Do you aspire to be a content writer? Well, most employers today look for content marketers as opposed to the traditional content writers. Wondering what the difference is? Does the term “marketer” overwhelm you? We have all your queries covered. Read on and discover what the meaning and role of a content writer in the current day and age is. Also, read on for information on the top 10 Content Writing Courses in India, to help you take that first step towards your goal.
Content writing today is one of the most sought after jobs. The job market for content writing is awash with content writers, but at the same time, there are very few good content marketers who are employable. An excellent content writing course from an institute of repute will help you become a potential content marketer.
As such, content writing is skill-based and requires no particular degree. The pros are it is not age or gender restrictive. You can work as a freelancer; you can work from home.
The cons are that of enormous competition, which can be stressful. Though flexible, not meeting deadlines can cost you your job. It requires a reasonable amount of time management skills and discipline. It is also common to experience the writer’s block when there is a slowdown in the thought process and translation into work. It is inevitable, and almost all writers face it at some point during their career graph as a content writer.
For freelancers, a fact is it takes a significant amount of time to establish a name in the freelance market.
What do you mean by content writing?
Content is information available in various forms such as print, digital, videos, advertisements, infographics, brochures, podcasts, etc. Every written or spoken word is content.
The process of ideation, writing, editing, and proofing content for the digital media or print media comprises of content writing.
We consume content at an alarming rate. We are regularly consuming content, seamlessly, from one device to another throughout the day. The increase in smartphone usage across the globe, the rapid digitization, and the multitude of choices available are all influencing consumer content consumption. The trend is only on the rise in recent times.
With an increase in content consumption, we see a lot of irrelevant content and fluff. The keyword for content writing is to stay within the context and deliver content with value.
What is the role of a content writer?
Earlier, the thought was that if you have a flair for writing or are good with words, you can pursue content writing as a job. In today’s digitized world with cut-throat competition, this thought is simply a myth. A successful content marketer should conform to various criteria, such as:
- Master different styles of writing.
- Know some basics of SEO, HTML, and WordPress to understand the importance of integration of all of these factors into content writing.
- Basics of social media marketing.
- Understand buyer persona to create suitable content.
Writing clickable and creative content with quality is an art and science. The art part is the creativity with words, while the science part is the clickability and quality of the content
Look at any content writer job brief or requirement, and you will get a fair idea of all the qualities that a good content marketer must possess. Some of the significant attributes and job responsibilities include:
- Excellent research skills on given topics.
- Write engaging and clear marketing copy to promote websites, products, services, blogs, etc.
- Proofread and edit before publishing.
- Coordinate with marketing and design teams.
- Produce SEO-friendly articles with ample keyword research for increased web traffic.
- Content promotion on social media.
- Research, identify, and provide inputs on gaps in content and ensure all-round consistency with updating content as-needed.
The above parameters describe how a content writer should know about marketing and some design knowledge as well.
Content writing involves a wide range of disciplines, such as:
- Blogging.
- Ghostwriting.
- Articles.
- Interviews.
- Brand stories.
- Press releases.
- Internal communications.
- Copywriting.
- Infographics.
- Product description.
- Technical writing.
- White papers.
- Ebooks.
- Social media writing.
- PR outreach.
- Email writer
- Scriptwriter
- Long-form content, and so on.
How to become a content writer?
There is no set or definitive path to follow to become a content writer. Today, there is a massive market of online resources offering courses on anything and everything. From cooking to drawing to digital marketing, and content writing, there are courses available for everything online. There are platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, Coursera, etc., that have a multitude of options.
These courses offer the flexibility to learn anything from any device at your own convenient time. You can make use of these resources to learn the basics and get at least a fair understanding of what content writing involves. The downside of these courses is that they are not very interactive or specialized. They lack coordinated immediate response and learning.
On the other hand, there are many training institutes offering content writing courses. They have a well-defined and structured course curriculum that takes you step-by-step through the process and gives you a complete understanding of the functional aspects. Such institutes even provide internships and certifications with placement assistance.
The only way to become a good content writer is to seek training from an institute of repute. The hands-on training at an institute is like a launchpad. It gives you the kind of practical knowledge that propels your content writing career to an immediate take-off.
Let us walk you through the top 10 content writing institutes in India.
IIM SKILLS tops the list of institutes that provide training for content writing. The Content Writing Master Course at IIM SKILLS shows you how to excel in the art of content writing. They offer the most comprehensive course that is a perfect mix of content writing and content marketing, which is the need of the hour for a lucrative job.
The course is entirely online, obliterating the need for a commute to the institute. The institute has excellent faculty with rich domain experience. The student-centric approach and practical knowledge are what make this institute the #1 on the list. Also, they take in only a limited number of students facilitating personal attention to every participant.
Irrespective of you are a student, an entrepreneur, a working professional or, a homemaker; the course is for all. The design is such that anyone can learn and benefit from it. The mentor/trainer ensures every candidate understands all aspects of the training.
The Content Writing Master Course at IIM SKILLS includes:
- Four weeks of live online training.
- It has 16 hours of lectures and 60 hours of practical assignments.
- Students enrolling get free tolls worth 35k.
- An opportunity for an internship is invaluable.
- They provide placement assistance as well at the end of the internship (optional) period.
- The Content Writing Master Course comes with a master certification from IIM SKILLS, as well as a content marketing certification from Hubspot.
- The comprehensive course includes 12 modules.
- Module 1 includes web development by the end of which participants create their website.
- Module 2 is all about blog creation, understanding the psychology behind web traffic, creating landing pages, etc.
- The third module introduces you to the types of content writing.
- Module 4 is about keyword research, an all-important aspect when it comes to online writing.
- With module 5, you can start writing with tips on how to write what people want to read.
- Module 6 takes you through various tools that help make content writing easier.
- Module 7 is about duplicate content, how to check, and prevent it.
- The next module is about content distribution using email and automation.
- Module 9 explains Google local pages and how to set it up.
- The role of social media marketing in content marketing makes up the module 10.
- Module 11 is for exploring social media tools.
- Finally, module 12 is about freelance content writing and guidance on how to monetize your newly learned skill of content writing.
- IIM SKILLS provides a lifetime of free access to its learning management system to the participants.
- You can visit their website to get complete information on the course curriculum.
- The course fee is 11900/ + 18% GST.
The Content Writing Master Course truly creates value and earns the trust of its students by delivering results and exceeding expectations.
2- FUTURELEARN
FutureLearn is a British digital education platform founded in December 2012. The company is jointly owned by The Open University and SEEK Ltd. It is a Massive Open Online Course learning platform, and as of June 2020 included 175 UK and international partners, including non-university partners.
- Learn anything: Whether you want to develop as a professional or discover a new hobby, there’s an online course for that. You can even take your learning further with online programs and degrees.
- Learn together: Join millions of people from around the world learning together. Online learning is as easy and natural as chatting with a group of friends.
- Learn with experts: Meet educators from top universities and cultural institutions, who’ll share their experience through videos, articles, quizzes and discussions.
3- UDEMY
Udemy is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds owing to its multi-subject courses available on a single platform. It allows you to learn what you want, when you want, from where you want.
Udemy has a vast selection of courses with the advantage of industry experts from around the globe as instructors. Their classes are very engaging and include video lectures, tasks, and downloadable resources. Also inclusive is a certificate of completion and lifetime free access to the course.
Udemy is a learning podium connecting people from all around the world to the best instructors and transforming lives. It has free courses as well as paid ones. They have a friendly user interface, and navigation is a breeze. You can browse through their bouquet of courses and filter out as per your specifications.
Currently, their bestseller courses under the content writing category are:
- Ultimate Web Content Writing Masterclass + Power words eBook that is at a price of just INR 426/- The course includes copy/content writing and editing, blogging, marketing and strategy, SEO keyword research, etc.
- “Quickly and Easily Create Content for the Web!” This course is the highest rated course for INR 420/-. The course teaches you how to write persuasive content to get you traffic, fans, followers, and subscribers, and sales.
The other courses that fall under the best seller and highest rated include:
- How to Write Great Web Content- Better Search Rankings for INR 420/- This course teaches you to write content that drives business growth and helps you shape your digital presence in the ever-expanding semantic web.
- Start a Successful Part-Time Content Writing Home Business, also at INR 420/- This course will guide you on how to set up and run a complete online content writing business and outsource it as a business model.
4-COURSERA
Coursera is yet another online learning dais that is multi-lingual and multi-subject. The courses are flexible and affordable. You can master any skill you wish to from their humungous selection. Learn from the best tutors online and start from scratch, transitioning your way to a well-paying career.
The courses have filters of languages, level (beginner, intermediate or advance), skills, partner universities, and the learning product.
Currently for content writing the top-rated course is:
- The Strategy of Content Marketing. Offered by UC Davis University of California, this course has a rating of 4.5/5. The course teaches about the content marketing ecosystem, the strategic context, content marketing strategy, types of content, and finally, how to manage your content.
There are almost 102 different courses under the subheading of content writing. You can browse through and see which fits your bill. The classes are crafted to be self-paced but include hands-on projects to master the practical part of the learning, which is of utmost importance.
5-ONLINE IDEA LAB
Online Idea Lab is a next-gen organization with operations across India, USA, and Canada. They have an extensive line-up of specialized training that includes digital marketing, Amazon web services, content creation, python, and some short courses.
Under content creation, they have online and classroom courses and boot camps. You may opt for weekend batches or weekday batches. The courses include foundation, advance, technical, copywriting, creative, and instructional design.
The Foundation Content Writing Course has three main modules:
- Content research
- Content writing
- Content promotion.
The sub-modules include:
- Digital marketing fundamentals.
- Basic competitive analysis.
- Reading and analyzing content.
- Fundamentals of visual content.
- Common grammatical errors.
- Content writing and ethics.
- Content writing tools.
- Proofreading and editing.
- Writing viral content.
- Freelancing as a content writer.
Course fees vary for online and classroom courses. Classroom courses are an option for those residing in cities where the institute has its centers, and for the rest, the online course is the ideal option.
The institute provides a substantial amount of practical experience. It has a lifetime professional support for its students with an active alumni network. You will get to learn how to use several free and paid tools such as Canva, Grammarly, Hemingway, Feedly, Google trends, etc.
Online Idea Lab has a placement team that provides placement assistance to all students. During the course, they provide various assignments and activities to bring out the creativity of the students. They have a low student to teacher ratio to enable interactive sessions. The course modules are regularly updated. For the classroom experience, the institute has an excellent infrastructure to provide its students with the best learning experience.
You can visit their website and take a demo or meet the trainer before you make a decision.
6-IIEDM
The Indian Institute of E-commerce& Digital Marketing, or the IIEDM as it is known, has centers in Mumbai. They are all about digital marketing but do have a certification course for content writing as well.
At IIEDM, the Advance Certification Course in Content Writing includes:
- The art of writing (storytelling and its importance, tone of voice, and basic grammar rules).
- Understanding the reader (psychology of writing and how to apply it).
- Writing for the digital medium (copywriting, technical, and creative writing).
- Different types of writing (for websites, blogs, social media, banners/ads, etc.).
- After you write (proofing, editing, and re-writing).
Since digital marketing and content writing are interlinked, you can expect good courseware and learning. The faculty here is a “bunch of the sharpest minds” in their own words. They take a limited number of students per batch with flexible batch timings. You can take a look at the website and contact for further details about the classroom/online course and the fees.
7-DIGITAL ACADEMY 360
The Digital Academy 360 offers many courses, including content writing. The Content Writing Certification Program includes all forms of content writing and WordPress website designing, along with soft skills. The training is by industry experts. Timing is flexible with weekday and weekend batches
The Content Writing Certification Program includes:
- 16 + modules with 54 hours of classroom training.
- There are two certifications, 10+ tools, and two live writing assignments.
- 5+ case studies with revision and backup classes and internship opportunities.
- The certifications are from Digital Academy 360, as well as Hubspot.
- The institute provides placements for freshers as well as working professionals.
This course provides hands-on experience in different forms and types of content. It hones your research ability and helps in gaining a command over the language. It has 15+ centers in India, and the fee is affordable. You can visit their website for further information on the duration, cost, and mode of the course.
8-INVENTATEQ
Inventateq is a software training institute that offers training and placement in a host of other areas content writing included. The training in various fields aims at making students as well as working professionals more employable. They have centers across Bengaluru and also in Chennai. It is a full-fledged training institute with a dedicated placement cell.
The Inventateq job-oriented content writing course details are as follows:
- They have the option of the classroom and online training.
- 30-35 hours of training classes.
- There is flexibility with weekday and weekend batches.
- The training includes hands-on experience and exposure in the lab sessions.
- The modules will cover basics, types of content writing, content writing for SEO, blogging, eBook strategies, copywriting, email writing, and culminate with career opportunities.
You can visit their website and book a free demo and inquire about the duration and course fee.
9-ECT
Education and Career Times or ECT is a training organization recognized by the Government of India as a startup. They have courses in digital marketing, content writing, and communication skills and personality development. They have centers at Noida and Delhi but train online as well
The content writing course at ECT includes:
- Thirty-two hours of classroom/live training and 50 hours of e-learning and useful videos.
- It is a three-month course.
- The course includes eight assignments and four live projects.
- It is also inclusive of tests, quizzes, and comes with two certifications.
- They provide 100% placement assistance.
- The institute also assures work from home job opportunities with lifetime support.
- Courseware modules include an introduction to content writing, boosting vocabulary, common grammar errors, writing tools, tips, and techniques, creative writing or copywriting, business writing, technical writing, academic and fiction writing.
- The course also deals with how to earn money as a writer, build a career in content marketing, and the basics of content and digital marketing.
- They also give insights into how to publish your book.
- The course comes at a fee of INR 15,000/-
- Residents of Delhi can avail of a classroom teaching while residents elsewhere can avail of their online course.
- The course also has an internship opportunity.
The ECT also has a YouTube channel with videos on content writing. You can visit their website for further details and contact information.
Wrapping it up:
Content writing as an industry is thriving and will continue to be in demand for a long time to come. The real challenge is to produce quality content with the integration of the element of marketing. Go over the salient features of each institute very carefully before making a choice. Many offer in-depth information about the content. On the other hand, an institute that blends content and marketing to give you the in-demand skill is an excellent choice.
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