Tips To Be a Good Content Writer And a Great Copywriter [2024 Version]

5 min readApr 2, 2021

Updated and Edited with New Content on December 27th, 2023

Congratulations on this big decision! It takes immense amount of introspection, self-belief and an innate desire to pursue one’s passion against all odds, to choose a career option that is new and still evolving! This also means that early entrants would become big beneficiaries of this as this career option gains traction, becomes more popular and matures as a field!

There are few common traits that are required for a professional to succeed in any field namely hard work, dedication, willingness to learn, strong work ethic but there are some specific qualities that, when imbibed would help you become a good content/copy writer and remain in demand!

1. Ability to create engaging tales that connect facts and missing dots

Storytelling is critical in content writing. It is not just limited to inclusion of stories. It also means that there should be coherence among facts and the presentation is more fluid in nature. After all, each piece of content created is for the consumption of human beings only and we love stories. Stories strike a chord immediately and are easy to relate and recall. Hence, the ability to weave beautiful stories is what differentiates a good content/copy writer from an average one.

2. Ability to research relevant facts about the topic (relevant to your audience and your intent)

Content writing can take up different forms and the intent of each form is different. While an email newsletter is a way to engage prospects and increase conversion rate, a blog post aims to provide more information and answer the queries of its readers. Hence, depending upon the type of content/copy writing and the intent of the writer, facts may differ based on what one wants to convey or achieve and what is it that the audience is looking for. A good content/copy writer is aware of these differences and does a detailed research before starting his (her) piece.

3. Knowledge of the language and local slangs

Language is the backbone of content. Whether it is English, Hindi or any regional language, content / copy writer should have a thorough understanding of the language and of local slangs. A good piece of content must be error free and should also incorporate local slangs (wherever possible) to give it a local touch.

4. Ability to add relevance and uniqueness

We all are aware of the super short attention span of today’s generation and yet as content/ copy writers, we need to write content that gets their attention and motivates them enough to act! So, how does one make his (her) content stand out amidst so much of noise? It is, by taking up one element of content and giving it a twist to make it unique. Be it the tone, style, voice or some other aspect of the content — all good content/copy writers do this. Some quirk, one odd thing that catches the attention of your reader may go miles in keeping the audience hooked for more. This is one trait that all great content/ copy writers (unconsciously) possess.

5. Receptivity to feedback for further improvisation

This is critical in making the final content aligned with the objective of the client and ensuring that content/copy writers keep getting regular business. Feedbacks not only help improvise the content but also prove to be beneficial for content/copy writers since they expand mental models and bring synergy between clients and writers.

6. Awareness of current trends of various platforms

With a plethora of social media platforms to write for, it is no easy task creating content that clicks with the audience. Each platform comes with its own set of peculiarities in terms of the kind of audience it caters to, its trending features and its unique positioning in the minds of consumers. It is these trends that make LinkedIn different from Facebook.

Awareness of what’s trending on different platforms helps in creating content that will have a better reach and connect. Our obsession with FOMO is a big boon for content/ copy writers to make an immediate connect with the target audience.

7. Understanding of the psychology of search and search engines ( not just SEO)

While there is a lot of commotion around SEO and traffic, good content/ copy writers go beyond this to understand how search engines work and how people search for information online. It is not about getting the technicalities in place but the mindset and approach followed by the audience to search for information online.

Once, as a content/ copy writer, we understand how our audience searches and how the results are ranked in a search engine, it becomes easy to customize our content accordingly to improve its ranking and traffic!

8. Superior observation skills

A content writer is not just good with words and creativity; he (she) also needs to be an excellent observer. Superior observation skills provide a couple of advantages. It helps content creators to get fresh ideas for their content and also helps them break monotony that sets in by continuously writing for projects one after another.

9. Up skilling

Content creators play a pivotal role in the creation of initial impressions of a brand in the minds of consumers and prospects through their writing. Hence, it is critical that their content is rich in quality and filled with perspectives that are fresh and enticing.

Good content writers make this happen by reading a lot and constantly up skilling themselves. Not only does one learn a new skill but his (her) perspective enlarges which helps in cross functional application of concepts.

10. The art of keeping things simple

This is one of the most under-rated tips. Often we are under the impression that the more jargons our content has, the better an image would it create. In fact, it is the opposite.

The simpler the sentences, chances are that it will make a quicker connect with the reader. Shorter sentences, simple words, easy to use and implement strategies work way better than their heavier cousins.

There could be exceptions to this especially when the content is written for a specific audience (like Whitepapers or technical writing) but other than that, everyone appreciates simplicity lot more.

So, now that you have gone through the tips above, why not make a list of the tips that you have already aced and a second list of the tips that you need to work upon. Is your list ready? Then what are you waiting for?