Content Writing Challenges and How to Overcome Them Like A Pro

Every profession has its own share of challenges, even though we truly love what we do.

When I was still working full-time as a feature writer for a women's magazine, the challenge was to find suitable sources for the articles I was writing. Interviewing public figures is not always easy, especially when you are faced with tough situations. One day I made an appointment for an interview with one of the top celebrities in Indonesia. When I arrived at her house, her housekeeper greeted me and asked me to sit in her living room and wait. Five minutes... Twenty minutes... Forty minutes have passed. The person I was waiting for hasn't shown up yet. I started to get nervous because it was getting late. I was worried what if the interview interfere with her resting time if she's showing up super late? What if she has a hard time focusing on my questions? Or maybe she's going to be in a bad mood while answering my questions.

Almost an hour later, she appeared. I was greeted warmly, although her face did look a little tired. Just got home from shooting, she said. I asked her some small conversation starters and before we knew it, the real conversation started to roll. I opened up her personality little by little asking the questions I had prepared in my notebook, which I had memorized by heart while waiting for her.

The conversation went flat—not bad, but I'm sure any writer would be anxious to go home without discovering a side that a public figure has never shown. I think this is the challenge. I don't know how I'll have to rack my brain to sew a story out of the material I've got, or I can ask her the final question that will make her more comfortable telling her story. Who would have thought that my question about her daughter's zodiac made her more open to me? I could see her wide sparkling eyes when she told me about the mother-daughter relationship they have and how she uses zodiac compatibility to bond with her daughter.

Many people think that to be a content writer, you have to be creative all the time. To be honest, although Yumir Lubis (CEO of SPARTA) said that “everyone is born creative” in the Inspirational Sharing Session on YOUVIT, I don't think I can always be creative. The un-creativity can be caused by so many things. But no need to worry... there are always solutions for them too!

1. Writer's Block

Writing is one way to express ideas, experiences and feeling into written form. But it's not always sunshine and rainbows when it comes to writing. We, writers, also have bad days, where we are faced with difficulties to express or elaborate our own thoughts into written form.

It could be because we are experiencing burnout, lack of confidence, or various other personal issues.

How to overcome the challenge:

Take a break—walking/exercising, sleeping, or doing things that are not related to writing is always a great idea.

2. Lack of Experience with the Topic

Lack of experience in writing a topic makes our writing less depth and of course less informative. That is why many writers have certain expertise/fields that they are very good at, although it is also possible to explore new topics.

How to overcome the challenge:

Find your niche/focus. Being versatile is good but being a specialist is always better!

3. Meeting the Deadlines

Meeting this deadline seems like a daily struggle for almost all writers. Sometimes we may work on more than one project at the same time or have to complete a project where the timeline is tight and when working on it we have to do research, pitch various ideas, and alternatives, etc. But of course, we still have to meet the deadline.

How to overcome the challenge:

Prepare a timetable and create a schedule for each job that must be done. Set a timer to estimate how much time you will need to research and also write an article.

4. Not Knowing Your Audience

Sometimes, content writers only act as writers with our own idealism and forgot that in fact, we also have to think and have a perspective as a marketer.

How to overcome the challenge:

The first question you should be able to answer before writing: Who is your audience?

Usually, it can appear in the form of various personas to make it easier for you to imagine who they are, where they come from, what their preferences are, how their daily lives are, and finally you can understand what their needs and wants are.

Know your audience/target market so that you can convey the messages perfectly.

P.S: This article is based on what I presented in the webinar GetCraft: Content Writing Across Platforms.

I will discuss various SEO in content writing in the next article. Stay tuned for the next article and don't forget to subscribe to this blog.