Your 2024 Quick Guide to Professional Writing

Get your start in professional writing or advance your writing career with this 2024 quick guide!

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

Contents:

• What is professional writing?

• What are the genres of professional writing?

• What is a professional writer?

• What sets professional writers apart? 

• Writing professionally: what to know in 2024

What is professional writing? 

Professional writing refers to any type of writing that you compose in the professional world to earn a living. As we'll explore in more depth below, professional writing encompasses a broad range of content for academic, business, and creative purposes. 

To be effective, a piece of professional writing should do the following: 

• Meet the needs of a specific audience. 
• Exhibit clarity and credibility. 
• Inspire action, effect change, or enable specific outcomes. 

What are the genres of professional writing? 

Professional writing comes in many forms. In business or academic settings, professional writing might span everything from internal documents you compose as part of your job to public-facing documents that help your company reach target customers and sell products. 

Examples of internal documents include:

• Reports you submit to your manager, company leaders, or other stakeholders in a project you're a part of. 
• Company-wide announcements. 
• A project proposal. 

Examples of customer-facing documents include:

• Marketing content to reach target audiences and help potential customers make purchase decisions. 
• Website content to inform and convert site visitors into customers or subscribers. 
• Blog content to educate readers on specific topics. 
• Email campaigns to nurture and excite subscribers. 
• User manuals and guides. 
• FAQ or help center documentation. 
• Journalistic writing, such as news or investigative reporting, that sheds light on current or ongoing events. 
• Academic research that shares the latest findings in a specific area of study. 
• White papers or case studies on specific issues related to an industry. 
• Speeches for public figures or politicians. 

In some cases, creative writing might be considered professional, in that the author has developed expert-level skills and can generate an income from selling creative work. Examples include: 

• Nonfiction book on a specific topic
• Novel or memoir
• Poetry, essay, or short story collection
• Screenplay or stage play

Professional creative writers have two main options for selling their work:

• Self-publishing (also called indie publishing) and selling directly to readers.
• Getting their work published by a traditional publishing house, literary journal, magazine, or other media source that pays out royalties.  

For more on creative writing, read my article, "How to Write Creatively: A Guide to Turning Ideas into Masterpieces."

What is a professional writer?

A professional writer is someone who writes for a living. To lead a successful career in writing, a professional writer must master their craft and pursue promising opportunities to earn money through writing.   

There are many paths to becoming a professional writer, including: 

• Working for a company as an in-house writer.
• Freelancing or completing short-term writing projects. 
• Starting your own business and offering writing services. 
• Publishing a book and earning money from book sales. 
• Writing web content that attracts readers to other products and services you're selling. 

Professional writers often specialize in different areas, such as:

• Technical writing
• Content or copy writing
• Editing
• Ghostwriting
• Journalism
• Grant writing
• Medical or scientific writing  

What sets professional writers apart?

Professional writers typically possess a variety of abilities that distinguish them from beginners or hobbyists. These abilities include: 

• Understanding target readers and how to satisfy their needs in every piece of writing. 
• Producing work on deadline while exhibiting finesse with language and expression. 
• Writing material that helps companies achieve their business goals.
• Getting results from each piece of writing, such as inspiring readers to take action or attracting a lot of internet traffic.  

In pursuing a writing career, you'll need to professionalize in several key ways: 

• Research your industry and the kinds of content that works best, such as white papers and case studies in the technology sector or product descriptions in the retail industry. 
• Take courses to build in demand writing skills, such as conducting research, optimizing web content for search engines (SEO), project management, and social media literacy. 
• Gain writing experience by taking on short-term projects that relate to your career goals, such as 
• Research the job market and opportunities that align with your passions, by scouring LinkedIn and other career sites for job openings and companies that are hiring. 

Writing professionally: what to know in 2024

Writing professionally can be a rewarding a lucrative career path, when you commit to your goals and hone your abilities. As with any industry or profession, the field of professional writing evolves every day. It's important to monitor the different trends, such as what companies are looking for when they hire writers and the different techniques professional writers use to reach audiences. 

Here are some places to begin your research and start your professional journey with confidence:

The rise of generative AI tools

GenAI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can enable you to compose material more efficiently, but they do not replace human expression. Many companies and publishers have policies in place regarding the use of AI and when it's appropriate. Your best approach is to get to know these tools, while building a solid set of writing skills. That way, you'll prepare yourself for a variety of job roles and writing opportunities. 

Wide-ranging need for good writers

Companies across industries need professional writers who can produce effective content and capture readers' attention. For example, as of July 2024 LinkedIn lists job openings for copywriters, content managers, SEO specialists, editors, news producers, grant and proposal writers, and other roles in industries such as software development, media, advertising, defense and space manufacturing, talent solutions, communications, wellness and fitness, and more. 

Competitive landscape

To succeed as a professional writer, you'll need a sharp set of skills, as well as a track record of success, professional references, and relevant experience. With each writing project you complete, be sure to collect testimonials from satisfied clients and document the results your writing is able to achieve. 

Skills over degrees

A degree or credentials related to writing are typically not required to succeed in this field, though they can certainly be assets during a job search or when pitching your services to potential clients. There are so many ways to learn new writing skills, including courses, webinars, books, conferences, and joining a writing community. Employers are increasingly focusing on job candidates' abilities and experience and listing degrees as "preferred" rather than required qualifications.

Even with the rise of AI, you'll need to build a diverse set of skills, so that you pivot when you need to in this rapidly evolving landscape. Also consider that while specific writing styles and trends may change, you will always need to be able to connect with your audience. Practice writing clearly, being persuasive as well as entertaining, and leading readers on a logical and meaningful journey through every written piece.