15 Skills Every Writer Must Have

June 20, 2019

Being a writer is way beyond just putting pen to paper on how you feel or ideas that roll of your mind. It’s important to acquire or develop certain skills to enable you create content with ease. You must not be a digital marketer to know what will sell in the market, you just have to get into the mind of the audience and provide them with solutions to their problems or useful information that they should have.

Many readers do not always want to hear about what you think. You are more likely to reach more people when you put their own interests first. Whether you are educating them, entertaining them or informing them, it’s important to make them feel like priority. To help you create such unique, engaging and compelling content, here are 15 skills you must have as a copywriter.

15. Be Motivational

You have to be passionate about writing to be able to motivate people through your content. There are people who just want to read an article that can lift up their spirit. You should be able to provide the right content. It doesn’t always have to involve you selling a product, your content should be able to give people hope and make them feel good with themselves.

14. Be tech Savvy

Writing a copy means you have to check for grammatical and typographical errors. Technological advancements has made it easy for you to write without spending all day on just one project. There are online tools to help you create unique content. However, it’s important to know how to use them. Basic softwares and gadgets that aid your writing should also be gotten and practiced with. What matters is not just putting down texts but also making it readable. Also keep your ear to the ground on any new app or site that can make your work easier.

13. Use of Social Media

Being social media savvy is important as a writer. Creating a content doesn’t have to be on a website alone, as posts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn can go a long way in reaching target audience. Social media marketing has become important for businesses and brands to gain online presence, therefore writers are expected to know what kind of content will fit into what particular platform. Endeavour to familiarize yourself with all the popular ones out there. Look for ways to take advantage of fast rising apps. Know the kind of audience and the type of language they would understand. If you’re writing content for a brand, you need to know what platform is best and how your copy for that site should look.

On the other hand, social media enables you get interactive with your readers. It’s even the best way to communicate with them to find out what topics they would want you to write on. You can as well get a feed back from them.

12. SEO skills

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become a major skill to possess if you want to be a “sought after” writer. Brands need their name and content to display on the first or at least second page of search results. Therefore, you need to have knowledge of how to optimise your copy with the right phrases, keywords and H-tags. When internet users put in certain words on search engines like Google, your content should pop up with relevant information.

11. Be Results-Oriented

As a writer, you need to know if you’re performing perfectly. Set goals and try as hard as you can to achieve them within a given period of time. For the fact that you need to deliver content that speaks to the reader, it’s also important that you consistently provide content to meet your targets.

10. Ability to analyse data

You don’t have to be an expert in maths, statistics or Google Analytics to be able to analyse data (or even metrics). All you need to know are the major keywords and what they mean, what every data stands for, how they can be collected and used in content to give it more credibility. According to a LinkedIn report, one of the top 3 skills every professional should have is data analysis.

9. Ability to adapt easily

You have to be able to adapt to any niche and method if you wish to succeed as a copywriter. Before the advent of digital writing, content were majorly on print media, TV and radio. But in the last decade, the world has pretty much moved online – so has writing. Therefore, you need to be able to adapt to ever evolving industry. Follow trends and keep up with happenings in your niche.

8. Giving Feedback

When you have gotten the perfect post or article and people are reacting to it, your response is also important. It’s good to be diplomatic but also be straightforward when the need arises. When you get negative comments on your copy, its wise that you look at the positive side and be professional (not rude) so you don’t end up scaring your audience away. But you need to also know what to say during damage control.

7. Develop your Writing skills

You shouldn’t be used to a specific niche. Develop your writing skills to enable you create content for any kind of topic. Whether it’s a proposal for an agricultural project, an e-book on medical equipment, a B2B email marketing content or a social media post for a comedy show, you should know the right words and phrases that the target audience can relate to. Copywriting involves producing content for a landing page, product review or description, white paper, case studies, explainer video scripts, press releases, blog posts and lots more. Work on your grammar, spelling and approach to enable you blend in to any topic you are working on.

6. Creativity

Be creative. This goes beyond coming up with abstract concepts. Look at a topic or a story from a totally different angle. Connect the dots every other content creator missed and produce a unique informative copy. This not only makes you stand out but also drives traffic towards your direction. For example, if others are writing on “how to use a smart phone”, you can provide a “how not to use a smart phone” article. Do not be afraid when it comes to being creative and different. People love new things. Endeavour to give them something to always talk and ponder about.

5. Networking skills

It’s important to create a synergy between you and people in your niche. In the field of copywriting, it’s impossible for you be omniscient. You need to keep up with the industry trends – and what better way than to network with fellow writers. You can attend events, seminars, workshops and trainings. Not just writers, you also need to make money from your trade. Therefore, attend marketing events and connect with prospective clients. Keep in touch with them and develop a relationship as well.

4. Ability to Read Fast

Copywriting involves research upon research. This is because you need to have as many relevant information from different resources as possible. From blog posts, articles and social media posts to books, magazines and newspapers, you have to quickly read them and put them into unique phrases and sentences to fit the topic you’re writing on. This also helps you proof read quickly and carefully. Do not just scan through, read.

3. Storytelling

People love to read stories. They enjoy having an event or a scenario being narrated to them. In as much as they want information, they wouldn’t mind a little illustration or example to drive the point home. When telling a story, also put the audience in a position where they can see themselves in it. It makes them feel more emotionally connected to the topic or what you’re selling.

2. Communication skills

Since your aim is to satisfy the audience, you have to be willing to listen to them. Ability to interact with people enables you provide solutions to their problems. You have to hear what the audience has to say, understand, then respond. It’s never always what you think they need, that they actually need. Therefore, you have to be passionate about it at first before writing. You just need to understand it, carry out proper research and provide a perfect copy. This way, you will have people rushing to read what you publish because they know you will have them in mind.

1. Empathy

Put yourself in the reader’s position. What will you like to learn about? Is the information in the content delivered useful? Act like a psychologist and get into the mind of your audience to know their problems, dreams, desires and needs. How will they benefit from what you’re offering? With that in mind, you can easily come up with good content for your readers. If you’re reviewing a product for example, telling the audience about the benefits and how the experience will change their life is definitely going to sell the product faster than even the price or availability.