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When getting started as a freelancer, it can be daunting to master all the necessary elements of content writing.
If you are just starting or looking for ways to improve and impress your clients, here are five quick tips you can apply to your writing immediately.
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To gain a clear understanding of the target audience, communicate with the client and/or editorial team. Ask questions and build a profile (or buyer persona) of the ideal reader if you can. The clearer the picture of your audience, the more tailored and focused your words and examples can be.
After communicating with your client, do some research on your own. Read other articles published by your client or on other sites in the same niche. This is especially important when working with a new client.
Researching other content in your niche will improve your understanding of what the target audience is interested in as well as what information is already available to them. From this research you can determine what content gaps your writing can fill that will be useful to the target audience.
To write clear and readable content, you must organize the work logically. Begin your writing process with an outline based on the content brief.
Include the headings and subheadings you want to use in the article along with the key points that will guide each section. Depending on your freelance writing contract, you may want to share the outline with your client. This will enable you to make adjustments before you even begin to write.
After writing a clear outline with strong headings, begin to work on the body of the article. Fill in the details based on the key ideas from the outline. This strategy will help you to stay on topic and be more concise.
After writing, go through the article again. Break up any large paragraphs and add bullet points or numbered lists when appropriate. These small structural changes will improve overall readability and clarity.
When writing content, especially for online articles or blogs, readability is key. Keep the content accessible to a wide audience by using plain language.
This means avoiding or defining industry-specific terms or jargon, simplifying vocabulary, and keeping most sentences and paragraphs short. Learn more about the advantages of using plain language.
After writing, use a grammar tool to help you catch any spelling or grammatical errors. It can also be useful to put the content through a readability checker to ensure the reading level of the piece is appropriate for your target audience.
Build and define a review process to edit your work. This may include grammar checkers and software, as well as manual review methods.
One manual grammar review strategy you can try is reading the content out loud to catch any errors your eyes skip over. It is easy to skim over mistakes in your head after writing, so reading out loud can help you catch those subtle mistakes or awkward phrases.
Another option is printing out the work and editing it with pen on paper. Printing out the piece will change your perspective. This process prevents your eyes from skimming over the work in the same way it does on the screen.
A third review strategy is to leave a few days in your schedule between writing the content and going back to edit it. This buffer period allows you to return to the piece with fresh eyes, helping you catch errors that you became accustomed to while writing.
Regardless of which editing strategy works for you, maintain open communication with your client throughout the process. Be available to go over the content after submission and make adjustments based on your client’s preferences.
The difference between a good freelancer and a great one is in their responsiveness to their client’s needs. Be sure to account for a review with the client in your schedule.
Adding visuals such as pictures, infographics, or videos can enhance the content by providing alternative methods to share information as well as an additional layer of visual interest for the reader.
Visuals can help break up large blocks of text and entice readers to click or scroll through the content.
However, visuals must be relevant and add value to the written content. Collaborate with the client to determine which images, infographics, or other visual materials are appropriate to include to match their brand.
In some cases, visuals may be done by another freelancer or member of the client’s team, so always ask before adding your own materials.
Writing clear, concise content will help you bring your craft to the next level. Incorporating these tips into your writing will help you to establish a strong writing and editing routine that not only improves your content but also helps you save time by streamlining your process.
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Then, discover more grammar and editing tips in our guides:
