Get your start in professional writing or advance your writing career with this 2025 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 2025

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...