7 Essential Skills to Look for in a Digital Content Writer

Every business owner and marketer knows that their writer should draw more attention in and convert those people into leads and customers. But for a content writer to achieve that goal, he/she must have a lot of skills. Let’s look at those skills.

Skills Necessary for Digital Content Writers

Google Analytics

I list it as the first thing for content writers to understand. To some people, it would sound weird, but it’s an important thing to understand.

As I said in the intro, you are writing to draw attention and convert that attention into customers. So using Google Analytics, one would understand what content people like, what draws their attention, and what causes people to bounce. It won’t show what exactly is causing bounce rates but you can guess it based on the data.

Content Strategy

We live in a world full of content. Every day, we are bombarded with tons of content that we don’t even realize. But how much of that content makes an impact on us?

So making an effective content strategy becomes an increasingly important skill for marketers, let alone digital content writers.

We have around 1 billion blogs in the world. That’s 1 blog for every 7 persons. When you have this much competition, your content and content strategy needs to be laser-sharp.

With a proper plan, you don’t have many chances of standing out from the crowd. If you don’t know the topics that solve the pain points of customers, how will you convert them? So a proper plan becomes so important.

When creating a strategy, your content writer should be able to attract the eyeballs. He/she should know what’s popular in your niche. If they don’t know, they should be able to find it.

Check their knowledge of keyword research. Are they familiar with any of the famous keyword research tools? They should be able to find great content ideas and give you a roadmap.

Then, they should be able to create better content on the popular topics. Better means the one that’s not existing on the web already.

Leverage Video Content

Video content is probably the most engaging format we have right now. If you are just starting out, bring your mobile out, record a video, and put it on YouTube.

Don’t wait for some magic moment to start posting. Many people make the mistake of not leveraging this content type earlier. Once they start using it, they regret starting out late.

After YouTube, you can move to Facebook and Instagram. Even LinkedIn has video now.

Now let’s go back to your content writer. Writers and marketers should be able to connect with an audience using videos. Of course, you don’t want to force your writers to shoot a video and post it online. They’ll write the script for you that will take you to a higher level.

Look for a connection in their writing style. Don’t worry about SEO in the beginning. Look for the human part in their writing.

Storytelling

“Those who tell the stories rule the world.” I don’t know who said it but it sure is the truth.

For centuries, writers were famous for their storytelling skills. Long before marketing copy and content was a thing, writers with a better story and a style won.

So try to look for the storytelling feel in your writer’s style.

Of course, this is marketing, not reality TV. So you are not looking for something out of the world. But they should be able to craft words that take people on an emotional rollercoaster when needed. Not only should you look for this thousand-year-old marketing tactic in writers, but it should be a must for every marketer you hire.

Email Writing

Before the internet age, we used to have sales letters. The ones you send to people’s mailboxes. They used to have a special touch to draw the attention of their readers.

Now, those sales letters are not common. But we do have email sales letters.

As far as email marketing is concerned, you should try to sell as quickly as possible. If you wait one year to start selling, they might unsubscribe by then.

And for the writing part, the writer should be able to craft custom emails for whatever phase of the journey the customer is in. And if someone saw something but didn’t buy it, you should send them a different email. That email should be written perfectly.

Voice Search Copywriting

Voice search is huge. A big chunk of traffic is coming from voice searches. So writers should be aware of that. Look for concise statements in your writer’s style.

Their answers should not be lengthy. Think of Quora. This platform gets a lot of traffic from people who are looking for short answers. The same should go for your website. Your writer should be able to write concise answers.

Bite-Size Educational Content

Many people want quicker on-demand content. This means that a 5-minute podcast with one idea can do better than a 25-minute podcast. That’s because humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish.

For your writer, this means that they should be able to hook the audience. People want quick actionable tips, so the writers should be able to able to get the information across quickly.

In your opinion, what is the most important skill for a digital content writer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!