Content writing is a critical element to businesses and brands. It uses the written word to appeal to potential customers that may not have heard of a specific business. Not just that, but content writing can also promote stronger customer loyalty—if done the right way.
What Is Content Writing?
Content, in general, means anything that is contained within something. Therefore, it has infinite possibilities. Content writing is a body of text that can be informative, entertaining, or persuasive. Still, there are infinite possibilities of topics and the way about writing the content. We’ll go over some of the best types of content writing in this article.
Why Is Content Writing Important?
Many businesses use content writing for marketing purposes. By creating informative or fun pieces of writing, businesses can appeal to a wider audience and enhance their reputation. However, since many businesses have their own online presence that features written content, it is important to be unique and creative to stand out from competitors.
14 Different Types of Content Writing
Let’s take a look at some of the different forms of content writing that promote creativity and help businesses stand out among the other content online.
#1 Blog Posts
Blog posts are among the most popular types of content writing because of their simplicity and flexibility. Many brand websites have a blog page filled with blog content that covers different aspects of the company. Blog articles can also present information about the company in a creative, fun, and informative way—which enhances brand awareness.
Blogs can be written in several different ways and allow writers to get creative, allowing them to boost the number of readers. First, think about a topic within the brand or the business. It could be a simple question that many clients ask, or it could be a simple blog post, like “Why You Need This Product in Your Life.”
Other forms of blog posts include how-to guides, interviews, product tips, and listicles (which is blog content that has a line-based format). Blog posts are not limited to just these categories, which is the beauty of this type of content writing, and it allows room for creativity to drum up more readers. Writers can also choose the formality of the posts, whether keeping it casual, professional, or somewhere in between.
#2 SEO Articles
An SEO article is written content that has been optimized to appear near the top of the search engine results page. In fact, SEO stands for “search engine optimization” because that is its sole purpose.
To have content writing appear high on a results page, it needs to coincide with the words typed into the search bar. Therefore, the content requires some main keywords that match the desired search results page.
Like blog posts, SEO articles can be about anything so long as it pertains to the desired search results. It just needs the keywords to optimize the content.
#3 White Papers
A white paper is like an in-depth report that presents valuable information about something that regards a brand or business. It can come as a free digital download or as a PDF to be published online.
Despite being an informational piece of writing, white papers do not serve to collect buyers or more clients. While this may be the undercover intent, the main purpose of white papers is to educate readers about a particular issue.
White papers are unlike blog posts because they provide hard evidence and well-documented proof, including statistics. This type of content writing is a bit more professional and educational, but it still serves as a useful way to boost the number of readers and stealthily educate them about a brand.
#4 Product Reviews
A product review is a comprehensive guide about a specific product. Typically, another customer tests the product or service and then writes about it to convince other readers. Most product reviews are positive, otherwise, businesses would not use this type of content writing. However, it is good to have a mix of pros and cons to make the review feel realistic—albeit the pros should outweigh the cons.
A brand or business uses product reviews to garner customer loyalty. When a reader sees that another customer likes a product, they take notice and put themselves in the other customer’s shoes. Plus, a customer could give some insight into a product or service that may not be advertised or that new customers would not have initially considered.
#5 Customer Success Stories
Customer success stories are a bit different from product reviews. Success stories tend to focus on the positive aspect of products or services while also concentrating on how the product fits into their life.
Success stories may even be more efficient than product reviews because they are less in-depth and allow businesses to simply ask a long-time customer to share their experience—no need to complete a comprehensive review about many different aspects of the service.
To get customer success stories, brands and businesses like to contact the best or most frequent customers and ask for their experience with the product or service and how it has benefitted them.
#6 Product Guides
Product guides are a great way to use written content to present products and services. They lay out what the product does, how to use it, and paint a picture for the potential customer as to how the product can incorporate into their life.
To make a product guide stand out, include well-crafted descriptions and pictures. Words can only do so much for a product. That’s why pictures can enhance written content without taking away from its quality.
Guides can also show the step-by-step way to use a product. Posting a guide on how to use a product is effective and assures customers that they can rely on a business for support.
Many businesses and brands also like to create “ultimate guides,” which is similar to a shopping guide that lays out how to buy a certain product—while also nudging customers in their direction. It is a great way to publish written content that is helpful for the customer and the business.
#7 Social Media
While social media is often thought of as pictures and short phrases, it is a great place to publish written content. Most businesses hire a social media manager to run their platforms because it requires lots of quick and clever thinking. If you think a business can survive without social media content, then think again.
A majority of marketers say that businesses and brands perform better with a social media presence. Social media content is more than just pictures, but also a lot of short and inventive words. These writers must work almost every day, too, because social media is open 24/7.
Beyond pictures, comments, and witty posts, social media also includes entertaining aspects such as quizzes and interactive content that requires well-written text.
#8 Frequently Asked Questions
A page for frequently asked questions—or FAQs—is a fantastic way to address concerns surrounding a brand, product, or service. However, the written content requires a level of professionalism and quality because its purpose is to clarify.
An FAQ page is not only helpful for customers and clients but also for customer service staff. It reduces the number of calls or emails with simple questions that require a one-sentence reply. Setting up a reliable, well-written FAQ page answers questions that inform customers and save time for businesses.
#9 Brand Stories and Company Bios
To attract more customers, some brands tell the story of their establishment. Some also tell the story of their day-to-day operations. Telling brand stories through written content builds customer loyalty and makes them feel as if they are a part of the company themselves. Overall, a brand story is a way that a brand presents itself to the world, and the content should reflect it.
Company biographies also do a great job of building strong customer relationships beyond the traditional company-client interactions. A writer can describe and outline a certain aspect of a company or some of its staff. A business could do a bio about its establishment, but some of the more popular bios are for employees.
Posting content about specific employees, like the owner or the heads of each department, also introduces brand loyalty. It creates a personable environment that assures customers they get exclusive treatment by someone who cares about the company and its clients.
#10 eBooks
Businesses often publish eBooks to expand their email list or gather more customer interest. They can post their longer content as a free PDF, but many require proper download if a customer provides their email address. eBooks can also go on sale for a dollar price, however, there is no telling as to how successful it is.
eBooks are a method of writing content that features thorough information. One of the benefits of eBooks is that they can cover multiple topics—as long as they are cohesive and make sense all together.
#11 Emails and Newsletters
Routine emails are a popular way for businesses to maintain their customer following. However, the written content needs to have a level of quality that catches attention rather than leading the emails to the trash folder. This type of content writing requires strategies for generating customers. Therefore, email content involves a bit of psychology.
Routine emails to customers tend to include a newsletter. These can often be interpreted as useless and boring. However, well-written content can turn that around. Again, some psychology is involved to make sure that customers get interested and enjoy reading the newsletter.
#12 Advertising Writing
While almost all forms of written content on this list have elements of advertising, there is certain content that aims directly at promotional advertisements. Like email writing, ad writing involves psychology that generates interest in a product or service.
Ads often require visual elements, but writing maintains a big role in this too. Ad and promotional writing take advantage of different spaces where ads can perform well and drive more business.
This type of content writing includes plenty of creative content that catches attention. The language of advertising writing can also be found on brand websites, which is where many potential customers get their first real look at a company. Using this written content can garner more interest.
#13 Scriptwriting
Writing goes beyond the page and delves into video content as well. Scriptwriting uses written content that transfers from the page to a video, such as an ad or informational program. Scriptwriting is a fine line between written content and video content, but well-written scripts can make or break a quality video.
Scripts play a major role in videos, podcasts, radio advertising, and even chatbots. Many businesses enhance their website by including a chatbot that allows customers to communicate with an informed source about the brand. Though a chatbot offers answers to more personal dilemmas and questions, they still require a script. Good scriptwriting encourages more people to sue the chatbot and feel more confident in the brand.
#14 Comparison Content
A great way to gather more customers or clients is to compare a product or service to a similar one. Side-by-side comparisons are visually appealing and providing convincing information that encourages potential customers to pick a specific brand.
The best way to make a comparison post is to keep it short and simple. Identify the main characteristics and how they compare to another product. Additionally, a chart or graph goes a long way. While it helps the content visually, it is the writing that draws more customers.
The Bottom Line
There are so many forms of content writing that boost online presence. In today’s digital age, it is almost impossible to have a successful brand without posting any content online. Since almost every competitor can be found on the internet, businesses need unique content to stand out. That’s why looking toward the many unique forms of content writing can boost business, create a larger following, and promote customer loyalty.
