10 Creative Writing Tips for Content Writers

Creative writing requires you to think in an entirely different way than content writing does, which means that if you want to switch from one to the other, you’ll need some practice first. These 10 creative writing tips will help get you started with your new career as a content writer, so don’t worry if you feel like you’re lost at sea at first; with time and practice, you’ll be swimming in creative writing before you know it!

1) Focus On The Readability Of Your Content


Content writing is an art. Be it an infographic, a webpage or a brochure, you need to think about how your work will be perceived by its readers. More often than not, people fall into one of two categories: too long or too boring. You want to make sure that you always fall on the readable side of things and here are some tips that can help you do just that

2) Create an Interesting Hook


Much of a writer’s work goes into crafting an interesting hook in order to grab a reader’s attention and draw them into reading more. Once you’ve got your reader’s attention, you can use their curiosity to encourage them to learn more about your subject by answering all their questions about it. Creative writers often spend a great deal of time crafting just such an interesting hook—but instead of using one standard hook, creative writers will come up with multiple ways to introduce their content and provide some background on how that content came about.

3) Know Your Target Audience


Think about who you’re writing for and make sure you know exactly who your target audience is. This will help you to create content that appeals to them, as well as keep a clear mind when you write so you can stay true to your brand. Don’t just write what comes naturally, either – find out where your target market hangs out online, read their blogs and social media channels, and engage with them before trying to pitch your ideas. The more familiar you are with their preferences, behaviors and desires, the more likely they’ll be to want what you have to offer.

4) Add Value To The Reader


One of my favorite creative writing tips is to add value to your reader. All too often, content writers are focused on trying to promote their brand or business. Instead, be sure you’re creating a piece of content that adds value to your reader’s life. For example, if you run a financial planning company and create an infographic about how boomers can prepare themselves financially for retirement, you’re adding value by providing helpful information that people may not otherwise have found without your writing. If people can find real value in what you write or publish – whether it’s a book, video or photo – they will be more likely to pay attention to future posts from you (and buy things from you).

5) Use Emotional Words


Emotional words can make your writing more interesting and engaging, adding personality and creating an emotional connection with your readers. You don’t have to go overboard on flowery language, but sprinkling in descriptive adjectives or idioms is a great way to add some extra flavor to your content. A few other techniques include similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and repetition. When you’re writing a piece of content (or perhaps brainstorming) it can be helpful to start by looking at what emotions you want your reader to feel. Are you writing about happiness? Do you want them feeling joyful after reading? Or are you writing something that needs a bit of edge or mystery?

6) Vary Sentence Length and Word Choice


When it comes to writing, your job is to make sure your words are clear and concise. This means keeping sentences short, varying sentence length and choosing active words over passive ones. Word choice can also make a huge difference in how your writing is perceived by readers. For example, using a euphemism—like saying allegedly or reportedly—when referring to a news story can soften its impact. To create truly creative content that resonates with readers and remains free of SEO-suspect pitfalls, it’s important to vary word choice and sentence length. Consistency only goes so far—and doesn’t go nearly as far as creativity does.

7) Make it Easy to Scan the Contents Section


It’s just good writing to make it easy for your reader to scan your content, and there are a few things you can do to make that happen. First, use short paragraphs; long blocks of text are intimidating and off-putting. Second, keep headers short—underline or bold them if you want, but no need to write out in full section one and section two or whatever your section titles are. Use section headings as natural breaks so that readers can skip ahead without feeling like they’re missing something by not reading everything in order. Finally, if you can find creative ways to break up chunks of text (like using bullets), do it!

8) Give your work a personal touch


Business writing often sounds like business writing—formal, stilted, dull. You don’t want to be boring or predictable. One of the best ways to stand out is to inject a bit of personality into your work. Tone and voice make all of your work more memorable and engaging. Use contractions and write in an active voice instead of passive constructions (We will be doing something…). Be funny! Rant! Say something unexpected! A little personality goes a long way in content creation, because ultimately you’re trying to connect with people on an emotional level through your writing. If you can grab their attention, they’ll stay engaged with what you have to say—even if it’s about business strategy or brand messaging.

9) Use the power of storytelling


The creative content writer knows how to paint a picture with words and reach people on an emotional level. A great way to convey any type of message is through storytelling. In fact, whether you’re writing a novel or pitching an idea, tell someone a story, and they’ll be more likely to listen—and remember your point. As legendary copywriter David Ogilvy once said: The consumer is not a moron; she is your wife. Don’t insult her intelligence. Using that simple advice in all of your copywriting work can go a long way in getting your audience to understand and appreciate what you’re trying to say.

10) Use Power Words


Long, complicated words can be intimidating. Use short, simple and powerful phrases to get your point across in an effective way. The more powerful words you use, like innovative, confident and persistent, will leave a lasting impression on your readers and make you seem like an expert. Powerful words are also easy to spell and easier to read! So utilize them as much as possible in your writing so that you’re making a great first impression with every reader that comes across your content. Also, make sure you use industry-specific keywords or search terms in each piece of content – it will help others find your work online when they’re searching for specific topics related to what you write about.

Conclusion
Creative content writing is a difficult art, one that takes training and years of experience to master. But even then, there are many techniques you can use to get creative juices flowing. Here at High Caliber Content, we have creative content writers with expert knowledge in all areas of writing—if you’re looking for help with your next project or simply need a bit of inspiration, feel free to contact us! We’d love to hear from you.