What Is Content Writing?

By Emily Numa
Aug 25, 2023
12 min read

With around 7.5 million new blog posts published every day, it’s no surprise that demand for high-quality content writing has never been higher. Just about every business with an online presence publishes some form of written material – and much of it is produced by content writers. But what exactly is content writing, and what does it involve? And what does it take to start a career as a content writer?

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at everything you need to know about content writing – including how Knowadays can help you launch a rewarding new freelance career.

Read on to learn more!

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the process of producing written material for online platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media. It often aims to inform, educate, or entertain the target audience.

Because nearly every sector publishes content in some form, content writers can find work in a huge array of industries. Some content writers take a more generalized approach and write on a variety of topics, while others choose to focus on a particular area they’re knowledgeable or passionate about.

You’ll find content writers producing:

Blog posts and articles
Website content (e.g., landing pages, product descriptions)
Social media posts
Emails and newsletters
Press releases
Business reports
Ebooks and whitepapers

These are just a few examples of the types of materials content writers produce – check out this list of 32 content types for even more ideas!

Why Does Content Writing Matter?

Content writing plays a significant role in a company’s success and often serves as the “storefront” for an online business. High-quality content helps businesses:

Build trust and credibility with their audience
Improve website traffic
Increase brand recognition
Encourage customer loyalty
Boost conversions and sales (indirectly or directly, depending on the approach)
Position a business or individual as an industry authority

Content writers also help ensure that a business’s specific brand voice and desired tone is applied consistently throughout their content.

Since the volume of content online is growing exponentially, it’s more important than ever for businesses to stand out. This is where skilled writers come in – expert content writing can give brands the edge they need to connect with the right audience in a memorable way. And despite the growth of AI, content writing remains in demand thanks to the human touch needed for true engagement and creativity.

What Does a Content Writer Do?

The daily tasks and responsibilities of a content writer depend on the type of content they produce and the specific client they’re writing for.

The underlying goal of a content writer, though, is always to create engaging material that meets a client’s marketing objectives and resonates with readers. This typically involves:

1. Liaising with Clients

Before diving into the writing process, a content writer needs to understand the client’s vision. This involves creating a content brief, which sets out key details such as the objective of the content, the required format, and the deadline. It also means setting out clear expectations around deadlines, deliverables, and potential revisions.

2. Collaborating with Other Professionals

Even if they’re freelancers, content writers are still part of their client’s team for the duration of a project. So, they’ll likely need to communicate with other team members like marketing staff, designers, other writers and editors, finance staff, and so on.

Collaboration helps ensure that the final piece meets the client’s marketing goals, adheres to visual and branding guidelines, and fits into any larger campaigns (e.g., social media or email marketing strategies).

3. Conducting Thorough Research

To write engaging content, content writers need to know their stuff. Research is a vital part of content writing, including:

Planning content (e.g., subject matter, format, target audience)
Identifying credible sources of information
Fact-checking information
Making clear notes and managing references (plagiarism is a no-no!)
Conducting keyword research (to optimize content for search engines)

If content is up-to-date and factually accurate, it’s much more likely to engage readers – and establish the writer (and their client) as trustworthy voices.

4. Following a Style Guide

Following a style guide is an essential aspect of content writing. A style guide is a list of instructions and notes that tell you the client’s preferences for spelling, punctuation, grammar, tone of voice, and more. Some businesses produce their own style guide; others follow widely available published examples like The Associated Press Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style.

5. Adhering to Brand Voice and Tone

Consistency is the name of the game again here. A content writer’s work must adhere to their client’s voice and tone:

Brand voice is the way a business expresses itself, or its distinct personality. It should be consistent across all the brand’s marketing materials, meaning content writers need to be familiar with the tone, style, word choice, and vocabulary the business typically uses.
To n e is about the attitude conveyed by a piece of writing. For example, the degree of formality, passion or enthusiasm, or humor. Brand voice is a constant, whereas tone is adaptable. Therefore, a content writer must be able to identify the most appropriate tone for each piece of writing.

6. Creating High-Value Content

Once a content writer has established what a client wants and done their research, it’s time to get writing. This is where a freelance content writer’s creative juices can really start to flow!

As a content writer, your job is to deliver valuable information in an engaging, easily digestible way. You’ll need to consider:

The structure of the content (e.g., blog posts usually have four key elements)
The readability of the content (e.g., using lists or shortening sentences and paragraphs)
The quality of the content (e.g., making sure content is accurate and error-free and that it’s relevant to the target audience)

7. Optimizing Content for SEO

This one’s a real biggie. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a huge part of a freelance content writer’s everyday work, so it pays to know your way around it. Content writing is about helping a business or blogger connect with existing and potential customers. And that happens when you know how to optimize your content for search engines.

Here are a few of the most important SEO tactics content writers rely on:

Keeping the audience’s intent in mind (e.g., What are they looking for? How will the content answer their question or solve their problem?).
Using relevant keywords. The easiest way to find relevant keywords is to use a keyword research tool.
Incorporate your keywords naturally, and avoid keyword stuffing.
Focusing on readability. Vary sentence length, keep paragraphs short, and avoid unnecessary jargon.
Including internal and external links to help the search engine crawlers (also called spiders or robots) understand and index content.
Ensuring your headings are relevant, well-distributed throughout the text, and incorporate your keywords. As a rough guide, try to avoid blocks of text longer than 300 words.
Following Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (the framework Google uses to judge the quality of a piece of content).

When done correctly, SEO helps connect content to the right audience – and makes clients happy.

8. Responding to Feedback

Once you’ve presented your content to your client, you may need to spend time editing or redrafting it. This is a normal part of the content creation process. Sometimes, a client’s brief doesn’t reflect exactly what they want. We’ve all had that, “I don’t quite know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it” feeling. So, if your first draft doesn’t quite hit the spot, a few tweaks will see it the way the client wants it.

9. Proofreading and Editing

Proofreading is the critical final step before a piece of content is published. Your reputation as a content writer will be enhanced if you always produce well-written, accurately spelled, and grammatically correct work. Learning to proofread is a key skill for a content writer. It’s much more than just knowing your comma from your semicolon, so make it part of every job you do. Need some pointers? Take a look at our blog post on How to Proofread Your Own Writing.

How to Become a Content Writer

Content writing is an appealing career path for anyone who loves research, writing, and creativity. If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a freelance content writer, start by taking the following steps:

1. Understand the Role

If content writing sounds like the job for you, begin by learning all you can about what it involves and what content writers do on a daily basis. Search social media networking sites, such as LinkedIn, for prominent content writers to follow. Many successful content writers repost job opportunities or offer advice for new freelancers on their pages. You can also reach out to your network (virtually or in person) to find out if any content writers are interested in speaking with you about their roles or acting as your freelance mentor.

2. Build the Right Skill Set

Once you’ve learned all you can about content writing, work on developing the essential skills needed to become a content writer. Besides being a good writer, you’ll need the following skills:

Organization: to juggle multiple projects and deadlines
Basic computer proficiency: to use tools like Microsoft Word and Google Workspace
Time management: to work efficiently and avoid stress
Research ability: to find credible sources and relevant data
Collaboration: to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues
SEO knowledge: to help your content stand out on search engine results pages
Proofreading and editing skills: to maintain accuracy and credibility

Consider your previous related experience and build on the knowledge and capabilities you already have. For example, if you have a teaching background, think back on the writing skills you developed during that time and how they could be applied to your career as a content writer. You can also look for professional development opportunities, such as webinars or online courses, to fill in any remaining gaps in your skill set.

3. Consider Your Niche

Some writers decide to concentrate primarily on a particular specialization or topic, such as technology or medicine. Focusing your content writing business on a specific niche can help position you as an authority in that industry, which can attract more clients and lead to higher-paying jobs.

When deciding on a niche, consider your previous experience, soft skills, and what you’re most passionate about – since you’ll be spending so much time researching the subject, you should enjoy it!

4. Gain Experience

When you’re just starting out as a content writer, it’s important to gain experience wherever you can to build up your writing portfolio. But it’s a catch-22: you need samples to get clients, but you need clients to produce samples. However, there are several ways around this:

Reach out to nonprofit or charity organizations and volunteer your writing services. Not only are you helping your community, you’re also gaining valuable writing experience.
Contact companies or individuals you’re interested in working with and volunteering to guest post on their blogs.
Start your own blog on the topic of your choice and promote it among your LinkedIn or Instagram networks. You’ll build confidence and develop real-world examples of your writing to show potential clients.
Write on spec for clients or businesses in your niche that you’d love to work with.

5. Create a Portfolio and Resume

Once you have samples, compile a portfolio to showcase your work. Choose pieces that reflect your best writing, your range, and your subject matter expertise (if you have a chosen niche). There are lots of great portfolio hosting sites available, which make the process much easier.

It’s also important to create a concise resume that highlights your relevant skills, experience, and qualifications. And proofread it! Twice! If you don’t have much writing experience yet, don’t panic. Think about transferable skills you’ve gained in other roles and how they could be relevant here.

6. Find Your First Clients

Becoming a content writer involves a substantial amount of networking with potential clients, especially at the start of your career. As you build your portfolio, use it to build a profile and apply for projects on online freelance marketplaces.

Networking on LinkedIn (and other social platforms) is a powerful way to connect with potential clients. You can also send cold emails to businesses you’re interested in working with. Remember to personalize your outreach as much as possible – generic mass emails rarely get a reply!

And once you start landing projects, strive to exceed expectations so you can build strong testimonials and positive word-of-mouth.

Ready to Launch Your Content Writing Career?

We hope this guide has given you a clear picture of what content writing is, why it’s vital for so many businesses, and how to start your own journey as a content writer. If you’re ready to take the leap, consider enrolling in our Becoming A Freelance Writer course. It’s CPD-accredited and focuses on helping you master the art of writing blogs and articles for paying clients. You can even try two free lessons before you commit!

Updated on March 25, 2025