Written communication is an important transferable skill that can be utilised across many roles and industries, and it’s essential if you’re working in the digital space. If you enjoy writing creatively, why not see if you can incorporate writing into your career?
Check out our tips for improving your professional writing skills.
1. Write to the brief
One size does not fit all when it comes to writing. You might be writing for a newsletter or copy for an advertising campaign, a report for work or a blog for your peers. Make sure you have a brief or solid outline of what you need to be writing, so you can ensure your writing fulfils its purpose. And don’t forget to consider search engine optimisation to make sure your words can be found by your avid reader!
2. Know your audience
It’s important to know who you’re writing for before you start. Is your piece aimed at school students, your colleagues or a specific sector of the community? Your writing style will differ for each one. Your use of language, structure, tone and style will need to adapt for your reader. Part of the brief should be who your audience is.
3. Write concisely
Often you’ll have a word count and it’s important to stick to this. If you’re writing a short form piece for online or social media, you’ll need to make sure every word is pulling its weight. But this will go back to the brief – sometimes more descriptive language will be necessary for the style you’re writing for and you can put more of your creative writing skills to use. Remember to start strong and finish strong!
4. Editing and proofreading
Editing and proofreading are very different skills from writing but no less valuable. It’s often hard to edit your own work and, depending on whether you’re working with an editor, you might have to do this to varying degrees. Take a day and go back to it with fresh perspective. Print it out and go over it line by line. Try to get a second pair of eyes to look at your work as they’ll often catch something you don’t.
Enhance your writing skills with our online courses Business Writing That Works, Blog Basics or SEO Copywriting.