The art of writing in the digital age

Writing in the digital age should appeal to two audiences: your human readers and the search engines.

Making a career as a writer today requires expertise over the nuances of the laws of the language as well as the grammar of search engines or Search Engine Optimisation.

So what writing careers can you choose today?

Blog writing

A decade ago, blogging was more of a hobby but it has now become a cornerstone of content marketing. Today, blogging is mainly about educating prospective customers about a company or product. There are also a plethora of opportunities for guest bloggers, influencers and freelance bloggers.

E-mail marketing

E-mail marketing requires a distinct style of writing geared towards triggering a call for action from prospective customers. It is result-driven practice. It helps hone data analytics skills for continuous improvement. Mastering the art of e-mail marketing/writing can help one scale to positions of consultants, CRM managers, or digital marketing managers.

Copy writing

Copywriters mainly work with advertising agencies, where they work closely with art directors to create ads. They specialise in various domains, including marketing, creative roles, SEO, and technical writing. There are employment opportunities in advertising agencies, advertising/PR firms, commercial radio or TV, print media and market research.

Case studies writers

Writing whitepapers involving weaving the statistics of a company’s products or services into an engaging narrative style. Similarly, case studies are often written using the experience of a customer who has bought a company’s product or services. A good case study writer should possess skills of interviewing clients, conducting research, and summarising the findings.

Press release writing

The content writers in marketing teams are expected to write concise press releases on any events or product launch. The same press release has to be communicated to media houses and PR-Web sites to promote the company products. Writing good press release content is one of the sought-after skills in the digital age.

Technical writing

Companies releasing new products to the market need technical writers to document Help Manuals or User Manuals of their products. Also, technical writers can review any gadget or automobile that has come into the market. Many IT companies and manufacturing companies hire technical writers.

Science writing

Those having a science bachelor’s degree and are passionate about writing can choose a career as a science writer. Broadly two styles of science writing exist - science journalists who can write stories on various scientific developments and PR writers who can associate with research labs and publicise the findings.

Social media writing

Social media marketing is a specialised niche that has evolved to help organisations create a presence on various social media platforms. Writers and designers with proficiency in creating posters, infographics, brochures, video, and audio snippets are in great demand. Social media writers are expected to create captions, headlines, hashtags, scripts, and various other content for social media campaigns.

(The author is a content writer)