Should I be a content writer? 🖋️

Imagine the internet without any content: no websites, blogs, emails, social media, videos or podcasts.

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Content writers play a key part in bringing that material to us.

A content writer creates written material for the internet.

If you're thinking about becoming one you may be wondering: would the job be a good fit for me?

A content writer helps businesses and organizations reach their goals by providing them with original and well-crafted pieces of writing that readers find relevant and useful.

You'll be working on your writing, whether that's creating new text or editing and re-writing or proofreading the final piece.

You may also be:

• Researching. You'll likely write about many different topics so you'll need to research them to make sure your writing is accurate and helpful.

• Working with others. You may be part of a team of people in marketing, sales, or communications. Or you may be presenting your draft to editors or clients for their feedback.

• Scheduling. You'll be arranging meetings and keeping track of writing deadlines.

Businesses

You could work in almost any industry, including marketing, health, retail, technology, and education.

Businesses will need your writing to attract and keep customers and boost the credibility of their brand.

Agencies

These are content marketing, advertising, or public relations agencies. Businesses hire them to create and distribute material for them.

You may be writing content for a big-name business, many of whom use agencies. To learn more about writing for an agency check out this blog post by a content marketing writer.

Nonprofits

Nonprofits will rely on your writing to help bring attention to their cause, encourage people to take action, and support their fundraising goals.

The average salary for a content writer in the U.S. is $54,263 a year (USD).

The average salary for a content writer in Canada is $49,031 a year (CAD).

What kind of preparation will I need?

Experience

To get a job, you'll need experience with the specific type of writing required. Ways to gain experience include:

• starting a blog

• looking for websites to publish your work

• applying for internships

• looking for freelancing opportunities

Creating a portfolio of your writing to show off your skills is also a good idea.

Education

Formal educational qualifications aren't always necessary but this varies depending on the type of writing you plan to do.

For example, sometimes employers prefer a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, creative writing, or communications. But for technical writing, they may prefer industry-specific qualifications instead. Take a look at this Byte on technical writing to learn more about it.

• You're an excellent communicator and storyteller. You'll be capturing readers' attention and keeping them engaged with your well-organized and well-written text.

• You're creative. You'll be thinking up topics and ways to approach them that are unique and interesting.

• You like learning. You'll be learning your craft, researching new topics, and keeping up with developments in your area(s) of expertise.

• You prefer other outlets for your creativity. You'll be writing — a lot!

• You like flexible timelines. You'll need to meet deadlines, sometimes tight ones.

• A slow start to your career won't work for you. It will take time to hone your skills and stand out from the competition.

  

Pick the two people best suited to become content writers.

Priti

• A student who writes for the school newspaper about a wide range of topics.

Ahmad

• A counselor who gives people helpful information as the need arises.

Bo

• A web developer who posts about the latest tech on his blog every few days.

Amy

• A student who uploads dance videos on TikTok and occasionally comments on other people's.

If content writer sounds like just the job for you: