It isn’t hard to get a gig writing online content, but it can be a bit difficult to get well-paying jobs. Most of us in the business have been at it a number of years, and have built up a clientele that remains loyal because of the quality of work we provide and the timeliness of meeting deadlines. It should go without saying that the work you provide should be grammatically correct, informative and interesting enough to hold the reader’s interest. That’s a given.
However, there is so much more to being successful as a content writer and much of this advice you may not hear in journalism, creative or technical writing classes. Writing for a cyber-audience is a bit different than writing a thesis paper. Are you interested in pursuing a career as a blogger or content writer? These three tips might be just what you need to hear.
1) Strive to Be as Grammatically Correct as Possible
While you do want your content to be as close to grammatically perfect as possible, a few misplaced commas aren’t as important as the flow and comprehension. What you are going for as a content writer or blogger is the art of getting your point across in a way that evokes emotion in the reader. You want to hold the reader’s interest so that they stay on the site long enough to reduce bounce rate. That’s huge in terms of ranking in the SERPs, Search Engine Results Pages. Clients will absolutely love you if you keep visitors on their site because high rankings increase visibility which, in turn, raises profitability of the site you are writing for.
2) Don’t Stifle Creativity with Undue Emphasis on Perfection
One of the things you will learn as a content writer is that creativity trumps perfection. There are professional proofreaders out there who make it their life’s work to check your writing for obvious mistakes. You can pump out a ton of work that is as close to perfection as possible, well-written and extremely engaging, so why not hire a proofreader to check for those little commas or typos you’ve missed along the way? You will learn that you cannot rely on Word to accurately check grammar and spelling, so a professional proofreader can make the difference in the quality you provide.
3) Get Your Facts Straight
Altogether too often you will come upon a blog or news article that has the facts all wrong. You’ve probably heard a lot about ‘fake news’ in recent months, so it is vitally important to be able to back up your content with facts. Make sure to do your research and double check your facts prior to publishing your content. Nothing is more embarrassing than a client coming back to you with “You’ve got it all wrong.” Take if from Ben Franklin, himself. “Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.” Always verify your facts before stating them as such.
With your artistic flourish and another’s eye to perfection, you can go far in this business. You might not be grammatically perfect, but you have something to say. Just don’t be afraid to get help when help is needed. Join forces with a proofreader and together you’ll succeed where others have failed.
