So, you’re looking to start out in a career as a content writer? Well, that’s great! It’s a really fulfilling role and one that has the opportunity to be exciting and stimulating as no two days need ever be the same. But before you get started, it’s normal to want to dig a little deeper and understand what the role would entail. Well, here’s a deeper rundown of the roles and responsibilities of a content writer.
What are the roles and responsibilities of content writers?
Some of the key tasks a content writer is responsible for include:
1. Drafting content ideas, ready for approval
It’s good to think for yourself and generate content ideas that you think would work. Of course, your manager might wish to sign off on this before you begin writing but will look for you to play an active role in content topic creation.
2. Writing long-form compelling blog articles
Long form blog content works great for SEO, and most companies these days will have a blog content strategy in place. Your job is to write and publish articles that will excel in Google search results and thus drive relevant organic traffic.
3. Creating enticing product descriptions
For any products listed online or offline, you will be required to create compelling, SEO-optimised descriptions that sell them to potential customers.
4. Generating landing page copy for pages across the website
As part of a wider SEO and content marketing strategy, your company will have a number of pages on their site, each one designed to reach a different customer. You will need to design and publish content that performs well in search results, but that also converts customers who land on it.
5. Writing print marketing material in a variety of formats
Print marketing is very much alive and well, and many companies still make good use of it. You may be required to write material to be printed on a variety of different formats, such as direct mail, leaflets and packaging.
6. Conducting ongoing research on best practice
As a forward-thinking content writer, you will be required to remain on top of any industry-relevant changes. This could mean reading relevant sections of the newspaper each day or signing up to blogger mailing lists.
7. Coordinating with colleagues
A great content writer will need to be able to work alongside other departments in the organisation. For example, working closely with members of the sales and marketing teams in creating a content strategy that effectively targets the ideal customer.
Additional roles and responsibilities a content writer may have
Depending on the extent of your role, you may have additional responsibilities that require you to go beyond writing content. This is not always essential, but many content writers love the added responsibility as a way to diversify the role. Such roles and responsibilities might include the following.
1. Moderating the brand’s online presence
As a part of a wider content strategy, your job might be to promote the brand effectively online by responding to comments on articles or on relevant forum posts. Your ability to write well will allow the brand to deal with any challenging or conflicting comments and generate more business.
2. Managing the company’s email marketing strategy
Writing emails might well be a part of your role, and so could the responsibility of designing and executing an effective email marketing strategy. So, as well as writing compelling content, you will need to schedule articles and then deal with any follow-up emails as necessary.
3. Generating press releases to celebrate new product launches
When new products are launched, you may need to write content to be published across a number of sites or magazines that will announce and promote this new product.
4. Repurposing content for different platforms and audiences
Instead of writing content for just one medium, you may be required to repurpose and reformat it to make it suitable for another audience. For example, writing a blog post that extols the virtues of your company might be great, but that same content will not then be suitable for videos. Instead, you may need to repurpose the content and shorten it so it can be turned into an animated promotional video.
5. Learning how to use online and offline tools the company has adopted
This could include all kinds of different tools and software, right through from email automation to a daily task manager.
6. Creating content marketing ideas and strategies
They may wish you to take on a higher-level role that requires you to develop an entire content marketing strategy, planning content months in advance.
7. Investigating competitors and coming up with new strategies
As a part of your ongoing involvement within the industry, you may need to analyse competitors to see what their content marketing strategy is. You could then create plans to counter them or beat them to market.
8. Building relationships with members of the press
Fostering relationships with bloggers and members of the press are crucial in helping you to effectively promote new products and services. As such, this might be a part of your roles and responsibilities as a content writer.
9. Managing the company’s social media presence
This could mean posting relevant content on the company's social media profiles and responding to and engaging with followers.
10. Analysing the performance of existing content
This will allow you and the company to understand what works well and what doesn't and then tweak the content plan going forward.
11. Creating graphics and videos that help support your written content
As well as publishing great written content, incorporating multimedia into the finished copy is a great way to achieve greater success. Rather than designing and building graphics yourself, you may work with experienced designers who can work off a brief you give them.
Ultimately, the exact roles and responsibilities you will need to fulfil as a content writer will vary. It all depends on the company you work for and what they require from potential applicants. So make sure you speak to the company hiring before applying so they can give you a more detailed rundown of what your day-to-day working life might look like.