Scott Bryan — TV content as content examples

Scott Bryan is a TV critic, broadcaster, and the co-host of Must Watch on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Here's his latest article on the PM situation in the UK.

Find more of Scott's content here.

9. Stephanie Bernaba — humor writing as content writing examples

Stephanie Bernaba is a writer, journalist, photographer, and award-winning humorist. She writes on news, entertainment, and more.

Here's her article on She-Hulk.

10. Hank Herman — humor novels as content writing examples

Hank Herman is an award-winning author, humorist, and writing instructor whose memoir, Accept My Kid, Please! A Dad's Descent Into College Application Hell has led to speaking engagements throughout the Northeast, and his 15-book series of basketball novels, Super Hoops , is read by grade-schoolers everywhere.

Here's a link to his book.

See more of Hank's content here.

Showcasing your content writing examples

Remember, writing and creating content is only half the battle. It’s super important to back up your content — read our guide on how to do so — and showcase your work so that you can attract potential clients and employers!

That’s where a solution like Authory is handy: just add your sources to Authory and get a self-updating portfolio PLUS backup right out of the box!

Content writing FAQs

What are some examples of content, is content writing easy, what is seo content writing.

• Content Marketers
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Social Media Marketers

Protim is a startup founder & marketer with over a decade of experience in content marketing, content writing, SEO, and more. He loves dogs, D&D, and music!

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5 Content Writing Samples: Examples You Can Learn From

Whether you’re looking for a content writer for your business’s website…

Or a s a writer, you’ve seen tons of recent job postings for SEO content writers and you’re interested in adding an extra skill to your resume…

You’ve come to the right place. Bill Gates once wrote, “Content is King.” 

Decades later, as more and more businesses try to draw in customers through online interactions, we can’t help but agree with him. 

Today, businesses of all types are looking for someone to create content to help them build an online presence and create connections.

In this guide, we’ll show you:

• Concrete, easy ways to improve your writing
• How written content connects with readers
• Ways to influence potential customers/clients using written content

Don't Have Time To Read The Whole Guide Now?

We can send you a free PDF copy so you can read whenever you have time. It takes less than 10 seconds.

What Is Content Writing?

5 content writing sample articles, additional content marketing writing samples: portland seo growth, proof that our content writing samples perform well from an seo perspective.

We can share writing samples all day long.

But if you don’t know if they perform well, then who cares?

Here’s an example of a travel nurse staffing agency we’ve worked with for nearly 2 years. Below, we’ll share 3 writing samples (go ahead and read through the articles).

Q3 of 2022: This one content writing sample drove 4,488 organic visitors from Google

Q3 of 2022: This one content writing sample drove 3,036 organic visitors from Google

•  Where Do Travel Nurses Find Housing? A Comprehensive Guide to Travel Nurse Housing – here’s the link Q3 of 2022: This one content writing sample drove 2,792 organic visitors from Google

Q3 of 2022, across ALL content on their site (which we’ve supported with) drove 48,035 organic visitors from Google

Anything you put on the internet is considered content— Instagram posts, LinkedIn articles, newsletters, blog posts, etc.

The simplest definition of content writing is this : providing online users with relevant written information targeted toward a specific audience.   

For example, the content you’re currently reading targets people like you, who are looking for content creators or content writing samples.

Business owners are becoming more and more aware that written content plays a massive role in the success of their business.

 In fact, 70% of people prefer to get information about a company from written content , like a blog post, verses from an online advertisement. 

By providing consumers with free and useful information over the web, a business can: 

• Build authority and credibility in their industry
• Attract potential customers to their website
• Develop long-lasting relationships with customers
• Improve brand recognition and awareness 

Why SEO Content Writing Samples Are So Valuable

SEO content writing samples are extremely valuable because they can help you learn what quality SEO content writing looks like. Have you ever been to a blog and scrolled right through because you were overwhelmed by the amount of content on the page? Those websites aren’t good SEO content writing examples. But they are an example of why it’s so important to know what quality SEO content looks like.

What Does SEO Writing Involve?

• Conducting keyword research
• Learning proper post structure
• Creating comprehensive content — using keywords and phrases
• Connecting with your readers/customers easily

Creating valuable SEO content not only shows that you understand readers’ needs and you know how to help, but it also means that Google’s algorithm will recognize your content. Google knows that when someone is using the search engine, they are searching something specific.

And they want to find it, fast.

In fact , according to TIME , the average internet user only spends up to 15 seconds on a page. 

That means, as a writer, you have less than 15 seconds to connect with someone who’s come to your website.  

How can you connect with someone in less than 15 seconds?  

By creating content that is optimized for search engines.  

How Can Viewing SEO Content Writing Samples Benefit My Business?

Taking the time to view SEO content samples before creating your website pages, or blog posts, you’ll be a step ahead of your competition.

SEO content can take your business to the next level.

On-page SEO and Local SEO help improve brand awareness by bringing potential customers to your website, introducing them to content that adds value to their life, and lands your business a new customer.

Google, as well as your potential customers, are looking for quality content that answers their questions quickly.

Curious about how SEO content writing can benefit your business? 

Portland SEO Growth services Portland-based businesses and businesses across the United States. Click here to learn more.

We believe in practicing what we preach. 

You’ve learned why SEO content writing is so important.

Now, we will show you how writing SEO content —or hiring a SEO content writing company like Portland SEO Growth— can lead to a more successful business. 

Instead of only telling you how to write quality content, we’re going to show you five web content writing samples that show how written content can influence readers and connect with potential clients.

1. Relate to Your Audience - Bridgetown Aesthetics

Bridgetown Aesthetics always focuses on the importance of  relating to their audience. 

The company knows how to connect with their reader and remind the reader that they can provide services they are interested in. 

Here’s an example of how:

Know Your Target Audience and Have Them In Mind As You Write

In this Bridgetown Aesthetics piece, the writer had their viewers in mind. 

They knew that if someone clicked on the page, they were most likely struggling with migraines and looking for relief. 

In less than 15 seconds, the person reading this article can find the answer to their question. 

Knowing your target audience— in this case it was people looking to get rid of wrinkles on their forehead —and creating content that is easy to relate to is key to developing engagement with your brand or product. 

If readers aren’t engaged, they aren’t likely to stay on your website or buy your products.

2. Build Credibility - Power Wizard

Power Wizard is a company that helps Texas residents find the best electricity plans for their homes or businesses. 

In order to build and strengthen relationships with their customers, PW understands that they have to show authenticity. Let’s look at a content writing sample that helped Power Wizard build credibility by doing some simple research.

Do Your Research

Internet users are coming to your website looking for reliable information. 

Think of yourself as an internet detective—a content writing problem solver.

Google users are searching for answers to their questions. In order to gain credibility, the facts you provide not only need to be valuable, but correct. 

By doing your research and using credible sources, you will gain trust, and build your website’s authority. Take this Power Wizard article, for example:

This article is answering the following question:

Can landlords turn off tenants’ electricity in TX? The writer could have responded with a simple yes or no. 

But a reader would then likely leave Power Wizard’s website to go find out why . 

Instead, the writer provides a Texas law that states what landlords can and cannot do. Now, the person reading the article not only found insights they were searching for, but they know why. 

By providing reliable sources, Power Wizard builds authority with potential customers while adding tremendous value.

Let’s assume Power Wizard embedded a link into the text that leads to the law, this would also increase their authority with search engines. 

3. Include a Call to Action - American Dream U

Creating content for websites is about drawing people in, answering questions, and solving their problems. 

American Dream U is a resource created for veterans and their families who are in transition from the military into the civilian workplace. In the following snippets, ADU’s content writer creates connections by writing pieces that encourage readers to think: “ Yes, I want more information! What else can I find while I’m on this website. ”

Keep Your Content Writing Actionable

American Dream U’s primary goal is to help veterans and their families as they successfully transition into life outside of the military. 

Content writing involves convincing readers to take action. This is known as creating a call-to-action .

See the banner at the top on the top of this content? 

ADU knows that many of their potential clients are looking for resources to help them find a job outside of the military. The banner encourages veterans to click the button, stay on the website, and take a free course that will help them find their dream job. 

ADU does a superb job of keeping readers on their website and providing them with valuable information.

People want to know why they should click a link, or subscribe to a newsletter, etc. 

At the end of this article, the writer introduces the reader to another page that will provide more information they may be looking for. This simple call-to-action keeps people from straying away from the company’s site. 

Aside from their great calls-to-action, ADU always puts its audience first. 

Veterans and their families feel understood and appreciated when they visit the website.

4. Create Readable Content - Clarity Council

Have you ever landed on a website and felt overwhelmed by the amount of information the writer was throwing at you in one paragraph?

It happens all over the internet. 

Creating content that is eye catching and engaging is something Clarity Council knows how to do.

Write Readable: Don’t Overuse Italics, Bold, or Underlining

Using numbered lists and bullet points is a simple way to break up large blocks of text and keep readers interested.

This excerpt from one of Clarity Council’s blog shows how content can be structured with SEO in mind: 

It didn’t take you long to read through that sample, right? 

The author successfully broke up the content, making it easy to skim. 

If someone is looking for a specific answer, their eyes are likely to go straight toward the bold text. 

But as a content writer, it’s vital to understand that overusing these tricks can cause the reverse effect. 

What if you read a sentence like this ?  What part of the sentence are you paying the most attention to?

Those two sentences probably weren’t easy to digest. 

Understandably so.

That’s because your eyes and brain couldn’t figure out which part to focus on. Avoid fancy fonts, overly exaggerated typography, and lengthy paragraphs. 

These simple tricks help people find what they’re looking for quickly and walk away remembering something.

5. Tone Matters - Chiavaye

The following content writing samples are from the blog of a company called Chiavaye. Chiavaye is a lubricant company that was created for women, by a woman who suffers from endometriosis. 

In these writing samples you’ll see how, when appropriate, creating content that is conversational and direct can fit well with some brands.

Her tone is light, but empathetic. 

Then, without beating around the bush, the author gets directly to the point – that women experiencing these symptoms aren’t alone and there are solutions to their problem. 

Here’s another look at Chiaveye’s website:

Do you see how the content writer makes it easy for women to relate?

If the woman reading the article is experiencing endometriosis with IBS symptoms, she may be thinking, “Yes! Finally someone who understands what I’m going through!”

The writer shows compassion and provides a preview of how Chiavaye can help the reader find the answers they’ve been looking for.

Use The Right Tone

For a company like Chiavaye, a conversational, yet direct tone is appropriate for the audience the owner is trying to reach. This isn’t always the case.

For instance, say you’re writing for a local pharmaceutical company. 

A light, conversational, fun tone, probably isn’t appropriate. Instead, a more professional, tactical tone might be necessary.  Learning the voice of your business/client makes all the difference in connecting with your audience. When your audience feels understood and comfortable, they are more likely to return for more information and ultimately purchase your product or service.

Th snippet above also illustrates the importance of creating a compelling introduction. The writer uses what’s known as the APP method . Created by Brian Dean, APP stands for Agree, Promise, Preview. 

Here’s how it works:

First, the writer acknowledges the symptoms women may be experiencing: pain, gas, and bloating.  

She understands just how uncomfortable, inconvenient and confusing these symptoms can be. Women reading the article are likely nodding their heads in agreement.  

Then, the author promises that she has the answers her readers are looking for.

Finally, before jumping into the content, the writer gives a preview of what the guide is going to include and how she can help her readers find a solution.

Using the APP method, you can immediately connect with your audience.  

They know what the piece of content is about and if it will be useful to them.

Content Marketing Samples by Industry

As we’ve already discussed, content marketing is so dependent on industry.

If you’re doing photography SEO and writing content for your blog, then your tone, style, and design should look VERY different than a lawyer’s blog.

Lifestyle Content Sample:

Here’s a great lifestyle content sample from Epic Gardening.

The screenshot below is from their blog post about how to grow sunflowers.

Why is this so great? It’s INCREDIBLY easy to digest. And that’s what users want!

Professional Content Sample:

Here’s a great professional content sample from Flexbase .

The screenshot below is from their page about Lien Waivers in Texas (seems boring, huh? Just wait for it!)

Why is this so great? While it’s professionally written and speaks the “language” of construction companies, it’s also easy to digest and comprehend. It’s not hard for the user. They understand what Flexbase offers very, very quickly. 

Without SEO content, it’s almost impossible for your website to rank with search engines. 

Here at Portland SEO Growth, we understand how important content is in order to lead people to your business. And we want to help your business succeed. 

We create valuable content that gets your business seen by search engines and your customers.

Are you ready to create content that drives traffic and builds revenue?

Are you looking for additional content writing samples? Are you wondering how an experienced team with proven results can help you utilize SEO content? Portland SEO Growth can help. 

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What Is Content Writing? – Types, Importance, & Examples

Today, content is found in almost every aspect of modern life. People consume content through books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, websites, and even social media. In fact, an average person spends around 7 hours consuming online content, thanks to the internet.

With so much content being consumed daily, it’s no wonder that businesses are increasingly looking for talented writers to create content for their products, services, and websites.

This skill is in high demand, but what exactly is content writing? What all does it constitute? What does a content writer do?

Here’s a guide with a comprehensive overview of content writing, including its types, importance, and examples.

What is Content Writing?

Content writing is the creative process of generating content through careful planning and research, writing, and editing that is then published on online platforms with an aim to attract, engage, and retain readers.

This content writing definition can be simplified by breaking it into three key phrases:

• The creative process of generating content: Content writing involves creative thinking and a flair for writing. It’s not just about regurgitating information but about presenting it in an engaging and interesting manner.
• Careful planning, research, writing and editing: Any good piece of writing, be it an article, blog post, or even a social media update, requires careful planning, research, and editing. Without these elements, the content will likely be uninformative or poorly written.
• Aiming to attract, engage, and retain readers: The ultimate goal of content writing is to reach and resonate with the target audience.

No matter what the form, all content must aim to serve a purpose, be it providing information, educating the reader, or entertaining them.

That’s where a content writer comes in – to create content that is not only compelling but also relevant and targeted to the right audience.

Who Is A Content Writer?

A content writer is a professional writer who specialises in creating content for various online platforms.

This content can take the form of articles, blog posts, social media updates, web page content, product descriptions, or even marketing collateral .

The content writer can wear the hat of a copywriter, ghostwriter, SEO specialist, or even a social media manager – all depending on the type of content they’re creating.

However, their ultimate goal remains the same – to create compelling, relevant, and engaging content.

Types Of Content Writing

While most people think of content writing as one homogenous entity, the reality is that there are different types of content writing, each with its own distinct style, purpose, and audience.

Some of the most popular types of content writing include:

• Article Writing: Articles are usually informative pieces that are longer in length and provide detailed information on a particular topic. They are often published on digital publications or niche-oriented websites like Forbes, Huffington Post, and other such sites. Writing an article requires the content writer to have good SEO knowledge so as to ensure that the article ranks high on SERP.
• Copywriting: Copywriting is a type of content writing that aims to sell an offering or fulfil a marketing goal. It’s usually short, persuasive, and to-the-point. Copywriters use various techniques like powerful headlines, call-to-actions, and even emotional triggers to get the reader to take the desired action. Content pieces that fit into this type include landing pages, social media marketing content, and even ads.
• Press Releases: Press releases are official statements that are sent out to the media with an aim to generate press coverage for a particular product, service, event, or even an individual. Press releases are well-written and newsworthy with an aim to increase the chances of them being picked up by reporters and journalists.
• Technical Writing: Technical writing is a type of content writing that focuses on providing information about technical subjects and products. This type of content is usually lengthy, detailed, and full of industry-specific jargon. It’s aimed at those who already have some knowledge about the subject and are looking for more in-depth information. Technical writing can be in the form of user manuals, installation guides, FAQs, and more.
• Long-Form Content: Ebooks, case studies, whitepapers, and even research reports fall under the category of long-form content. These pieces are usually in-depth and provide detailed information on a particular subject. They are meant to be informative and as such, use formal language. These are usually used by businesses as lead magnets or even gated content to capture leads.
• Content scriptwriting: This type of content writing is used for creating content for videos, podcasts, or even infographics. Such content is usually short, sweet, and to-the-point with an aim to communicate the message as little time as possible.
• Professional writing: Professional writing is a type of content writing that involves interactions through professional communication channels such as business emails, memos, letters, and more. The style of writing is usually formal and covers a wide range of topics such as business proposals , marketing plans , employee communications, and more.

Importance Of Content Writing

With the boom of the internet and other internet-related industries, content has taken tremendous importance. Producing new and relevant content has become necessary to survive and stand out in the competitive market today.

Content writing is considered a necessary skill, as it is vital for a business to build and acquire customers. The following points elaborate on the importance of content writing in today’s business scenario:

• Essential For SEO: In order to rank high on SERP, businesses need to ensure that their website contains quality and relevant content. This is because Google and other such search engines use algorithms that consider various factors like keyword density, content length, and more to determine the ranking of a website.
• Key Lead Generation Tool: Quality content is an essential lead generation tool. By producing helpful and informative content, businesses can attract their target audience to their website and convert them into leads.
• Builds Credibility: In order for customers to trust a business, they need to see that the business is an expert in its field. This can be achieved by producing quality content that is relevant to the business and its products or services.
• Customer Retention: Customer retention is as important as acquiring new customers. Once a customer has been acquired, it is important to keep them engaged with the business. Good content writing skill is essential to produce various forms of content like email newsletters, blogs, etc., which can keep the customers coming back for more.

Content Writing Skills

Content writing is a skill that can be learned and perfected with practice.

However, there are certain inherent qualities that all content writers must possess:

• Writing and communication skills: The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is crucial for a content writer. They must be able to understand the requirements of the project and express their thoughts in a well-written and structured manner that is free from grammatical and spelling errors.
• Creativity: Creative thinking is essential for content writing as it helps to come up with new and interesting ideas that will engage the reader.
• Attention to detail: Good attention to detail ensures that all information is accurately represented in the final piece of content.
• Research skills: Researching and gaining information on the topic is vital to present in an understandable manner to the readers. The writers must also be aware of the latest trends in their area of expertise to produce relevant content.
• Time management: Writers need to be consistent and work within deadlines to publish content on a regular basis. They need to be fluent in prioritisation and time management to complete the project on time.
• Technical skills: Some forms of content writing may require the writer to have basic SEO and algorithm knowledge. They must also possess computer-operating proficiency to use different content management systems and content writing tools .

Content Writing Examples

Content writing can take many different forms. The following are some examples of content writing:

SEO Writing

SEO writing is a type of content writing that focuses on creating content that is optimised for search engines. This involves the use of relevant keywords and phrases that help to improve the visibility of the website on SERP.

The above example is a very basic explanation of how an SEO writer uses targeted keywords to improve the ranking of a website . However, SEO writing is not just about using the right keywords. It also involves creating quality content that is relevant to the business and its products or services.

Copywriting

Copywriting is all about using the right words to persuade the reader to take a particular action. The aim is to create content that is so compelling that it convinces the reader to head in the desired direction that fulfils the brand’s marketing objectives.

The above copywriting example is a marketing campaign launched by the popular dating site OkCupid with an aim to make the readers try the application.

Press Release

Press releases focus on developing newsworthy content that can be used by media outlets to generate publicity . The content must be well-written and structured in a way that is easy for the media to pick up and use.

The following is an example of a press release written to answer all the relevant questions about the new head of the CITI solutions centre.

Product Description

Product descriptions aim to provide the reader with all the necessary information about the product so that they can make an informed purchase decision.

It includes features, benefits, specs, and anything else that would be useful for the customer. The language is used tactically to persuade the reader to buy the product.

The image above is an example of a product description of a toy robot. It provides all the necessary features and information about the robot in a short and concise format and relies on pictures to convey the information.

Go On, Tell Us What You Think!

Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think of this article on   what is content writing  in the comments section.

A lawyer dealing with corporate laws, a voracious reader and a keen writer. Satyaroop has a broad experience in the legal and startup industries and has worked with more than 15 companies, startups and legal publications on research-oriented projects. In his spare time, he enjoys reading fiction, biking and playing video games.

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4 Content Writing Examples to Help You Reach Your Audience (Infographic)

Getting people’s attention with a flashy piece of marketing collateral is one thing — but once you’ve caught their eye, what are you going to tell them?

Your brand needs substance to go with its style, and this is where content writing comes in. Whether it’s a few hundred words in an email, a few hundred characters in a social media post or pages of in-depth info in a white paper, your content expresses your brand’s viewpoint.

By focusing on the craft of content writing , you can inform and entertain your audience. Content marketing is your half of a conversation with your customers, and it’s also one of your primary search engine optimization tools.

Not bad for a less-flashy kind of content.

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the process of creating text assets for your brand. Whether the item in question is long or short, and no matter what channel you’ll use to deliver it, it’s content.

Brands have been engaging in content writing for as long as they’ve existed. Text-rich ads have enticed customers in print for centuries. Recent years have added new content channels and objectives such as SEO content writing, but the building blocks are the same as ever.

The fact that the written word is so familiar is both a strength and a challenge. On the good side, writing materials for clients to read is one of the most straightforward ways to serve them a message. On the other hand, because written content is so prevalent in a customer’s day-to-day life, you will have to find a way to make your message stand out.

Whatever kinds of content suit your brand best, there’s likely a way you can improve your production and get the results to match. Checking out real-world content writing examples is the best way to see how content writing might work for you.

4 Content Writing Examples

Great content is created in service of a goal. Rather than just existing, these pieces are created to get a specific reaction. Marketing goals for written content could include driving search traffic, answering urgent questions, or illuminating your brand’s mission.

For each of these aims, there are ideal content types and channels. By checking out successful examples across a range of different styles, you can keep your own content writing efforts on track, no matter what type of audience you’re targeting or reaction you’re hoping to elicit.

Here are 4 useful kinds of content writing , along with content writing examples that show how brands have made them work:

1. SEO Content Writing

Business content designed to attract searcher and search engine attention has taken a few different forms over the years, as SEO algorithms have evolved. These days, the kinds of posts that achieve big numbers tend to be comprehensive and detailed, packed with plenty of information your audience can use.

For an example of a powerfully optimized post, check out any of the sponsored articles posted to Investopedia . These are long, heavily researched articles vetted by Investopedia’s team for accuracy. They also carry all the hallmarks of modern SEO.

Note that the headings of the post are common terms that people might search for. Investopedia articles in general, both editorial and sponsor-contributed, tend to rank very highly in search results because they spotlight these relevant items at great length.

Of course, hitting an SEO bullseye with your word choice isn’t something that just happens. As a content writer, you can use tools such as MarketMuse or Semrush to make sure you’re covering the types of topics and phrases your target audience is searching for.

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2. Web Content Writing

Beyond being written purely for SEO, content can act as an essential part of a website, helping visitors learn about your products or brand identity as they get closer to a purchase. This writing should have a strong “voice” to it, making viewers feel like they’re getting to know your company rather than just reading a list of facts.

As part of its image recovery following bankruptcy, fashion retailer Neiman Marcus went for a flashy web content approach that echoes glossy magazine spreads and showcases its collections in words, images and video.

The paragraphs of text here are short and functional, painting a picture for shoppers about why a particular product might be for them. The imagery does a lot of work, but the words aren’t just placeholders. They highlight practical features of the clothes in question with more style than a bullet point list would have.

Also important: This web content is closely aligned with the retailer’s online store. Links throughout the magazine-style pages will bring readers to the relevant collection in the online storefront. The path from excitement to purchase can be very short with well-written website content.

3. Email Content Copywriting

Email content writing is complex because form should always follow function. Email can serve many roles for your business. Warming up new inbound leads? Following up on a purchase? Informing customers of a sale? Staying in touch with mailing list members? Email can do all these things and more.

For an example of a functional email that gets its message across, you can check out the materials JetBlue sends to customers. Considering the logistical work involved with getting travelers to their flights, there is a lot of functional copy in these emails. They also contain quick links to learn more about JetBlue features and offerings in a friendly, light voice.

The tone remains consistent across the many emails sent by the airline, though they fulfill a variety of functions. Some are designed to remind passengers of security policies, others include offers to join preferred traveler programs, still more are mostly about perks available on JetBlue planes.

Copy in emails should be short enough that recipients will read it instead of clicking away, and also tailored to the situation. A content writer must always remember why a customer is receiving a particular email, and get that message across, all while holding onto a recognizable brand voice.

4. Content Writing for Social Media

Writing for social media is a huge part of any content marketing push today, one defined by its limitations. Short character limits and a focus on easy-to-consume visual media put a content writer into a unique situation when creating social media posts. That doesn’t mean you should take these short bursts of text for granted, however.

To see a major brand having some fun with its social media strategy, look no further than Major League Baseball on Twitter. Considering baseball’s reputation as an old-fashioned and change-resistant sport, you may expect it to have a slightly stilted social media game. Not so. Captions for tweets are often single snappy or funny sentences, with correctly deployed emojis. These posts rack up thousands of likes and retweets, spreading baseball highlights far and wide.

For posts written by experts that draw on the absurdly deep catalog of baseball statistics, there’s a whole separate Twitter account, MLBStats . The main account and its focused sub-accounts can retweet one another to get added eyes on content written in various branded voices, some serious and others lighthearted.

La Tortuga PAINTS the corner. 🐢 pic.twitter.com/xDLyd5AoE7 — MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2021

The story is the same on Instagram — short captions that get to the point, leaving room for fans to comment and share. The numbers are even more impressive there, with hundreds of thousands of likes for top posts.

Is your brand ready for the show?

Since social media writing is such a broad and unique area of content creation, it’s worth isolating a few useful lessons from the way MLB produces its content:

• Keep the writing short and pithy. People will be scrolling quickly — don’t give them a chance to get bored.
• Be sure to tag other accounts correctly. If those popular people or brands share the post, that’s a whole new audience for your post.
• Shape your content to the platform. This could be reflected in the length of text, your choice of hashtags or the adjustment of tone to fit the network’s main audience.
• Pick a voice and stick to it. Instead of sharing stat content on its main account, MLB created a whole second channel. This let it keep its main voice undiluted.

Though all social media platforms are different, these same principles ring true. Whether you’re writing for Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok or anything in between, the general rule with social media posts is to find the perfect medium between your brand voice and the platform’s audience.

Good vs. Bad Content Writing

In the end, good content writing is what works for the situation. Being an effective content writer means finding the versatility to create SEO content, blog post text, web copy, email content, social media posts and any other type of deliverable, as the situation demands.

Written content should be created with an objective in mind, and when content moves the brand closer to that goal, that’s the mark of good content. This means it’s important to study the effects of your pieces after you’ve published them. You need to know whether the previous piece worked as intended, to shape the next one.

Content is such a broad umbrella category, that it can do whatever your brand needs it to from a marketing perspective. So, the question is: What will your next piece of content writing achieve?

By Anthony Basile

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He wrote a book on a rare subject. Then a ChatGPT replica appeared on Amazon.

From recipes to product reviews to how-to books, artificial intelligence text generators are quietly authoring more and more of the internet..

Chris Cowell, a Portland, Ore.-based software developer, spent more than a year writing a technical how-to book. Three weeks before it was released, another book on the same topic, with the same title, appeared on Amazon.

“My first thought was: bummer,” Cowell said. “My second thought was: You know what, that’s an awfully long and specific and cumbersome title to have randomly been picked.”

The book, titled “Automating DevOps with GitLab CI/CD Pipelines,” just like Cowell’s, listed as its author one Marie Karpos, whom Cowell had never heard of. When he looked her up online, he found literally nothing — no trace. That’s when he started getting suspicious.

The book bears signs that it was written largely or entirely by an artificial intelligence language model, using software such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. (For instance, its code snippets look like ChatGPT screenshots.) And it’s not the only one. The book’s publisher, a Mumbai-based education technology firm called inKstall, listed dozens of books on Amazon on similarly technical topics, each with a different author, an unusual set of disclaimers and matching five-star Amazon reviews from the same handful of India-based reviewers. InKstall did not respond to requests for comment.

Experts say those books are likely just the tip of a fast-growing iceberg of AI-written content spreading across the web as new language software allows anyone to rapidly generate reams of prose on almost any topic. From product reviews to recipes to blog posts and press releases, human authorship of online material is on track to become the exception rather than the norm.

“If you have a connection to the internet, you have consumed AI-generated content,” said Jonathan Greenglass, a New York-based tech investor focused on e-commerce. “It’s already here.”

What that may mean for consumers is more hyper-specific and personalized articles — but also more misinformation and more manipulation, about politics, products they may want to buy and much more.

As AI writes more and more of what we read, vast, unvetted pools of online data may not be grounded in reality, warns Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at the AI start-up Hugging Face. “The main issue is losing track of what truth is,” she said. “Without grounding, the system can make stuff up. And if it’s that same made-up thing all over the world, how do you trace it back to what reality is?”

Generative AI tools have captured the world’s attention since ChatGPT’s November release. Yet a raft of online publishers have been using automated writing tools based on ChatGPT’s predecessors, GPT-2 and GPT-3, for years. That experience shows that a world in which AI creations mingle freely and sometimes imperceptibly with human work isn’t speculative; it’s flourishing in plain sight on Amazon product pages and in Google search results.

Semrush, a leading digital marketing firm, recently surveyed its customers about their use of automated tools. Of the 894 who responded, 761 said they’ve at least experimented with some form of generative AI to produce online content, while 370 said they now use it to help generate most if not all of their new content, according to Semrush Chief Strategy Officer Eugene Levin.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen this go from being a novelty to being pretty much an essential part of the workflow,” Levin said.

In a separate report this week, the news credibility rating company NewsGuard identified 49 news websites across seven languages that appeared to be mostly or entirely AI-generated . The sites sport names like Biz Breaking News, Market News Reports, and bestbudgetUSA.com; some employ fake author profiles and publish hundreds of articles a day, the company said. Some of the news stories are fabricated, but many are simply AI-crafted summaries of real stories trending on other outlets.

Several companies defended their use of AI, telling The Post they use language tools not to replace human writers, but to make them more productive, or to produce content that they otherwise wouldn’t. Some are openly advertising their use of AI, while others disclose it more discreetly or hide it from the public, citing a perceived stigma against automated writing.

Ingenio, the San Francisco-based online publisher behind sites such as horoscope.com and astrology.com , is among those embracing automated content. While its flagship horoscopes are still human-written, the company has used OpenAI’s GPT language models to launch new sites such as sunsigns.com , which focuses on celebrities’ birth signs, and dreamdiary.com , which interprets highly specific dreams.

Ingenio used to pay humans to write birth sign articles on a handful of highly searched celebrities like Michael Jordan and Ariana Grande, said Josh Jaffe, president of its media division. But delegating the writing to AI allows sunsigns.com to cheaply crank out countless articles on not-exactly-A-listers, from Aaron Harang, a retired mid-rotation baseball pitcher, to Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan. Khalilzad, the site’s AI-written profile claims , would be “a perfect partner for someone in search of a sensual and emotional connection.” (At 72, Khalilzad has been married for decades.)

In the past, Jaffe said, “We published a celebrity profile a month. Now we can do 10,000 a month.”

Jaffe said his company discloses its use of AI to readers, and he promoted the strategy at a recent conference for the publishing industry. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “We’re actually doing people a favor by leveraging generative AI tools” to create niche content that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

A cursory review of Ingenio sites suggests those disclosures aren’t always obvious, however. On dreamdiary.com , for instance, you won’t find any indication on the article page that ChatGPT wrote an interpretation of your dream about being chased by cows . But the site’s “About us” page says its articles “are produced in part with the help of large AI language models,” and that each is reviewed by a human editor.

Jaffe said he isn’t particularly worried that AI content will overwhelm the web. “It takes time for this content to rank well” on Google, he said — meaning that it appears on the first page of search results for a given query, which is critical to attracting readers. And it works best when it appears on established websites that already have a sizable audience: “Just publishing this content doesn’t mean you have a viable business.”

Google clarified in February that it allows AI-generated content in search results, as long as the AI isn’t being used to manipulate a site’s search rankings. The company said its algorithms focus on “the quality of content, rather than how content is produced.”

Reputations are at risk if the use of AI backfires. CNET, a popular tech news site, took flack in January when fellow tech site Futurism reported that CNET had been using AI to create articles or add to existing ones without clear disclosures. CNET subsequently investigated and found that many of its 77 AI-drafted stories contained errors.

But CNET’s parent company, Red Ventures, is forging ahead with plans for more AI-generated content , which has also been spotted on Bankrate.com, its popular hub for financial advice. Meanwhile, CNET in March laid off a number of employees , a move it said was unrelated to its growing use of AI.

BuzzFeed, which pioneered a media model built around reaching readers directly on social platforms like Facebook, announced in January it planned to make “AI inspired content” part of its “core business,” such as using AI to craft quizzes that tailor themselves to each reader. BuzzFeed announced last month that it is laying off 15 percent of its staff and shutting down its news division, BuzzFeed News.

“There is no relationship between our experimentation with AI and our recent restructuring,” BuzzFeed spokesperson Juliana Clifton said.

AI’s role in the future of mainstream media is clouded by the limitations of today’s language models and the uncertainty around AI liability and intellectual property. In the meantime, it’s finding traction in the murkier worlds of online clickbait and affiliate marketing, where success is less about reputation and more about gaming the big tech platforms’ algorithms.

That business is driven by a simple equation: how much it costs to create an article vs. how much revenue it can bring in. The main goal is to attract as many clicks as possible, then serve the readers ads worth just fractions of a cent on each visit — the classic form of clickbait. That seems to have been the model of many of the AI-generated “news” sites in NewsGuard’s report, said Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard’s co-CEO. Some sites fabricated sensational news stories, such as a report that President Biden had died. Others appeared to use AI to rewrite stories trending in various local news outlets.

NewsGuard found the sites by searching the web and analytics tools for telltale phrases such as “As an AI language model,” which suggest a site is publishing outputs directly from an AI chatbot without careful editing. One local news site, countylocalnews.com, churned out a series of articles on a recent day whose sub-headlines all read, “As an AI language model, I need the original title to rewrite it. Please provide me with the original title.”

Then there are sites designed to induce purchases, which insiders say tend to be more profitable than pure clickbait these days. A site called Nutricity, for instance, hawks dietary supplements using product reviews that appear to be AI-generated, according to NewsGuard’s analysis. One reads, “ As an AI language model , I believe that Australian users should buy Hair, Skin and Nail Gummies on nutricity.com.au.” Nutricity did not respond to a request for comment.

In the past, such sites often outsourced their writing to businesses known as “content mills,” which harness freelancers to generate passable copy for minimal pay. Now, some are bypassing content mills and opting for AI instead.

“Previously it would cost you, let’s say, $250 to write a decent review of five grills,” Semrush’s Levin said. “Now it can all be done by AI, so the cost went down from $250 to $10.”

The problem, Levin said, is that the wide availability of tools like ChatGPT means more people are producing similarly cheap content, and they’re all competing for the same slots in Google search results or Amazon’s on-site product reviews. So they all have to crank out more and more article pages, each tuned to rank highly for specific search queries, in hopes that a fraction will break through. The result is a deluge of AI-written websites, many of which are never seen by human eyes.

It isn’t just text. Google users have recently posted examples of the search engine surfacing AI-generated images. For instance, a search for the American artist Edward Hopper turned up an AI image in the style of Hopper , rather than his actual art, as the first result.

The rise of AI is already hurting the business of Textbroker, a leading content platform based in Germany and Las Vegas, said Jochen Mebus, the company’s chief revenue officer. While Textbroker prides itself on supplying credible, human-written copy on a huge range of topics, “People are trying automated content right now, and so that has slowed down our growth,” he said.

Mebus said the company is prepared to lose some clients who are just looking to make a “fast dollar” on generic AI-written content. But it’s hoping to retain those who want the assurance of a human touch, while it also trains some of its writers to become more productive by employing AI tools themselves. He said a recent survey of the company’s customers found that 30 to 40 percent still want exclusively “manual” content, while a similar-size chunk is looking for content that might be AI-generated but human-edited to check for tone, errors and plagiarism.

“I don’t think anyone should trust 100 percent what comes out of the machine,” Mebus said.

Levin said Semrush’s clients have also generally found that AI is better used as a writing assistant than a sole author. “We’ve seen people who even try to fully automate the content creation process,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve had really good results with that. At this stage, you need to have a human in the loop.”

For Cowell, whose book title appears to have inspired an AI-written copycat, the experience has dampened his enthusiasm for writing.

“My concern is less that I’m losing sales to fake books, and more that this low-quality, low-priced, low-effort writing is going to have a chilling effect on humans considering writing niche technical books in the future,” he said. It doesn’t help, he added, knowing that “any text I write will inevitably be fed into an AI system that will generate even more competition.”

Amazon removed the impostor book, along with numerous others by the same publisher, after The Post contacted the company for comment. Spokesperson Lindsay Hamilton said Amazon doesn’t comment on individual accounts and declined to say why the listings were taken down. AI-written books aren’t against Amazon’s rules, per se, and some authors have been open about using ChatGPT to write books sold on the site. (Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

“Amazon is constantly evaluating emerging technologies and innovating to provide a trustworthy shopping experience for our customers,” Hamilton said in a statement. She added that all books must adhere to Amazon’s content guidelines, and that the company has policies against fake reviews or other forms of abuse.

A previous version of this story misidentified the job title of Eugene Levin. He is Semrush's president and chief strategy officer, not its CEO.

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• What Is the Genetic Fallacy? | Definition & Examples

What Is the Genetic Fallacy? | Definition & Examples

Published on May 21, 2023 by Kassiani Nikolopoulou .

The genetic fallacy is the act of rejecting or accepting an argument on the basis of its origin rather than its content. Under the genetic fallacy, we judge a claim by paying too much attention to its source or history, even though this criticism is irrelevant to the truth of the claim.

As a result, we fail to present a case for why the argument itself lacks merit and to examine the reasons offered for it.

Table of contents

What is the genetic fallacy, why does the genetic fallacy occur, why is the genetic fallacy a problem, genetic fallacy example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the genetic fallacy.

The genetic fallacy occurs when we argue that the origin of a belief, practice, or idea is a sufficient reason for rejecting (or accepting) it. However, the origin or history of an idea has no logical bearing on its truth or plausibility.

In the example above, it may well be that Nazi Germany was the first to impose a smoking ban, but there is also independent scientific evidence that proves the negative impact of smoking on health. In other words, the idea’s origin is irrelevant to the truth of the argument (i.e., that smoking is bad and should be prohibited in public spaces).

Also known as fallacy of virtue or fallacy of origins, the genetic fallacy is an informal logical fallacy where the reasoning error lies in the content rather than the logical structure of the argument. More specifically, it belongs to a group called fallacies of relevance : these are fallacies that appeal to evidence or examples irrelevant to the argument at hand.

The genetic fallacy occurs when we focus on the source or history of an argument instead on the argument itself. This happens because people often confuse:

• Reasons with causes
• Psychological with logical explanations
• The sources with the content of arguments

In other words, we often fail to see the difference between an explanation (i.e., why something is believed) and a justification (why something is true). When reasons for belief are used as though they are reasons for truth, we fall for the genetic fallacy.

In general, it’s best to separate the sources from the content of an argument. Even when we perceive the source in a negative (or positive) way, this doesn’t necessarily mean the argument is bad (or good). In other words, we usually can’t prove or disprove a claim by identifying its cause; rather, we need to logically examine the premises and the conclusion.

The problem in the genetic fallacy is that it fails to engage with the essence of the argument by shifting the focus on something irrelevant (i.e., the origin of the argument).

An argument should be evaluated on its quality—for example, whether the premises are true and logically connected to the conclusion. The origin of a claim cannot prove whether or not the claim is true.

It is important to note that in some cases, the origin of an idea or claim may have a legitimate bearing on how we judge its truth. For example, if we don’t have much firsthand knowledge of a subject, we’re better off trusting a claim about that subject from an expert than one from a layperson.

The genetic fallacy often arises when someone cites a news story or a specific media outlet that another person doesn’t agree with.

Person 2: I don’t trust this newspaper; it’s controlled by the senator’s opponents.

Here, Person 2 commits a genetic fallacy because they don’t discuss the content of the article itself—e.g., by pointing out weak arguments or a lack of evidence.

If you want to know more about fallacies , research bias , or AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• Sunk cost fallacy
• Straw man fallacy
• Slippery slope fallacy
• Logical fallacy
• Ecological fallacy
• Red herring fallacy
• Non sequitur fallacy

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Framing effect
• Cognitive bias
• Optimism bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Hostile attribution bias
• Affect heuristic

The ad hominem fallacy and the genetic fallacy are closely related in that they are both fallacies of relevance. In other words, they both involve arguments that use evidence or examples that are not logically related to the argument at hand. However, there is a difference between the two:

• In the ad hominem fallacy , the goal is to discredit the argument by discrediting the person currently making the argument.
• In the genetic fallacy , the goal is to discredit the argument by discrediting the history or origin (i.e., genesis) of an argument.

Fallacies of relevance are a group of fallacies that occur in arguments when the premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion. Although at first there seems to be a connection between the premise and the conclusion, in reality fallacies of relevance use unrelated forms of appeal.

For example, the genetic fallacy makes an appeal to the source or origin of the claim in an attempt to assert or refute something.

Fallacies are arguments that contain some type of reasoning error. Regardless of whether they are used intentionally or by error, they weaken an argument by using erroneous beliefs, illogical arguments, or deception.

As a result, they shift the focus of a discussion to unrelated topics or side issues and can thus be misleading. For example, the genetic fallacy shifts the attention to the source or origin of an argument instead of presenting evidence to refute the argument itself.

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Nikolopoulou, K. (2023, May 21). What Is the Genetic Fallacy? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/fallacies/genetic-fallacy/

Scalambrino, F. (2018). Genetic fallacy. Bad arguments, 160–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119165811.ch29

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