You’re thinking of starting a career in content creation. What skills should you focus on?

Embarking on a content creation career? Key skills to hone: Writing: Craft compelling content. Creativity: Innovate and brainstorm ideas. Communication: Connect with your audience. Digital Marketing: Grasp SEO and social media. Graphic Design: Basic skills for visuals. Video Editing: Enhance video content. Time Management: Juggle tasks efficiently. Adaptability: Stay abreast of digital trends. Analytics: Track performance and insights. Networking: Collaborate and grow your network.

In the content creation industry, being dynamic is essential to adapt to changes and stay relevant. Flexibility allows creators to respond to shifting trends, audience preferences, and technological advancements effectively.

I would say to focus on one thing and become an expert in that one field. Focus on the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning and do more and when that's mastered, add in another service that links. Grow laterally rather than being a master of none.

Excel in content creation, honing excellent writing skills, conducting thorough research, developing creativity, understanding SEO principles, acquiring basic graphic design skills, mastering social media management, video production Focus on learning the basics, developing analytical skills, and maintaining adaptability for continuous learning. These skills will enable you to create engaging and effective content across a variety of platforms and formats.

Writing is the foundation of the majority of content creation (excluding pure image-only content). A solid script allows for excellent execution of a final product. A great script with poor execution is acceptable. A poor script with great execution is definitely frowned upon as being tasteless or rushed or not thought through. A.I. can help with script.ideation, but I believe we are very tuned into how generic that type of writing can be. The good forms of writing are based on experience and honing of your craft Read more. Write more. Everyday, improve incrementally. Get feedback from friends. Publish and get feedback from the public. And you will find your writing improving. The pursuit of excellence starts with sucky writing :)

Checking out other websites with similar content shows you what's already out there, and is a necessary basis. Next, check official sources and reliable data to back up your written work. That includes fact-checking. Check out the writing style on competitive websites and all other relevant and reliable information sources.

Focus on the classic books about sales and marketing. I have been coming back to Influence by Cialldini and Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. Fact check your content, and use the doom scrolling for your research purposes ;)

The more you play with tools like Canva, the better you will become ;) It doesn't hurt to follow some Canva pros on social media. That could give you some good ideas.

Make your content audience-specific! Tailor your communication style to each platform (formal for LinkedIn, casual for tweets) and use storytelling to connect. Imagine explaining your content to a friend - that conversational tone resonates well online. For example, a financial advisor creating YouTube videos could break down complex topics into relatable scenarios using clear, friendly language.

As a content creator, your main focus will be what your clients expect and want from you. Don't let that distract you from protecting your rights. All too often, writers (especially newbies) end up being used. It isn't exactly unavoidable, but you can try to set ground rules in the beginning that at least make things safer for you. For example, insist on only one free sample text - or if you can, on a paid sample. Have that one paid as soon as possible, rather than waiting for a whole month or for more texts to accumulate. It's sadly no secret that some companies and clients will get their work done by getting 'free sample texts' from a few writers and thus not paying anything for the whole set of texts they may need.

Content writers need to incorporate modern software and checking processes and keep up to date with the latest developments. That includes checking content for AI, plagiarism, spelling, language, and best SEO practices. YouTube is a great place to learn about the latest software you can use in your content creation strategy.