5 (New!) Skills You Need to Embrace Web Writing
For anyone new to the scene, web writing is a skill in its own right. One that combines traditional copywriting, feature writing, storytelling, visual design, ergonomics (usability), accessibility and psychology.
And it’s come a long way over the last decade, evolving alongside Internet culture amidst the rise of social media. It’s not enough now to just break up a wall of text or pick a pretty font. As a web writer today, you need to consider the bigger picture of how readers will experience your content — especially if you’re a passionate self-starter who wears many hats.
I’m not here to discuss the basics, since there’s already so much out there about good grammar, active vs passive voice, text formatting and using verbs and nouns for links instead of “click here.” Instead, let’s focus on the modern ways to apply those fundamental skills in this post-social, post-truth world.
1. Writing short, writing sharp, writing social
In the age of abundant news and social media, people are busier and more distracted than ever. So, even if you lay out your content beautifully, your words can still fail to reach your audience if you fail to get your point across quickly.
We know people do read on the web if they’re really interested in the content. But you can’t always count on this being the case. Most of the time, people will skim your text for keywords, highlights and meaningful takeaways, assuming they even click through to your content instead of stopping at the headline.
Sharpen your skills:
- Learn to craft killer headlines with CoSchelule.
- Learn to write original content with PlagiarismCheck.
- Learn to write on-point social media posts with Socialnomics.
- Learn how to apply the principles of clickbait with Kissmetrics.
2. Telling stories in a visual way
In today’s web, visual storytelling isn’t limited to the designer’s toolbox. While drafting your content, you should frequently step back and appreciate how it appears (blur your eyes if you have to). Consider where headings, lists, pull-quotes, or images may serve your reader from a visual and informational standpoint, guiding them through the narrative of your piece.
Even skilled writers can get so caught up in explaining an idea that they miss how the reader receives it at the end of the process. By and large, the web is a visual medium, with textual, aural and tactile elements contributing to the overall experience. The key here is the experience — how your audience consumes and responds to what’s in front of them.
Sharpen your skills:
- Learn about design.
- Work on projects that also have a visual component (e.g. infographics).
- Study storytelling techniques from the world of design, comic books and film & tv.
3. Being inclusive and interesting
Traditional conventions for web writing has you avoiding devices like cliche, hyperbole, jargon, in-jokes — basically anything casual. Sound boring? That was the point. The prevailing idea was that plainer content could cater for a wider audience.
This was sound advice back when information was less available online, but these days, people are swimming in information. They’re free to choose between generic, impersonal copy and content that feels like it was written for them. I’m not advocating style in place of substance. What you write still needs to clearly get the message across. It just doesn’t hurt to inject a bit of personality into your work.
Sharpen your skills:
- Learn how to create and use personas — these help you get to know the people you’re writing for, and provide an anchor when you’re in the midst of a writing flurry.
- Immerse yourself in your audience’s subculture — watch what they watch, read what they read.
4. Providing trustworthy information
This skill is more concerned with your research abilities than how adept you are at writing. I’d even go one step further and suggest it’s more about patience than anything else. While rushed and slapdash writers settle for repeating the first facts they find in Google, a truly skilled professional can dive beneath the gossip, get closer to the source and uncover the truth.
Like it or not, ‘alt facts’ aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you look further back in the Internet’s history, you’ll find they’ve been around since before the digital age. With everybody and their dog claiming to be trustworthy, how can you stand out as a reliable source of information for your readers? And how can you tell if your own sources are as good as they claim to be?
Sharpen your skills:
- Read deep and read wide.
- Practice critical thinking.
- Get good at the art of preventing bullsh*t.
5. Offering a fresh perspective
Have you heard of “T-shaped” people?
They’re the types who have in-depth knowledge about a specific niche, but can offer more interesting perspectives that connect ideas from different disciplines. Though this metaphor comes from the job recruitment industry, it’s a great model you can apply to your own development as a writer. By broadening your field of knowledge, you are able to contribute something truly unique because you’re drawing from a more diverse pool of source material.
Being original doesn’t mean coming up with something no one has thought of before. I find this misconception most often in younger writers who haven’t spent enough time in their niche to appreciate the cyclical nature of trends. Ideas can be original, yes, but you can also offer new ways to link and express old ideas. Originality is less about the idea itself, and more about what you as an individual can bring to the table.
Sharpen your skills:
- Join a writing group to meet new people and listen to their stories.
- Look for inspiration in unexpected places.
- Travel, find new hobbies and experience more of the world.
That’s all it. Do you have any personal secrets of writing stellar copies for websites? Feel free to share!
We hope you enjoyed the above post in cooperation with Socialnomics!
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About the author:
Lesley Vos is a professional web writer specializing in data research, content creation, editing, and distribution. She contributes to publications on digital marketing, writing craft, and social media to share experience and help others write better.
