With AI instruments at everybody’s fingertips, what does “nice” content material writing imply in 2026?
Content material writing is about utilizing phrases and psychology to ship worth, earn belief, and transfer readers towards motion.
It contains weblog posts, social media content material, newsletters, and white papers. Or it may be scripts for video, podcasts, and shows.
| Content material Sort | Objective | Key Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Weblog posts | Educate; construct model consciousness and authority | In-depth, structured, research-backed |
| Social media posts | Have interaction, entertain, construct group | Conversational, visible, platform-specific |
| E mail newsletters | Nurture relationships; drive motion | Private tone, value-driven, scannable |
| Video/podcast scripts | Entertain; educate by way of audio/visible | Conversational, paced for speech, participating hooks |
| Displays/webinars | Educate and interact viewers for consciousness | Academic, crisp content material offered visually |
Not like copywriting, which persuades the viewers to take an motion, content material writing builds belief by way of educating.
Because of AI instruments, filling pages is simpler and sooner than ever.
And as content material turns into simpler to supply, consideration turns into more durable to earn — whether or not readers are scrolling social feeds, skimming search outcomes, or asking AI instruments for fast solutions.
The very best content material writers deliver a full toolkit: deep analysis, sharp important considering, strategic judgment, and the power to use these strengths in methods AI can’t replicate.
On this information, you’ll be taught eight content material writing abilities that set high performers aside, formed by my work with main manufacturers and insights from my colleagues at Backlinko.
1. Construct and Hone Your Analysis Abilities
Robust analysis is what separates fluff from content material folks belief.
Right here’s tips on how to construct a hands-on analysis course of.
Begin with Your Viewers
Viewers analysis is the simplest solution to perceive your readers: their ache factors, objectives, and hesitations.
Begin your analysis in just a few easy however efficient methods:
- Mine social media platforms to seek out emotional drivers behind shopping for choices
- Skim product critiques to be taught what excites or frustrates your viewers
- Discuss on to your viewers by way of polls, surveys, or 1:1 interviews
- Browse group boards to see actual conversations round your topic
For instance, if you happen to’re writing concerning the “greatest SaaS instruments,” don’t depend on generic characteristic lists to encourage your content material.
Go the place actual SaaS patrons are sharing suggestions — locations like G2 critiques and user-generated boards like Reddit.
These insights aid you create genuinely useful content material that connects with readers.
Rosanna Campbell, a senior author for Backlinko, shares what she appears for when researching an viewers:
However you don’t need to do all of the heavy lifting your self.
AI can velocity up a lot of this course of.
For example, Michael Ofei, our managing editor, makes use of a strategic immediate to mixture viewers insights from a number of channels.
Copy/paste this immediate into any AI instrument to jumpstart your analysis (simply replace your subject description first).
After utilizing this immediate for the subject “journalist outreach,” Michael acquired a useful listing of ache factors mapped to consumer degree and emotional depth.
Carry out a Search Evaluation
Subsequent, it’s time to evaluate natural search outcomes to evaluate what content material already exists and the place you may add worth.
Chris Shirlow, our senior editor, stresses the significance of wanting carefully at who’s rating and the way when finding out search outcomes:
Take note of:
- Content material depth: Is the content material shallow (brief posts) or complete (lengthy guides)?
- Authority: Who’s rating — huge manufacturers, area of interest consultants, or smaller websites?
- Visuals: What sort of visuals could make your content material stand out?
- Gaps and lacking angles: What’s lacking that you can add?
Then, repeat the identical course of with giant language fashions (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
AI has modified how folks uncover and devour data.
This implies it’s not sufficient to rank on Google; your content material additionally must floor in AI-generated solutions.
Discover the kind of insights developing in AI-generated responses, and discover gaps within the outcomes.
Take note of the ceaselessly cited manufacturers and content material codecs to grasp what AI considers “trusted.”
Examine these articles carefully to see how they’re incomes citations and mentions.
Map Out Key Subjects with Content material Instruments
Instruments like Semrush’s Matter Analysis additionally aid you be taught extra concerning the subjects your viewers is fascinated by.
Enter a subject like “lifecycle e-mail advertising and marketing” and also you’ll get a visible map of associated themes like “loyalty program” and “segmenting your viewers.”
This provides you perception into the subtopics to cowl, inquiries to reply, and angles that resonate together with your viewers.
2. Discover Recent Angles to Create Standout Content material
Don’t fall into the lure of rehashing what’s already rating.
Discover new angles and content material concepts to interrupt by way of the group.
Angles come from stress. This is usually a stunning perception, a typical mistake, a high-stakes story, or a view that challenges the norm.
With out stress, you’re simply including to the noise. Right here’s tips on how to discover them.
Discover Gaps in Present Content material
Examine the top-ranking and ceaselessly cited articles to your subject, and see what’s lacking.
It may very well be:
- Shallow sections that want a deeper evaluation
- Subjects defined with out visuals, examples, or case research
- Predictable “secure takes” that ignore different views and daring recommendation
Use this framework to doc these gaps.
| Content material Hole | What to Assess |
|---|---|
| Depth | Is the content material surface-level? Are key subjects rushed, repetitive, or lacking nuance? |
| Proof | Are claims backed by credible proof like examples, case research, knowledge, or visuals? |
| Perspective | Does it repeat what everybody else is saying, or deliver a contemporary angle? |
| Format | Is the data structured logically and straightforward to scan? |
Take into account Alternatives for Data Achieve
Data achieve provides distinctive worth to your content material in comparison with the prevailing content material on the identical subject.
Suppose authentic knowledge, free templates, and new methods.
Principally, it helps your content material stand out from the group. And creates an “aha” second to your readers.
Use the following tips so as to add data achieve to your articles:
- Discover concrete proof: Assist your claims with authentic analysis, case research, quotes, or actual examples from your personal expertise or {industry} consultants
- Broaden on throwaway insights: Take loosely mentioned concepts and canopy them intimately with extra context, knowledge, and actionable takeaways
- Counter predictable recommendation: Stand out with contrarian views, exceptions, or ignored approaches
- Handle unanswered questions: Discover what confuses readers and fill these gaps together with your content material
At Backlinko, our writers and editors contemplate data achieve early in outlining to uncover gaps and add worth from the beginning.
Right here’s how our senior editor, Shannon Willoby, approaches it:
In my very own article on ecommerce web optimization audits, I proposed a simplified, goal-based construction for the define, with an actionable guidelines — one thing lacking from present content material.
This strategy gave readers a clearer roadmap as an alternative of simply one other generic audit information.
Use AI as a Creativity Multiplier
AI content material instruments make nice sparring companions that improve your considering.
For example, Shannon shares her course of for utilizing AI to refine her analysis.
The next prompts might help you discover deeper angles and enhance your viewers alignment:
| Easy methods to use AI to enhance content material | Prompts |
|---|---|
| Discover blind spots | Right here’s my analysis for an article on [topic]. What questions or objections would readers nonetheless have after going by way of this? Record gaps I ought to deal with to make it really feel extra full. |
| Problem assumptions | I’m arguing that [insert your point]. Play satan’s advocate: what could be the strongest counterarguments towards this view, and what proof may assist them? |
| Discover different views | Rewrite this concept as if you happen to have been chatting with: (a) a complete newbie, (b) a mid-level practitioner, and (c) a skeptic. Present me how every group would interpret or query it in a different way. |
3. Again Up Your Factors with Proof
Proof-backed content material offers weight to your arguments and makes summary concepts simpler to digest.
It additionally helps your content material stick in readers’ minds lengthy after they’ve clicked away.
This contains firsthand examples, knowledge, case research, and knowledgeable insights.
The bottom line is utilizing respected, industry-leading sources in your content material writing. And backing up claims with verifiable proof.
Right here’s how several types of proof can strengthen your content material:
- Latest analysis knowledge: Backs up tendencies and {industry} shifts with exhausting numbers
- Case research: Proves outcomes are achievable with real-world outcomes
- Knowledgeable quotes: Provides credibility when difficult assumptions or introducing new concepts
- Examples: Makes summary ideas concrete and relatable
4. Construction Your Concepts in a Detailed Define
A top level view organizes your concepts and insights into a transparent construction earlier than you begin writing.
It maps out the important thing sections you’ll cowl, supporting proof, and the order through which you’ll current your factors.
For instance, right here’s the define I created for my Backlinko article on subdomains vs. subdirectories:
I included a working headline, H2s, and details. I additionally added my plans for data achieve.
This reveals purchasers or employers the way you’ll ship distinctive worth — and retains you centered on differentiating your content material from the beginning.
To get began together with your define, consider your core argument: what’s a very powerful takeaway you need readers to go away with?
From there, use the inverted pyramid to create an intuitive construction.
Embrace a very powerful particulars at first of each part, then layer extra context as you go.
5. Develop Your Distinctive Writing Voice
Two folks can write about the identical subject.
However the one with a definite voice is the one folks quote, bookmark, and keep in mind.
Assess Your Writing Persona
To outline your writing character, begin by analyzing the way you naturally talk.
Take a look at your emails, Slack messages, and social posts.
Discover patterns in tone, humor, pacing, analogies, pop-culture references, or how typically you utilize knowledge and stats.
Then, distill these insights into just a few adjectives that describe the way you need to sound.
Like skilled, insightful, and authoritative.
Use these to information your writing voice.
For instance, let’s say your adjectives are conversational, humorous, and genuine.
Right here’s how that may look in follow:
- Conversational: Brief sentences with informal, relatable language. “Let’s be actual — writing your first draft is 90% gazing a blinking cursor.”
- Humorous: Use wit or humorous references to interact readers. As an alternative of “Most introductions are too lengthy,” you would possibly say, “Most intros drag on longer than a Marvel end-credit scene.”
- Genuine: Add tales out of your lived experiences to make folks really feel seen. “Once I first launched my weblog, my mother was my solely reader for six months.”
Get Impressed by Your Favourite Writers
To maintain sharpening your voice, research writers you admire.
Take note of their rhythm, tone, and construction.
What phrases do they use? How do they maintain your consideration — whether or not in a long-form weblog submit or a fast LinkedIn replace?
Borrow what works, then put your personal spin on it so it nonetheless sounds such as you.
Adapt to Your Shoppers’ Voices
As a content material author, purchasers and employers will typically count on you to adapt your writing to their model voice.
This would possibly imply adjusting your tone, pacing, or phrase option to match their model’s character.
Examine just a few of their weblog posts or emails to grasp their model.
Observe patterns in rhythm and vocabulary, and mirror these in your draft — with out dropping what makes your writing yours.
AI instruments might help you test how effectively your draft matches your consumer’s voice.
Add each the model’s voice tips and your draft to an LLM and use this immediate:
6. Add Wealthy Media to Enhance Scannability
Even one of the best concepts lose affect when hidden behind partitions of textual content.
Plus, analysis reveals that most individuals skim net pages. Their eyes dart to headlines, opening traces, and something that stands out visually.
That’s why including visible breaks, comparable to photos, screenshots, and tables, is so vital.
Visible content material works effectively while you need to illustrate some extent.
It additionally simplifies or amplifies concepts which are exhausting to convey with textual content alone.
As Chris Hanna, our senior editor, places it:
Listed below are just a few locations the place infographics can complement your writing:
Tables or side-by-side visuals
Diagrams or matrices
Flowcharts or timelines
Layered visuals (like Venn diagrams)
At Backlinko, we observe visible break density (VBD) — the ratio of visuals to textual content.
Our purpose is a visible break density of 12% or greater for each article.
That’s about 12 visuals (photos, GIFs, callout containers, or tables) per 1,000 phrases to maintain content material simple to scan and fascinating.
Right here’s how this appears in follow:
We do that to enhance the readability, retention, and engagement of our articles, from begin to end.
7. Perceive Easy methods to Promote By way of Your Content material
Every bit of content material sells one thing — a product, a signup, a return go to.
However good content material doesn’t learn like a pitch.
It gently nudges folks to take motion by constructing belief and fixing actual issues.
Lead with Worth
That is what Klaviyo, an e-mail advertising and marketing platform, does by way of its weblog content material.
They embrace useful examples, authentic knowledge, and actionable suggestions of their content material writing.
However in addition they weave in product mentions that really feel useful, not salesy.
There are case research, screenshots, and examples that present how actual purchasers used their platform to extend income.
That is sensible for just a few causes.
It proves their experience, reinforces how their product solves actual issues, and delivers worth — even when the reader by no means turns into a buyer.
Give attention to Outcomes, Not Options
Folks don’t care what an organization presents — they care what it helps them obtain.
Options discuss what you supply. Outcomes present folks how they’ll profit.
Right here’s what this appears like in follow:
| Characteristic-driven writing | Final result-driven writing |
|---|---|
| “Redesigned homepage utilizing Figma and customized CSS” | “After my redesign, load time dropped to 2 seconds and conversions jumped 40%. Right here’s how I deliberate it.” |
| “Our instrument automates month-to-month reporting.” | “One company reduce reporting time from 5 hours to 1 and reinvested these 4 hours into consumer development. Let’s break down this workflow that will help you obtain comparable outcomes.” |
Present folks you perceive their frustrations by baking their ache factors into your content material writing.
When readers sense you’ve been of their sneakers, they’re extra open to your recommendation.
Take this HubSpot CRM product web page, for instance.
It highlights actual frustrations — setup hassles, messy migrations, misplaced knowledge — the precise complications their viewers feels.
Then, it shifts to outcomes with copy like “unified knowledge” and better productiveness from “day one.”
That’s outcome-driven content material writing. It connects with the viewers instantly and makes the advantages crystal clear.
Share Your Firsthand Struggles
Authority issues, however so does humility.
Be sincere about your wins and failures. It makes your content material really feel actual.
Right here’s an instance from one in every of my Backlinko articles the place I shared my struggles with making a social media calendar:
I relate to the viewers with language like “too many tabs” and “overwhelming categorization.”
And supply a free calendar template so readers can apply what they be taught.
8. Finalize Your Work
Right here’s the reality: your first draft is rarely your greatest draft.
Modifying is the place your content material really comes alive.
Step Away from Your Draft
One of many easiest modifying methods within the guide? Give your draft some respiration room.
Chris Shirlow, our senior content material editor, explains why:
It could take just a few rounds of modifying and refining earlier than you get the whole lot excellent:
- Spherical 1 (fast wins): Undergo the article. Does it move logically? Is it simple to grasp? Do your examples clearly illustrate the core concepts?
- Spherical 2 (construction): Ask AI for modifying suggestions. What are you lacking? Does the construction/writing move naturally? Is there any room so as to add extra worth?
- Spherical 3 (polish): Tighten sentences, transitions, viewers alignment, and examples
Right here’s a immediate you should use for Spherical 2:
Prioritize Readability Over Cleverness
In case your viewers has to re-read a sentence to grasp it, you’ve misplaced them.
As Yongi Barnard, our senior content material author, says:
Take a fast litmus take a look at: Is that this sentence/phrase/phrase right here as a result of it helps my viewers, or as a result of I like the way it sounds?
You’ll know a sentence/phrase must be reduce if it…
- Slows down the move
- Makes the purpose more durable to grasp
- Is redundant
Widespread points in content material writing (and tips on how to repair them) embrace:
| Downside Areas | Weak Instance | Robust Instance |
|---|---|---|
| Wordiness | “At this time limit, to be able to enhance your rankings, it is advisable to be specializing in the fundamentals of web optimization.” | “To enhance rankings, concentrate on web optimization fundamentals.” |
| Jargon | “We have to leverage synergies throughout verticals.” | “We want totally different groups to work collectively.” |
| Summary Claims | “Content material high quality is vital for web optimization success.” | “Websites that publish in-depth content material (2,000+ phrases) rank greater than skinny pages.” |
Construct Your Private Modifying Guidelines
Each author has blind spots: repeated grammar errors, overused phrases, or formatting errors.
That’s why Yongi suggests creating a private modifying guidelines that features frequent errors and recurring suggestions from editors.
Chris Hanna suggests going by way of the guidelines earlier than submitting your draft:
Over time, you’ll naturally make fewer errors.
Right here’s an modifying guidelines to get you began:
Easy methods to Change into a Content material Author: A Fast Roadmap
In case you’re ranging from scratch, don’t fear — each nice content material author started precisely the place you’re.
Right here’s tips on how to construct momentum and get observed.
Discover a Area of interest You’re Passionate About
The quickest solution to degree up as a author? Specialize.
Niching down builds authority — and makes purchasers belief you quicker.
So, decide a distinct segment (or two) and change into an knowledgeable.
A great area of interest checks three containers:
- Ardour: You care sufficient to continue learning and writing when it will get powerful
- Potential: There’s rising demand for this data
- Profitability: Companies spend money on content material on this subject
Construct Experience and Authority in Your Area of interest
When you decide a distinct segment, change into a trusted voice.
This provides you a number of benefits:
- Conventional and AI search engines like google and yahoo see your content material as authoritative
- Readers usually tend to belief what you say
- Your content material is extra prone to be shared and quoted
Begin with what you already know. Draw from your personal experiences so as to add depth and credibility.
For instance, the journey author India Amos constructed her authority by writing firsthand critiques.
Her Enterprise Insider piece a few ferry trip is grounded in actual expertise, making the content material reliable and relatable.
However don’t restrict your self to content material writing for purchasers. Get your identify on the market.
- Contribute visitor posts and knowledgeable quotes to respected websites
- Communicate at conferences or webinars
- Share insights on social media
The extra you’re cited as an knowledgeable, the stronger your credibility.
Be taught web optimization Fundamentals
web optimization fundamentals stay important to content material writing: key phrase analysis, aggressive evaluation, and on-page optimization.
However you’ll additionally need to know tips on how to write and construction LLM-friendly content material.
YouTube movies, blogs, and programs might help you perceive these subjects shortly.
It’s additionally useful to familiarize your self with in style web optimization instruments.
Shoppers typically count on you to know platforms like:
- Clearscope, Surfer web optimization, MarketMuse: Content material optimization and readability scoring
- Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz: Key phrase analysis and aggressive evaluation
- Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini: AI search perception and prompt-based content material discovery
Present Proof of Work with a Portfolio
A portfolio showcases what you deliver to the desk and supplies proof of your accomplishments as a author.
However you don’t need to spend weeks (or months) constructing one.
What issues most is what’s inside your portfolio, comparable to:
- A brief intro about who you’re and what you supply
- Writing samples that showcase your experience
- Testimonials or references
- Contact data
Instruments like Notion, Contra, Authory, and Bento allow you to design a portfolio in minutes.
For example, right here’s my Authory portfolio:
I like this platform as a result of it routinely provides all articles credited to my identify.
You may as well spend money on a web site for extra management and search visibility.
I did each — having a portfolio and web site helps me enhance my on-line visibility:
LinkedIn can even double as your portfolio.
Add particulars about every consumer and hyperlink to your articles within the “Expertise” part of your profile.
Share your on-the-job insights, characteristic testimonials, and interact in related conversations.
And don’t neglect to submit your favourite work, from weblog posts to copywriting.
Not like a static website, LinkedIn retains you seen in actual time.
Future-Proof Your Content material Writing Abilities
Use what you’ve realized right here to create content material that builds your repute and lands purchasers.
As a result of nice content material writing doesn’t simply fill pages. It opens doorways.
And as AI continues to reshape the content material world, one of the best writers don’t resist it — they evolve with it.
So, don’t worry synthetic intelligence as a author. Use it to your benefit.
