Here’s a gigantic list of types of content every content writer should know and master. Download the FREE eBook if you don’t have time to read the entire post.
Table of Contents
- Content Writing For Non-Native Speakers
- What Are The 35 Types Of Content You Need To Know?
- 1. Blog Posts
- 2. Website content
- 3. News
- 4. Long-form content
- 5. Articles
- 6. Case studies
- 7. Videos
- 8. Client profiles
- 9. Testimonials and customer reviews
- 10. White papers
- 11. eBooks
- 12. Content images
- 13. Lead magnet
- 14. Audio
- 15. E-courses
- 16. Email marketing
- 17. Newsletters
- 18. Photos
- 19. Podcasts
- 20. Presentations
- 21. Promotions
- 22. Social campaigns
- 23. Webinars
- 24. Link building
- 25. Ask Me Anything format
- 26. Reviews
- 27. Interactive pages
- 28. Forums
- 29. News releases
- 30. Wikis
- 31. In-App messages
- 32. Print
- 33. Advertisement
- 34. Application
- Conclusion – Why Do I Care?
Content Writing For Non-Native Speakers
Non-native speakers barely find a good writing job because English is not our mother tongue. We only know several words to use to describe things.
Too often, we try too hard to sound sophisticated and native-like, though we write more simply. Rather than avoiding such a path, we even try to compete against an ocean of great writers, especially the native speakers.
True! We’re not as versatile and more familiar with more English words and slang as native speakers do.
Consequently, content writing for non-native speakers involves a more complicated writing process. In most cases, we find alternative ways to stand out.
We think, “If I can’t impress you with top-tier content, I will make sure I’ll be the best content writer in the marketplace.” Always.
When you gain more exposure to the entirety of content marketing, the higher your chances of getting hired.
So, before we get started, I suggest you download the PDF version of this post. It allows you to review this gigantic list everywhere at your convenience.
Let’s do this. Shall we?
What Are The 35 Types Of Content You Need To Know?
- Blog posts
- Website content
- News
- Long-form content
- Articles
- Case studies
- Videos
- Client profiles
- Testimonials and customer reviews
- White papers
- eBooks
- Content images
- Lead magnet
- Audio
- E-courses
- Email marketing
- Newsletters
- Photos
- Podcasts
- Presentations
- Promotions
- Social campaigns
- Webinars
- Link building
- Ask Me Anything format
- Quotes
- Reviews
- Interactive pages
- Forums
- News releases
- Wikis
- In-app messages
- Advertisement
- Application
- Blog posts
1. Blog Posts
Blog posts play a big role in content marketing. As a writer, you have to know the types of content your clients expect from you. These includes:
- Inspiration
- Humor
- Dictionary of brand-specific or industry terms
- Ephemeral content
- Explainer
- How-to
- Lists
- Questions
- “Why” posts
- New method
- Roundups
- Compiled research
- Original research
- Fact check
- Investigations
- Fact check
- Best practices
- Transparency of the company to build more trust, such as salaries, blogger’s monthly income reports
- Opinions
- Personal success stories
- “Day in the life”
- Behind-The-Scenes (also applicable for video content)
- Predictions
- Failures
- Republishing
- Blog post comments (aka user-generated content)
That is why most companies prefer working with you if you have a website or a blog.
To them, you have enough evidence to prove your competence as a content writer. Also, your blog posts become samples to show your writing style.
Suggested Post: 5 Amazing Shortcuts To Build A Successful Lifestyle Blog
2. Website content
I mentioned earlier the weight you have to carry as a content writer. You’re responsible for establishing a brand online.
In other words, they pay you for writing stories to convince people to buy their products or sign-up for a monthly subscription.
That is why I encourage you to learn how to do it by signing up on my email list. You get access to FREE premium writing resources and tools to help you write better content.
When your client asks you to write for their website, you have to know how to create at least some of them.
What are the types of website content?
- Landing pages
- About pages
- Feature pages
- Microsites for a specific campaign
- Staff/team behind the company/business
- The story behind the brand
- Company goals
- Personal philosophy (for solopreneurs or bloggers)
- Company philosophy (for B2B companies, SaaS, or startups)
At this point, do you still think content writing is easy or not anymore?
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. 🙂
3. News
In 2014, I started to get serious about making money as a writer by writing news articles. It was after I got accepted as a Lifehack contributor.
As a news writer, I had to install news apps to make sure I’m up-to-date with world affairs. I needed to know what’s going on in the world, from entertainment, games, and real estate to industry-specific news or recap.
And it hasn’t changed today. If you plan to become the best content writer, you have to be adept at writing different news formats.
What are the different types of news?
- Current affairs
- Gossip or entertainment
- Industry News/recap
- Game releases
- Real estate news
- Breaking news
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comment section below.
To write better news articles, go to Google Alerts, and type in the keywords related to your niche.
Google will send an email with the latest updates and trends. That is a must-have for content writers, especially with news writing.
4. Long-form content
Long-form content is also a type of blog post but I decided to discuss it separately. So, how does it differ from a typical blog post? Why do I need to separate it?
The typical blog posts with 500 to 1,200 words on average, long-form content contains as many as 2,000 words and beyond.
If you want an example, I wrote a post with an ambitious goal of 10,000 words. Wow, that’s a lot. I know you’d say that.
Suggested Post: Epic Guide To Self-Publishing & Become A Best-Selling Author Even If It’s Your First Time
When you write comprehensive blog posts or cornerstone content, you’re writing it in a long-form format. It is because the search engine receives millions of new content.
As a content writer, you have to understand that using the right keywords isn’t enough. You also have to make sure that each article or post covers everything your readers want to know.
What metrics should I look at in content writing?
- Site rankings
- Keyword rankings
- Average monthly page sessions
- Average monthly traffic from organic search results, referrals, or direct traffic
- Featured snippet potential
- Top SERP result
- Engagement (comments, likes, shares on social media; or comments on blog posts)
- Bounce rates (user exit rates)
The more you understand the numbers and their indications, the better you develop your content marketing strategy. That doesn’t exclude beginners.
Even when you have no budget to execute your SEO on the article, it’s not a viable excuse not to optimize each piece of article you write.
They may not provide detailed information as the paid keyword tools. But they still do a great job.
What are some of the free keyword tools to try?
- Google Keyword Planner
- Quora
- AlsoAsked.com
- AnswerThePublic.com
- Google suggestions
- Google related searches
- Keyword Surfer (Chrome extension)
- “People Also Asked” Google SERP feature
When your writing career takes off, I bet you already can invest in premium tools to leverage your content writing and succeed online.
You have to get access to the right target keywords to guarantee your client’s success. And it’s almost impossible when you don’t have the data.
This is why I highly recommend SEMRush, my favorite tool to find the right keywords to target to guarantee the best results.
That’s why you ended up here. Am I right?
5. Articles
Recently, I got hired to write several real estate articles with 500 words each. This is why I included this on the list.
The difference between writing articles and blog posts is the brevity of the content. Articles may often range from 500 to 1,000 words. Blog posts with over 1,000 and beyond.
Unlike blog posts, we tailor the content for professionals or experts in the field. So, it follows a formal tone of voice compared to a friendlier or personal tone present in the blogs.
To become the best content writer in the industry, you have to practice writing content in different tones. Try writing in a formal and informal tone.
Once you master the skills, you can work with different clients whether they’re bloggers or from SaaS or startup companies.
Do you get what I’m trying to say here?
6. Case studies
Case studies are great for B2B, SaaS, startups, or bootstrapped businesses. If you know how to write case studies, you become more attractive to this group.
Before we dig more into that, let’s find out why write case studies and what results do companies expect from writing one?
OptinMonster identified 5 big reasons for writing case studies.
Reason 1: Case studies target specific goals for a targeted audience.
The content itself is niche-specific and provides value to your users. It also shows what they miss when they don’t buy the product or sign-up today.
Reason 2: Case studies help you leverage your authority position.
Unlike writing blog posts, case studies are unique to you and your product. You write them based on facts and results differ for each customer.
Are you getting what I’m trying to say here?
Reason 3: Case studies help in problem-solving situations.
Aside from leveraging the company’s position in the industry, OptinMonster reveals how case studies show the users their known and unknown problems, as well as their solutions.
In most cases, users may already have thought-out problems. But you also show them the ones they aren’t aware of.
Then, the solutions will include the product or service you promote.
Reason 4: Case studies show proof of your offer.
Most B2B companies know the importance of showing proof of their potential customers as they get smarter choices nowadays.
According to Jason Angelos, et al. (2017) research for Accenture, 73% of B2B executives agree to the new B2B customer experience (CX) paradigm. This means redefining traditional marketing strategies and personalizing customer journeys.
When it comes to customer journeys, 57% of them have already decided to buy even “before the first meeting with a company representative.”
In other words, customers are self-reliant when it comes to making smarter choices.
Reason 5: Case studies open more content development.
As I said before, startup companies need to be smart in their marketing strategies as consumers become wiser and wiser every single day.
To reach out to more users, you can repurpose the case studies into different types of content in this list. It could become a blog post, a YouTube video, or a podcast.
It’s a lot of work, but these are great ways to tap into your users from various platforms. That’s because not everyone reads blog posts or gets updated by email.
Thus, the more you vary the content with a consistent call-to-action, the better. Do you get my point?
7. Videos
With over 2 billion users worldwide, who wouldn’t include YouTube in their business marketing strategy?
Can you imagine how many internet users own a YouTube account? According to Oberlo’s recent 2020 study, 79% of internet users own a YouTube account.
It’s crazy, right?
So, creating video content is great to attract more users to learn about the company and make sales.
From a customer’s perspective, they tend to trust brands that have active YouTube accounts. To explain it better, let me have it this way.
The more they see the person running the business, the more they know you. And the more they know you, the more they want to buy anything from you.
I hope it makes sense to you, my friend.
To give you ideas for video content, here are the popular ways most businesses do.
What are the examples of video content?
- Vlogs
- Repurposed blog post in video format
- Product demos
- Product tour
- Live streams
- Behind-The-Scenes to get more personal with you
- Live chats
8. Client profiles
Knowing your clients or audience is important. Well, for obvious reasons. You want to know what they want and how you can give it to them.
When you have no clear target, you tend to create a buyer persona that most new bloggers do since they don’t have metrics yet. (Because they’re new.)
However, if you already have worked with a few clients before, writing a client profile is a great way to prove you’re legit and your product will benefit them.
On top of that, it also defines the type of client you work for. Thus, you gain more credibility for your target market.
Do you understand what I mean?
So, how to start writing a client profile?
What does a client profile include?
- Empirical data
- Information gleaned through various sources
- Web analytics
- Industry analyst reports
- Research studies
- White papers
- Surveys
- Census data
9. Testimonials and customer reviews
Testimonials are great marketing strategies to legitimize a business. When real people share their life-changing experiences with the program, product, or service, the product becomes more believable and more convincing.
You know, the before-and-after posts are powerful. Most seasoned content writers know that.
Example of testimonials:
“Mecyll has written over 200 blog posts on my website www.YourOnlineRevenue.com. It has been a pleasure to work with her and communication has always been easy.
All the articles Mecyll wrote for my blog were more than 2,000 words (as we agreed) so the posts are very comprehensive and detailed.
She is an experienced writer and based on what I have seen in practice, Mecyll can research and write articles about all kinds of topics.“ – Roope Kiuttu, Founder of Your Online Revenue, LLC and YouTuber
How about you?
Do you think testimonials or customer reviews are powerful marketing strategies?
Is it reasonable to learn how to write testimonials?
Let me know in the comments. 🙂
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10. White papers
Simply put, a white paper is an instrument for, let’s say, SaaS, startup, or small online businesses, to introduce the problem and the best solution, which is, of course, your product.
An effective white paper changes or influences the decision-making in B2B or B2C companies.
Since it introduces the problem and the solution, you have to include the issues or common dilemmas. Then, you present the ways to solve the problem directing it to the benefits of your product.
The solution should be based on facts and sound plausible to convince customers your product is the best in the market.
Do you get the picture?
11. eBooks
Self-publishing has become more convenient for aspiring authors to publish their books.
Unlike the traditional publishing method, independent publishing makes it easier to author several books with content freedom and a 100% share of the income.
If you take a look at Upwork’s job feed, you’ll see a lot of people look for eBook writers. This is why eBook writing made its way into this list.
Unfortunately, it’s hard for non-native speakers to get into this job. However, if you want to challenge it, the only way is to find ways to self-publish your work.
Once you already have previous experience with Kindle self-publishing, for example, the more credible you will be. The more you self-publish, the more you attract clients to trust you. Are you getting me?
That said, I suggest you download my FREE Epic Guide to Self-Publishing and figure out the step-by-step process of how to write your first book faster and easier.
12. Content images
You can do several content images for your clients or your blog. You don’t even need to go hardcore and invest time in training your Photoshop skills.
You certainly can impress them with beautiful photos with basic editing using free editing tools.
But before we go through the recommended tools, I like you to see the types of content images appropriate for each blog post or article.
What are the examples of content images?
- COVID-19 tracker map
- Infographics
- Posters
- Featured images
- Social media images
- Demo for mobile apps and others
- Diagrams
- Illustrations
- Handwritten notes
- Sketches
- Brainstorms
- And more!
Though there may be endless possibilities to be creative, the best content writers in the market know which of these will work for each content and not.
The more beautiful and outstanding the images are, the better the search engines detect them as more users click to see them, especially when they are optimized images.
Do you get me?
13. Lead magnet
Lead magnet includes exclusive offers for your users to trade their email address to get access to them for free.
You offer them free downloads or shortcuts to make their lives easy. In return, you get their email addresses. And once you get them, marketing becomes easy and cost-effective.
What are the examples of a lead magnet?
- Any content for exclusive members
- Patreon supporters-only content
- Resource Library
- Membership
- Template
- Checklist
- Guides
- Worksheets
- Research reports
- And more!
14. Audio
Aside from self-publishing, repurposing old content into audio format becomes a trend in digital marketing. So, you cater to various potential customers who aren’t readers.
Rather than focusing on the readers, you reach out to people who prefer listening to articles. That is why writer platforms like Medium integrate audio in their stories.
What are the examples of audio content?
- An audio version of the blog post
- Audiobooks
So, it’s smart to include audios in your content marketing strategy.
As a content writer, you have to learn the process of turning two-year-old content into a podcast episode, for example.
What are the free recommended tools for audio content?
- Audacity – a free audio editing software
- Anchor.fm – a free podcast distributor + earn more commissions
15. E-courses
Here’s why e-courses made their way on the list and why you need to learn how to create your own.
Content creators earn millions of money from building online courses. Most successful bloggers earn 6-figures from repurposing their old blog posts by turning them into an e-course format.
What are the examples of free e-courses?
What is Udemy?
I recommend Udemy for online learning for 2 reasons. First, it’s for free. Second, it’s a free platform for course creators.
With millions of students enrolled in Udemy courses, publishing an e-course is great to get a share of the traffic. This is great to get more followers and to promote the e-course with a lot less effort.
Too often, course creators offer free courses as a lead magnet. They understand that customers need to know your brand before they pay for premium courses. So, the more you offer free courses, the more you get traction from students.
Once they enroll in the course, you offer several resources, tools, or bonus content directing them to your landing page.
Of course, we’re talking about the website. When they land on the page, they scour your content and see your exclusive content.
Why course creators prefer Udemy to host their online courses?
If you have clear and effective CTAs, chances are, you receive more leads from interested users. They are more likely to purchase anything you offer.
From a content writer’s perspective, creating an e-course is certainly a lot of work. It takes time to turn an old blog post into a video presentation, for instance, or a recorded video of yourself discussing the lesson.
It also requires proper equipment and access to tools in the production process. Your credibility as an expert lies in the quality of your videos and audio. Users realize your value when you offer resources for your students.
When you optimize your e-course, again the SEO, you get more chances to get more students to enroll and earn money.
What is HubSpot Certified Program?
I recently enrolled in a Free Content Marketing Course and re-learn the basics all the way up from its definition. Indeed, it was a pleasant experience.
I haven’t finished the class while I focused on freelance writing and updating my website content. Anyway, HubSpot did an excellent job in creating the same content in different varieties.
Thus, making it fun to learn even the most complex as content marketing. On top of that, they also issue a verifiable certificate once you complete any of their courses.
So, if you want to become the best content writer in the marketplace, you’ve got to check out HubSpot Certified Program for free.
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16. Email marketing
Every business needs email marketing primarily for leads. They need sign-ups to promote their offers to people who truly care. It’s a cost-effective way to generate leads and income than relying on ads.
Unlike relying on social media ads, for instance, email marketing allows a personalized journey for their customers, making it easier to generate sales. On the flip side, small businesses or B2B companies need to invest in the following areas to make it work.
What do you need for email marketing?
- A creative content writer that specializes in email marketing
- Paid Customer Relation Management (CRM) platform to get access to email marketing features
As a content writer, you need to understand how email marketing works aside from the process of writing blog posts or articles. Yet, the only way to get the first-hand experience is by blogging.
You will understand the importance of learning copywriting basics in capturing leads and increasing your email subscribers.
Once you get more people following you, there’s a higher chance for you to talk to your audience and generate an income from your writing.
If you want to build your website, not just an ordinary website but a reputable one, go check out my “How to build your blog” post and learn the step-by-steps I did to build mine.
17. Newsletters
This is where you realize the power of email marketing. Every business needs to stand out among the thousands of emails people receive a single day.
At this point, you probably wonder what types of emails you’re going to write if, let’s say, you’re working for a B2B company.
Guess what. They need someone who can write better, effective, and results-driven newsletters. As I said before, businesses are willing to spend money on CRMs like Mailchimp to personalize their customer’s journeys.
Regardless of the niche or the company’s goal, newsletters play a big role in interacting with their target market. People want connection.
And businesses want to take advantage of it. That’s why they keep encouraging people to sign-up to get access to what non-subscribers don’t. Because they know they’ve got something valuable to offer. Most of all, they’ve got a story to tell.
What are the examples of newsletters?
- Recent content/published posts
- Events
- In-person events coming up for businesses
- RSS feeds
- Challenges like NaNoWriMo
- Awards
- Events calendar
- Hiring and recruiting
- And more!
These opportunities are exclusive to subscribers. It’s only possible when the content writer does his or her job of pointing people from Point A to Point B.
Are you getting the picture?
18. Photos
Speaking of pictures, photos embedded on a page like,
- Memes
- Animated GIFs
- Comics
- Cartoons
- Screenshots
Adding photos in your content helps you keep the reader’s attention. They likely stick to your page from the first word to the last without boring them. So, the more creative, eye-catching, and informative your photos are, the better.
To become the best content writer in the marketplace, as I said before, you need to consider training your photo editing skills, too. You’ve got free online tools to get you started. I use Canva to create all images published on this site.
19. Podcasts
If you take a look back at #11, I already mentioned podcasts as an alternative way to repurpose your old blog content.
What are the types of content for a podcast episode?
- Record your blog post as 1 episode
- Interview an influencer or someone you admire.
- Do a segment episode to keep audience retention and engagement.
- You can do a solo episode to promote your upcoming releases or product launches.
If B2B companies look into the potential of podcasting, why don’t you see it for yourself? It’s better to have a first-hand experience of how this works as a content writer.
Today, starting your podcast has never been this easier. If you download my favorite and highly recommended Anchor.fm app, you can start your show in minutes. Plus, you can earn money from commissions based on the number of audiences.
The cool thing is Anchor will distribute your uploaded episode across different platforms. So, all I need to do is set up my episode on Anchor.fm app and hit publish. I don’t need to have accounts on several third-party platforms because Anchor.fm app does the distribution for me.
Where does Anchor.fm app distribute my podcast episodes?
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
- Google Podcasts
- Breaker
- Overcast
- PocketCasts
- RadioPublic
Currently, they’re working on getting my show on every listening platform there is.
20. Presentations
Now, we’re getting into the presentations section. You may not have expected creating Keynotes or PowerPoint presentations to play an essential in building your career as a content writer.
Where do people use presentations?
- Webinars
- Meetups
- Conferences (Familiar with Zoom?)
- Speaking opportunities (TedX Talk, college assemblies, etc.)
- And a lot more!
When I began speaking my knowledge in SEO to different bloggers and knew their responses to my slides, I realized how a presentation makes an impact.
Regardless of how expensive or cheap your offer is, the way you present it to your customers is a decision-maker. It’s unlike website content writing, where you can freely write down several words to make a point.
In creating presentations, you only use a few words to make a point. You decide what media to use to support your stand in each slide. You also choose the right flow, the timing, etc.
As a content writer, especially those who already specialize in Keynote or PowerPoint presentations, you need to be good at this. The company needs your skills to find an investor and to build its brand.
How do they want to be remembered?
Do they have more stories to tell?
Do they present a clear business plan to attract investors?
These are among the questions to ask when creating presentations. Especially for bloggers today who use them during their webinars, online boot camps, etc.
So, I’d like you to familiarize SlideShare because I heard this platform is connected to LinkedIn, find more).
21. Promotions
Similar to newsletters, businesses use CRMs to personalize their promotions. They have to make sure they send the right promotional material to the right audience.
What are the types of promotions do businesses send their customers?
- Contests
- Special offers
- Countdowns
- Workshops
- Conferences
- Awards
- Ambassador Programs
- And more!
There are other types of promotion emails I may have missed but, too often, the ones I mentioned are the most popular today.
22. Social campaigns
Earlier, I mentioned social media marketing, right? As a content writer, you’re in charge of the words you put in the content marketing strategy. So, better improve your storytelling skills and the right sequence.
In providing the right sequence, you also have to consider the minimum number of posts for each platform. For example, most influencers post at least 10x a day.
Because in social media marketing, the sequence of your posts is important. It’s how people move based on your sales funnel.
The more social media posts you publish, the higher the chances of getting more reach and getting attention.
That said, you have to know how social campaigns work, as well as scheduling tools to use to automate your social media marketing plans. It saves you more time to do something else.
23. Webinars
Webinars immediately place you in an expert position. For the potential buyers, it helps in building more trust in the seller or the marketer.
Whether for a high-ticket offer or a $50 e-course or not, webinars help you provide more value to attract purchases.
It is through these events that online entrepreneurs effectively tell their stories. At the same time, they show a sneak peek of the course by providing a 45-min to a 1-hr presentation.
Afterward, they direct the audience to the sales page, and boom! You get a sale.
This is why content writers have to know how this works because most businesses today do webinars to survive and thrive.
If you did a great job as a content writer, the potential customers will understand the value they get despite the price.
24. Link building
Link building is the most common marketing strategy businesses do to increase their customer reach or their target audience.
For small companies, building connections with website owners with 100K+ monthly traffic is a great way to get a share of it.
For example, your post got 2,000 reads from their audience. From 2,000 readers, 50% of them clicked on an anchor text, leading to your post with a lead magnet.
Of 1,000 readers who visited your website, 900 of them signed up on your email list.
Can you imagine for one guest post published on a major website, you get 900 potential customers. And the numbers will continually rise.
How much more if you collaborate with more people with big names, right?
What are the best link building strategies?
- Guest posts
- Collaboration opportunities via syndication
- Interviews of leading experts in any field
- Referrals for SaaS
- Pitch Packets- companies collaborating with bloggers using their products, such as food company to food bloggers to make their recipes from the product
- Public Service Announcements
- And more!
By the way, if you are not familiar with what Pitch Packets mean, these are companies collaborating with bloggers to use their products for content.
For example, food companies collaborate with food bloggers to make foods using their products. Hardware supplies collaborate with DIY YouTubers to create great stuff using their supplies.
“For supplies, I place the link to the description below.” Does that sound familiar to you?
By the way, I also highly recommend checking out this article about content writing from Backlinker.io wherein you’ll also learn their thoughts about content writing.
25. Ask Me Anything format
Ask Me Anything (AMA) is a popularized concept originally from Reddit in which entrepreneurs, bloggers, and experts engage with their audience, promote new features and updates, as well as other follow-ups and fun activities in real-time.
As a content writer, you have to get familiarized with how this system works so you will have a clue how to use the power of the internet to help one business succeed in its marketing strategy.
Sarah Aboulhosn published an article on Social Media Examiner about the steps needed in planning a successful AMA experience. She said it is important to get an expert or someone knowledgeable about a specific topic.
It could be the upcoming services or an e-course launch. It doesn’t matter as long as the audience can get lean meat of the event.
Also, she emphasized the role of paying attention to the metrics. So, here we go again with our Analytics and other data as I mentioned earlier in #1.
How to do an Ask Me Anything event?
- Plan the topic and the right guest.
- Run a Facebook Live.
- Run an Instagram Live or Instagram stories.
- Run Twitter chats.
- Promote via a blog post, infographic, and other creative marketing methods.
- Quotes
I couldn’t say more, but quotes help emphasize thoughts readers should remember. It also helps in dividing long-form content into sections. So, it won’t overwhelm the readers, especially if the content has lesser embedded media.
Remember, you’re writing a piece of content for crazily busy internet users. They have a lot of distractions. So, quotes emphasize worth-noting ideas and concepts.
That is why Medium writers understand the role of quotes to emphasize a concept, though readers get used to the long-form format.
Do you get what I’m saying?
26. Reviews
Here’s what I received on the Google My Business account. My online business, MG Consulting earned a 5-star rating from one of my previous clients. The more I earn 5-stars from one client to the next one, the more I get credibility as a content writer.
It has the same effect on the company or the business you work for. When you apply for a content writing job, you bear an enormous responsibility in the business operation.
Aside from Google reviews, we have product reviews, comparisons aka “Versus” content, and book reviews. These are among the review posts you will be working on, too.
Here are some of the review posts I wrote.
- Tailwind Review – How My Traffic Boosted to 200% Using This Trick
- Feiyr Review: How Can You Make Money Writing eBooks?
- BookSirens Review – Are You Ready To Face Your Brutal Critics?
- This Blinkist Review Reveals How You Can Read 60 Books In One Year.
- MasterClass Review For Writers: When World-Class Authors Teach Writing Bestsellers
What are the examples of review posts for content writing?
- Product reviews
- Comparisons aka “Versus” content
- Book reviews
27. Interactive pages
Content writing is a fight of creative writers around the world, especially with the rise of UX/UI writers. If you notice, some websites have interactive pages to convince people to sign-up. Primarily, it is to get the results of, let’s say, a personality test.
As I mentioned earlier, content writers are responsible for every word you see on the website – from the homepage to the quizzes. They are by-products of our creativity.
What are some of the interactive pages you need to know?
- Calculators
- Quizzes
- Polls
- Survey
For inspiration, Amy Smith wrote an article on Medium about the 10 best interactive websites as your reference.
When you see her examples, you will realize how content writing leveled up and will continue in the next few years.
28. Forums
I guess you’re familiar with Reddit, aren’t you?
If you already have the know-how of managing a forum, creating content tailored for your audience will be a lot easier.
Just like any other forum, you write posts and leave comments to the users. Also, you have to respond to their questions and make sure you relay the right message.
Why do businesses integrate forums in their marketing strategy?
For big websites like Copyblogger, they established a forum to handle customer issues a lot easier.
They can reply directly to the users without having them sign-up for a ticket or something like that.
It is also a cost-effective marketing strategy because running the forums doesn’t require more funds to operate. They may have to spend some bucks for maintenance, but it’s not as dramatic as advertising.
Unlike social media marketing, writing posts for the forum is direct to the group of people. At times, it becomes personal as users tend to share their experiences related to the topics.
In return, you, as a content writer, help them alleviate the impacts of the situation. For example, they have an unpleasant experience with a competitor.
It gives you an idea of where or how to improve your service, based on the real stories the users shared with you.
As a result, you get the best data to stand out and scale the business. The mind-blowing part is that you save money using this strategy.
29. News releases
This is similar to promotions but news releases concentrate on the company’s updates. They may share about the upcoming product.
Yet, it doesn’t urge you to buy it now or before the offer expires. It simply informs you. That’s it.
30. Wikis
Wikis are a collaborative tool for writers to contribute or modify certain pages to get maximal results. To be as factual and complete as possible.
If you don’t know how wikis work, I guess you know Wikipedia, don’t you?
Oh, who doesn’t love to have a Wikipedia page?
When you have a Wikipedia page set up, it definitely gives you a boost. For businesses with executive leaders on the platform, it also serves as a marketing tool. You have billions of potential users to read your profile and your business.
They are willing to pay as much as $200 and beyond as long as they get a space on Wikipedia.
31. In-App messages
In-app messages are part of personalizing customer journeys via SMS or push notifications. It follows the same principle as email marketing but in a different format.
32. Print
For local small businesses, distributing content in printed form plays an essential role, especially those with physical offices.
Local small businesses need content writers to work on the physical side of marketing. They distribute magazines, fliers, brochures, or tear sheets.
You may think this type of advertisement is dead. But, I guess you still receive daily newspapers in your letterbox.
You still get monthly or quarterly brochures or pamphlets from your nearby grocery and hardware stores. Have you realized that?
That is the reason for including print on the list of content types. At least, it makes you realize that the traditional form of marketing remains alive, albeit with the rising use of the internet.
33. Advertisement
If you know how to write copies or if you think you have the power to convince people, you can write advertisements.
What are the types of advertisements?
- Sponsorships
- Facebook ads
- AdWords
- Sponsored content
- Magazine ads
- Newspaper ads
- Billboards
Most businesses promote their services and products using both digital and physical marketing strategies to boost their traffic, brand awareness and offers.
34. Application
With the rising number of bootstrapped companies, it is worth knowing how to write a piece of content to discuss an application. It is also the reason for specializing our writing expertise.
Not all content writers can do UX writing, however. Even if you do, clients prefer working with someone who has certified UX writing training and previous working experience in the same field. They want to work with seasoned UX/UI writers to ensure a user’s pleasant experience.
For example, when a user searches for the right WordPress plugin, you have to describe what the application is about, what does it do, the limitations, etc. as clearly as possible.
UX/UI writers work with Chrome extensions, free apps compatible across various devices, and Augmented Reality (AR). Hence, we see a lot of writers spend time learning UX/UI writing and/or designing.
How to become a UX/UI writer?
Anyone can become a UX/UI writer. Even without experience, you can still find a good writing job. All you need is to acquire the skill set required in this career.
You can find the best UX writer online. However, if you’re on a tight budget, you might miss a lot of significant lessons and training when you enroll in free courses.
Best Paid UX Writing Courses on Udemy
- Microcopy & UX Writing: The Complete Course ($199) by Kinneret Yifrah & Merav Levkowitz
- The Ultimate UX Portfolio Course ($9.99) by Oz Chen
- User Experience Design Essentials – Adobe XD, UI, UX Design ($9.99) by Daniel Walter Scott & Instructor HQ
Best Free UX Writing Course on UX Writing Hub
You can also check out Yuval Keshtcher, a UX instructor at UX Writing Hub, and his amazing Microcopy & UX Writing Mini Course.
Click here to get access to the FREE mini-course.
Conclusion – Why Do I Care?
Well, you want to become the best content writer in the market, right?
If you are a non-native speaker and you want to stand out, versatility is the key.
Now, why should you care?
Ask yourself. Why do you think you need to know all the types of content people consume every minute, every single day?
Here’s my answer.
It is only when you are knowledgeable, you get results. You need the right content for a specific target audience and know what types of content they prefer to spend most of their time.
By studying the metrics, analyzing your audience, and mastery in writing different types of content, you become more attractive to clients regardless of where you come from.
Do you get my point?
So, what are you going to do now?
Get back to work. Write.
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