Content writing is something that everyone thinks they can do, but only a select few can do really well. That said you will be able to get a lot better at it by taking onboard a few simple bits of advice. To set yourself on the path to success take a look at the top 7 tips you need to know below.
Always edit, even if you think you’ve got it right the first time
A good content writer is someone that understands that writing isn’t something you get perfect the first time round. There’s no shame in admitting it, and there’s no honor in submitting something the minute you finish only for it to be bounced right back to you. Take the time to do your edits correctly and the end result will be a well-received piece that people love to read.
Think of each piece of writing as your business card because it’s what will get your foot in the door so that you can show people the rest of what you can do. By remembering that the small order of today could turn into your next big repeat customer you’ll be able to give every job the attention and focus that it deserves.
Here’s a quick list of resources that will help you take your editing and overall writing quality to the next level:
Rewarded Essays – This online writing company is the perfect place to go to if you would like some help and assistance with starting a new topic you’re not all that familiar with. By providing a rough draft or a spine for you to work with they can get you off to a fast start when you need it most.
Flash Essay – As an online writing company that specializes in fast turnarounds this company is ideal if you want to get your next project moving.
Get Good Grade – This company focuses on a whole host of topics so you will be able to use their services to help you get a difficult project moving in the right direction.
Is Accurate – As an online translation service this tool is ideal if you want to ensure your work can reach a wider audience without sacrificing its quality.
Draft – This scaled down collaborative word processing tool allows you to work with other writers on projects without distractions.
Move onto a new project to defeat writer’s block
Writer’s block is real, so as you write more and more you’re going to have to get used to it and find ways to defeat it. The mistake that so many content writers make is that when they succumb to it they pack up for the day and feel morose. What you need to do instead is have a second project on a completely different subject that’s also needs to be progressed.
By jumping between two different projects you’ll be able to defeat writer’s block by:
- Giving your brain something new and exciting to think about
- Turning your attention to something else so that your ideas regarding your first piece can gestate and take shape in your subconscious
- Continue to make progress on your business even when one project seems to be at something of an impasse
You could also take a look at online service such Top Writers Review. There you’ll be able to get help with articles and also compare your prospective collaborators on comparison sites so that you can find your perfect match. Ideal for when you want to ensure you have everything taken care of.
Research is key so make sure you get it done
You should never commence writing if you don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’ll be amazed at the number of times people do.
If you don’t know what you’re talking about then you won’t be able to create a structured article. It can feel like you’re wasting precious time when you’re researching because you’re not actually putting pen to paper. That’s something you’re going to need to get out of your head quickly if you’re going to make a success of yourself as a content writer.
Research is perhaps the most important part of the job because it’s where you exercise your ability to become conversant with new ideas and concepts quickly. If you can do that then you will quickly find that you get an ever-growing list of work landing in your inbox every Monday morning.
Take blogging for example. As a content writer you’ll find that all sorts of companies will want to hire you to write their blogs — sometimes they’ll ask you to come up with the topics too. The great thing about this is that it gives you plenty of creative license to show what you can do. The downside is that you need to know their niche as if it were your own. Researching blog topics is more science than art and there are 3 key things you need to do:
- You need to follow the analytics so you can understand what it is that your readers enjoy most
- You need to find out what your client’s competitors are doing so that you can bring something unique to the mix
- You need to keep an eye on developments in their niche so that you can create novel topics before the rest of the crowd
Remember that proofing and editing are two very different things
We’ve already talk about editing, but what about proofing? Editing impacts the flow and overall structure of your piece, but it doesn’t explicitly target typos and grammatical errors. If you want to do that then you will need to proof your work. The importance of doing so cannot be underestimated:
“I always have someone check my work for the simple little mistakes that can all too easily find themselves going to print. There’s no shame in it, but there is shame in letting something go out that you know deep down hasn’t had the final checks it deserves” — says Content Strategist Douglas Murray.
Clearly proofing is something that you need to make part of the writing process if you haven’t already done so.
Define your pronouns so that people know what you actually mean
People get lost so easily when you bounce pronouns around without defining them. Always assume that people are thinking about the ideas and arguments you put forward for the first time when you start a new article. That way you’ll be sufficiently prescriptive to ensure that no one gets lost in the detail in the first few paragraphs.
Take the time to get it right and your writing will reap the benefits in no time at all.
Don’t rush and don’t dawdle — find your natural rhythm and tempo
This one is fairly self-explanatory and comes down to exercising some good old fashioned common sense. Everyone writes at different speeds and it doesn’t really matter how fast you are. What matters is the quality of the end product. If you find yourself rushing to meet artificial deadlines that you’ve imposed on yourself then the chances are that the quality of your writing will suffer as a result.
Take your time to begin with and then by all means start to speed up once you feel comfortable working on a new project. You certainly don’t want to dawdle, but by not rushing you’ll ensure that you never sacrifice the quality of your work just to try and impress a client with a fast turnaround time.
Keep things structured by producing an outline first
The final thing that you should bear in mind is that you won’t get very far in content writing if you don’t produce outlines of your articles. It doesn’t have to be a detailed step by step plan of how the article is going to come together but it should include the following:
- The main argument of your piece summarized in 1-2 sentences
- A rough working list of subheading titles in the order that you plan for them to appear
- A draft conclusion so that you know what you’re gearing the article towards
- The word count — otherwise you won’t know whether you’re being too terse or overly verbose
With these 7 tips you should be able to turn yourself into the professional content writer that you always knew you could become. Make sure to practice them daily and before you know it they’ll have become second nature.
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