3 Challenges New Content Writers Face

Photo by Rodrigo

(Updated.)

“I am ready!”

These are the words you tell yourself. You are preparing to be a content writer, creating written content for products and services for the consumption of the visitors and audience.

It would be challenging to write and compete with other content writers. You try to convince yourself that you can do it. After all, the price of success is hard work – a part of a quote by Vince Lombardi.

Then the internet handed you a research paper by Joanne Dolezal, an expert in marketing strategy and digital and content marketing. You got interested, so you finished reading.

*Deep sigh*

You suddenly realize that content writing is not simple. New content writers like you have challenges to face.

There is a vast multitude of content writers to compete

From 1990, when the World Wide Web emerged, businesses started to use websites to represent their products and services. Content writing and writers evolve from that time. A good majority became seasoned writers, and they passed the craft on to aspirants.

Decades past, it had grown to a bigger group, with the good and the not-so-good writers doing the same stuff – writing content for businesses, organizations, and brands.

Established publishers and content writers take over the sharings, too. New content writers got deprived of opportunities.

What to do:
You compete with quality content. As Marcus Sheridan wrote, ‘Great content will always win.’ Quality should be your yardstick. The quote is your mantra.

You have to work hard polishing your skills. Make quality the pride of your set skill. You do not stop thriving. You have to fight the good fight.

There are evolving changes in social media that affect content performance and reach

BuzzSumo reported in 2018 a decline in the median number of shares from 8 in 2015 to a small of 4 in 2017.

Recently, visitors and the audience listed video content as 50 times more likely to drive traffic to a website (See this blog post by Optinmonster).

Yes, the landscape had changed. The ever-changing algorithms of social network platforms like Facebook and YouTube pose a threat.

Dark social media or private sharing also contribute to the decline. This situation resulted from people sharing content via apps, e-mail, or text messaging.

What to do:
Talk with the project manager or the marketing group of the company. Suggest reviewing the organization’s social media strategy. The changes are inevitable, so you have to do your part in helping them to adapt.

There is a growing need to maximize ‘reach’ by other methods

Some businesses may resort to advertising, promotions, and distribution to reach the audience. They are considering this option to replace the need for content writers.

Content publishers may have to increasingly pay to boost content distribution via social media or digital channels.

What to do:
Believe Marcus Sheridan when he said,

• great content will always win
• it costs no more to produce great content
• the content shock is irrelevant if you have an identified niche
• customers will always research purchases and seek answers
• content marketing does not require a big budget
• technology will provide the solution to finite consumer demand (for content)

Also, promote advocacies that support the need for great content for the audience.

There will be challenges, but you can always overcome them with focus and dedication.

Are you ready now?