What is a content writer? The very basics

What does a content writer do? It’s a good question. I often introduce myself as a “freelance content writer” and everyone responds in one of three ways: 

• Oh cool, like copywriting? 
• What is that? What does a content writer do? 
• Like, you write books? 

So then I must launch into an explanation about copywriting vs. content writing and offer examples of my day-to-day projects to help paint a fuller picture. 

I’m going to distill that explanation down here and answer the question burning in your mind: what does a content writer even do? And—bonus question—why might I want to hire a content writer for my business? 

Content writing: A definition

My simple definition of content writing is any long(ish)-form pieces of writing that are designed to educate, inform, or share information. 

This differs from copywriting, which typically has the aim to sell something (think: advertising, promotions, product descriptions, etc.). 

There’s a lot of overlap between the two, but you can think about it like content writing = information and copywriting = selling. 

Content writing: Some examples

With that definition of content writing in mind, here are some examples of types of writing falls under content writing: 

• Blog posts (SEO, AIO optimized)
• Articles (incl. Reported journalism)
• Newsletters
• Email sequences
• Grant applications
• Proposals
• Reports
• Podcast show notes
• Social media copy
• eBooks
• Lead magnets
• How-to-guides
• Etc. 

Virtually any kind of writing you see in the online space falls under “content writing,” while things like traditional print media, books/novels, research papers, and what I previously described as copywriting generally falls outside the scope of content writing. 

Content writing: Why you businesses and professionals might want to hire someone

Businesses and professionals need a wide variety of written content to communicate with clients, educate their audience, document information, or other key goals. 

And to get that content written, your choices are: 

1. DIY
2. Hire someone in-house
3. Hire someone external to your organization
4. Mix and match of the above
5. Mix and match of the above + AI

I wrote previously about when you might want to hire a content writer (and whether AI is good enough). It ultimately comes down to your business needs and goals. If you’re looking for thoughtful, novel, engaging content—you know, real unique stuff—hiring a content writer has the edge over ChatGPT. Why? Because a good content writer will take the time to know you and your business, adapt to your tone or style, and bring brand-new ideas to life instead. 

For further reading: 

• Why you need a content writer over AI
• How can you tell if writing is AI-generated or just bad? 
• ChatGPT prompts that actually work
• Is blogging dead? Why the written word still matters online

Good content writing means your message is heard by the right people. 

I work with small businesses, entrepreneurs, and podcasters to do exactly that. 

If you’d like to work together or have more questions about what content writing is and how it may be a good fit for your goals, let’s talk.