IIM SKILLS

An Ultimate
Guide to
Content
Writing
 IIM SKILLS

Contents
What is
Content
Writing

Why is it
important?

Skills
Required

Content
Writing as a
Career
Option

How to Become a
Content Writer

Salary Packet

Career Prospects

Conclusion
 IIM SKILLS
What is Content Writing
The new currency of our age is content. As an
increasing number of companies develop a digital
presence, content writing has emerged as one of
the most in-demand jobs in India and around the
world. Developing high-quality content is essential
for marketing agencies, digital publishers, e-
commerce companies, and other enterprises.

Through writing custom content for brands,

content writers assist brands in defining their
distinct identity. Furthermore, the increasing
impact of social media on consumers has caused
businesses to recognize the value of content.

Content Writing has set the paradigm to create

and curate content focused on statistics, data, and
customer disposition. With proper research and
knowledge, content writers serve valuable and
reliable content to the target audience. That is
why the Content Writing Industry is flourishing
manifold.

Content Writing is the practice of researching,

planning, writing, and editing content for various
platforms such as websites, blogs, Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, Text Media, Emails, etc. Blogs,
articles, product descriptions, press releases, etc
are a few of the many examples that come under
the umbrella term Content Writing.
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Why is it important?
Content writing is the guaranteed way in which
businesses can increase their brand equity and
reputation. They can attain their desired goals and
objectives by providing existing and potential
customers with engaging, focused, and relevant
content.

Content writing is a proven method to decrease

the cost of acquisition and increase returns on
investment (ROI). It helps to create a wise content
writing and distribution strategy for a certain
period. That facilitates the smooth content writing
process for the best outcome.

Every business today realizes the significance of

content writing to increase the overall activities of
the business. Every business endeavor requires
you to create a content writing and marketing
strategy.

Content impacts the reader in a very positive way

when done correctly. It not only provides answers
to the problems but also gives them reasons to get
inspired and take informed decisions.

Content writing helps to appraise the website

visitor of the several aspects of the business
including:

The mission
Objectives and goals
The details of the company products and
services
The operational aspect
The owners of the business and their
credentials among other things.

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 IIM SKILLS

Skills Required to Become

a Content Writer
The essential prerequisites that you will need to
master to become an effective content writer are
enlisted below:

1. Language skills

Correctness of Grammar, spelling, and strategic

usage of words, phrases are the factors that play
a crucial role in deciding the quality of your
content. Good writers always take into account the
following three parameters and structure their
content for easy readability, long-term retention,
and to create an impact on the mind of their
readers.

The tone and style of a write-up play a very

crucial role in deciding if the content is engaging
enough to let the readers invest time out of their
busy schedules into reading your work.
Value-loaded content with a great presentation
catches attention and attracts readers. Care
should be taken in designing the content in a way
that takes into consideration the needs of the
target audience.
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2. An understanding of SEO (Search
Engine Optimization) and WordPress

A basic understanding of WordPress is very

important if you want to become an effective
content writer. There are numerous WordPress
themes available with default automated outcomes
where all you need do is to install a plug-in to get
started with your work.

An inside-out knowledge of Search Engine

Optimization (SEO) is very important if you want to
become a star content writer.

Search engine optimization, in the field of digital

publication, is a practice of deploying techniques
to optimize the content of a webpage to increase
its visibility and attract more traffic to the page
by essentially achieving higher ranks in the search
engine results.

This is done using a set of well-defined techniques

that aligns with the practice and need of a search
engine to crawl and produce relevant, valuable
content for its users.

Creating content, keeping in mind the principles of

Search Engine Optimization, is a skill that is much
needed to deliver the required objective of
different clients.

Keywords and key phrases are the words that

people use to search about a particular topic that
they wish to write about. Strategic placement of
these words throughout the write-up, especially in
the headings and sub-headings is an effective
technique. It is always a great move to bold and
italicizes the keywords and key phrases. Keeping
in mind to maintaining the keyword density
between 1% to 3% along with using relevant
hyperlinks in the write-up helps to optimize
content.
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3. Adaptability

There are many types of content writing styles.

These styles cater to the need of different sectors
of the business world. The numerous diversity of
the products and the services in the market need
different types of content to attract potential
customers.

To be an effective content writer, you need to

adapt to the requirements of your clients. The
content that you create for them must reflect the
value and culture of their organization, providing
a good insight into the quality of services and
products they are trying to sell.

Good content empowers a consumer to make an

educated purchase. To deliver results, you need to
know the organization you are writing for. To stay
at the top of your game, you also need to know
how to smoothly transition into different domains.
You should also make sure that you are up to date
with the new emerging trends. This increases your
chances of always being in demand.
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4. Research skills

An effective content writer has great research

skills. We live in an era where there is absolutely
no shortage of information regarding any subject.
However, if we judge the nature of this
information based on accuracy, much of what is
said and known falls flat.

You can only get reliable knowledge if you know

where to look for it.

The sources that stand the test of reliability are

limited; databases and documents in the public
domain, peer-reviewed publications, and journals,
and of course, books written or interviews given
by experts.

You cannot trust Wikipedia on reliability because

anyone can edit and write entries. There is also a
very high chance of inaccuracy of the reference
source of the Wikipedia page.

It is always a good idea to trace reliable

information to the reports published by the experts
or a group/organization of experts.

5. Being Original

The ability to stay original is what is going to

decide the chances of your survival in the world of
content writing. Plagiarism is a serious offense
that can land you in legal trouble. Being unique is
also crucial for SEO purposes.

Being original in your ideas, style, and nature of

the content you create majorly decides the nature,
pay, and flexibility of the work you will be
approached for.
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6. Ability to stay organized

Delivering quality work on time sends a positive

message to your clients and readers about the
dedication you have towards the task you have
taken responsibility for.

Keeping track of the deadlines and staying

organized in maintaining records of your work
which includes the date of work getting assigned,
submission dates, well compiled reliable sources of
the information you have used in your article, save
a lot of time and confusion. Keeping track of the
edits made are also recommended.

7. Editing and Revising

The ability to effectively edit and revise your work

over and over again refines you as a content
writer. Being open to better the content you have
created by examining your work from the point of
view of a reader is a practice that proves your
caliber as a content writer.

Above all, to master the art of content writing,

you need to have strong determination, patience,
and the right kind of expert guidance. It is a skill
that you can learn by gaining more and more
hands-on experience by working on projects bound
by deadlines.

If you have a strong and dedicated mindset to

learn this art, you can get started the moment you
set your mind to it. Being a content writer is
rewarding a career part-time or full-time in terms
of money, flexibility, diversity, and the nature of
the content you can work on creating.
 IIM SKILLS
Content Writing as a
Viable Career Option
Years ago, content writing as a career was not
something people would consider as a mainstream
option for their careers. Even our education system
very lately recognized it as a formal educational
course, but now that our world has advanced so
much with the internet, awareness for content
writing as a career option has increased
tremendously.

As this has turned to be a major medium for

presenting information, almost all industries or
businesses are closely associated with content
writing. This creates massive space and
opportunities for content writers.

Every blog, article, post, journal, and even

advertisement result from someone making efforts
to write an organized piece of content.

A career in content writing comes with a lot of

responsibilities as one has to have a clear
understanding of the depths of writing and how a
variety of content is consumed by the readers.

Depending upon the skills and experience, a career

in content writing could be very smooth, but there
are chances when a career in content writing could
be precarious because of a lack of vision and
understanding.

There are numerous options for people trying to

build their careers in content writing. Every career
option in content writing demands a different set
of skills and an understanding of content writing.
 IIM SKILLS
How to Become a Content
Writer?
STEP 1: Reliable Research

As a content writer, it is very important that you

know the subject of your write-up inside out.
Digging out information about the topic from
reliable sources is very crucial in setting up your
credibility as a writer in the gigantic space of
electronic and print media. It hugely affects your
job prospects in the marketplace. Also, it makes a
significant impact on your reputation amongst
colleagues and most significantly, the readers.

Your job, more or less, is about developing content

that establishes a feeling of trust and a
relationship of reliability between the readers and
the organization or individual you are
representing. Your content empowers the targeted
audience to make an educated purchase or take a
well-calculated decision based on the products,
services, or principles you are trying to promote.

We live in an era where is absolutely no shortage

of information. However, much of this information
falls flat, if judged on the parameter of accuracy.
The most reliable sources in the present times are
unfortunately limited; databases and documents in
the public domain, peer-reviewed publications,
journals, books were written and interviews given
by the experts of the subject are the most reliable
channels of information.
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STEP 2: Head-turning Headlines

Out there is an ocean of information available on a

single topic through a single click on the google
search engine. You need to stand out of the crowd
to get the attention of your reader and the first
step to do that is to craft a catchy, captivating,
attention-worthy headline for your content. The
headline is a factor that decides if the readers will
spend their time reading the rest of the write-up.

If the headline doesn’t spark interest and touch a

chord, your content will become part of the crowd
and eventually will not be able to serve its
purpose.

The headlines should be crafted to give an insight

into the kind of information that is ahead. It should
give the reader an idea about what to expect but
not enough insight that it makes the whole write-
up look predictable from the outside. Too much
predictability will turn the reader’s attention to
other pages.

Care should be taken to develop a headline that is

concise, simple yet has the power to gently
provoke the reader to come back for more.
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STEP 3: Get to the point ASAP!

Called by the journalists the Inverted pyramid

scheme of writing, this style of structuring a write-
up is a great way to attract more readers. Here,
the most important and worthy information pops
out as soon as possible in the write-up.

The conventional style of structuring a write-up

where the noteworthy information is saved for the
last paragraph is out of fashion in the present
times.

Readers need the primary value out of the time

they invest in reading your content, as soon as
possible. The early cropping out of this primary
value hooks the readers to the page and pushes
them to keep reading till the last, expecting more.

Systematic placement of the secondary value-

loaded content is a good move to make the whole
write-up as read-worthy as possible. This
structuring of the content is made to cater to the
needs of the reader as early as possible before
they lose interest and switch to another page.

The importance of the headlines has been

mentioned above. A few starting lines of an article
play an equally important role in hooking the
reader to your write-up. It should be crafted
carefully in a concise manner that keeps holding
the attention of the reader to allow them to
smoothly transition into the next part of the
article.
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STEP 4: Optimized content

According to research, less than 16% of the

readers read the web pages word by word. People
generally don’t read. They skim through the write-
up, reading the headlines, sub-headlines that
convey the necessary information in a concise
manner.

Most of the readers, more or less are lazy and do

not want to invest a lot of time reading up a whole
article. They want the required information as soon
as possible.

Articles rank higher up in search engine results if

they are well structured into short paragraphs,
under bullet points described by concise yet
insightful subheadings.

Care should be taken to bold and italicize the

relevant keywords, key phrases and systematically
place them throughout the content. Placing these
words in the headings and subheadings is a very
good move. Keeping track of the keyword density
is very important and attention should be given to
not exceeding it above 3% of the total word count.
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STEP 5: Easy language

Your readers are going to be normal people who

are searching for information as soon as possible.
They are generally going to be lazy people who
want relevant knowledge without expending too
much energy. Usage of high-end language with a
cleaver tone and rich vocabulary is a great way to
irritate them to the point that they bounce to other
pages.

Easy, everyday language with a great presentation

and structuring gives way to easy readability. It
holds the attention of the reader for the longest
time possible. The tone of the write-up is yet
another important factor that determines how
readable is your article. The tone should be set up
in a nature that is of a normal conversation that
you are trying to have with the reader.

STEP 6: Visual Impression

A white wall of text on a webpage is generally

either intimidating or dry to the eyes of a reader.
It does not catch the attention of the reader, no
matter how intriguing the content is. Web Page
design is as important as web content is.

The design of a page and the font style of the

write-up relevant to the subject of the products,
services, or plain information catch the attention
of the reader and enhance the quality of their
reading session. This, in turn, attracts more
readers to your page, hence helping you serve the
purpose of the content.
 IIM SKILLS

STEP 7: Learn from Experts

IIM Skills provides a four-week online training to

master writing skills to the point that you can start
making money fresh out of this internationally
accredited certification course! Above all, it will
help you immensely to sharpen your writing
abilities and direct your career in whatever
direction you please.

With an internationally accredited certification in

the content writing course, IIM skills stand out
from the crowd. The 4 weeks of live online
classroom training, 16-hour lecture, 60 hours of
practical assignments, and free tool worth 35k,
IIM skills train the learner to effectively take on
the digital space. The learner also gets access to
all the latest content in their learning management
system which is accessible at any time, anywhere.
The course has 12 very industry-relevant modules
that help to effectively cope with the
developments in the digital space.

BOOK YOUR FREE

DEMO NOW!
 IIM SKILLS
Salary Packet of a
Content Writer
1. Freelance Writers

These writers are paid on two parameters. They

are word count and no. of hours. These writers
receive their content writing salaries depending
upon the kind of project they are working on.
Usually, people who choose freelance writers to
get their work done, settle a standard price per
word written. So, depending upon the word count
and price per word, the salaries of freelance
writers could vary.

This standard price per word also fluctuates

depending upon, the number of words the employer
would require regularly. Usually, the standard
price per word ranges from Rs0.15 or less to
Rs0.40 or more sometimes.

The other option was pay per hour, which means

the freelancer has to devote a particular number
of hours to a certain project.

On average the freelance writer is said to be paid

Rs200 an hour, which sums up to a total of Rs246,
727 annually. This amount may not be as much as
other content writing jobs, but in comparison to
the inconsistent opportunities and non-uniform
income value, this amount is decent for
freelancers.

This could increase considering the experience and

rating of a freelance writer. Such projects are not
long-term projects which is why freelance writers
have to find more such opportunities.
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2. Bloggers

Millions of blog articles are posted every single

day. This gives a clear idea about, how vast is the
industry along with the huge number of people into
blogging. The growth of bloggers in India has been
well over the past few years, and that too in terms
of earning Bloggers are seen to have a more
consistent and decent earning over Freelancers.

Content writing salary in the blogging sector is

good but one has to follow some terms and rules to
achieve that. Expecting the flow of good money as
a content writing salary would probably be the
wrong process.

The main source of income on which the salaries of

bloggers depend is advertisements. Indian
bloggers make decent earnings from sponsorships,
ads, and endorsements.

An average blogger in India makes anywhere

between 2lakhs to 6-7lakhs whereas there as some
blogs which are exceptionally profitable and make
more than 20lakh annually.
\
Content writing salaries in blogging are quite
uncertain and therefore it is difficult to find a
definite number as annual income. But an Average
blog that makes money would earn anywhere
between 2 to 7lakhs annually.
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3. Sketch and Script Writers

Plotting scripts and writing sketches have a way

different format of payment when it comes to
content writing salaries.

Unlike freelance assignments and bloggers, this

job requires a lot of patience. Here the sketch and
scriptwriters may or may not have assigned
projects.

They either work on someone else’s ideas otherwise

they use their creativity to write scripts and
sketch. Later they pitch these scripts and sketch
ideas to media producers and directors.

Pursuing a profitable career in scriptwriting and

sketching demands a good set of creative skills
and writing skills. Writing scripts and sketches
need good vision. Even these kinds of professions
involve some marketing practices to make work
noticeable in the market.
.
Experienced writers with high-rated profiles are
more likely to receive projects. Working at lower
prices initially helps the client understand the
writer’s work as well as allows more writing
opportunities.

Along with time, scriptwriters after gaining

experience and reputation can demand a high
amount of money as a content writing salary.
Experience and better ratings allow bigger and
better projects.
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4. SEO Writer

Optimizing content according to a search engine so

that the article ranks better on search engines like
google is all that an SEO writer has to do.
There is a lot of responsibility an SEO writer has to
deal with, including links, keywords, format, on-
site SEO-, off-site SEO and a lot more.

There is a huge demand for SEO writers in the

industry. SEO writers make way more money as
their content writing salaries than one could
imagine.

SEO writers are not general content writers rather

they use optimization techniques to rank articles,
pages, and even websites. They are highly
responsible for Google rankings and therefore are
paid exceptionally well. Their job holds so much
responsibility, therefore, requires proper
knowledge and skills.

To maintain a higher rank of Google in competition

to millions of other posts is very difficult which is
why the high content writing salaries given to the
SEO writers are worth their responsibility.

SEO writers depending upon their tasks can earn

anywhere between Rs 3lakhs to even Rs 10lakhs
annually.
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5. Copywriter

Almost all TV commercials, brand ads, and radio

ads are written by people professionally known as
copywriters. Their primary job is to write content
that attracts users to take any targeted action.
That may be making them visit a link, or purchase
a product. Other than these, they also help a lot
with product marketing procedures.

The attractive product descriptions in commercials

and also on shopping websites are also written by
them. They are highly creative people with
extraordinary writing skills.

Working as a copywriter could be highly profitable

as a profession in terms of content writing salary.
Copywriters are one of the highest content writing
salaries receiving more than Rs 1lakh on average
per month.

On average, the annual income of copywriters is

Rs10lakhs. This is because they are more likely to
work with brands and popular companies.
 IIM SKILLS
Career Prospects after
Content Writing Course
1. Blogging

Most businesses have a blog page on their website.

A blog is a great way to promote the product and
services. The purpose of a blog is to reach out to
people through content. Blogging is an efficient
way to keep clients up to date on the latest
products and market business.

Companies need content writers to write blog posts

on the site’s blog. It is the job of a content writer
to research industry-related topics and create
relevant content. Content writers are responsible
to create blog posts and update the blog content.

The concept of blogging has improved the prospect

of content writing. As a content writer, you can
start your blog and make money. One way to make
money from your blog is through affiliate
marketing. Affiliate marketing is to earn
commission by marketing other people’s products
or services.

Having your blog can be helpful for your growth

as a content writer. It will help you to develop
your portfolio for a job or freelancing. It might
take time for your blog to get ranked on search
engine result pages, but with best SEO practices,
your blog will appear in search engines.
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2. Social Media Writing

Businesses leverage social media platforms to

reach and connect with their target audience.
Social Media gives an advantage to brands to
connect with people directly.

Brands hire content writers to create content for

their social media posts. The type of content varies
for each social media platform. For example, On
Instagram infographics work best while on Twitter
text posts may work.

In the prospect of content writing for social media,

writers must write creative content that draws
people’s attention towards their product. Social
Media writers research the latest trends to create
engaging content.

Content writers for social media must be creative

with their writing for different posts. Brands need
writers to write captions for the posts, create
content for infographics and ad campaigns.
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3. SEO Writing

SEO content helps brands to appear in search

engines. The job of an SEO content writer is to
optimize the content using SEO tactics. SEO
content writers use various SEO techniques to
create SEO-friendly content. The most common SEO
techniques are Keyword Optimization, On-page
SEO, and Off-Page SEO.

Keyword optimization helps writers to create SEO

content. A keyword is a word or group of words,
which describes your content. Keywords are the
terms people put on search engines as a query.
Content writers focus on keyword density to get
their content to appear in search results.

SEO is an essential concept of content writing. To

become a successful content writer, focus on SEO
skills. Writers who know SEO have a higher chance
of getting hired for the content writer role.

4. Copywriting

People often get confused between the terms

copywriter and content writer because the job of
both is to create content. Copywriter and Content
writer both create content, but for a different
purpose.

Copywriters create content for promotional

materials. The focus of the content is to generate
leads. They create content for email marketing,
sales copy, catalogs, ads, billboards, and much
more. Many companies hire copywriters to write
product descriptions. Copywriters create content
to drive more sales.

A content writer focuses on SEO to drive traffic

while a copywriter focuses on lead generation. As
a copywriter, you must have good analytical and
marketing skills.
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5. Technical Writer

The evolution of technology has improved the

prospect of content writing jobs in the technology
industry. Many people believe that it is important
to have a technical background to be a technical
writer, but it is not true.

Having a technical background is beneficial to be

a technical writer, but it is not mandatory. If you
want to be a technical writer, upskill yourself by
learning technical writing skills. Many industries
hire technical content writers to create supreme
content.IT industry needs writers to write FAQs,
manuals, HOW-to-guides, and much more.

6. Script Writer

As a Scriptwriter, you can write scripts and pitch

them to production teams. You can also work a
full-time job as a scriptwriter with the production
team. Most Scriptwriters work in the entertainment
industry to write scripts for plays, TV serials,
movies, etc.

7. News Writer

The job of a News writer is to write articles for

newspapers or news websites. As a News writer,
you must write content with unbiased perception.
Your content has to be detailed, informative, and
with good readability. For a News Writing Job, a
journalism degree is preferred.
 IIM SKILLS

8. Freelance writer

Freelancing writing has increased the prospect of

content writing jobs. A freelance writer does not
need to go to the office and work for 9 to 5. As a
freelance writer, you can work from your home and
make money. Freelance writers can choose to offer
content writing services for various niches, or
choose a particular niche.

As a freelance writer, you must have excellent

research skills, as it required you to write on
different topics. Being a freelance content writer
you can offer article writing, blog writing, SOP
writing, and many other services.

Some freelancing websites are freelancer, Upwork,

LinkedIn, and Fiverr. You can find various
freelancing jobs on these sites and create your
gigs.
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9. Creative Writer

Creative writers express feelings, thoughts, and

emotions through their writing. They intend to
create a visual image in the reader’s mind.
Creative writing includes fiction and non-fiction
writing. Creative writing forms include journalistic
articles, feature writing, screenwriting, plot,
character development, and much more.

To be a successful creative writer, you must have

storytelling skills that attract your reader’s
attention. Many companies hire creative writers to
write creative content for social media. Creative
writers become published authors or are recruited
by publishing houses.

10. Academic Writer

Academic writers have an enormous demand in the

prospect of content writing jobs. Many college
students hire freelance academic content writers
to help them in writing review and research
papers.

Many companies provide assignments, reviews,

research, and essay writing services. These
companies hire a full-time writer or a freelance
writer.

As an academic content writer, you write content

that helps students. They may ask you to review
articles based on research, create instructional
content or content that helps the student boost
their professional career.
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Conclusion
To summarise, content writing is a promising career
with a great deal of potential in all areas. People
are sometimes discouraged because they believe
the growth of content writers is limited. This is not
the case.

Writing is not limited to just writing. Content

writing opens the door to a variety of career
opportunities, including social media marketer and
digital marketing, in addition to a plethora of
learning opportunities. As a result, content writing
is the most rewarding job on the market.