Are you an aspiring content writer? With everything going digital nowadays, content writing is becoming more and more integral in the modern man’s repertoire.
If you’re looking for content writing hacks, then you came to the right place. Read ahead and be prepared to add Content Writing to your list of skills!
Research is Key!
Before you even think about typing the first word to your article, you need to do some extensive research. As Samuel Johnson once said, “A man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
If you’re planning to write one article, be prepared to read at least a dozen to supplement your grasp of the topic. It doesn’t matter if you’re already an expert in the industry, updating your knowledge of the subject matter wouldn’t hurt.
Personally, I even take down notes that I want to put in my article as relevant points of information.
Use the Right Tools
Having the right tools is essential when it comes to content writing. You can be the next Shakespeare, Dickens, or Hemingway, but without the proper tools, your writing will remain undiscovered and buried under the billions of articles floating around the web.
Here are a couple of tools that I use to help me out:
Whenever I encounter difficult words, I use meaning.io to check their definition. Aside from the meaning, this platform also provides users with the word’s synonyms, related words, and the most important for me, the correct usage of the word.
Even if you’re a native speaker, chances are you will come across certain words that are foreign to you. Knowing its definition, how to pronounce them, and how to use them in a sentence is key to expanding your vocabulary as a writer.
Quillbot is a paraphrasing and grammar checking tool. It helps me refine my articles and keep them nice and concise. If you think big vocabulary words and long winding sentences make you a good content writer then you’ve got the wrong idea. Content is all about expressing what you need to say in the most digestible way possible and Quillbot does exactly that.
However, there’s another feature most content writers need to know about–it’s the plagiarism checker. Quillbot can detect plagiarism from billions of web pages. By using this tool, you can avoid duplicate content and legal troubles from copyright infringement.
By now, you probably would have heard of SEO already. Search Engine Optimization tools allow your article to appear on top of search engine pages so you can get more views. By following the tips from SEO tools like SurferSEO, you can definitely increase your visibility.
Always End With Actionable Content
I’m sure you already know that you should start strong. However, one thing writers usually forget is ending on a high note. When you’re on a high, you want to stay at a high. When writing, make sure that you follow through and conclude your article with actionable content.
What do you want your readers to do next? Follow your blog, subscribe to a newsletter, or buy a product? Keep this in mind while you come near the end of your article.
And to end this article, I want you to check out the tools I mentioned above! I’m 100% confident that you will find them very useful in your content writing journey.