20 Types of Content Writing: How to Write Content


The Glorious Company Team


 

Written content comes in all forms on the web to support different advertising goals. The types of content writing that you can master are all tied to outbound or inbound marketing. They help websites and businesses generate more leads, turn more leads into paying customers, and bring more organic traffic to their domains.

As a content writer, you make yourself more hirable by specializing in more than one type. The more of this expert value you can demonstrate to potential clients, the more you’ll be seen as being instrumental to their bottom line.

Learning what type of content is appropriate for what specific situation and marketing campaign is as important as writing well.

20 Types of Content Writing Explained

The purpose behind each type of content will give you a clearer understanding of how to approach a writing project, so that it satisfies your clients’ requirements. Here’s an in-depth look at each.

1. Blog Posts

Blog posts are ubiquitous online. Almost every website selling a product or service features a blog, with good reason. Businesses that have blogs can increase their web traffic by as much as 55%. And with sizable increases in traffic also come more leads, more conversions, and, most importantly, more revenue.

This is one of the most common and popular types of content writing you can produce as a freelance writer. Whether it’s a SaaS, a fintech, a B2B, or a healthcare business, chances are that they’ll have a blog on their website, which they use as a lead generation tool. Write blog posts to be actionable, chock full of data, and well-optimized for primary and secondary keywords you want to rank for.

2. Social Media Posts

Writing for social media means creating content that’s concise, engaging, and tailored to your audience and platform (X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.). With limited character counts and short attention spans, it is essential to grab the viewer's attention quickly.

Social media marketing should be informative, entertaining, or both, depending on the brand's goals. Using hashtags, emojis, and multimedia elements, such as images or videos, helps increase the post's visibility and engagement. It’s crucial to maintain the brand's voice and tone consistently throughout the posts to establish a strong online presence.

An infographic showing how brands should craft their social media content.

Writing for social media also requires being responsive, so you can interact with the audience, promptly addressing comments, questions, or concerns. Monitoring trends and capitalizing on relevant topics or popular hashtags can enhance the post's reach, too.

3. Email Writing and Marketing

What’s the ROI (return on investment) on email these days? It’s quite high: For each $1 spent on email marketing, businesses get back $36 from email marketing. This makes email lucrative for companies as well as well worth it for them to invest in.

That’s why you as the freelance writer need to learn how to write all kinds of emails campaigns, such as:

  • Welcome email series

  • Abandoned cart emails

  • Onboarding emails

  • Email newsletters

  • Email drip campaigns

The more you are proficient in ideating and writing email sequences, the more in-demand you’ll be with businesses across numerous sectors that want to take advantage of the great ROI of email for their marketing campaigns.

If you’re a business that needs to have your email campaigns ideated, designed, and written for you, get in touch with the email experts at The Glorious Company now.

4. Technical Writing

Technical writing is creating and delivering written content that explains complex technical information in a clear and concise manner. It means translating complex jargon, concepts, and instructions into comprehensible language for your target audience.

Technical writing skills are in high demand in various industries such as technology, engineering, and healthcare. By mastering technical writing, freelancers can broaden their job opportunities and secure well-paid projects.

It requires attention to detail, organization, and critical thinking skills, which are transferable to other types of writing. It helps freelancers enhance their ability to communicate effectively, regardless of the subject matter.

Finally, technical writing allows freelancers to establish credibility and professionalism in their work. By demonstrating their expertise in explaining complex concepts in simple terms, freelancers can build a positive reputation to attract more clients.

5. Case Studies

Case studies are in-depth examinations of how a business solution improved the performance or revenue of one of its customers or clients. As such, case studies are firsthand accounts of the successful use of a business product or service. This is what makes case studies a powerful storytelling tool that persuades readers (prospects) into trying the solution that’s featured.

According to the Content Marketing Institute’s 12th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey, 73% of the world’s most successful marketers were more likely than other respondents to use case studies. This is a strong indication of their effectiveness when it comes to their value in the sales funnel, especially further down, as in the middle or even bottom of the funnel.

A wall full of notes, as part of a case study that illustrates the types of content writing.

Crucial to a successful case study is interviewing the customer or client who had such a positive experience with the brand’s business solution. Then, after gathering this data, it’s vital to structure a case study along a traditional narrative arc, so that readers can see the problem-solution effect in great clarity.

6. Ebooks

Ebooks, or electronic books, are digital versions of printed books to be read on electronic devices like e-readers, tablets, or smartphones. As content marketing assets, they’re perfect as downloadable PDFs, which educate your audience about specific problems brands solve.

Choose a topic your client’s target audience is interested in. Conducting thorough research and outlining the structure of the ebook is essential to provide well-organized content. Adding relevant images, graphs, or tables further enhances the content's appeal.

Formatting the ebook correctly is crucial for readability. Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and appropriate font styles and sizes. It’s vital to proofread the ebook to eliminate errors. Once the content is finalized, convert it into a popular format like EPUB or PDF, using specialized software or online tools.

When complete, set up a landing page for your ebook and encourage your audience to download it, or arm your sales team with it as a lead magnet.

7. White Papers

As far as types of content writing go, a white paper is as businesslike and official as you can get. It’s usually commissioned by a business or not-for-profit organization to explore a complicated issue and promotes the business’ or organization’s solutions as the answer to the problem. A white paper is unique in that it’s an in-depth, authoritative report on a singular topic.

An author should have some experience in the topic of the white paper they’re writing about. The white paper also must address a pain point your target audience has, so that there is automatic interest in it. A good strategy is to choose a topic that’s not been covered widely, thereby filling a content gap and making it more valuable. Feel free to even ask your audience what topics or angles for a white paper they’re interested in.

8. UX Writing

UX writing, or user experience writing, refers to the practice of crafting concise content that enhances the overall user experience of a digital product. It involves creating text that guides and assists users throughout their website or app interaction, ensuring that they can easily understand and navigate the interface.

UX writing isn’t so much about writing catchy copy, but rather focuses on providing helpful information that helps users achieve their goals. This includes writing:

  • Error messages

  • Button labels

  • Onboarding instructions

  • Tooltips

  • Content for prompts or notifications

UX writers collaborate closely with designers, developers, and product managers to ensure that the content aligns seamlessly with the overall design and functionality of the product. The goal of UX writing is to make the user experience as intuitive as possible by communicating effectively and providing a seamless interaction between users and the product.

9. Website Copywriting

As you consider different types of content writing, don’t overlook website copywriting. As the name implies, it’s literally all the kinds of writing that you’d find on a website for specific purposes.

This includes:

  • Homepage copy

  • Landing page copy

  • Sales page copy

  • Contact page copy

  • About page copy

  • Blog writing

  • Service page copy

  • Call to action button copy

  • Navigation menu copy

  • Product page copy

Depending on what industry the business that you’re partnering with is in, demands for these forms of website copywriting will be different. For instance, a B2B company may make use of more landing pages with narratives and persuasive, direct calls to action than an ecommerce business, which needs many detailed descriptions for its product pages.

10. Sales Copywriting

Sales copywriting is the art of creating persuasive and compelling written content with the primary goal of driving sales and conversions. It involves using words and language strategically to engage and captivate potential customers, ultimately leading them to take the desired action.

Effective sales copywriting focuses on showcasing the benefits and unique selling points of a product or service, addressing the customer's pain points and needs, and creating a sense of urgency. This form of writing often employs various techniques such as storytelling, emotional appeal, and persuasive language to grab the reader's attention and keep them engaged until they convert.

A woman paying for her purchase with a credit card and paying on a point of sale system, as two other people look on.

It requires a deep understanding of the target audience, thorough research, and the ability to communicate effectively to establish trust. Successful sales copywriting can significantly impact marketing campaigns, communicating why a product or service is worth buying and encouraging customers to make that purchase.

11. Pillar Pages and Topic Clusters

A pillar page and its topic clusters are indispensable to your content marketing strategy. Hubspot defines a pillar page this way:

“A pillar page covers all aspects of the topic on a single page, with room for more in-depth reporting in more detailed cluster blog posts that hyperlink back to the pillar page.”

Think of a pillar page as your one-stop hub for general information about any topic, whereas topic clusters are the detailed blog posts that cover various, related sub-topics in greater specificity.

Pillar pages can be massive focal points of organic backlinks, traffic, and email newsletter subscribers—as Braxton found out in a study that compared the performance of their 10 pillar pages to their several hundred blog posts.

12. Infographics

Infographics are visual representations of data that present complex ideas in a simplified and engaging way. They combine text, images, and graphics to communicate a specific message effectively. Start by identifying the target audience and the key message you want to convey. Conduct thorough research to gather relevant and reliable statistics. Next, organize the information in a logical flow and prioritize the most significant points.

An infographic showing the benefits of using infographics in marketing.

Choose a visually appealing layout to support the message and enhance readability. Use compelling visuals like charts, diagrams, or icons to optimize the understanding of the information. Use clear language while writing the text, keeping in mind the limited space available. Ensure that the information is accurate, up-to-date, and properly cited. Then, proofread the content for grammar and spelling errors.

13. Video Scriptwriting

Videos are integral to content marketing and ever-popular in 2024. To wit, Wyzowl’s data, from its Video Marketing Statistics 2024 Report, verifies that more than 90% of business use video marketing and 89% of audiences want to see more video content in 2024.

With this demand this year, it’s easy to see why video scriptwriting can be a profitable type of content writing. There are all sorts of videos for which you can create content, such as:

  • Explainer videos

  • Social media videos

  • Product videos

  • Animated videos

  • Demos

  • Testimonial videos

  • Case study videos

  • Product reviews

The use cases are many, so it makes a lot of sense to specialize in this style of freelance writing, too.

14. Product Description Writing

Product description writing is the art of writing informative narratives about a particular product. Your aim is to capture the attention of potential customers and encourage them to buy.

To create an effective product description, follow these steps:

  • Thoroughly research the product to gain a deep understanding of its features, benefits, and target audience. This knowledge allows for the creation of a tailored description that communicates the product's unique selling points and addresses the needs and desires of potential customers.

  • Create engaging and descriptive language that paints a clear picture of the product's uses and benefits. The description should be concise, using bullet points or short paragraphs to highlight key features.

  • Incorporate customer testimonials to build trust.

  • Double-check your description for clarity, grammar, and spelling errors to maintain a professional tone.

15. Ghostwriting

You don’t always need to get a byline or credit for your online writing. If you’re okay with this, then enter ghostwriting. Ghostwriting opens up a whole new set of possibilities for your content writing career. Every single content asset type you can create—from emails to blog posts to ebooks and beyond—can be ghostwritten.

Ghostwriting can also be lucrative depending on the importance and prestige of the client you’re working with. Sometimes, you can ghostwrite for businesses while other times you’ll ghostwrite for notable individuals.

Whichever route you choose, ghostwriting is another content creation option that allows you to expand your portfolio, experience, and list of networking contacts.

16. SEO Writing

SEO, or search engine optimization, writing is based on creating content that’s engaging for readers and optimized for search engines. This type of content writing attracts organic traffic by improving a website's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Conduct keyword research to identify relevant and high-volume search terms. These keywords should be strategically placed throughout the content, including in the title, headings, meta tags, and within the body of the text. It’s important to maintain a natural flow and avoid keyword stuffing, as search engines penalize this malpractice.

A 3D model of a web browser and interface icons, with a rocket ships off to the upper right.

SEO writers should focus on creating high-quality, informative, and valuable content that resonates with the target audience. This includes:

  • Solving target audience problems

  • Providing data-rich information

  • Adding FAQs

  • Incorporating external links to reputable sources

  • Internally linking to relevant webpages and blog posts

  • Getting straight to the point

  • Answering user search queries

17. Press Releases

A press release is an official statement that a business or organization makes and sends to journalists to provide them information about occurrences at the business or organization. Considered a primary source for journalists, a press release is electronically distributed by services like PR Newswire.

Writing press releases can be a lucrative freelance writing gig for you—if your clients have a need for them frequently and if your clients are bigger organizations. Of course, your level of expertise in this type of content can help you command higher rates, as well. Learn how to compose a professional press release—composed of a headline, dateline, intro, body, and other elements—to earn more.

Also, keep in mind that reaching journalists is done best of all through email, with 96% of press release professionals swearing by this as the way to reach journalists for pitching content, according to Muck Rack’s State of PR 2021 Report.

18. Report Writing

Report writing is a crucial skill that involves the preparation and presentation of information in a formal and structured manner. It’s mostly an objective way of documenting findings, data, or recommendations. To effectively write a report, it’s essential to follow these steps.

First, clearly define the purpose and audience of the report. This helps to determine the content and tone of the document.

Next, gather relevant data from various sources, such as research, interviews, or surveys. Carefully organize the information in a logical manner, using headings, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance readability. An introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion are crucial in ensuring comprehension of the report's main points. Always use clear language throughout, avoiding jargon and technical terms unless absolutely necessary.

Wrap up by proofreading and revising the report for grammar, punctuation, and clarity.

19. Business Writing

If you have a knack for more formal writing popular in professional settings, you may want to try your hand at business writing. Business writing is a meaningful piece of writing that transmits information clearly and concisely, sticks close to a specific format, and strives to secure specific business goals.

Business writing differs from most forms of content marketing in its buttoned-up conservative tone, perfect for the corporate world. It can generally be grouped into four categories: instructional, transactional, persuasive, and informational.

Don’t mistake business writing as being an entirely dry affair, however. It still needs to be crisp, smart, story-driven, and even stirring to be effective.

20. Paid Ads

Paid ads writing refers to the creation of advertisements on digital platforms that require a financial investment for display. Think of Google ads that you see at the top of your screen in the search results, when you perform any old Google search for any keyword.

It involves crafting persuasive content to promote products, services, or brands to a target audience. To excel in paid ads writing, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research and understand the target audience's pain points. Additionally, it is important to identify appropriate keywords and utilize them strategically throughout the ad copy to optimize visibility.

Crafting concise and attention-grabbing headlines, compelling descriptions, and effective calls-to-action are vital to encourage clicks and conversions.

A Google search result, showing paid ads for TikTok and Nextdoor.

Continuously monitoring and analyzing the performance of the ads is essential to optimize their effectiveness.

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the broad spectrum of informational writing and ad copy that’s used across various content marketing formats in multiple channels all over the internet. You can find content writing in examples like:

  • Blog posts

  • Email campaigns

  • Website copy

  • Infographics

  • Meta descriptions

  • Social media posts

  • Ebooks

  • Case studies

Content writing serves many purposes, which include to inform, educate, inspire, and share ideas. The biggest role that content writing has online is in sales. All of the content you read is typically meant to sell a product or service as part of a multi-channel content marketing strategy and nurture leads down brands’ sales funnels.

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, has also impacted content writing since now people can create their own content in a few seconds with tools like ChatGPT or rely on AI to assists in their human-written content.

How to Become a Content Writer

In spite of the recent rise of AI, human-written content still outperforms AI content. It can still therefore be profitable for you to become a content writer by landing high-profile brands as clients.

A white man with black glasses, looking to his right and smiling while wearing a green T-shirt.

Here’s how to become a content writer:

1) Optimize your writing style to be conversational and casual, cutting out filler.

2) Learn to become a master researcher, as much of what you’ll be writing online is going to be based on what you will research on the web.

3) Look for job postings for writing jobs online.

4) Send cold email pitches to blog editors to land writing gigs.

5) Practice all types of content writing from blog posts and articles to emails, ebooks, white papers, and everything in between.

6) Build your own portfolio on your own website to show prospects what body of work you’ve produced.

7) Network with professionals in your industry to land more and more contracts and writing engagements.

The competition for content writers is fiercer than ever these days. The more you embrace this reality and outcompete those who are vying for the same client base, the more successful you’ll be.

How to Ideate Content Writing Topics

Ideating topics is integral to success with content writing. You’ll want to brainstorm topics that are already in demand, relevant to your target audience, and burgeoning in popularity. There are numerous ways to come up with content writing topics:

1) Use tools like Semrush’s Topic Research Tool, which lets you ideate topics and topic variations based on what’s relevant to your client’s target audience.

2) Use resources like Google Trends to get a sense of what topics are popular or becoming popular in different locales around the US and world.

3) Ask your client who their target audience is and what’s important to this demographic. This’ll give you insight into what content writing topics resonate with them.

4) Look at the content your client’s competitors create on their websites and various marketing channels to get ideas of what’s important to your shared audience.

The More Types of Content You Can Write, the Better

Master different types of content writing to give yourself greater flexibility and opportunities as a content creator. Specialize in as many types of content marketing you can learn. This will open up more doors for your career, as well as better-paying contracts with bigger brands.

Since competition is more aggressive than ever today in the content space—from both the sheer volume of content writers around the world plus the presence of generative AI—you need to expand your wheelhouse to be competitive as a writer and make a good living from this craft.

Searching for a content marketing agency to outsource your content writing projects? Then reach out to us now. Contact The Glorious Company today for a consultation and estimate.

Any questions? Keep the conversation going by leaving a comment below.

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