Casius14

Hey guys,

I posted this up on my blog earlier but wanted to spark some discussion up here. Is there anything people would add/take away.

As I mention in my article, I'm no expert so would be interesting to see what changes, if any, you would make.

Cheers

At the minute I spend a lot of my time writing articles for websites/companies who pay for my skills. I’ve been doing this as a source of income for about 5-6 months now and have learnt a heck of a lot in that short time. I by no means claim to be an expert in writing content. But these are merely points that I think people who were/are in my position when I started out writing, can bear in mind to help them improve.



I do spend a fair amount of my time receiving content from writers that I hire for my personal websites. How it works is, I write for $.x amount per word and hire at a lower rate, meaning I earn money right away whilst still being able to put together quality websites of my own. People have asked me many a time, why don’t you charge X amount, then outsource the work for a lower price and just skim the profits. It’s something that I would feel totally uncomfortable with. I’ve spent many days, weeks and months building a solid reputation for my writing skills that I would be unwilling to jeopardise by outsourcing project I have been chosen to complete.



I’m probably going to write a follow up article to this at some point in how webmasters should treat their content writers. Having seen both sides of the coin as it were, I hope I can bring some points to note that you may not have considered.



The following are in no particular order….



Be Punctual – If you are lucky enough to have an order placed then try and set a time period of which you think it will take to write the articles…and stick to it. If you say you’re going to do something by a certain date and end up with the article(s) being late, then it’s going to look less than impressive to a client. Time is money in the online world, so stick to your deadlines.
Be Polite – I’ve always been brought up on the basis that ‘manners cost nothing’ and I like to think that it’s something I stick to, not just in business but everyday life. You may be working for a complete pain in the backside, but you simply must be polite, as at the end of the day, it’s these guys who are paying your bills.
Be honest – A lot of content writers tend to get overly greedy, and to a certain extent I can see why. There may be times where no one contacts you for weeks regarding work, then other time you get 3 or 4 orders in a day. It’s something you just have to deal with. If there are times when you have work and you are approached by another client, then simply explain what is going on and give them a date for the completion of their work. Webmasters would much rather you are honest with a realistic timeframe then them hassling you a few days down the line wondering where their content is.
Communicate with your client – There’s really no excuses these days to not be able to readily communicate with any client, be it through Skype, email or instant messengers. As a content writer I feel you should be as accommodating as possible when it comes to communication and be available through as many different sources as possible. It’s simply the worst for a webmaster to not be able to get in touch with their writers. Make it your job to suggest to them that if you want to chat further add me on Skype, heck give me a ring, whatever it takes to be as accommodating as possible.
Do good things and good thing will happen – As a writer I bend over backwards to try and meet a client’s needs. I often get asked to edit a small part of an article or add a section on a subject at the last minute. If it’s a small job that’s going take about 10 minutes of my time, then I just do it for free. If you can build a rapport with a client who knows that you’re willing to be flexible in an effort to get them the best possible content, then it’s highly likely that you will get repeat business. Building a reputation for doing the little things well will speak volumes for your service. Webmasters are a talkative bunch as well. A good review here and there can really set you in good stead.
Don’t plagiarise – Copying people’s content is just simply the low of the low. It happens, and will continue to happen, but if you are serious about your work and serious about creating a good image for yourself, then don’t plagiarise. If there’s something you don’t know or subjects that you are uncomfortable writing about, then explain this to your client. They will much, much rather know what your limits are as writer, rather than wasting both yours and their time trying to blag a few more quid by writing an article you know nothing about.



Recently I’ve been doing a lot of sports articles for a host of clients and whilst my knowledge of UK sports is of a high standard, I know next to nothing about the US based sports. I made sure that any potential future clients were fully aware of this and as a result I don’t have to spend my time researching sports that I know next to nothing about.

Offer advice – One of the main reasons someone comes to you wanting content is the fact that they know little or nothing about that subject matter. As a content writer, this can work one of two ways; you can either rip them off and they will be likely none the wiser or you can produce a quality article for them and follow up with some extra advice on the subject matter.(note- don’t take option one). It may turn out that they don’t take the advice from you, not to worry. They will however be delighted that you’ve taken the time to point them in the right direction of an unfamiliar subject matter. If you’re knowledgeable about your subject, then use it your advantage.
Meet clients needs – As a follow up to the above point, if they decide they want it set out in a certain way, then this is what you do. The client knows what’s best for their site, even if you think differently. If they want a long tail keyword whacked in the middle which doesn’t fit that well, then that’s what they are paying you for. It’s fine to offer suggestions, in fact, it’s recommended, however, they have the final say.
Improve as a writer – Many writers get to a certain point and are satisfied with earning 2 or 3c per word. And that’s fine for some. If you are wanting to earn the bigger money then it’s imperative that you spend time improving your writing skills. Over time they will naturally improve, but its doing that extra bit to improve your grammar, spelling, writing style or whatever it may be, that will allow you to charge the ‘big bucks’. I like to spend time looking at peoples articles who charge in the price bracket above myself. Look to see how the article is laid out, how it’s written and most importantly, how engaged you are in the article. If you take a little from each article, then eventually you will become a better writer for it (and richer!).
Proof read – It’s the most infuriating thing as a webmaster to receive content with spelling mistakes, poor grammar and misleading information. After every article you should spend time reading it through thoroughly before you deliver it. If a client can trust that the work you sent is ready to go live as they receive it, then it saves them so much time and will be much more likely to return to you for repeat business.


I’ve mentioned at the top of the article that I am by no means the best writer on the planet; however I spend a fair chunk of my time looking through at basic mistakes writers make time and time again. Some mistakes I made!


This article won’t make you a better writer as such, but it will hopefully give you a good base to go out and improve yourself to be the best you can be.