Writing is one of the most powerful, high-paying, and underutilized job skills we have at our disposal –– and you don’t even need a college degree to do it. That’s why I put together this list of top writing tips for beginners.
These are all the tips, tricks, and lessons I wish I had known before I started. These trinkets of wisdom I’ve picked up over the years would have saved me hundreds of hours beating my head against a wall while undercharging for my services.
Enjoy these 32 bite-sized, actionable writing tips for beginners without further adieu.
Estimated reading time: 7-8 minutes
1) Learn How to Write Great Headlines
Writing captivating titles or headlines is the crux of all writing skills.
If you don’t know how to write great titles and headlines, no one will read your writing.
Social media and search engine users don’t click on boring headlines and titles. You don’t either.
Be sure to read How to Write Eye-Catching Headlines.
2) Never Edit While Writing
Write to capture your ideas. Edit to clean up and clarify them.
Do your research, build your outline, and write straight through your piece. Don’t stop to edit until it’s finished.
3) Always use Active Voice
Passive voice is indirect and confusing. Active is direct and engaging.
4) Be Clear
Don’t be confusing. If you’re confused by a paragraph, sentence, or thought you’ve written, rewrite it. Make it more clear.
5) Be Concise
The average person has a short attention span. Keep your writing lean and mean. It makes your writing more memorable, easier to read, and faster to consume. Your readers will thank you for it.
6) Use Word Fasting
If you have trouble being concise, try word fasting. Cut any unnecessary words from your sentences. Eliminate excessive sentences from paragraphs that stray from your key points.
Readers lose attention reading overall long sentences. Too many descriptors and verbose writing can lose them too.
Keep what’s necessary. Lose the rest.
7) Condense Where You Can
Just like being concise, when writing, less is better. So condense information anywhere you can.
Use a sentence or several bullet points instead of a paragraph. Cut the fluff and get to the point.
8) Ask, “What am I Trying to Say Here?”
If you’re struggling with a thought or a sentence, ask yourself verbally (out loud), “what am I trying to say here?” Don’t write it. Say it.
Answering that question will help you get through 90% of writer’s blocks.
9) Make Your Writing Scannable
Most readers don’t read. They scan.
When they see a block of text that is four lines or longer, they’ll skip it.
Especially if they’re reading on a mobile device.
Keep your “paragraphs” to 1-3 lines of text. It makes your writing easier to read and more approachable.
Use bullet points, bold, italics, underlining, and short, eye-catching, relevant headers to make your writing more scannable.
10) Break up Large Blocks of Text
Use free stock images, videos, block quotes, infographics, screenshots, and more to break up your text and make your writing more visually stimulating and engaging.
11) Stick to the Same Tense
Rule of thumb as a writer: Use present tense unless you are addressing. Tense consistency makes your writing cleaner.
12) Use “you” and “your” to Address Your Reader
Address your reader directly. It makes your writing feel more personal to them.
13) Make Bold Claims
Make bold or audacious claims that are important and relevant to your reader. Soft claims weaken your writing.
14) Use Data, Numbers, and Figures to Support your Claims
Using numbers and data in your writing backs up your bold points and claims. It makes your writing more believable.
15) 10 Cent vs. 10 Dollar vs. 100 Dollar Words
Don’t use a complicated word where a simpler word would do.
Don’t use a $100 word where a $10 word would do. Same for $10 and 10-cent words.
16) Ask your Reader Compelling Questions
Direct and compelling questions demand your reader’s attention.
Rhetorical questions will get your readers thinking.
Ask questions regularly. It makes your writing stickier and more memorable.
17) Make your Writing Conversational
When we write our Google searches, they’re casual and conversational.
Readers like informal writing. It feels friendly and familiar, so it’s a win-win for your readers and search engine optimization (SEO).
18) Speak your Target Audience’s Language
Don’t speak down to or up to your audience.
Speak to them in the language and style they like and know.
19) Write For a 6th-8th Grade Reading Level
The vast majority of the U.S. only writes, reads, and communicates at a 6th-8th grade reading level. That’s what your reader prefers, so by proxy, that’s what Google likes.
If you’re surprised to hear that, see these literacy stats for the US.
20) Use Storytelling in Your Writing
Storytelling is a unique and powerful sales tool.
You can use storytelling to create analogies, build examples, simplify abstract concepts or processes, or help give your reader a unique perspective.
Storytelling is one of your most powerful tools as a writer. Use it.
21) Use Testimonies and Anecdotal Evidence
Once again, readers love a good story. Tell them stories of real people they can relate to.
Tell them stories of your past and how you were like them once –– that you understand their pain, challenges, and hardships.
Readers want the writer to empathize and identify with them. They want to be able to envision their own story and success in your transformation story.
22) Read Your Writing Out Loud When Editing
Your ear catches mistakes your eyes can’t when you read silently. Always read your writing out loud when you’re editing.
23) Use a Thesaurus
Check out Power Thesaurus for subbing in better words when you’re writing. You can also use the Word Tune and Grammarly Chrome Extensions to spice up word choice in your writing.
24) Learn Basic Human Psychology
That’s what great writing is all about –– knowing your subject, audience, and customer as much as possible. Human psychology and copywriting are two of the most powerful skills you can have as a writer.
The biggest psychological tools you can use in writing are.
- Empathy: Speaking to your readers’ pain points or challenges they’re facing.
- Piquing their curiosity.
- Creating FOMO (“fear of missing out” if they don’t read your writing)
- Evoking fear or suspicion.
- Eliciting frustration or anger.
- Leveraging humor as an attention-getter.
25) Use Power Words
Power words can immediately make a boring title or headline 100 times more interesting. And there are thousands of them at your disposal.
Some examples of power words are :
- Free
- Easy
- Instantly
- Guaranteed
- New
- You
- Results
- Proven
- Shocking
- Surprising
- Unparalleled
Book mark these articles for reference:
- The Complete List of Power Words in this article – Over 1,900 of them
- 401+ Ridiculously Useful Power Words To Increase Conversions
26) Learn for Free on YouTube
There are thousands of hours of excellent writing video tutorials uploaded to YouTube every day.
Find other great writers and writing accounts on YouTube and learn from some of the best writers online.
27) Network with Other Writers
Use social media to network with other writers and potential clients. Join writers groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Ask for advice, try to be helpful, and put your name out there without being spammy.
Social media writers groups are a great way to build your skills, professional network, and client referral base.
28) Use Writing Apps and Software
Writing apps and software help you write better, faster, and more accurately. They can check your writing for grammar, punctuation, spelling, mistakes, and plagiarism.
They make your job way easier. Be sure to check out these blogs I wrote for my top software recommendations for writers:
- The 6 Ultimate Content Writer Tools
- The Best Writing Apps for Freelance Writers
- Top 10: AI Writing Generator Software
29) Writing Tips for Beginners: Learn SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the art and science of ranking your blog or website as high up on Google search results pages as possible.
The higher up you can get yourself or your clients on search engines, the more visibility, traffic, and business you can generate with your website. SEO is so valuable that it allows you to charge more as a writer.
Here are some resources to get you started:
- SEO Writing 101: SEO Basics for Writers
- Content Writing for SEO: Top 20 Tips
- SEO Content Writing: The Complete Guide
30) Writing Tips for Beginners: Learn Copywriting
Copywriting is the art and science of writing words that sell.
If you’re good at it, you can make a lot of money as a freelance writer. Here’s how you can get started:
- Top 15 Copywriting Books for Every Writer
- SEO Copywriting: The Ultimate Guide
- Ad Copywriting: 7 Steps to Write Legendary Copy
31) Make More Money by Supplementing your Writing Skills
Writing is one of those uniquely versatile skills you can stack other valuable skills on to increase your market value and earnings.
Some of the most helpful skills you can learn as a writer are
- Basic web design, management, or building: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, etc.
- Email marketing and email marketing software
- Email list building
- Graphic or Logo Design and Software: Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, etc.
- Project management and project management software
- Client management and client management software
- Facebook advertising
- PPC Advertising
- Ad copywriting
- Podcasting
- Podcast Writing
- Video script writing
- Audio or video recording, editing, production
- Affiliate marketing
- Lead magnet creation
- Funnel building
- Ebook writing
- Google Analytics
- Data analysis or data science
And, as we mentioned earlier
- SEO
- Copywriting
32) Get a Great Freelance Writing Job for Beginners
Do you have to be a “good” or “great” writer to get clients and jobs?
No, absolutely not.
Check out some of the best freelance writing jobs for new writers and beginners.
Start cutting your teeth and building your skills with these. Make good money, build your portfolio, and work up there.
In Closing
Most people don’t realize how approachable and doable writing is for a full-time or part-time living. Take these tips, tricks, and skills and run with them so you can build your own successful freelance writing business.