Category: Content Writing

Finding inspiration may be a dreary endeavour, whether you’re a freelance writer or an aspiring author. This is where writing podcasts can complement your creative process as a useful tool.

Compiled below is a list of seven podcasts that will aid your content writing journey.

The Story Grid

The wisdom from the dynamic duo of Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl will be invaluable for anyone who wants to tell narratives. Shawn’s expertise as a seasoned editor offers insight and information that can only be acquired by considerable experience in the area. Tim provides a distinct viewpoint and poses doubts that a budding author would find helpful.

The Writers Files

In order to help its listeners become more effective writers, The Writers Files combines interviews with authors on the specifics of their daily routines with analyses of the science behind creativity.

Writing Excuses

In this brief podcast, four authors talk about a wide range of writing methods and processes. The array of topics includes concept generation, character development, and world-building. A writing prompt is also included in each episode to help you get back to actual writing work.

Unpublished

Giving you a place to openly take your creativity seriously is the straightforward yet impactful goal of Unpublished with Amie McNee and James Winestock. You learn about the many approaches to overcoming your obstacles to practising the profession through their insights and those of their occasional guests.

Helping Writers Become Authors

This podcast is all about turning an aspiring writer into a published author, just as the title suggests. This how-to guidance podcast covers the same range of subjects as most mainstream podcasts, but it is noticeably easier to understand for novices or people who don’t have an hour or more to spend on the subject.

Writers, Ink

A podcast that focuses on the business aspects of writing, each episode features an interview with a working author to explore a different facet of the modern writing industry. The advices are raw and gritty and rarely sugar-coated.

Write Now with Sarah Werner

This weekly podcast, Write Now with Sarah Rhea Werner, is for aspiring authors who want to find a good work-life balance. It is brimming with the inspiration, frank counsel, and inspiration you require to follow your passion and write daily.

Conclusion

There is the perfect writing podcast for every stage of the writing process, with options ranging from interview shows to read-along to publishing guidance. Furthermore, podcasts give you free, instant access to hours of on-demand material and enjoyment at home or on the road. These seven podcasts should be helpful to you!

Writing is a dream profession for many, and despite the abundance of aspiring writers, the career prospects of writing are challenging. The majority of content writers struggle to make a livelihood from their work, despite the fact that successful ones appear to have an ideal lifestyle where they can work from home, set their own hours, and work on their content in whichever way they choose.

Most content writers lack the abilities required for success. Because writing ability alone, regardless of how good they are, is insufficient. You will need a broad set of marketable abilities if you want to succeed as a content writer. If you are wondering if you have it in you to become a successful content writer, this article will provide you with a clearer picture.

Adaptability

Since they must alter their writing’s tone and style to suit various projects, content writers must learn to be adaptable. Every type of writing has a distinctive style; news is presented according to a technique, where the most crucial information is at the front of each brief informative paragraph. Blogging is friendly, approachable, and frequently opinionated.

When writers are flexible, they can efficiently meet these demands. A writer might not always be knowledgeable about a specific subject or writing style. But depending on the demands of the job, people must either learn or unlearn.

Research Abilities

To remain relevant in their line of work, content writers must keep up with recent trends. Writing good content requires knowledge of search engine and social media algorithms as well as the most recent developments in the content industry.

You must also be a researcher if you want to be a writer. The best online writing now being created is in-depth, substantial, meaty content that effectively informs its target audience.

Organized Writing

You must write in an orderly manner in addition to managing your time and schedule as a writer. Random ideas frequently cross a writer’s mind, especially when they begin to write. So, if the correct pattern isn’t followed, the piece can end up being a chaotic mix. Simply put, the writing becomes unclear, and the reader quickly grows bored.

As a result, the writing process needs to follow a framework with the appropriate flow. The work must be cohesive throughout so that it is clear, legible, and engaging.

Open to Changes

For content writers and marketers already swamped with work, the changes that the growth of information available online brings in can be difficult. Some writers, like any other professionals, are averse to change. However, the very best content creators constantly make the most advantageous modifications as they occur. Make reading a daily habit, and observe changes and altering patterns in content. With practice, one learns to distinguish between what is helpful and what is not.

Conclusion

High-quality content can increase brand value, attract followers, generate leads, and eventually result in sales. Today’s content writers must meet a lot of expectations, so it is essential to have a diverse range of skills. However, if you are still not confident about your abilities, fear not because these skills can be acquired through consistent practice. Developing the skills listed above can advance your career and make you a sought-after content writer.

Plagiarism is when a person uses someone else’s written words or ideas without citing the source of origin, consequently passing the work off as their own. When you spend time and effort to produce something original and authentic, you would not want anyone else claiming it as their own. As a writer, you must respect the work of other writers and always give credit where it is due. Avoiding writing plagiarised content is one of the primary ethics that all writers must adhere to regardless of the field they are involved in, whether you’re writing for blogs, academic projects, social media, advertisements, or others.

Plagiarism and Taking Reference: The Difference 

As content writers, we may not always have in-depth knowledge of the topic we are requested to write on. It is a profession that involves a lot of research from which writers deduce the required information and mould it according to their interpretations and the needs of the client. This is alright because you are taking references from already existing sources and then creating something new. But plagiarism is different; it’s when you steal another writer’s work and present it as your original piece. Plagiarism does take place unintentionally due to the negligence of the writer, either because the writer forgets to cite or did not know they needed to. But you do need to know because this is crucial when it comes to writing.

Harm Caused to the Company and Yourself

Plagiarising content can prove to be dangerous, especially when you are in the business of writing professionally. Plagiarism can have serious legal repercussions, and unintentional plagiarism is not excusable. The company you work for will lose credibility and probably pay heavy fines, and you will face the same consequences if you are a freelance writer. This also extends to students and universities. If your work is being published online, then Google may potentially blacklist your website. Needless to say, all of this poses high chances of you getting fired, expelled, or losing clients, whichever applies to your situation. Plagiarising content also harms your ability to germinate original and novel ideas.

How to Avoid Plagiarism?

To avoid plagiarism, it is advisable to run your content through plagiarism checkers that are available online such as Grammarly, SmallSeoTools, DupliChecker, Copyscape, Turnitin, 1Test, etc. But there are times when you need to mention someone else’s work, most commonly in academia. To avoid plagiarism, do the simplest thing: cite. Citations not only give credit to the original author but also point the reader towards the exact source of the content. Plagiarism is not restricted to writers alone; images are also commonly plagiarised. This sort of usage is often not considered plagiarism because it is so commonly done and much harder to detect than written content. When the copyrights of a photograph or graphics element are designated, or the owner has requested to use it without permission, then you must make sure to do the needful by including the source link or by citing.

Many people, especially those with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to leave a mundane office job, choose freelancing as a career. Freelancing is a highly challenging professional path, despite the fact that it can be liberating in many ways. This method of working might not be suitable for everyone. Self-employment and expanding your own firm are much harder than most people think.

Strategizing your way into freelancing is essential, so you face minimal challenges. This blog will examine how you can start your career as a freelance content writer.

Identify Your Goals

Knowing your goals for establishing your freelance business is the first step. Goals are crucial because they provide you with direction, which is one of its many benefits. Many decisions are simple to make when your objectives are well-defined and clearly stated. Because they don’t align with your objectives, you don’t need to waste mental effort considering particular routes of action.

It’s challenging to decide which direction to proceed in the absence of a goal.

Start with Part-Time Freelancing

An excellent way to start your freelancing writing career is by doing freelance work on the side. You can be more selective about the kind of work you do and the clients you work for when there is less pressure to earn your income immediately. For this reason, starting a freelance business before you believe you need to is actually a bright idea. It takes time for client relationships and trusts to develop in the freelance industry.

Therefore, by beginning your freelance career part-time or on the side, you give yourself time to forge the vital connections you’d need to earn a living from it full-time.

Define Your Target Audience

You must identify your target market now that you have a freelance writing service to offer. Determine the kinds of customers who will benefit most from your business before you do anything else- brands looking for digital marketing, blog content and website content.

Just being excellent at what you do won’t bring in clients for you if you’re a new freelancer. Positioning yourself in front of potential customers is essential so they can learn about your offerings. You’ll need to actively seek out new clients through a network that you build.

Structure Your Pricing

Setting your price comes when you have a good understanding of your service and your target audience. Especially at the start of their careers, freelancers frequently undervalue themselves and offer their services for low prices. They disregard the expenses involved in running their company and their capacity to pay their monthly bills all year long. Maximizing your pay while avoiding losing out on career opportunities is the objective.

Conclusion

As a freelancer, you have autonomy and authority over the choices that affect your company. Your freelance writing services could be the answer for clients who are actively looking for fresh approaches to their content-related issues.

You can begin your journey toward becoming a prosperous freelancer by taking the steps outlined in this article.

There are new difficulties and victories every year. There are constantly new trends and technology that content marketers need to stay up with in order to keep developing. From artificial intelligence (AI) to search engine optimisation (SEO) to interactive content, the previous year has seen several technological advances that need new skills to acquire.

This year’s inbound content writing trends are well-established at this point, with the first half of 2022 now behind us. Here are some of the most important content writing trends to keep an eye on.

Make use of the best practices for SEO content writing

Nowadays, it is essential to have a well-thought-out content strategy. The best content writing practices must be employed even after planning and further editing. Writing for search engines is probably the most useful tip we can give you. When it comes to SEO writing, you’re creating content that appeals to both search engines and human readers. Your content can be a perfect blend of user-friendly and search engine-friendly if you follow these guidelines.

Emphasis on the value

With marketing content, there is a lot of focus on offering actual value rather than simply increasing sales. Customers are more critical than ever before, which means messages must be crystal clear, authentic, and well-written in order to be received.

Instead of concentrating on how they can make a sale, marketers should concentrate on what problems they can solve. Brands that show genuine concern for their customers’ well-being are more likely to win the trust of their customers.

Personalise the content

There is no longer a place for generic content. Personalisation has a significant impact on a wide range of content types. For instance, an average open rate of 5.9 percent and a 0.2 percent increase in clicks are achieved when the message and subject line of the email is personalised. Eighty-five percent of customers made purchases as a result of personalised homepage promotions. According to our research, 79% of customers will only click on a deal if it is personalised for them. Eighty-seven percent of people polled said that personalised content has a positive impact on their perception of a brand.

Writing a screenplay for a video

People are spending more time on their mobile devices and connecting with videos than ever before. 27.2 percent of internet viewers watch more than 10 hours of video every week, according to recent research. The use of video content in place of static content, such as blog posts and social network photographs, is on the rise.

The creation of video scripts that may be utilised in conjunction with a company’s existing marketing and promotions has become a common practice among content developers.

Let’s face it: online content is complicated.

Firstly, you have to balance your keyword strategy with the demands of your target audience.

Secondly, you have to make sure that the content you create is relevant and valuable enough that people will want to share it and build backlinks.

And thirdly, you have to be sure that everything you write adheres to current best practices for SEO content, or else risk getting penalized by Google.

This blog will learn some of the most common tips you should consider when creating online content.

Ready? Let’s get started.

Follow the trail to being a successful SEO content writer:

Use Correct Keywords

The first step in writing SEO content is finding the right keyword, the word or phrase people use when searching for the content that you’re providing on your website.

“Keyword” might be too strong of a word. It implies that you will find one specific word or phrase that sums up what you do and incorporate it into your website copy, blog content, and paid ads. Instead, think of these terms as the topics that best describe your products and services.

Identify Long-Tail Keywords

In addition to topics, you should also develop a list of long-tail keywords — groups of words (usually three or more) that searchers are likely to use when they search for something related to what you sell. You’ll need these if you plan on doing any advertising or promotion in the future (and if you’re not planning on that, why aren’t you?).

Create Great Titles

Every page on your site should have a title that describes its topic as accurately as possible. Titles are one of the essential SEO elements, so don’t neglect them.

Create Descriptive URLs

Your URLs should contain simple words, ideally related to your target keywords for that page. This makes it easy for users (and search engines) to understand what a page on your site is about.

Focus on the User Experience

When it comes to SEO, it’s essential to think about the experience of every visitor who encounters your website and content. Make sure it’s easy for them to find their way around and organize your content logically. You also want to keep snippets short and compelling, so people don’t get bored or frustrated and leave the page before finding what they need.

Incorporate Visuals

One way to make your blog posts more attractive is by incorporating visuals. You don’t even have to be the one who makes them. You can simply find a photo that fits your topic and post it.

Structure Your Piece

When you have a good idea of what type of content you want to produce, consider how you will structure it. Use title, meta description, headings, sub-headings, lists, conclusions, CTA, etc.

Freelancing has become a popular job option for many people in recent years. Instead of working for an employer on a regular basis, freelancers work for themselves and provide their services to businesses, and frequently with numerous clients at once. Being a freelancer allows you to do things on your own terms and pace, free of office politics and the ability to choose your own projects and clients.

However, even with all these perks, there is a chance you could make a few common mistakes when you are just starting out. This article will highlight a list of few things that you should avoid if you are a freelancer.

Settling for Less

When you initially start freelancing, you may be tempted to accept prospects that do not pay your ideal rate, simply to expand your portfolio and ensure that you have some steady work. However, as you hone your talents and gain expertise, it’s critical to recognise your worth and be confident in charging what you’re worth.

Determine a rate for your services that is adequate, not too much but not too less either. Do not allow your clients to bargain for something less than what you rightly deserve.

Budgeting

In the domain of monetary discipline, since you are your own boss, it is essential to take into consideration that your income will fluctuate over assignments. Unpredictable income is one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing. If your spending rises and falls in sync with your income, it might cause issues later on. If you can’t find clients during a slow month, you need to have a safety net to fall back onto.

When your earnings are unpredictable, you must force some consistency through conscious effort. Begin by opening a savings account and paying yourself a certain amount every month on the same day.

Not Maintaining a Balance Between Work and Personal Life

You can work wherever you want, whenever you want, choose which clients you want to work with, and have ultimate control over your career because of the freedom and power that freelancing provides. This, however, also means you can quickly lose track of completing your responsibilities in a timely manner.

It is essential to draw a schedule for your tasks and follow it. The plan should allow enough time for your work and for leisure time. Set goals for the day, week or month, and try to achieve them without overwhelming, or overworking yourself.

Not Having a Specialised Niche

When a client employs a freelancer, they seek a professional who specialises in the freelance work they require assistance with. They’re also willing to pay for that knowledge, as it means efficient and profitable business on their end. As new and developing freelancers, specialisation allows you to gain a better understanding of how to build your own freelancing business around your skill.

Not having a specialised niche might be a disadvantage in a competitive field. You can take up online courses or part-time courses to help you gain an area of expertise. This will surely help your business.

Not Maintaining Clear Communication

Proposals, deliveries, contracts, submissions, deadlines, and everything in between are all worth expressing and should be written down. Don’t assume that your clients understand your objectives or that you comprehend their goals. To make sure you’re on the same page, repeat, paraphrase, and affirm.

Make yourself available. Please include your contact information as well as the best times to reach you. Be prompt in replying within the time you give them. No one likes to be left on delivered or read- especially clients who are paying you!

The ability to work from anywhere at any time, be your own boss, keep all earnings, and have a reduced cost of operation all tempt many people to choose freelancing as a career. And if this is the career path you have chosen, there is much excitement awaiting ahead of you. Take up all the endeavours you decided to take on! Be sure to follow the aforementioned tips to experience a relatively more straightforward transition to your new career.

It’s no secret that people are bombarded with information every day. So how do you get them to stop and take notice of your website?

Here are five golden rules to follow when building a website that draws in visitors and helps you convert them into customers:

But, First, make it Easy to Find What They’re Looking for!

The average visitor will decide in just three seconds whether or not they will stay on your site, so make it easy for them. For example, use simple navigation with clearly labelled menus and buttons. If you can’t tell visitors where things are within five seconds, neither can they.

So, basically, make sure what they see is engaging and well-presented. Keep it clean and simple – don’t overwhelm users with too much text or too many images at once – and use colours that complement each other well.

Keep it Simple and Clean

The first thing you should do when tackling your website is get rid of everything unnecessary. Start with a clean slate, and then test it by showing it to a few people who don’t know anything about your business. If they are confused, you need to rethink your design. Trim the fat, and make sure all navigation is easy to understand.

Use Contrast to Draw Attention

Humans have evolved to respond to contrast because it allows us to distinguish objects in our environment. Use this to your advantage by making sure the essential elements of your site are the most different from everything else around them.

Put Important Information at the Top

Web visitors don’t read websites — they scan them, looking for the important stuff. So the best place for crucial information like contact details is “above the fold” (you can see it without scrolling). This is also why you should put an opt-in box on every page of your site to grab people’s attention no matter where they are.

Be a Generous Content Creator

The more content you create, the more opportunities for visitors to stumble upon your site. And give people a reason to visit again by publishing new content regularly. A lot of small businesses have blogs but don’t update them regularly. A once-a-month post won’t attract much attention. Still, if you publish several times a week, you may be surprised how quickly you’ll build an audience of readers who look forward to your posts.