“Why waste a sentence saying nothing?” -Seth Godin. Content writing as a career is both dynamic and lucrative. Starting and sustaining a career here thrives with a good mix of dedication and hard work. So what exactly should you do?
- First, have your target audience in mind. You write because you want it to be read. Create the buyer/reader persona you want your content to address.
- Read and research. Read voraciously. A good writer is a voluminous reader. Read articles, blogs, research materials etc. keep reading till you know something about everything.
- Enlarge and improve your vocabulary and grammar. Depending on the audience you are targeting; get familiar with their terms.
- Craft a topic/title/subtitle. Take time to couch a compelling title that will grab your readers’ attention at first sight.
- Write a top notch introduction. You can state facts or statistics, tell a story, be empathetic, cite a quote, or use humor. Just make sure the first 2, 3 lines glues the reader.
- Be simple and clear with your words. “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.” Mark Twain.
- Use short sentences. Be precise. Avoid too lengthy sentences; else, readers can get bored.
- Close your content with a summary. Give a call-to-action, if necessary.
- Proofread. And edit till it is just fit for your reader.
- Continue the process.
Virtue Edoziem is a Content Creator, Research Assistant and Social Media Associate at Talents and Skills Africa Consulting.
