Content Writing Job Description (with Sample Title)

A content writer’s job is to plan, write, and edit web content for various articles, blog posts, scripts, newsletters, speeches, social media, podcasts, even YouTube video descriptions. The goal of this writing is to grab the reader’s attention and leading them to the brand the writer is writing for.

However, there are many unanswered questions about this profession, and as more and more people seem interested in joining the industry of content writing, it’d be best to answer them. Interestingly enough, a lot of people might feel discouraged by this, as content writing really does require writing skills of the highest level. This article, I believe, will help anyone interested in content writing to understand the profession better, and learn how to break through in it.

Following this, we’ll be discussing the deep specifics of this job, giving its accurate description, define the skills needed to make it in the profession of content writing, learn how to introduce yourself to the job market as a content writer, and we’ll give an example of a content writing job description template with explanations. Let’s get started.

What Is The Job Description of a Content Writer?

Content writing is commonly related to public relations and copywriting. The truth is: they’re all very similar, but they serve completely different purposes. While all three fields are intricately interconnected through writing, they are most definitely different.

Content writers create written material for websites and other types of media. They are often given a project from a content team that includes marketing professionals, project managers, and executive officers. Content writers must adhere to specific style guides and any content requirements that a company may have. Content writers play an essential role in search engine optimization, which drives web traffic and sales, and they’re responsible for explaining topics in a clear, actionable way.

The reason a content writer’s role in search engine optimization is labeled ‘essential’, is because of the way SEO works. Content writers create content for a website, and search engines automatically recognize that website as an active one. Then, they analyze it to compare it to search terms. If the content writer who’s written the post has done a good job, the post will have a good matching percentage with the searched term. This will help the website the writer’s written for rank higher on search engine searches.

Content writing is an important part of the puzzle we call ‘Content Marketing’. This is a relatively new form of marketing, developed in the early 2000s, but properly launching in the early 2010s. Content marketing massively relies on content writing as that’s the way businesses can reach out to their clientele, relating to them on a more personal note and developing a more meaningful professional relationship.

If you’re a business owner looking to hire a content writer, then your approach should be simple and kept down to the ground. Explain simply the responsibilities your new hire will take on, without any hesitation when it comes to difficulty. Be explicit when it comes to defining the skills you want your new hire to have. We’ll be exploring this specific topic more intensely down below.

What Skills Does a Content Writer Need?

As much as the career of a content writer may be appealing, there are certain requirements each writer has to fulfill in order to qualify for the job. As painfully obvious as it may seem, the first and the most important skill in your repertoire should be writing.

Here are some self-explanatory skills all content writers need: understanding grammar rules and how to construct clear sentences, being mindful of things like flow, readability, and sentence variety, computer literacy, as content writers use computers to create projects and to communicate with their team, an understanding of search engine optimization best practices, the ability to cooperate with other writers and editors to complete projects, the ability to give feedback on writing projects.

A content writer has got to be good at writing. This is self-explanatory, but there is absolutely no way you can succeed in this profession without being good at writing. This actually applies to most jobs: nobody wants to employ an unskillful worker. To most writers, writing comes naturally; they need to write, the talent behind it, and the natural instinct on developing the skill. Writers spend years and years honing their craft, more often than not working jobs similar to content writing, or writing creatively on their own in order to further develop their skills.

Content writers are often awarded the fairly ungrateful job of having to write about something they know very little or nothing about. This is why creativity is just as important as good vocabulary and grammar – creating something out of nothing is a hell of a job, and writers have to spend ages on research to learn enough about the topic to write about it.

This leads us to the second skill that’s widely appreciated in this job: research. Even though a lot of people may believe in the misconception that research is just searching your first hand-on web browser for whatever it is you’re writing about, that’s far from the truth. Most topics content writers are served for writing are far from general knowledge and require very specific knowledge – knowing where to find it and how to properly use it is key.

Another qualification, one that isn’t necessarily a requirement for hiring, but will always help a writer when they’re looking for a job is education. There are, unfortunately, few credible writing schools nowadays. Even though substantial interest and growth in the creative arts have been documented, education is still vastly focused on more practical disciplines. To have someone mentor you, track your progress, and teach you how to better yourself at writing would be a real blessing in writing, giving you an edge in comparison to self-taught writers. However, there are majors like journalism and comparative literature that are closely related to this.

Another trait that definitely deserves a mention here is flexibility. It’s factual that a huge load of work content writers receive is completely unrelated to their job, and on top of that – there are many clients who will absolutely insist that the writing is formatted in a specific way. It’s the job of a writer to adapt to the client’s wishes and get the job over the line.

Experience is the last, but certainly not the least important quality I’d like to mention. Being a writer with experience means having written articles, stories, or by chance having some of them published. This will make any writer prominent and make them shine in comparison to other candidates. Any work done by a writer should be stressed in their CV, or maybe even in an online portfolio.

How Do You Introduce Yourself as a Content Writer?

Freelance writers who want to get started in the field of content writing should look for companies that are looking to hire, possibly ones within their own field of expertise (if such an opportunity arises).

When looking for a vacant position as a content writer, there are several places you should look for.

A freelance marketplace is one of those places; an online market where freelance writers can post their own portfolios, individual profiles, and payment rates. The businesses in need can then relate to these marketplaces to find and hire their writers.

Freelance job boards are another way of getting in contact with your possible employer. Very similar to the aforementioned freelance marketplaces, these are places where businesses can post writing jobs, and writers can then apply by sending resumes and writing samples.

Another way is provided by content writing services. These businesses create content for other businesses in need and then hire writers to write that content. They have a roster of writers who write regularly, and they provide them with writing topics.

In order to get a job at one of these places, it’s important to keep yourself grounded. There’s no point in looking for a job if you can’t deliver on a project. You’ve already read through the skills needed to make it in the content writing industry, and I strongly suggest strengthening those skills before applying for a job. So, unless you’re absolutely sure your skills are adequate to take on a full load of writing prompts, you should write, write, and then write some more.

When introducing yourself to your possible employer, it’s important to stay honest. If you’ve just been writing for fun and still have nothing published – say that. It may sound like a weakness to you, but it still means that you have some experience in writing, even though you still may not have cashed in on it. Nobody in this world was ever born an expert, we all started out as toddlers, so it’s completely normal to look for a job in this field with only non-professional experience (trust me, it’s still a lot in comparison to people who have absolutely no experience in writing and just figure they’ll wing it).

Another thing you should definitely do is clearly define your skills and interests. It’s obvious that you won’t be able to write exclusively about the topics you like, but telling your employer the fields you’re heavily interested in is definitely going to help your chances. This way, your employer will know that there are topics they can hand you off knowing that you have personal experiences and knowledge in them, which makes you a more interesting prospect.

If you know that one of your writers plays the guitar, then it’s obvious that you should assign them musical topics, instead of hanging it on another writer who might not be able to deliver the same quality of writing.

It’s always important to define the kind of writing you do. Even if the only writing you ever did was for fun, it’s still important to define that and explain in what ways you want to expand and improve your writing. Introduce yourself as a flexible person, because various topics require various deadlines which can often be a bother – your employer needs to know that they can count on you. Definitely don’t leave out any other professional experience, even if it has nothing to do with writing – your employer will want to see this and know that you’re an accountable person.

Content Writing Job Description Template.

In this part of the article, we’ll show you how to write an accurate job description, one that will make your potential new hires run to you. Writing an effective job description is absolutely key in attracting your perfect applicant. Filtering through thousands of applications can be a menacingly tricky job, and ensuring that the number of applicants is as qualified as they can be will surely save you a lot of time.

The first thing your applicants will see is the job title. A job title should include a general term (the position you’re looking to fill) and the level of experience you’re looking for. Any additional requests you may have can be added to this. Here are some examples of job titles for content writing positions: content writer, content writer supervisor, senior content writer, etc. The job title specifically defines what you need from your applicants and what position are you offering them.

The next thing you need to add is a job summary. In this, you’ll basically define everything you need in an applicant, and everything the job’s offering within the company. Here’s an example:

Through the growth experienced by XYZ Inc., we’re addressing the need for a content writer to create content for our digital platform. The purpose of this position is to create, update, and nurture our relationship with our clients, through engaging content. The ideal candidate for this job is an experienced writer and storyteller, who will be able to present our company in an intriguing way. The applicant needs to be ready to work in a team, as the position is in direct correlation with other departments with a lot of feedback going back and forth. Being able to meet deadlines is a must, and applicants with experience in writing and content creation will be given preference.

The next part of the job description that needs defining is the writer’s responsibilities and duties. This is the most important part of the job description: here you’ll list and explain the responsibilities of the position and how it’s done. Here’s an example:

• Produce well-researched content for publication online and in print
• Organize writing schedules to complete drafts of content or finished projects within deadlines
• Utilize industry best practices and familiarity with the organization’s mission to inspire ideas and content
• Communicate and cooperate with a writing team, including a content manager, editors, and web publishers
• Follow an editorial calendar, collaborating with other members of the content production team to ensure timely delivery of materials
• Conducting in-depth research on industry-related topics in order to develop original content.

The last thing you need to add is the list of qualifications and skills needed for this position.

• Proven work experience as a Content Writer, Copywriter, or similar role
• Portfolio of published articles
• Experience doing research using multiple sources
• Familiarity with web publications
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English
• Ability to meet deadlines

Be sure to add formal education to this list if that’s one of the qualification points.

Here’s what a content writer job description should look like:

Content Writer

Job Summary

Through the growth experienced by XYZ Inc., we’re addressing the need for a content writer to create content for our digital platform. The purpose of this position is to create, update, and nurture our relationship with our clients, through engaging content. The ideal candidate for this job is an experienced writer and storyteller, who will be able to present our company in an intriguing way. The applicant needs to be ready to work in a team, as the position is in direct correlation with other departments with a lot of feedback going back and forth. Being able to meet deadlines is a must, and applicants with experience in writing and content creation will be given preference.

Content Writer Duties and Responsibilities

• Produce well-researched content for publication online and in print
• Organize writing schedules to complete drafts of content or finished projects within deadlines
• Utilize industry best practices and familiarity with the organization’s mission to inspire ideas and content
• Communicate and cooperate with a writing team, including a content manager, editors, and web publishers
• Follow an editorial calendar, collaborating with other members of the content production team to ensure timely delivery of materials
• Conducting in-depth research on industry-related topics in order to develop original content.

Content Writer Qualifications

•         Proven work experience as a Content Writer, Copywriter, or similar role
•         Portfolio of published articles
•         Experience doing research using multiple sources
•         Familiarity with web publications
•         Excellent writing and editing skills in English
•         Ability to meet deadlines