The old adage “content is king” underlies the online marketing strategies of most brands. No matter how great your product or service, or how stylish your website, it’s essential to have great content to generate traffic and drive conversions.
The trouble is that content comes in many different forms. Text-based content can be presented in many different ways. You probably use several in your current strategy, but do you think about the benefits of working with writers who specialize in different platforms and techniques?
Let’s take a look at different types of writers to help you decide who’s the best partner for your brand strategy.
10 Types Of Writers for Your Content Writing
What are the different types of writing? Is it really necessary to partner with a writer who has specific expertise? Many content writers have a wide range of capabilities and are able to tailor the type of content you need to execute your marketing strategy. Some, on the other hand, work primarily in certain areas where they have unique knowledge and skill.
In a competitive content marketplace, choosing to work with writers who have experience with particular forms of content helps you ensure that your brand’s voice is as strong as it can be no matter the setting.
Blog Content Writers
Blog posts are shorter-form pieces that range between 600 and 2000 words. A blog is typically made up of timely, easily digestible content. Posts provide tips and tricks to your followers and offer hot takes on the news and current events. They can also help establish your status as an industry thought leader with opinion pieces and insight.
Your blog content can be light, serious, or a mix, depending on your brand. Your writer can help with idea generation and create SEO-friendly copy that makes your blog something people want to read. Perhaps best of all, working with a blog writer means you can generate a steady stream of high-quality, relevant content.
SEO Copywriters
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the technical backbone of content marketing. It is the methodology behind each piece of writing that helps search engines such as Google to find your content. Regardless of the type of writing, your online marketing must adhere to SEO best practices to get the most out of the content investment.
SEO copywriters serve a specific function. They combine good SEO practices with phrases that spur action in readers. Your e-commerce checkout screens, website copy, and advertising content benefit from the writing styles of an SEO copywriter.
White Paper and eBook Writers
Long-form content such as white papers and eBooks help keep your audience on your website for a longer period of time. They can elevate your profile as a brand that offers high-quality information that people can use. These kinds of writing offer value to your audience, building trust and keeping them loyal over the long term.
Writing styles of white papers and eBooks can be slightly different. A white paper is an informational document for research, government, and nonprofit organizations. An eBook is used more broadly across consumer brands and personal service companies to bring value to consumers. While scientific writing can have a role in either content type, it might be more common in white papers that target an audience with a specific knowledge base.
These kinds of writing need a high level of technical skill to produce. The copy should have well-organized and compelling ideas while still remaining conversational and engaging. Although different types of writers can produce lengthy content, it takes someone with long-form writing skills to do it well.
Sales Copywriters
The role of sales copy is to persuade a consumer to take action on a product or service. Different types of writing can become sales copy. Your blurb about a white paper can tease its compelling content to encourage downloads. Your informational packet about a product can highlight its unique benefits to consumers.
Sales copy is the ultimate mediator between your product and the consumer. It has to contain the right messaging that lets your target audience know they will benefit from your product or service. A sales copywriter can help you nail down that messaging in a concise and effective way.
Product Description Copywriter
If you have an e-commerce business, you likely understand the importance of product descriptions. They work with images and videos to communicate to the consumer what they are about to buy. The copy must be accurate and provide detail, but product descriptions should also persuade.
It’s the role of your copywriter to use words that evoke feelings and sensory experiences. They are part creative writer and part sales writer, using the right language that is truthful but also encourages your customers to click “buy.”
Social Media Writers
Creative writing is just one potential aspect of social media copy. It can also encompass different forms of writing, depending on the platform and your brand. Although brands often see social media as a mere distribution channel for business writing and blog content, the copy that accompanies those pieces is also important.
Social media writers can help you tailor your messaging on platforms that still rely heavily on text, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Instagram. They can increase the chances that your consumer will stop scrolling and click.
Technical Writers
You might need a technical writer even if you don’t work in the tech industry. The difference between technical writing and tech writing is often misunderstood. While a tech writer produces all different kinds of writing on tech industry topics, a technical writer breaks down a complicated issue and makes it understandable to a general audience.
Technical writing can help your brand if you have a highly specialized service but need to speak to a general consumer. A pharmaceutical brand or engineering firm can rely on the types of writers that can easily explain what they do and their unique selling proposition.
Landing Page Copywriters
Landing pages are where your customers end up after they click on an ad or follow a link from a blog post. It is a page with a single call to action focused on a particular product or service. The consumer who arrives here can either proceed or click away, and the purpose of landing page copy is to encourage them to go forward: to buy a product, sign up for an email list, download a white paper, or whatever else you want them to do.
Landing page copy is a particular form of persuasive writing. The text is often short and to the point. It works with images and branding to make a compelling case to take action.
Usually, if someone reaches a landing page, they have already been convinced by different types of writing that came before such as ad copy or expository writing about your brand. That means they are further down the content marketing funnel. Your landing page writer can use just the right descriptive writing to motivate them to take action.
Press Release Writers
You can issue a press release to generate news about your product, innovation, or upcoming event. Press releases are typically distributed through wire services that media outlets and industry insiders regularly monitor.
Because the main objective of a press release is to generate media interest, it requires a type of writing style that’s a bit different from content marketing. Your writer must produce scannable copy with factual information, including quotes from key personalities connected to the event. Similar to a business writer who works in content marketing, a press release writer focuses on the details of why a product is significant.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Professional Writer
This writing styles list offers a sense of the broad range of skills you should desire in a professional writer or writing team. With content marketing importance front-of-mind for every brand with an online presence, it is essential to know what different types of writing can elevate your brand voice.
Now that you know the different types of writers, what are some considerations in choosing the right one to partner with your brand? Think about some questions to ask a potential writer, such as:
- What types of writing do you specialize in?
- Do you have samples of writing or a portfolio?
- Do you have any subject matter expertise or credentials?
- How much content can you produce for this project and on what timeline?
- Are you open to online meetings to discuss content strategy?
- Are you comfortable writing about our brand’s services and products?
You can work independently with a freelance writer or partner with several writers on writing your online content. Working with a few select individuals gives you the benefit of having different types of writer expertise, as well as flexibility on content type, scheduling, and changes in marketing strategy over time.
Reach Your Content Goals With Industry-Expert Freelance Content Writers
Compose.ly recognizes the power of storytelling for businesses. Reach out to us today to hire the industry-expert freelance content writers that can tell your story to the world.