Becoming a good content writer is not easy, especially when you are a beginner and know nothing about it.
But it is not so hard either; the only thing it requires is some learning.
Don’t worry, as a beginner, you don’t need to read some hefty 5000-word content.
All you need is one magical list of content writing tips for beginners to kick-start your content writing, and that’s what I’m here with.
So let’s begin.
Content writing tips for beginners
When I was a beginner, I made the mistake of not trying to learn any content writing tips.
This mistake cost me eight months.
So I’m glad you are not making the same mistake.
Here is a list of 19 content writing tips for beginners.
1. Read like a Freak
Reading improves your vocabulary, grammar, and cognitive skills.
It helps you get more ideas and improves your critical thinking.
The more you read, the more ideas you get, and the better you write.
However, you must not read just any content.
Like a child that observes the language of the people around him and develops the same, content writers develop the tone and style of the content they read.
So try to read as much good content as you can.
2. Do use Calls-To-Actions
If your goal is to get people to act, then you must no doubt use a CTA for it.
CTAs are the immediate popups or the ‘asks’ that makes a user take a specific action.
For example, if you want to increase email sign-ups, you can use a Call-To-Action at the end of your blog post to encourage users to sign up.
3. Do look for Ideas
When about to write a piece, you must research that topic on the web and read the top-ranking content to get some ideas.
This helps you in determining the tone, style, and structure of your blog post.
For instance, when I was writing about “content writing tips for beginners” I researched this topic on Google and read the top-ranking blogs to get some topic ideas and inspiration.
4. Don’t forget to Break up the Content
Most of the time, readers try to skim through the content if they don’t have much time to read it.
In such cases, they seek content that is broken into sections so they can skim through it and highlight the important points.
Therefore, it is essential to break the whole content into small paragraphs, bullets, and headers to boost readability.
5. Include Links in your Content
Including internal and external links is beneficial for both your readers and other SEO purposes.
Internal links – Include internal links to encourage users to spend more time on your website.
This increases engagement on your website.
External links – External links to useful sources help your readers get additional information about the topic.
6. Don’t Plagiarize
No matter what kind of content you create, you must never copy someone else’s work.
Plagiarism is one trap that most beginner writers fall into thinking that they would easily get away with it.
However, keep in mind that Google is an advanced search engine.
It knows when content has been plagiarised and will penalize any content that violates its policies.
Do it only if you want your site to be removed from the search engines.
7. perform Keyword Research
The internet has evolved, and simply writing about anything won’t bring you any readers.
You need to perform keyword research.
Keyword research is the process of researching and identifying the words and phrases your readers are searching for.
This helps you identify micro-topics that are in demand by readers and write content about it.
So, keep in mind, no keyword research = no readers.
8. Make an effort to Write more than 1000 words.
Long-form content performs better than short content.
As a result, you should always strive for content that is longer than 1000 words.
Furthermore, longer content performs better in search engine ranking as well.
So, you must write longer content.
According to Hubspot, the ideal length for a blog post is 2100 to 2400 words.
9. Make use of Content Writing Tools
Whether you want to write better headlines or identify grammatical errors, there is a tool for everything.
The internet now has a plethora of tools that can help a content writer in creating better content.
Keeping these tools in your pocket when writing content allows you to increase your productivity and create better content.
Here is a list of free writing tools that I use.
- Headline analyzer – For writing better headlines
- Calmly writer – This is where I write my content
- Hemingway app – For writing content that is easy to read
- Grammarly – To correct my grammar mistakes
10. Do not Stuff Keywords unnecessarily
Keyword stuffing is when a writer includes the main keyword more times than it is required.
It is one technique that was used in the past to get a higher ranking in the SERP.
However, time has changed, and search engines have developed.
Now it is considered no more than a spammy technique.
Yes, I know it is important to include your main keyword in your blog post.
However, including it everywhere in your blog post will only hurt your rankings.
Plus, it will also decrease your reader engagement as it will appear as if it was written by a robot.
So don’t keyword stuff.
11. Take your Time when Writing
When you write content, don’t just write it for the sake of completing your work. Write it because you want to help your readers.
As a beginner, you shouldn’t be concerned about how much time you spend writing content.
The only thing you should care about is how good your content is.
12. Write a Magnetic Headline
If you go on the internet and type “content writing tips for beginners” and read the blog posts, you’ll find one tip in every blog post: writing good headlines.
8 out of 10 people will read your headline, while only 2 out of 10 people will click through, which means your headline is your first and last chance to make a user click on your content.
That’s why writing a magnetic headline is important.
You can use tools like the Headline generator which provides you with a list of headline ideas, and a Headline analyzer to analyze the effectiveness of your headlines.
13. Hook ’em in your Intro
Once you attract a user and make him click on your content, the next step is to hook him with a rocking intro.
An average reader spends less than 15 seconds on a website, which means only writing a magnetic headline is not enough.
If your reader does not find the introduction relatable, he may leave your website.
That’s why hooking them with a rocking intro is important.
Things to keep in mind while writing an intro:
- Relatable: Show the reader right away that the content is specifically made for him.
- A hook: You can even use a hook like telling a story, writing thought-provoking content, or asking questions in the intro.
14. Know the Goal Behind your Writing
When writing content, you must know what you want to achieve with it.
Whether it is to promote a product, include affiliate links, or simply direct traffic to other pages.
Knowing why you’re writing that content helps you shape it toward that goal and achieve it more effectively.
15. Use images but the Ones you have the Right to use
Images make a blog post visually appealing which improves user experience.
Therefore you must include images throughout your content.
However, remember to only use images you have rights on.
You cannot just pick any image from the internet and include it in your blog post.
Some images are copyrighted by the image owners which means you cannot use them without the owner’s permission.
16. Do know who your Reader is
Content writing is all about knowing who your reader is and, what they want, and writing your content in a way that fulfills their desires.
Therefore, it is essential to know who your readers are before writing your content.
The best way to identify your reader is to read through the comments on the top-performing content for your topic.
This gives you an idea of what the readers like, and dislike, and who they are.
17. Optimize your Content for Search Engines
If you are writing content to upload on search engines, do remember to always optimize it before uploading.
Search Engine Optimization is when you write your content in a way that meets the search engine’s algorithms and ranks higher.
You must properly optimize your content and try to rank it to bring in more visitors.
18. Proofread and Edit at the end
Proofreading is the final step of the content writing process.
By proofreading, a writer makes sure his content is well-written and mistake-free.
Your proofreading procand ess should go something like this:
- Don’t proofread your content immediately after writing it. Have a break of at least 15 minutes to come back with a fresh perspective.
- Eliminate the unnecessary parts of your content
- Go for a grammar check
- Ensure better readability (check if everything is easy to read and understand)
- Read it out loud (this will make you realize how it sounds)
19. Write, Write, and Write again
I’m not sure how good or bad I am at writing content, but I do know that I have improved a lot.
If you read my older content, you’d never believe it was written by me.
It was unstructured, hard to understand, and full of grammatical errors.
Thanks to my older content, I’ve improved a lot.
The more I wrote, the clearer it became which aspects of my writing were lacking and which needed to be improved.
So, in my opinion, the best content writing tip you can ever get is to write more.
“Just start hitting the keys and the improvement will come on its own.”
FAQs for beginner’s content writing tips for beginners
How do I start content writing?
To begin writing content you only need two important things. They are:
- A niche – You must know what your interest is and the subject you are an expert in. This helps you filter down to your best niche.
- Writing skills – Next, you must be good (if not great) at writing content.
What skills does a content writer need?
Here are the seven most essential skills a content writer must have:
- Adaptability
- Manage time well
- Good grammar and vocabulary
- Have SEO knowledge
- Ability to research
- Creative
- Editing and proofreading
How to improve your writing skills and vocabulary?
Reading and writing.
when you read more content and learn new words, your vocabulary improves.
On the other hand, your writing skills get improved when you write more content.
Therefore, reading and writing are by far the best content writing tips you can ever get.
What are the types of content writing?
Content writing is a broader term that gets categorized into many types. Here are the types of content writing:
- Blog writing
- SEO writing
- Copywriting
- Ghostwriting
- Technical writing
- Email writing
Conclusion: Content Writing Tips for beginners
So this was my complete list of content writing tips for beginners.
Here is a quick recap of the content writing tips for beginners we just discussed:
- Read like a Freak
- Do use Calls-To-Actions
- Do look for ideas
- Don’t forget to break up the content
- Include links in your content
- Don’t plagiarize
- Perform keyword research
- Make an effort to write more than 1000 words
- Make use of content writing tools
- Do not stuff keywords unnecessarily
- Take your time when writing
- Write a magnetic headline
- Hook ’em in your intro
- Know the goal behind your writing
- Use images but the ones you have the right to use
- Do know who your reader is
- Optimize your content for search engines
- Proofread and edit at the end
- Write, write, and write more
Which tip would you use in your content? Comment it down.
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