Writers Should Brush Up on These Skills for 2024

What is coming up in 2024 and 2025 in terms of online content and web writing? How can you as a writer take advantage of those trends to keep bringing in a paycheck? Here are six trends you should know about, and some recommendations on how to start.

Brand recognition

Recently, lots of brands and companies have been publishing content online. During the pandemic, this trend only increased, once they had to engage customers on the internet instead of in-person — and that trend is going to stick around.

While that’s good for writers, the issue for brands and companies is that there is a ton of “noise” on the internet.

The online arena is competitive and crowded — so they have to have a way they can stand out from their competitors.

To address that problem, a lot of businesses are reevaluating what makes them unique or special, so they may include that in their copy online and any messages that are directed to their prospects and customers.

As a writer, it’s possible to help companies with their brand’s message, because of your training in concentrating on a company’s USP — Unique Selling Proposition, or that thing making them different from the competition.

Quality SEO

SEO is still critical. And like many things on the internet, it rapidly evolves.

In case you are new to this concept, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of writing content online using phrases and keywords that make it show up higher within search results online so prospects can have an easier time discovering a company.

In the past, a lot of specialists suggested publishing content (like online articles or blog posts) frequently — more than one time per day for larger businesses. However, as we move into 2024 and beyond, some professionals say there’s a trend moving away from publishing so much material.

The focus instead is on quality.

High-quality may mean many different things. Firstly, it means the content’s quality is more critical than the quantity.

Quality may mean publishing posts less often — only when there is something vital to say, instead of publishing the same content only to keep up with a schedule.

That’s likely due to the sheer quantity of content that has been published on the internet recently. Customers are overwhelmed with content that’s frequently similar between companies, and they have become slightly immune to it.

Customers are looking to read something interesting and new. Therefore, it is essential to approach writing with interesting and new takes when you can.

Authoritative content (longer posts thoroughly covering a topic) is considered the most helpful and frequently ranks higher than shorter posts.

Customer retention

It is a fact that it usually costs businesses less money to keep an existing customer than to attract a new one. Marketers should expand upon that strategy.

One method of doing that includes “nurturing” existing customers with upgrades, interesting content, or new services/products relevant to them. That strategy may lead to repeat sales, in addition to valuable referrals.

Businesses may nurture existing customers by sending newsletters out to their email lists.

Emails, unlike social media, aren’t subject to algorithms. So, customers who sign up for a newsletter WILL see it.

Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the content is interesting and engaging. Also, it must be personalized to the customer, if possible.

Chatbots

A lot of writers wonder whether or not AI technology will begin to replace them, as there’s some AI technology that may be utilized for writing. But that possibility is probably a long way off, as a lot of what’s written by AI isn’t too good — and occasionally is nonsensical.

Also, with the latest concentration on quality, interesting and engaging content, a lot of marketers are going to need content with a human touch, something that’s presently challenging for machines to emulate.

There is an upside — a method for writers to take advantage of the trend in AI …

Writers should create scripts for the AI chatbots.

A demand for chatbots is great, as customers are increasingly getting accustomed to instant answers to their inquiries. So, that specialty might hold a ton of opportunity for any writer interested in pursuing it.

Interactive content

One method of making content for the web more engaging includes adding an interactive element. It’ll make the experience more customized, and may help to hold the reader’s attention on that particular site.

What’s interactive content?

Some examples include gamification, quizzes, and surveys.

That specialty is growing; therefore, writers who have a solid creative streak might have a great time coming up with fresh ways to keep their audience attentive and entertained.

Podcasts

Podcasts are continuously growing in popularity. A podcast does not necessarily cast a wide net, but those prospective clients listening to podcasts are frequently very interested in the brand and might be more likely to buy at some point.

Some companies need copywriters to develop podcast scripts, which is great because it may be long-term, consistent work.

How can writers get involved with those trends?

Everyone’s journey might look a bit different, depending upon what they are interested in doing, as well as what their clients require from them.

But the following tips are great rules of thumb to assist a writer in being ready for multiple opportunities that might cross their path …

Practice your content writing and copywriting skills. No matter what types of projects you get involved in, a strong foundation in excellent writing is always needed.

Brush up on your skills at web writing so you can know the best practices for writing content online.

At first, choose one specialty or skill. It is tempting to try and learn everything at one time, it is typically more effective to concentrate all of your energy on one thing at a time.

Therefore, whether it’s writing blog posts or emails, updating website pages, UX copywriting, chatbots, or search engine optimization, do whatever feels better to you first. Then, it’s always possible to add another skill later on.

Be at ease working with a team. Some jobs might involve a writer working with several people, like an SEO expert, marketing manager, a podcast talent, and artists and graphic designers.

Being easy to work with and professional will always be an excellent way to increase your opportunities.

Now’s a great time to begin to brush up on your skills and gain a head start on all of the opportunities in 2024 and beyond.

??Kristen is a contributor on Medium. Sign up here to catch every story when she publishes. Grab her eBook on Gumroad: How to Productize Your Services: How to Make Money While You’re Sleeping

Originally posted on Medium