I’ve been writing content for many years now, under different hats, requirements, positions, and pseudonyms: from blog posts, to copy, to scripts, to decks, to white papers, to marketing collateral, to sales enablement material for startups, to social posts, to ads, to ghostwriting, and more.
Heck, it’s expected in this day and age as Content is King, but I still do not consider myself a content writer.
After almost 20 years of delivering content in one form or another, I still believe there are many others (an understatement) who could have written it better, who are more professional in their grammar, vocabulary, and structure.
But it isn’t the words alone, but how those words deliver a message that matters. It isn’t simply choosing between Could vs. Would that makes a piece valuable, but whether it answers the need and delivers on its goal.
You could have designed, built, and written a beautiful message, but if your audience doesn’t walk away easily understanding WTF your startup really does, then you’ve missed the point…no matter how pretty your content is.
So the goal isn’t to just be a content writer but to deliver a message that resonates, is understood, and actually drives the desired action.
…and my personal goal with this post? I hope not to be called a content writer 🙂