Content Writing for Beginners: All You Need To Know in 2025

Are you interested in content writing but don’t really know what it’s about?

Whether you’re a beginner content writer or just a curious person who wants to know more about content writing, you’re in the right place.

Today I’ll show you what you should know about content writing, answer all your questions about the benefits, how much you can make from it, the most in demand topics, tools, and steps to start for free.

Key Insights

Content writing involves creating text to inform, entertain, or educate through various mediums like blogs, social media, video scripts, and eBooks.

Key types of content writing include SEO content writing, social media writing, copywriting, technical writing, and video script writing.

Why It Matters: Content writing is vital for businesses to communicate, engage, and inform audiences, and the demand for skilled writers remains high.

Getting Started: Begin by learning the basics, practicing consistently, picking a niche, building a portfolio, and finding clients. Utilize tools like Google Docs, Grammarly, and Hemingway Editor to enhance writing quality.

What Exactly is Content Writing

Content writing is the use of words to inform, educate, or entertain people. It can be used online or in printed materials like brochures, pamphlets, and books.

All forms of communication in the world can be divided into the medium and the content.

We use the media to pass messages. Think radio, TV, websites, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, books, billboards, etc.

The content is the message you’re passing across. Whether it’s trending news, information about a product you’re selling, or a joke to entertain people.

The process of writing “content”; writing the message you want to pass across via a medium, is what we call content writing.

Content writing examples

Writing an article about “how to create a facebook profile” is content writing. Writing captions for an Instagram post is content writing. Writing a post on Facebook about “how I spent my day” is content writing. The list is endless. Writing ebooks, video scripts, user manuals, they’re all part of content writing.

[image showing content examples]

Types of Content Writing

Content writing is broad, as you may have noticed. The types are based on the purpose or media through which you want to share the content.

Here are the most common types of content writing.

1) SEO content writing

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the process of making your website more likely to rank on the first page of Google. I’d love to dive deeper into SEO, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.

SEO content writing is a key part of search engine optimization. The thing is, search engines don’t read the way humans do. So for your article to rank, you have to use special techniques and tools like adding keywords to your article, using headings and subheadings, all while ensuring that humans can also read your article and benefit from it.

Fun fact, this article you’re reading right now is an SEO article. It is a product of SEO content writing.

It’s called SEO content writing because the main aim is to help a website’s search engine optimization.

2) Social media content writing

When you write with the main aim of sharing it on social media, it’s called social media content writing. Whether it’s captions for your Instagram posts, LinkedIn carousels, or snappy tweets on X.

3) Video script writing

A large part of video content creation relies on content writing.

Most YouTubers write scripts before shooting their videos. Even 30-second reels on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are usually created from scripts.

4) Ebook writing

Content writers also write eBooks. This could range from self help books to biographies, stories, and fiction. People who lean towards stories and fiction are called creative content writers.

5) Copywriting

Copywriters may not agree with this, but copywriting is a type of content writing.

The main aim of copywriting is to make its reader do something e.g. buy a product, download an app, sign up on a platform, or fill a form.

Because of this focus on action, copywriting uses psychology and powerful language to convince people to do what the writer wants.

It is a highly valued type of writing, as it helps businesses sell more of their products.

Most advertisements are written by copywriters, no matter the medium. Ads on radio, TV, Facebook, Instagram, Newspapers, and Magazines are written by these people who have mastered consumer psychology and copywriting techniques.

6) Technical writing

Most technical writers would also not agree that they are content writers but I still stick to my claim that they are.

Technical writing involves writing content for documentations, instruction manuals, and user guides.

If you’ve ever bought a new gadget e.g. a smartphone, you must have seen a manual that showed you the parts of the phone and how to use the phone.

The content in that manual was written by a technical writer.

Programming languages have documentation that show new users how to code with that language. Apps have user guides that help people use the app well or solve issues they encounter. Technical writers are the ones who write the content in them.

7) Other types of content writing

Course content writing: Courses that teach people how to do graphic design, Facebook ads, etc require content.
News and Media Publication: Many people will disagree with me, but I stand firm that news, TV shows, radio shows, documentaries, and the like are all types of content writing. Yes I know some are produced on the fly, unscripted, but in the end, content is made. And many of them rely heavily on writing.

Why Content Writing Matters

Content writing is important because we’re humans. By our very nature, we’re social beings. We have messages to pass, we want to be informed, educated, and entertained.

The internet is a brilliant invention but what gives life to it is the content.

The technology behind social media is amazing, helping you send messages over the internet instantaneously. But without the content, many people will not care to use it.

You don’t go to Facebook to admire the tech. You go there because you wanna share content about how you spent your day, a funny experience at work, or an achievement in life.

You don’t follow your favourite people, pages, companies, or celebrities because Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn is a great app. You follow them because their content inspires you, motivates you, entertains you, informs you, or gives you a little drama to spice up boring moments.

Is content writing still in demand?

Beginners often ask, “is content writing still in demand?” You may be wondering if you’re late to the party.

My short answer is that content writing is still in demand and will always be, unless humans cease to exist.

And you’re not late to the party because although almost anyone can write content, not many people know how to do it well. While some other people don’t have the time to do it. So if you dedicate yourself to an aspect of content writing to the point where you can help people pass their messages or achieve certain results like better search engine rankings, more email sign ups, or more sales, you’ll always be in demand.

The Basics of Content Writing: A Beginner’s Guide

Which content writing is most popular?

SEO content writing is the most popular.

Usually, when people talk about content writing, they mean SEO content writing or social media content writing.

SEO content writers write articles and blog posts, while social media managers create social media content like carousels, short posts, stories, and captions.

People use the word copywriting a lot, but not many understand that it’s a distinct form of content writing. They often think it’s the same thing as SEO or social media content writing.

What type of content writing is in demand?

Copywriting and SEO content writing are the most in-demand.

Businesses need copy to help them sell their products or services.

They also need content to continually inform potential customers and keep their current user base engaged.

Social media content is also in demand, but businesses rarely hire people to only write social media content. It’s usually bundled with a social media management or copywriting role.

Which type of content writing pays the most?

Looking at salaries in Glassdoor, this is how the different types of content writing stack up against each other from the highest to the lowest.

Technical writing [$90k/year average]
Copywriting [$78k/year average]
Video Script writing [$77k/year average]
SEO Content Writing [$61k/year average]

It is important to note that how much you earn depends on your industry, experience, and location (sometimes).

Someone with 10+ years of experience is likely to command higher fees than an upcoming writer with less than 2 years experience.

The tech industry tends to pay higher as startups are heavily funded by investors.

Benefits of Content Writing for Beginners

Still wondering if content writing is worth going into? Here are a few benefits you can enjoy as a content writer.

1. High income

Content writing is a high income skill that can help you earn six figures yearly.

It has taken people out of the dumps.

There are many high paying content writing jobs in 5 and 6 figures.

Note that the early days may be tough and seemingly unprofitable though. High income doesn’t come automatically. You’ll have to learn continuously and improve your skills. How much you earn depends hugely on the results you can get for your clients.

Writing content just for the sake of it won’t cut it. But if you can help clients get more leads, increase revenue, or penetrate a market, you’ll stand out.

A beginner content writer in the US, can earn $30k to $50k per year.

As you grow, you can break into 6 figures per year.

2. Easy to learn

Since it pays so much, it should be hard to learn content writing right?

No.

Content writing is one of the easiest digital skills to learn. Unlike many other high income skills like data analysis, programming, and digital marketing that take months to learn and even longer time of practice to get good enough to make money, you can learn content writing in a few weeks and within 3 months of practice start making money.

[Infographic: How difficult is content writing?]

You still have to put in the work, especially if you decide to specialize in technical niches. But on the average, it takes less time and fewer resources to learn and become proficient.

There are many high quality free resources on the internet.

Indeed, some digital marketers started as content writers.

3. Less emphasis on college

The world is also gracious to content writers in that companies and clients care less about formal degrees and Ivy League schools. They are more interested in your ability to get them the results they desire (more website traffic, more social media engagement, more leads, and more revenue).

Sure degrees may give you an edge over equally proficient writers, but a strong portfolio and a track record of excellent results will be given a higher priority.

4. Work from anywhere

Content writing also offers many opportunities for remote work. In fact, it’s becoming the norm.

Most content writing jobs are now remote, with others giving the option of working in the office occasionally.

That means you can work from the comfort of your home, in a café, and even while on a vacation.

5 Simple Steps to Kickstart Your Content Writing Journey

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a content writer. Specifically an SEO Content Writer. Although I learned Copywriting in 2022, I didn’t see much success from it. I made less than $15 from copywriting. I was highly disappointed because I had paid for a course. More like frustrated actually. I felt writing as a way of making money online was a scam.

Luckily I stumbled upon SEO Content Writing in 2023. I buried my head in it, using only free resources. Within a few months I got my first client and some months later I made more money than I had made my entire life before.

Looking back, it wasn’t that copywriting was a scam. The truth is that I just didn’t put in enough effort. I was expecting a magic of sorts, thinking that because I learned the skill, I should automatically start making money.

Now I know better and I’ve created a roadmap to take anyone from an absolute beginner who knows nothing about content writing to mastering it and getting clients results that matter.

With the 5 step process below, you can learn content writing on your own, and you can learn it for free.

If I were to start all over again, this is what I would do. It doesn’t matter the type of content writing.

Step 1: Learn the basics

Pick one type of content writing to start with. If I am to recommend, I’ll say start with Copywriting. You might think that after not seeing success from Copywriting I’ll disregard it. Quite the opposite.

Copywriting is one of the most valuable skills you can ever learn and the basic principles are transferrable to other forms of writing and other disciplines in life.

As a matter of fact, it’s less about writing and more about human psychology. It helps you understand how to grab people’s attention, how to keep them reading, what goes on in their minds, and how to make them do what you want. Simply put, copywriting is powerful.

Copywriting will also help you sell yourself whenever you’re ready to start working with companies or clients.

You can learn the basics of copywriting in 2 weeks or less. Just go to Google and search for “free copywriting course.” You’d see many videos from YouTube or other online learning platforms. Note that some people don’t know what copywriting is and may parade other types of writing as copywriting. If the one you pick doesn’t talk much about how to convince people or how to sell something with copywriting, run away from it.

After getting the basics of copywriting, you can go deeper as a copywriter if you like it, or pick another type of content writing.

Step 2: Practice

This is what separates people who go on to build successful content writing careers from those who only tested the waters and walked away.

I failed to make money from copywriting because I didn’t practice what I learned. I had the knowledge in my head but didn’t put it to work. I registered on Fiverr and thought someone would automatically pay me to write for them. (Thank heavens they didn’t. I may have done trash work).

Believe it or not, until you can use your knowledge in real world situations, you haven’t really learned.

“Knowledge is power only when applied.”

The initial learning in step 1 is like knowing the rules of the game. Step 2 is where you actually play the game. Knowing that you need 50 sit ups a day to gain 6 packs and actually doing it are not the same.

When you try to do it, you may notice that you just can’t get past 15 situps. Or that it’s easier to do situps on early mornings than late at night.

There’s a whole lot you’d miss out on if you rely only on theoretical knowledge.

How you can practice content writing at home

Write.

Whether it’s copy, SEO content, YouTube scripts or whatever type of content writing you decide to focus on, write.

Create a new social media account, YouTube channel, or Medium account as the case may be. Creating a new account gives you genuine feedback as you’re not surrounded by your friends and family who just want to cheer you on even if your content is bad.

Offer to write for free since your new channel or account may not be getting enough views to give you the feedback you need. So you get a feel for what works and what doesn’t.

The idea here is to use what you’ve learned in the real world to see how well you’ve mastered it.

Also, observe other successful and unsuccessful content online. Try to note how the successful writers apply the rules you learned and how the unsuccessful pieces fail to apply the basic principles.

Step 3: Pick a niche

The riches are in the niches, so they say.

To establish yourself as a valuable content writer and command higher fees, you need to pick an industry or topic group to write on.

During the practice phase, you don’t have to worry about your niche. Just write as much as you can to get practical knowledge.

When you’re comfortable to a certain degree that you can write something worth paying for, you have to think about your niche.

How to choose a niche for content writing?

The perfect niche lies at the intersection of passion and profitability.

What topics did you enjoy writing more? What industry did you fancy while you were practicing? Is there a particular area that flows naturally for you?

But at the same time, you need to think about profitability. All industries aren’t created equal. Some niches pay more and have a higher demand for content than others. Also, some niches may be looking for highly specialized individuals with degrees.

For me, I’m in the tech industry and more specifically in the B2B SaaS, AI, Marketing, and Business niches.

There are other niches like health and wellness, finance, iGaming, education, real estate, travel, e-commerce, self-help, pet and pet grooming, lifestyle, and entertainment.

Although I studied Medicine and Surgery (yes I’m a medical doctor), I didn’t pick the healthcare industry. I enjoy writing about tech more than I do writing about “how to care for your health”, and the tech niche is equally, may be even more, profitable. To me, writing health and wellness content feels like walking on hot pins. The pay has to be ridiculously high for me to consider it.

Picking a niche helps you stand out in a sea of content writers. Staying in an industry or within a few niches gives you deeper insight into the little differences that make or break great content.

If you were the owner of a travel agency who would you pick to write content for you? Me, who has written 0 content or someone with over 30 pieces in that industry?

Don’t be a content writer who writes about anything and everything.

Step 4: Create a portfolio

After picking a niche to focus on, you need to curate a collection of content pieces that you can easily share with clients whenever you’re applying for jobs or freelance writing roles.

The best portfolio is a live portfolio with links to published works. Reach out to established websites/brands in your chosen niche and offer to write for them with the agreement that they’ll add your name as the writer, and let you add the content to your portfolio. A plus if they can write you a testimonial. With 5 to 10 published works, you’re good to go.

There are many free website/portfolio builders out there. Recently I came across Strikingly and I’ll highly recommend it.

[Picture of portfolio: my website vs strikingly website]

If you have the money (think $100 to $300 if you’re willing to get your hands dirty and build it yourself, or $1,000 to $3,000 if you’d rather have someone else do it for you) you can get your own website. That makes you look more professional and clients will tend to take you more seriously.

Another way to build a portfolio is to intern at a company or an agency, with the clear agreement that your works will have your name, and that you’re free to add them to your portfolio.

In the event that you can’t do any of that, you can settle for a Google Drive portfolio. That is, you write and store your works in a Google Drive folder and use it as your portfolio.

Step 5: Get clients

You can work as a freelancer, get a job in a company, or work in a content writing agency.

Armed with the skills you’ve honed from consistent practice and a live portfolio, look for opportunities with clients/companies that are in your niche.

Getting the first client is usually the hardest. You may have to combine different methods like sending cold pitches, reaching out to businesses in your locality, and applying for jobs online. I’d not recommend a freelancing platform for a beginner as most of those spaces are overcrowded. Share your work on social media, connect with potential clients online, and eventually you’ll get a break.

Do great work and you’ll get referrals.

Tools and Resources for Aspiring Content Writers

Beginners often wonder which tool is best for content writing.

There are a handful of tools, for different aspects of writing, from the research phase to tracking the performance of your content.

What app should you use for writing?

Google Docs is the best writing app. You can easily write, edit, and share content with Google Docs.

It auto saves your work and helps you track changes over time, making it easy to collaborate with editors.

I can hardly think of a good alternative.

Beginner content writing tips

Here are a few tips to help you write better.

1) Use simple words

Unless your client says otherwise, it’s better to use simple words. I’m sure you didn’t have to check a dictionary while reading this piece.

For many people, writing like you’re having a conversation with a friend helps keep your content simple and easy to understand.

2) Use short sentences and short paragraphs

Just like I did in this article. It makes it easy for people to skim through. It keeps your writing easy on the eyes, not overwhelming.

3) Write in the active voice

I said “use simple words”, not “simple words should be used”. “Use short sentences”, not “short sentences should be used.” Those are two examples of the active vs passive voice. Writing in the active voice gives your content life. It makes it punchy and less boring.

4) Don’t stop learning

If you’re not an avid reader, you need to cultivate the habit of reading if you want to go far as a content writer. Read books that teach you about consumer psychology like Cashvertising. Read books that teach you how to write well e.g. “On Writing Well”

Read industry reports, stay up to date on the trends in your chosen industry.

5) Network a lot

Follow people who are killing it as content writers. Connect with business owners in your niche. Connect with other content writers on social media. LinkedIn is one of the most important places to be in as a content writer.

Join content writing communities. Also join other groups/communities in your industry that aren’t necessarily limited to content writing. Join local business groups.

Share your expertise whenever and wherever you can.

6) Don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism

You’ll never be perfect. At every stage of your journey, recognize that you have something to offer. Sometimes you may never feel adequate, but don’t let it stop you from putting yourself out there. Only ensure that you do it authentically.

7) Get a mentor

Sure you can go at it alone, but it’s more difficult and time consuming. A mentor won’t do the work for you, but can fast track your growth and give you opportunities you wouldn’t ordinarily have gotten. The best jobs aren’t on job boards. They’re passed on via referrals and recommendations.

You can start with free resources, but as you grow, consider getting a mentor or paying for high value membership groups run by people with proven track record in content writing.

Common mistakes beginner content writers make and how to avoid them

1) Publishing or submitting plagiarized content

That’s a total no no. No one will ever want to work with someone who writes plagiarized content. No matter how original you think your idea/content is, always run it through a plagiarism checker before publishing or sending it over to your client.

2) Looking for paid clients without gaining practical knowledge first

Rookies make the mistake of just reading about content writing or watching a few videos and jumping straight into the market.

You may get lucky and land an inexperienced unsuspecting client. But you’re unlikely to get them the results that’ll make them want to work with you again or refer you to someone else.

If you wanna go straight into the market, work for free instead until you prove to yourself that you can get clients the results that matter.

3) Writing about what you like instead of what your audience likes

Content writing as a career isn’t about you. It’s about your audience, and eventually, your client’s audience.

Your journal is where you write for yourself.

If you want to make money from content writing, you have to think more about your readers than you think about yourself. Write about problems your audience have and solutions to those problems. That’s where the money is.

The exception is when what you like aligns with your audience’s needs.

4) Not having a portfolio

Chasing clients without having a portfolio is like walking up to a football team and asking them to sign you up. They’ve never heard of you. There’s no record of your work anywhere. They’re certainly not going to take your word for it.

Your portfolio speaks for you when clients ask “how do I know you can do this?”

Questions beginners often ask about content writing

1. Is content writing the same thing as copywriting?

No.

Content writing is a broad term that covers many types of online writing.

Copywriting is a specific type of content writing that focuses on making the reader do something.

The difference between copywriting and content writing is that copywriting focuses more on sales and conversions. Its aim is to make the reader do something e.g. buy a product, download an app, sign up to a newsletter, etc.

2. What website pays the most for content?

Beginners often think there’s a certain website where you submit content and get paid. It doesn’t work like that.

You have to look for clients or companies that need your content writing services. Sometimes, a third-party website like Upwork can facilitate the process. But they don’t pay you if you can’t find clients to work with.

3. Which pays more, content writing or copywriting?

It depends on the type of content writing. Looking at salaries on Glassdoor, copywriting pays more than the other forms of content writing, except technical writing which pays the highest.

What exactly does a content writer do?

Understand what the client aims to achieve with their content.

Understand the audience’s needs.

Research.