Laregnosis Episode 1: Becoming a Content Writer

Hi guys, it's nice to have you here on the first episode of Laregnosis. I know it's been a while since I promised to give you all great tips on writing through Laregnosis but I've not been very good at that. But that's about to change now, I'll try to be consistent from now on.

When you hear the word "content writing" what comes to your mind? I'll let you answer that, but then, content writing might be just more than what you think it is. I've planned to share with you the story of how I became a content writer. After that, I'll conclude with 5 things that make a content writer. So, stay glued.

How I Became a Content Writer

My journey to becoming a content writer began as a news blogger. At that time, I knew literally nothing about writing. I was just a high school graduate trying to hustle before gaining admission into a university. And I was told there's money in blogging, so what else was I looking for?

Anyways, that's one big mistake I made. Maybe not the greatest anyways, after all, it led me to become a better writer. But my point is, I had the wrong motivation for writing or blogging. Mind you, it's pretty cool to want to make money from what you do, but that shouldn't be your primary goal.

Because I knew nothing about writing or blogging at that time, all I did was copy news from reputed sources like naij.com (I think they've changed their name anyways), punch, daily trust, daily post, and many others. I will copy the news and past them directly on my blog, all because I needed more posts on my blog to attract more visitors and get my AdSense approved.

Unfortunately, I was unknowingly harming myself and my blog. The first thing is, Google will not approve my AdSense since all I had were plagiarised content. Secondly, I do not have organic traffic since my traffic source is either from Facebook or WhatsApp groups. The reason for this is that plagiarism also harmed my SEO ranking. Well, I don't know at the time, but now I do.

Long story short, when I realized this, I had to delete all the blog contents and start afresh. But even at that, I didn't know what I was doing. I later realize that you can plagiarise without Google's algorithm detecting it. So, I will copy the news from the sources and edit the first and the last paragraphs, and that's it. I escaped google algorithm's plagiarism detection and got my AdSense approved.

But even with the AdSense approval, I made close to nothing from the ads because, firstly, my traffic was low, secondly, my traffic source too wasn't organic. So, I got tired and, well, the domain name expired and I refused to renew it.

Now, amidst all these, I didn't become a writer, even though I thought I was. But why? Let's see what it takes to become a content writer:

5 Things That Make a Content Writer

It's easy for anyone to wake up one day, write a few articles, and proclaim themselves as writers. But writing is more than mere use of words and sentences to make paragraphs, there's more to it than that. So, what makes a writer a writer? I've compiled these 5 things that make a content writer.

Creative Imagination

How many Marvel studio movies have you seen? If there's anything I love most about the movies produced by this studio, it's the storyline and how much these stories relate, despite being separate stories written at a separate time. That's the power of creativity!

Creativity is an important characteristic of any writer, regardless of your niche or audience. You need to be able to think beyond what is, to make great content.

Originality and Quality of Contents

Being original and distinct is very crucial in writing. The truth is, there's nothing you want to write about that someone hasn't written about or something close to it. But what makes you different is your originality, the quality of your writings, and how true you are to yourself and your audience.

Like in my story, I was having more blog posts but I was harming myself thinking I was doing something right. Your audience wants you to be unique, original, and provide them with high-quality informational content. Not some copy and paste articles they've probably seen a plethora of times. 

While this helps to build trust in your audience, it helps you become, not just a better writer, but also help improve your site's SEO and generate more organic traffic for you.

Great Researching Skill

To be able to write great content on any topic, your research skills must be top-notch and terrific. I remember recently while I was writing on a topic for a client and I was researching the topic. In the long run, I got some information that'd helped in the preceding paragraphs, and then I couldn't find a solid point to start the subsequent paragraph.

Not like I didn't find anything at all, but I wasn't sure if that was the fact. I was about to go with that before I decided to research further. Eventually, I got the point I needed and continued with my writing.

The point in sharing this scenario is that your readers are only coming to you for valid, verified, and authentic information on whatever topic you're writing on. You must be able to conduct in-depth research on the topic and give facts only. Otherwise, you might lose your audience.

Writers are Readers

You can't become a great writer without first becoming a great reader. Reading widely across and outside of your niche gives you in-depth knowledge of your niche, the world around you, and even helps you improve as a writer. And who knows, you might find inspiration in one of those books or contents you're reading.

I've often drawn my inspiration from reading books or online content, and it has helped to improve my writing too. From another view, reading helps you to broaden your mind and help you think wider. So, as a writer, you must learn to read wide.

Consistency

This is very crucial to becoming a better content writer. If there's anything that matters most in writing, it's consistency. As I said, it's easier to write one or two articles and proclaim yourself as a writer, but how consistent are you??

Consistency doesn't just make you a better writer, it helps to build trust in your audience, build your voice, and your identity as a writer. It is, indeed, one of the best qualities any writer must have to become a better writer.

See you next time

Let's stop here today, shall we? Don't worry, I'll be back. But I'll like to state this as I leave you today, content writing is fun, although challenging, but it's worth it. It's an essential skill everyone must have, either as a student, a teacher, a business owner, an employee, or even as an artisan.

I know you're wondering how does writing relates to all these aspects of human life, why not find it out in my next episode of Laregnosis? I look forward to seeing you in my next episode.