18 Feb The 9 Different Types of Business Writers
There’s a lot of bad content out there—bland social media stories, rambling blog posts that never seem to make a point, and marketing collateral entirely focused on the company instead of the customer. I’m not saying this is because of bad writers—sometimes it is, but there’s another point I want to make here. Bad content happens when companies select the wrong business writers for the task.
There are many different types of writers out there who can help you achieve a variety of business objectives—you just need to make sure you’re using the right one.
So, who are these business writers? Take a look.
Public relations
These professionals plan, direct, and oftentimes create the content that will cast a positive light on the employer or client. They draft up press releases and pitch them to outside publications in order to gain the media’s attention about the company. If (or when) a controversy occurs, PR managers are the ones to deliver the right message to the press. They often work in tandem with a journalist or blogger.
Journalists
Always ready to uncover the next big scoop, a journalist is focused on delivering the news to the public. Journalists often need to dig for information, research facts, and chase down leads to create a solid, well-rounded story. Since the newspaper industry has changed drastically over the last few years, many journalists are now focused on creating online content.
Blogger
Similar to a journalist, a blogger is all about delivering news and information, but they do so under their specific vertical. A good blogger knows how to create timely and relevant content for their audience and does so in a conversational and consistent fashion. They also have a keen knowledge of SEO, which brings in more traffic to the company’s website from search engines.
Web content writer
This writer knows how to create compelling copy for websites and has an in-depth knowledge into the types of designs and layouts that would work best for the content. These writers work closely with graphic designers and developers to make sure form meets function and that the user experience will be outstanding.
Advertising writer
An ad writer comes up with ideas for advertising campaigns and executes them through commercial scripts, email campaign copy, and/or product taglines, names or descriptions. An advertising writer is the one who creates things like “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.” Selling the product or creating awareness is their priority.
Social media manager
A social media manager is a cross between a blogger, a PR manager, an advertising writer, and that person at a party who everyone wants to talk to. The posts they draft must be engaging, entertaining, and sharable. Their goal is to increase awareness, give voice to the brand, and drive traffic.
Technical writer
A technical writer is one who can take the technical aspects of a product—the gears in your car or the processors in your laptop—and translate them into either crystal-clear instructions or digestible information. These individuals tend to be highly specialized in one subject.
Ghost writer
Did you know Snooki from the bizarrely addictive TV show Jersey Shore “wrote” a book? Yeah, that was a ghost writer. They are the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who helps celebrities, thought leaders or subject matter experts get their message out. A ghost writer’s number-one priority is to capture the tone of their client and write the copy on their behalf. This extends beyond the print book world—there are many, many blog posts, white papers, speeches, and talking-head scripts that are written by ghost writers.
Unicorn
A unicorn is a writer who encompasses all of the above. They have a knack for uncovering the big scoop and can write copy in a way that’s social-media-level entertaining. These are the types of writers we have here at Jansen Communication. We can create copy for all kinds of different companies and industries—from options trading to jewelry design.
If you’re not sure the type of writer you need for your next big project, give us a shout. We’d be more than happy to steer you in the right direction.
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