18 Different Types Of Content Writing Jobs

Tired of working currently as a content writer and unsure about what more is there out in the world? Well, it’s completely normal to feel monotony in your career, but due to the current (and continuous) expansion of digital opportunities, there are many content writing jobs that many content writers aren’t even aware of right now.

But, we have come to your rescue and will tell you 18 different types of content writing jobs that you as a content writer can explore and see if that tickles your pickle. Moreover, if you are new to content writing and want to know about different content writer jobs, this blog is the perfect starting point for you. So, grab some snacks and sit tight; the fun is about to begin.

But before the discussion about different types of content writer jobs, let’s first explore the different responsibilities you take when you sign up for a job as a content writer.

What does a job as a content writer entail?

Job as a content writer, no matter which type of content writing job you choose, will include the following responsibilities:

• Ensuring the content is 100% original, and there is no plagiarism.
• Make sure there are no grammatical errors.
• The content makes sense and has high clarity.
• Following the guidelines of content writing jobs you choose.

18 Different Types Of Content Writing Jobs That You Probably Don’t Know Existed

SEO content writing jobs

No. 1 Position in Google Gets 33% of Search Traffic-

Search Engine Watch

The most common content writer jobs are SEO content writer jobs. Since every business wants their website to be ranked number one on Google, they hire content writers to help spruce up their website content. Large and small companies worldwide need a tremendous amount of plagiarism-free content, and therefore demand for SEO content writers have been high these past few years.

How do SEO content writers help? They have the skills of writing content as well as using the target keywords in a way that appeases the google bots and readers. The content writers help make changes to the existing website content, the current live blogs and write new content for the website. 

Blog content writer jobs

But not every business wants to cater to the algorithm and intends to write solely user-friendly blogs. Some companies may even have an SEO specialist on board and just want a content writer to write blogs for them. Blogs can either be short or long, depending on the topics and the companies’ requirements. The business may want a ton of blogs since updating a blog regularly is a good sign, and thus the necessity for blog writers is vast. Therefore, if you can write content in different tonalities, you will be perfect for this job.

What do I mean by the tonality of the content? Well, Buzzfeed’s content is entirely different from Refinery29’s content, even though their niches overlap. It is due to the tonality of each brand and the way they express themselves. If you can detect the subtle difference in the tonality of each individual brand and replicate a brand’s content as if they wrote it, you are on your way to becoming a successful blog content writer.

Long-form content writer

Blogs can be short or long, but if your talent involves writing lengthy content with in-depth explanations, long-form content writing jobs may be the right for you. The difficulty most people face with long-form content is the energy and patience to sit with one piece of content and work on it thoroughly in terms of research and editing. But, since it is a challenging task for many writers, it makes long-form content an excellent way of making more money. Different types of long-form of content are:

• Fiction eBooks
• Business case studies
• White papers
• 3000+ words blog posts and articles
• Pillar blog posts

You can even specialise in one of the above types of content to become the expert in that industry and attract high-paying and premium clients. 

What are some factors that you should keep in mind before writing long-form content:

• Finding data and facts to strengthen your writing.
• Think about the graphics too and write accordingly.
• Double-check what you are saying to avoid any problems in the future.
• Citing sources wherever necessary.
• Proofreading to avoid grammatical errors. People on the internet don’t like when a webpage has grammatical errors, and thus, as a writer, you want to avoid mistakes as much as possible.

Social media content writer

But long-form content is not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s okay.

You can instead go for short-form content, aka social media content writing. Since every brand has realised that social media can help them communicate better with their audience and sell their services and products, they have started seeking writers to help them write the content. Once they have a sufficient amount of content, they can begin posting on social media consistently. 

You must also think creatively to stand out on these platforms since there is so much clutter on these websites. One other possibility that may arise when you work as a social media writer is the ability to go further and take the next step, which is becoming a social media manager. A social media manager handles every aspect of a social media ID. You can look at our blog on how to change your career from content writing to social media managers by clicking here. It will help you understand the career path much better.

Just like long-form content has different sub-categories, social media content too has sub-categories. You can further niche-down by choosing a single social media platform. When you choose a single social media platform, you can learn the ins and outs of the platform and offer much better content. For example, LinkedIn content works differently for personal IDs and Company Pages. Once you understand how both work and learn what works from observing other people’s content, you can craft content that works for your client.

Landing page copywriter

Even though copywriting and content writing are different, I decided to include some fields of copywriting, too, to help you give an idea of writing that goes beyond just writing content. Landing page copywriters write copy for a business’s products or services’ landing page.

What is a landing page? When you watch an ad on a social media platform, it prompts you to click on the ad. When you click on it, it will take you to a web page to try to convince you why the product/service is worth your time and money. A well-written landing page will make many users buy, and thus the business will make money.

Well, landing page copywriters are the ones that write the landing page. Unlike blog writers, a copywriter’s service directly impacts the business, and therefore they earn more as they get better at their job. For example, a copywriter can charge $10K for a landing page if the client can make $100K from the landing page. 

Although copywriting is tough however like any skill, you can learn and practice it to start earning money. 

Social media marketing copywriter

You want to buy shoes and therefore search for them on Google, and the next thing you know, your Facebook and Instagram is flooded with shoe ads. Today we are not going to dive into privacy (or its lack), but about the ads, you see on social media.

Businesses know that many people use social media, and therefore, they run ads to attract these people and persuade them to buy their products. However, in the clutter of social media with wacky reel challenges and vacation photos, businesses need to stand out for their customers; they need stunning visuals and scroll-stopping text. 

Enter social media copywriters. Social media copywriters focus on writing the text on the graphic (creative copy) and in the caption (ad copy). Some ads are story and reel ads too, and thus they write the creative and ad copy accordingly. Like landing page copywriters, social media marketing copywriters can also charge high depending on the results they have delivered in the past. Thus, even though copywriting is not content writing, content writers can quickly upskill themselves and start earning more.

Email marketing writer

Is your inbox also full of emails from companies regarding a sale or special offers? There is a person who wrote, and yes, there is a specialised writer who writes them. Since emails are a direct form of communication with customers and many people open their inboxes daily, email is an excellent way to communicate without any algorithm’s involvement. 

An email marketing writer has sub-categories too. Some writers focus on writing newsletters, and others focus on writing sales letters. Either way, an email marketing writing job as a content writer is a great avenue if you are great at writing short, crisp, and sharp content.

Technical writers

Technical writers transform complex and incomprehensible technical knowledge into clear, concise, and understandable text. Technical writers usually write manuals such as operating, maintenance, instructional manuals. They may also write technical blogs and articles since they have the necessary knowledge and skill to write them. Technical writers work in fields like engineering, medicine, technology, etc. 

Why can’t general content writers work as technical writers? It is because general content writers do not have the research skills and the prerequisite knowledge to work as fast and efficiently as a technical writer. The time it would take a content writer to finish a piece would be far longer than the time a technical writer would take. Thus, companies in engineering, medicine, technology, etc., prefer technical writers over content writers. 

I understand that niching down means losing opportunities in other industries, but you can charge much higher due to specialisation and earn more once you establish a leads pipeline.

Press release writer

Press releases are articles the company releases to inform the media and the customers about new changes or product launches. However, the format and the style of writing a press release is different from a typical blog or article. Thus, press release writers write press releases to deliver maximum information with minimal mistakes in terms of content and format. Press releases are a crucial part of the company’s public relations, and therefore skilled press release writers are a vital part of the PR teams of businesses. Moreover, any PR campaign, whether for businesses, individuals, or political parties, will require press release writers and therefore, the potential clients for you as a press release writer is high.

Feature writer

Remember Carrie from Sex and the City with her Manhattan apartment (people are still wondering how she managed to live in that apartment all these years) and her fabulous wardrobe. I wouldn’t lie and say that I thought writers were like Carrie, writing one newspaper article in a week and partying with their girlfriends all day. Sorry to break your bubble, but the closest thing to Carrie you will get is being a feature writer.  

Feature writers write for magazines and newspapers due to their unique style of writing and topic selection. One of the most prominent feature writers is Rega Jha, who writes about online and offline dating for publication. However, she rose as a strong voice due to her career at Buzzfeed and therefore, to become a well-paid feature writer, you need to work on your brand. You can start using LinkedIn to talk about a topic close to your heart and that you wish to write about in your career as a feature writer.

Editorial writer

Editorial writers work for newspapers, magazines, and publications, trying to persuade the reader through their writings. Newspapers may release editorials to criticise or praise the government’s policies, and thus, editorial writers are a crucial part of a democracy of a country. The qualifications to become an editorial writer are more due to the responsibility they bear; however if you have a degree in journalism and preferably a postgraduate degree too, you are eligible to work as an editorial writer.

Since newspapers and publications are expanding their digital front too, you can also become a part of their digital team and work on varied formats. Moreover, unlike feature writers, editorials are a collective opinion of a board instead of a single person’s point of view.

Journalist

If you want a more hands-on job of investigating and writing, journalism is the right career for you. Unlike the rest of the writers in this list, journalists have the job of researching the matter at hand, collecting evidence, and writing a factually correct piece.

Journalists are a crucial part of our country, and therefore you need a graduate and postgraduate degree to become a journalist. There are different types of journalists, and consequently, you can further niche down as a journalist. For example, as a sports enthusiast, sports journalism is an excellent option for you. 

Report writer

Various industries release their reports either for internal or external communication. They have raw data and analysis in their hands but do not have a readable report on it. Enters a report writer who can efficiently transform the data into a report for whatever communication the company sees fit. Since reports are an integral part of informing stakeholders of a company, a well-written report is a key to every business’ activities. 

Researchers too need reports as part of their research methodology, and therefore they might outsource report writing to an external writer. Thus, you can network with researchers and offer your services as a report writer to them to have a healthy amount of leads at all times. Report writing in the medical field needs expertise, and therefore, if you have the qualification and passion, report writing is an excellent career path.

Scriptwriter

Do you watch YouTube videos? You must have observed that the famous and popular channels dish out content at a super-fast speed if you do. They not just need a production team but also scriptwriters to write the scripts that suit the channels’ needs. Some channels are education-based, so their scripts consist of facts and data to help the viewers. Other channels focus on entertainment, and therefore they have comedic storylines and sketches.

Whichever one is your inclination, you can start pitching to the channels you want to work for with a few samples. Cold emailing is your best bet, and thus you can start working as a scriptwriter. Moreover, many companies are also looking for scriptwriters for the videos as part of their content marketing strategy. Therefore, you can approach businesses as well, and they may even offer you a retainer contract.

Ghostwriter

Have you ever thought about how celebrities are able to write their books without any prior writing experience and a busy schedule? Well, they don’t write their books; they hire other writers to write books for them. But why aren’t writers given the due credit? They choose to forego any intellectual rights of their work. The writers who do not take credit for their work and their work become the work of someone else is called ghostwriters.

Ghostwriters mainly wrote books; however, now they are also writing blogs and articles. However, the author of the blog is someone else. Ghostwriters also sign NDAs, so they do not disclose themselves as the author in the future. Since people go to lengths to hire a ghostwriter and ensure all the legalities, ghostwriters are paid much more to compensate for their work’s loss of intellectual rights. Furthermore, ghostwriters are not responsible for marketing or the subsequent success of the work, and therefore cannot ask for a part of royalties. 

Therefore, if you have no qualms about giving up any credit for your work, ghostwriting is a great career option. Ghostwriters work like freelancers, so you need to network with authors and marketers to bag your next gig.  

Product page writer

Customers look at two things when buying a product from an eCommerce site- product description and reviews. Businesses may not have any control over their reviews, but they control their product page and description. Thus, they hire product page writers to write for them to pose their product as the perfect solution for their clients. Moreover, the writer has to write a description that matches the tonality and branding of the company. Thus, as a product page writer, you have to keep many factors in mind when writing a product page.

Instructional writers

Since e-learning is gaining prevalence, there is a rise in the demand for instructional writers. Slightly different from technical writers, instructional writers work on crafting and improving the instructional material for the students and teachers. It may seem that it’s a one-time job, but due to frequent changes to the curriculum, the writers have to make frequent changes. 

Given the number of e-learning platforms in India, writers work with the teachers to make storyboards, notes, and summaries. The requirements to become an instructional writer are to be a subject matter expert, write a large volume of content, understand the curriculum needs, and work with a team to produce the best content.

Business writing

Business writing is formal and professional, and if that sounds like something you can get on board with, business writing must be your thing. Since many professionals need to prepare reports, whitepapers, professional emails, proposals, company-wide memos, etc., they need writers to write them because not everyone has the skills to write. The clients will pay you a significant amount of money since they have the budget to pay the writers. 

You will learn about business development if you stay consistent with these gigs over some time. And understanding business development will give you an edge whether you choose to continue with freelancing or join a full-time position.

Conclusion

To sum up, we talked about what are the typical responsibilities in all the content writing jobs. We then discussed 18 different types of best content writing jobs that covered most content writer jobs currently in the digital landscape, the content writing job descriptions and responsibilities.

We hope the blog was helpful in that it gave you a unique perspective on the different opportunities in the content writing job industry. If you would like to continue your content writing journey but don’t know where to start, we have a beginner-friendly blog on getting started as a content writer. It talks about what is a content writing job in detail and the steps you need to take to get started. So the next time you see a content writer hiring or content writer recruitment post, you know how to apply for content writing jobs and get selected.

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