Content
Writing
Hard
Skills
01
Core
Writing
&
Composition
8
SKILLS
Grammar
,
syntax
&
punctuation
Chicago
,
AP
,
and
house
-
style
conventions
applied
without
relying
on
a
spellchecker
Sentence
rhythm
&
variation
Mixing
sentence
lengths
deliberately
to
control
pace
,
emphasis
,
and
readability
Paragraph
architecture
Topic
sentence
,
evidence
,
transition
—
built
in
that
order
,
every
time
Voice
&
tone
adaptation
Rewriting
one
idea
across
six
registers
:
legal
,
playful
,
technical
,
warm
,
terse
,
formal
Active
vs
.
passive
control
Choosing
the
passive
deliberately
when
the
object
matters
more
than
the
actor
Developmental
&
line
editing
Restructuring
a
draft
for
argument
,
then
tightening
it
sentence
by
sentence
Copyediting
&
proofreading
Proofreader
'
s
marks
,
style
-
sheet
tracking
,
and
a
three
-
pass
QA
routine
Plain
-
language
rewriting
Cutting
reading
level
from
grade
14
to
grade
8
without
losing
technical
precision
02
Research
&
Fact
-
Checking
8
SKILLS
Keyword
&
topic
research
Ahrefs
,
Semrush
,
Google
Keyword
Planner
,
AnswerThePublic
to
size
and
segment
demand
SERP
&
intent
analysis
Reading
the
top
ten
results
to
decide
what
the
page
must
actually
answer
Primary
-
source
interviewing
Recruiting
subject
-
matter
experts
,
writing
question
sets
,
transcribing
and
quoting
accurately
Data
sourcing
Tracing
statistics
to
the
original
study
,
filing
,
or
dataset
—
never
citing
a
summary
of
a
summary
Statistical
literacy
Distinguishing
correlation
from
causation
,
absolute
from
relative
risk
,
sample
from
population
Citation
&
attribution
Inline
links
,
footnotes
,
source
blocks
,
and
quote
permissions
handled
correctly
Competitive
content
audits
Mapping
rival
coverage
for
gaps
,
overlaps
,
outdated
claims
,
and
unclaimed
angles
Verification
workflow
Two
-
source
rule
,
archived
snapshots
,
and
date
-
stamping
every
figure
that
appears
1 / 4
03
SEO
&
Search
8
SKILLS
On
-
page
optimization
Title
tags
,
meta
descriptions
,
heading
structure
,
image
alt
text
,
and
URL
conventions
Search
-
intent
mapping
Matching
format
—
guide
,
comparison
,
calculator
,
definition
—
to
what
the
query
expects
Topical
authority
&
clusters
Pillar
pages
,
supporting
posts
,
and
a
coherent
internal
-
link
topology
Internal
linking
&
anchors
Descriptive
anchor
text
,
hub
-
and
-
spoke
paths
,
and
orphan
-
page
sweeps
Schema
markup
Article
,
FAQ
,
HowTo
,
and
Product
structured
data
written
and
validated
Technical
SEO
writing
Redirect
copy
,
canonical
notes
, 404
pages
,
and
error
-
state
content
Search
Console
&
GA
4
Query
mining
,
CTR
gaps
,
and
striking
-
distance
pages
identified
from
real
data
Cannibalization
fixes
Consolidating
near
-
duplicate
pages
into
a
single
canonical
asset
04
Content
Strategy
8
SKILLS
Audience
research
&
personas
Jobs
-
to
-
be
-
Done
interviews
instead
of
demographic
guesswork
Funnel
mapping
Awareness
,
consideration
,
and
decision
content
with
a
defined
next
step
at
each
stage
Editorial
calendars
Themes
,
cadence
,
owners
,
publish
dates
,
and
seasonal
hooks
planned
a
quarter
ahead
Content
briefs
Angle
,
audience
,
outline
,
sources
,
word
count
,
and
the
metric
that
defines
success
Message
hierarchy
Deciding
what
the
reader
must
remember
,
then
ordering
everything
behind
it
Competitive
positioning
Category
entry
points
and
differentiation
points
,
written
down
and
reused
Content
audits
&
gap
analysis
Scoring
every
URL
for
traffic
,
freshness
,
overlap
,
and
strategic
fit
Distribution
planning
Repurposing
paths
across
newsletter
,
social
,
video
,
and
sales
enablement
05
Formats
&
Structure
8
SKILLS
Headline
writing
Ten
or
more
variants
per
piece
,
judged
on
clarity
and
specificity
rather
than
cleverness
Scan
-
layer
design
Subheads
,
bullets
,
and
callouts
so
the
page
works
for
readers
who
never
read
it
fully
Long
-
form
guides
Extended
pieces
with
logical
progression
,
internal
navigation
,
and
a
clear
thesis
Comparison
&
alternative
pages
Accurate
feature
tables
that
survive
both
reader
scrutiny
and
legal
review
Landing
-
page
copy
Offer
,
proof
,
objection
handling
,
and
one
primary
call
to
action
Email
copy
Subject
lines
,
preview
text
,
sequencing
logic
,
and
re
-
engagement
flows
Microcopy
&
UX
writing
Buttons
,
empty
states
,
form
labels
,
error
messages
,
and
onboarding
steps
Scripts
Video
,
webinar
,
and
podcast
structures
built
on
timed
,
spoken
-
language
beats
2 / 4
06
Tools
&
Platforms
10
SKILLS
Content
management
systems
WordPress
,
Webflow
,
Contentful
,
Ghost
,
and
HubSpot
CMS
publishing
workflows
Editing
tools
Track
Changes
,
Google
Docs
suggestions
,
Grammarly
,
and
ProWritingAid
SEO
suites
Surfer
,
Clearscope
,
Frase
,
MarketMuse
,
and
PageOptimizer
Pro
Analytics
platforms
GA
4,
Search
Console
,
Looker
Studio
,
Hotjar
,
and
Microsoft
Clarity
Site
crawling
Screaming
Frog
,
Sitebulb
,
and
Ahrefs
Site
Audit
for
structural
checks
Project
systems
Asana
,
Trello
,
Airtable
,
Notion
,
and
Jira
ticket
workflows
Markdown
&
HTML
Semantic
markup
,
basic
CSS
classes
,
and
CMS
shortcode
syntax
Design
handoff
Figma
comments
,
copy
decks
,
and
annotated
slide
specs
for
layout
AI
-
assisted
drafting
Prompt
engineering
plus
a
mandatory
human
edit
pass
before
anything
publishes
Asset
management
DAM
tools
,
image
sourcing
,
licensing
records
,
and
version
naming
07
Persuasion
&
Conversion
8
SKILLS
Copywriting
frameworks
AIDA
,
PAS
,
BAB
,
and
the
Four
Ps
—
and
knowing
which
one
fits
the
moment
Value
proposition
writing
One
sentence
a
stranger
could
repeat
back
accurately
after
hearing
it
once
Call
-
to
-
action
engineering
Verb
-
first
,
benefit
-
linked
,
placed
at
the
actual
decision
point
in
the
page
Proof
stacking
Customer
logos
,
hard
numbers
,
screenshots
,
and
named
testimonials
in
sequence
Objection
handling
Naming
the
reader
'
s
hesitation
before
they
have
to
voice
it
themselves
Narrative
structure
StoryBrand
,
the
Hero
'
s
Journey
,
and
problem
-
agitate
-
solve
applied
to
brand
copy
A
/
B
testing
literacy
Hypothesis
,
sample
size
,
statistical
significance
,
and
one
variable
at
a
time
Offer
&
pricing
copy
Anchoring
,
tier
naming
,
and
scarcity
claims
that
are
actually
true
08
Editing
,
QA
&
Governance
8
SKILLS
Style
guide
authorship
Building
and
enforcing
a
house
style
with
a
living
log
of
decisions
Peer
review
workflows
Draft
to
developmental
edit
to
line
edit
to
proof
to
publish
,
with
real
gates
Plagiarism
&
AI
detection
Copyscape
,
Originality
.
ai
,
and
a
written
disclosure
policy
for
assisted
drafts
Accessibility
&
inclusivity
Alt
text
,
reading
level
,
plain
language
,
and
inclusive
terminology
checks
Legal
&
compliance
review
Health
,
financial
,
and
FTC
claim
substantiation
before
publication
Localization
&
transcreation
Source
strings
,
glossary
control
,
and
cultural
adaptation
beyond
translation
Content
governance
Ownership
,
review
cycles
,
and
documented
archive
and
sunset
rules
Version
control
File
naming
conventions
,
revision
history
,
and
written
approval
sign
-
offs
3 / 4
09
Measurement
&
Reporting
7
SKILLS
Content
attribution
First
-
touch
,
last
-
touch
,
and
assisted
conversion
models
in
GA
4
Engagement
metrics
Scroll
depth
,
engaged
time
,
return
visits
,
and
subscription
conversion
rate
Content
ROI
modeling
Production
cost
weighed
against
pipeline
influenced
and
revenue
closed
Experiment
design
Control
groups
,
clean
baselines
,
and
documented
learnings
that
get
reused
Performance
reporting
Monthly
dashboards
that
lead
with
the
decision
,
not
the
data
dump
SEO
health
tracking
Rankings
,
impressions
,
indexation
coverage
,
and
content
decay
monitoring
Reader
feedback
loops
Surveys
,
comment
mining
,
and
sales
-
call
review
feeding
back
into
briefs
10
Domain
&
Subject
Expertise
7
SKILLS
Subject
-
matter
research
Reaching
working
depth
in
an
unfamiliar
industry
within
a
few
weeks
SME
interviewing
Turning
a
thirty
-
minute
expert
call
into
accurate
,
quotable
,
publishable
copy
Technical
writing
Product
documentation
,
release
notes
,
and
API
reference
material
Regulatory
awareness
Knowing
what
can
and
cannot
be
claimed
in
a
regulated
product
category
Jargon
translation
Explaining
a
technical
term
clearly
without
condescending
to
the
expert
reader
B
2
B
vs
.
B
2
C
register
Committee
buying
versus
individual
buying
,
and
the
copy
differences
that
follow
Editorial
judgment
Knowing
when
a
piece
should
be
killed
,
shortened
,
split
,
or
repurposed
entirely
4 / 4