12 Reasons Why Job As Content Writer Is Not Easy
A content writer’s job is straightforward; you write and then publish it. Content writer jobs sound easy and uncomplicated. Then why do content writer’s charge so much? If content writing jobs are easy, in demand, and pay well, why isn’t everybody a writer? Well, a job as content writer is tough. There are so many components in a content writing job that only writing doesn’t cut it. Thus, we have busted some myths and explained why writing isn’t easy.
12 Reasons Why Job As Content Writer Is Not Easy
Content writers are like a chef; everybody can cook, but only a few choose to stick to it professionally for long term to enhance their skills. A professional chef and a casual cook have vast differences, similar to how a casual writer and a professional writer are poles apart. So, what differentiates a professional writer and a casual writer? Here are some ingredients that a writer has to keep in mind that make the job challenging.
Writing like a human
Perhaps the number one misconception about writing being effortless is the notion that AI can write content, so it must be easy. Yes, AI can write content, but that content is so bland and does not sound like a human. And the purpose of content is to build trust, reliability, educate or inform. Each objective is so distinct from the other that AI can’t write content. Thus, the job of a writer is to write like a human, which is highly impossible for AI to replicate.
Well researched
Another notion about content writing jobs being easy is that writers just need to write. However, most people miss the fact that writing takes ample research. Not every content writer has the knowledge of each subject. And even if they have the knowledge, they still need to fact-check and verify everything they write before writing the content. Moreover, a writer’s job sometimes includes educating and informing the audience, which requires heavy research.
Punctuality
Just like any other career, writing values punctuality. Since writing is a part of a marketing campaign, even a slight delay in content can delay the campaign, which is wasteful of other people’s time and energy. Thus, a content writer’s job relies on delivering content well on time. It may also result in writing content quickly, which only an experienced and prolific content writer can do. Anyone who has to submit assignments on tight deadlines would understand.
Content Writer Jobs Need Discipline
Like any other career, a writing job demands that one re-skills themselves as frequently as possible. If, as a content writer, you stop updating yourself or spend no time improving your skillset, you will suffer long term. And to constantly learn, you need discipline in your life. Most re-skilling takes place via online courses, and your job as a content writer is to not only perform well but also have the discipline to take online courses to do your writing job better.
The need to know SEO
The first content writer job you get may not need you to know SEO. But as your writing career grows, you need to understand SEO. SEO is not just about using keywords; it’s also about writing content that appeals to your target audience and fits into the bigger picture for the brand. Unless you understand SEO and keep yourself updated regarding SEO, you cannot expect to grow in your career. Here’s a guide on how to write SEO friendly content.
Clear and engaging content
Speaking of audience, content that is unclear and does not engage the reader rarely gets any attention. And thus, as a content writer, your objective is to write clear and engaging content. Each piece of content is written to provide value to the audience; thus, you must communicate the message to your audience clearly and without any confusion. Imagine the content piece’s impact about a food product with confusing and scientific terms will have on the audience. The audience will be confused and find it hard to understand the message, which will lead to lower engagement of the audience with the content. Thus, a content writer’s job is to write clear and engaging content.
Understanding of the audience
But how does one know what’s confusing and clear for the audience? What if using scientific terms appeals to the audience, which consists of scientists? Thus, the content writer must know who they are talking to via their content. How do you do that? You must research the competition, and their audience, look at who’s engaging and what they are saying. This research will give you unique insights that will let you do your job as a content writer well.
Keep in mind the brand too
But a content writer’s job is to consider the audience and consider the brand. Well, it’s the brand that’s paying you, so you can’t write something that will put the brand in a bad light. Thus, one of the challenges in a writing job is to balance what the audience wants and what the brand wants. The perfect content benefits both the brand and the audience.
Using storytelling
Content is about information but incorporating stories and using it smartly elevates the content. Thus, part of a content writer’s job is to blend storytelling to take their content up a notch. Also, this is the element that will require creativity. Even though creativity is not an absolute must as a content writer, incorporating creativity in the right proportions will help you grow.
You can use stories to emphasize a point, paint a vivid picture, transition from one point to another, etc. The ways to use stories in your content are endless, but it is also important to note that if you use storytelling excessively, your information might get lost, which is not what any content writer should do.
Proper Formatting
Another thing that you should remember about online audiences is that they seldom read the whole content piece. So, if you want to communicate with them, you need to format your content well. Formatting doesn’t just mean heading and sub-headings. It also means breaking the content up to provide ample negative space, so it doesn’t take them much effort to read your content. The more scannable your content, the better formatted is your content, and the more audience will like your content.
Editing
All writing is incomplete without editing. A content writer’s job is as much about writing as it’s about editing. Because, more than writing, it is editing that makes it sharper, clear, and engaging. And since all the factors that we have discussed so far matter, it is pretty tough to keep them in mind while writing. Therefore, editing is crucial to make sure that it’s high-quality content. So, your job as a content writer depends on how well you can edit what you write.
Hard work
So far, we have discussed several points that are integral to content writing jobs. But it takes hard work to keep all the tiny details in mind. And it’s not the big details that determine whether the content is up to the mark or not; it is the small details that ensure that the content is of high quality. It is ensuring SEO, flow, clarity, engagement, research etc., in your content that separates the bad from the good. And all of this takes hard work and perseverance to do it day in, day out.
Conclusion
Just because a content writer’s job is not easy does not mean that a content writer’s job is not fulfilling or fun, as we have explained in our is content writing a good career blog. A job as a content writer is one of the best jobs in the current market. The best content writing jobs can be demanding as well as fulfilling, and it just means that you need to put in the effort to become successful. So the next time you see a content writer hiring, don’t make blind assumptions. And before you apply for writing jobs, be aware of what awaits you.
