
Content writing is a great way for people to make a living online and it is something that a great many are using to free themselves from a world of traditional work. My buddy Joe Cianciotto was the person who put me onto this when I first quit my job, and it provided me with a great foundation from which to launch an online business. Having both been a writer and hired writers, I can honestly say that the range of quality is vast, and there are so many who just don’t do this well, or in the right way. There are some key guidelines to stick to when you are doing this, and if you are working for a client then here is what you’ll need to remember.
Deadline
Deadlines are in place for a reason and you must do all that you can to adhere to them. In most cases you won’t know where the work is going that you are writing, or for what reason it is needed. This is why it is crucial that you do all that you can to stick to the deadline that you are given. In some cases things come up and you can’t make the deadline, so just make sure that you are up front and honest about it, and that you aim to minimize the amount of times that this will happen.
High Quality
Nobody is expecting you to be writing like the next Hemingway but there should be a clear focus on providing the best quality of work that you can. In order to achieve this you need to understand exactly what is being asked of, ensure that you have researched and investigated the subject fully, and then that you have invested time in the editing process to ensure that what you have written is of a high quality, and that it flows well when you read it. Much of the content that goes online needs to be high quality for SEO purposes, and you should focus on this so that you can impress your client.
Grammar and Punctuation
It should go without saying but in many cases it is not a given that the punctuation, spelling and grammar are on point. When you have had the time to write a piece and to review it, there is no excuse for mistakes like this. When these kinds of mistakes do happen it is normally becasue the piece has been rushed, which indicates poor time management. This is an own goal and something which will all but guarantee that you don’t get much more work in the future.
Original
If you are going to summarize what someone else has said online, then you must ensure that you do so in a way which is 100% original and that you are not copying phrases or sentences. All work will be checked for plagiarism so there is just no point in copy and pasting other people’s work, it is wrong and you will get found out.
Bear these tips in mind and you can ensure that you keep your clients happy.