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If you’ve been around the content block a time or two, you probably already know what a for-hire content article should contain. However, if you’re new, you may still be looking at content creation like those essays you wrote in high school and college – a title plus one or more paragraphs of text. Big blocks of text are not online friendly, and they don’t inspire website or blog visitors to read more. They look at that block content and move on to anywhere else that has skimmable content.
1. Accurate Information
The most important thing to put in an article is accurate information. This means you will have to pull up three or more sites with information on the topic you’ve been hired to write and skim them in order to determine what’s there and if it’s useful information that your client should have on his or her website. For example, if you’re writing about Common Problems with HVAC Units, you’ll need to look up websites that list those problems. Then, you’ll need to write about those problems in such a way that it isn’t plagiarism. If you’re worried about accidental plagiarism, I prefer Small SEO Tools, which is free.
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You’ve scoured the Internet or the content mill where you want to hire your writer, and you can’t find any good samples. You’re either seeing no samples or small excerpts of other pieces. While it is frustrating, it’s quite common. Freelancers tend to sell everything they write, so if you don’t see any samples, you can reasonably assume that they’ve sold everything. That’s not a bad thing, but how do you figure out your chosen freelancer’s writing style if they don’t have any samples?
1. Dig a Little Deeper
If you’re looking at a freelancer’s business website and not a writer profile on a content mill, take a look at the pages. A professional writer is going to maintain a certain level of quality across their website. Read a few articles. While this probably won’t give you their specific professional writing style, it’ll give you an idea of their standard writing style, which is still helpful, especially if you want a very relaxed tone.
2. Look for a Prewritten Content Section
Even if they don’t have any full samples you can read, most freelancers will have some type of Prewritten Content Section. These are articles that the writer wrote on various topics in various industries so that clients can view most of the article then purchase it hassle-free. Reading the 25 or 30 percent of the prewritten article can give you a good idea about your prospective freelancer’s writing style.
3. Ask
If you really can’t find enough content to determine the freelancer’s style, ask. Some freelancers do keep samples on their computers that they will send out to clients when asked, or they may have bi-lined content on other sites where they can direct you (The latter only works if you are using an independent freelancer that’s not bound by the TOS of a content mill.). Other freelancers don’t have any samples available because it’s all been purchased. It really depends on the freelancer. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
4. Order a Sample Article
If you really think the writer is going to work out, but you want to make absolutely sure, most writers will accept paid test orders. This is typically an article topic of your choice between 500 and 1,000 words. You can expect to get anywhere from a 30 to 50 percent discount on the sample order with no obligation to purchase future articles. If you love it, you can order more articles at full price. If you hate it, well you can continue your search for a freelance writer.
It's important to note that if you are using a content mill, the writers have profiles, and everything the writer wants you to see is in that profile. It's unlikely they'll send you a sample even if you ask. The truth is that they can't. They are bound by the TOS and can't point you to any bylined work. If they have a website, professional or otherwise, they can't send you to that either because you're not supposed to contact them outside of the content mill. You are stuck with what you see on the profile.
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If you need fresh content for your website or blog, you may be wondering if your chosen freelance writer or writers write the type of content you need. The good news is that most freelancers provide a list of topics and examples directly on their websites or in their content mill profile so that you can quickly check to see if they write on your topics.
Read more: How to find a freelancer that writes the type of content you need.
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If you’re looking for blog posts, webpages and articles that you can share on your website and through your social media channels, you might be wondering what the difference is between content on demand (prewritten articles) and custom content. The truth is that there isn’t much difference. Either way you choose, you will still get high-quality content that is plagiarism checked and free of horrific grammar and spelling errors, and in most instances, you are still purchasing 100 percent rights to the content. This means you can treat it as if you wrote it.
Read more: What’s the Difference Between Custom Content and Content on Demand?
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Over the course of the last 8 years, I’ve seen quite a few articles that provide a topic or a title with no directions. If I’m lucky, it has two or three really good keywords that help define the direction of the topic, but that’s not always the case. I’ve seen plumbing article orders where the client wrote – Top 5 Plumbing Mistakes, and the keywords were Plumbers in California, Plumbers in Santa Barbara and Plumbers Near Me. Those keywords are no help, so how do you write something like that.
Freelance writers avoid these types of articles because they say:
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I don’t know what the client wants
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I’m not a mind reader
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This is going to be an automatic revision
Read more: How to Write a Content Article, Blog Post or Webpage with No Directions