In today’s digital world, writing is everywhere. You can find it in blogs, social media, emails, websites, and other content areas. But simply writing something and posting it is not enough, and here comes the role of a strategy. A plan that helps your writing reach the right people and bring results in the form of traffic or sales through your website.
This blog will explain what a content writing strategy is, why it’s important, and how you can create a successful one in 6 easy steps.
What Is a Content Writing Strategy?
A Content Writing Strategy is a plan that answers five simple questions:
- What topics will you write about?
- Who are you writing for?
- What format will you use (blog, email, Instagram post, etc.)?
- Where will you post your content?
- What result do you want from your content?
This strategy helps you write content that is useful, clear, and goal-driven. It helps your content get more views, likes, and shares, which eventually increases the sales of that company.
Also Read: SEO Content Writing Essentials: A Beginner’s Guide
Why Is a Writing Strategy Important?
Like other content types, writing requires strategy, too. Here are 5 reasons why a writing strategy is super important:
1. Clarity
Strategy keeps you in clarity so you know the what and whys of your writing. When clarity is in place, the content shines.
2. Consistency
If your strategy is clear, you can write content and post it regularly without missing days or running out of ideas. This ensures consistency in the posting of quality content on your website.
3. Connect with Readers
Strategized content is always well-structured and comes out as more readable compared to rushed content. Your writing becomes more interesting and useful to your audience, which is what Google demands from all websites, to cater to their intent.
4. Saves Time
You don’t waste hours thinking, “What should I write today?” or “How to write?”. When everything is planned, you don’t need to waste time thinking about all this.
5. Gives Results
Everything combined will allow your content to bring better results, more traffic, more engagement, and eventually more sales through your website.
Also Read: 10 Different Types of Content Writing
What are the Steps to Create a Content Writing Strategy?
Now, let’s learn how to create a content-writing strategy in just 6 easy steps.
Step 1: Set Your Content Goals
To set your content goals, you need to ask yourself questions like: Why am I writing this? What do I want to achieve? In the form of a full-fledged answer, you will find common content goals, some of which are listed below:
- To give information or tips
- To get more people to visit your website
- To sell a product or service
- To grow your brand name or visibility
Step 2: Know Your Audience
Before writing anything, think about your readers. Find what they seek, their problem, and then provide them with the solution through your content. Moreover, in the initial phase, you will need to find answers to the following questions:
- Who will read your content? Are they students, working professionals, or business owners?
- What kind of language do they prefer? Formal or casual?
- What problems do they face that your content can solve?
Step 3: Choose Content Type & Topics
Now is the time to decide the content type you plan to move forward with, and of course, the topic.
- What kind of content will you write? It could be a blog post, Instagram caption, email, YouTube script, or something else.
- What topics will you write about? This will be ideally provided to you by an SEO executive. But in the case of start-ups, you will need to conduct your research and find topics on your own. Pick topics your audience cares about, not just what you want to say.
- You can pursue our free dedicated content writing course to learn how to conduct research as a content writer. In this course, we have discussed research and all the other concepts that will help the person become a successful content writer. You can visit our YouTube channel to check out all the classes.
Step 4: Make a Content Calendar
Great writers don’t just write, they plan. Well, that’s not wrong, but there is a little catch in it. First, let’s understand what a content calendar helps a writer with. A content calendar helps you stay organized and consistent, and it answers:
- What day will you write?
- What type of content will you write that day?
- Where will you post it?
The calendar is good, until something urgent like a trend or important information (any update in your working industry) comes, which needs to be shared via blog or an article. In such cases, it becomes a challenge to follow the calendar. So, although it is recommended for writers but if they are not able to follow it, that’s okay.
Also Read: A Detailed Roadmap for Content Writing Career
Step 5: Follow the Writing & Editing Process
Writing is not just typing random thoughts, you need a good process. Here’s how that process looks:
1. Research
Find correct and helpful information before you start writing. If your research is on point, the overall authority of the content will increase automatically.
2. Structure
Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make it easy to read. Putting paragraphs with 5 to 6 lines will create a negative impression of your content. Therefore, it is recommended that you should always break your content into small parts so the user doesn’t feel bored at any point.
3. Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading is essential in writing. Once you are done with writing your content, check for grammar, spelling, and how the writing sounds. Don’t post without editing, as you might miss some small mistakes if you don’t proofread.
4. Add a CTA (Call-to-Action)
Tell your readers what to do next by adding a CTA button. Some of the examples are:
- “Follow us for more tips”
- “Click the link to learn more”
- “Comment your thoughts below”
A good CTA increases engagement and helps you reach your content goal.
Step 6: Measure and Improve
Your work doesn’t end after you post your content; you need to check how it performed. For this, you have to ask yourself:
- How many people read or viewed your content?
- Did anyone comment, share, or like it?
- Did it bring you closer to your goal? Followers, traffic, or sales, did your content fulfill in increasing any of these three aspects?
If the answer is no, don’t worry, just improve. For this, you need to take some actions, which could be:
- Trying a different topic
- Changing your writing style
- Using a more interesting headline
- Adding better visuals to your content (images or videos)
Also Read: Best Content Writing Courses in India
Final Thoughts
Writing without a strategy is like cooking without a recipe; you might get lucky sometimes, but most of the time, it won’t taste great! But if you consider a content writing strategy, it will save you time, help you write better, get your content to more people, and eventually, you will witness positive results. Whether you’re writing for an education hub like Skillwaala, your personal blog, or for a business, following the 6 steps discussed in this blog will help you create content that people love to read and help your brand grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 Is content writing strategy the same as content marketing?
Ans. No writing strategy is about what and how you write, whereas marketing strategy is about how you promote it.
Q.2 Do I need to know SEO?
Ans. SEO helps a lot, especially for getting traffic from Google. Therefore, even if you have a basic knowledge of SEO, you can use it to optimize your content for search engines like Google.
Q.3 How often should I update my strategy?
Ans. Although there is no fixed criterion for it but it is recommended to update your strategy every 3 to 6 months or when your goals or audience change.
Q.4 Can AI help with content writing?
Ans. Yes! You can use tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly to plan, write, and edit faster. Moreover, it is clearly stated in every Google update that the overuse of AI in writing can harm your website. But using it wisely will only can do wonders for a website as well.
Q.5 What mistakes should I avoid in content writing?
Ans. Don’t skip research before you start writing, write for everyone, meaning in a simple language and tone. Lastly, don’t forget to proofread your content to give it the perfect finishing touch.