Careers in Content Writing

Creating content for the web can be termed as content writing. An offshoot of the cyber media, content writing, also known as web content writing, has emerged as a prospective career line in the media industry. Whether it is expanding one’s business or promoting a product or service, content writing has become one of the most effective ways of accomplishing the targets, through writing articles and publishing them on the web. However, wed content developing is entirely different from print or any other media form. Even though a content writer is desired to draft articles, but this is achieved only after carrying out extensive research of the topic and material to be included in the article, being sketched. Apart from incorporating all the creative ideas and juicy thoughts in the article, the information so written must be factually correct and authentic, in order to make the website genuine and not plagiarized. While keeping the target audience in mind, the content should be precise and must help in the proliferation of the sales of the product, thereby generating revenues. Familiarity with correct grammar and appropriate use of key words is always an advantage while climbing the ladder in content writing. The article written should be interesting enough to attract advertisers, create maximum readership, and increase the popularity of both the content and the website.

Course Details
Presently, no specific courses have been formulated for content writing. However, considering the increasing popularity of the field, some institutes have introduced short-term online courses for the same. Though any graduate with good writing skills, vocabulary, and grammar can excel in this field, but those, who have completed graduation in English or mass communication, are preferred for this job. Reading newspapers, magazines, and articles can help one to sharpen his/her skills for content writing.

Career Prospects
With the expansion of Business-to-Business and Business-to-Customer organizations, the scope of content writing has widened. The career can be pursued on both full-time and part-time basis. Apart from executing the routine 9-6 job, one can also opt for freelancing, that is, working for more than one organization at a time. One can opt for technical writing or feature writing. Numerous organizations have started hiring content writers to expand their business. A content writer can work with business houses or websites that deal with developing content to promote/sell their products. After gaining considerable experience, a content writer is usually promoted to the post of content editor.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
Wavelength eLearning Consulting and Training Pvt. Ltd. in Noida is one of the few institutes in India that offer online certificate courses in content writing. Apart from this institute, numerous workshops and online programs are also conducted by few other educational institutions. A number of institutes offering courses in journalism and mass communication also provide training in content writing. Some of them are: TWB Institute, Bangalore; Xavier’s Institute of Communication, Mumbai; The British Council at major metropolitan cities; Centre for Research in Art of Film & Television, New Delhi; Compete Infotech Academy, Kolkata; R.K. Films & Media Academy, New Delhi; International Institute of Mass Media, New Delhi; Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; Asian College of Journalism, Bangalore; Amity School of Journalism and Communication, New Delhi; Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune; 9.9 School of Convergence, New Delhi; and Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore.

Remuneration
Since content writing is one of the very popular professions in the recent times, remuneration is considerably high in India. Beginners can expect anywhere between Rs. 8000 and Rs. 12,000, while experienced content writers can earn up to Rs. 25,000, or even higher.