An Introduction to Content Marketing

Internet marketing today is more than just ads. It’s creating website, blog, and social media content that people connect with and see value in. That’s where content marketers come in. Many freelance writers make a living writing content for businesses and promoting that content effectively on social media.

Content marketing is part of what is known as “inbound marketing.” It’s the marketing you do to generate interest before you ever make a sale. It can include blog posts, social media posts, videos, and downloadable content that, rather than being promotional, generates interest in what you have to say. 

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How to Get Started as a Freelance Content Writer

Content writing is simply writing things for websites and blogs that further their internet marketing efforts. Many writers get started freelancing alongside their day job until they have consistent clientele they can write for – and that’s OK! It doesn’t take long to get started as a freelance content writer if you are willing to put in the work and invest a very small amount of money up front.

You’ll need a website. Don’t panic. Anyone can set up a website or blog in a few minutes with a web host and WordPress. A few clicks and you’re ready to go. Your website should feature an About page, your services (focus on the benefits they’ll get from your services, rather than selling the service itself), a portfolio of samples, and a blog where you’ll update frequently with new content to impress your readers and share valuable information that designates you as an expert.

This post assumes you have some marketing background and know about internet marketing and SEO, so I don’t have to share too much about how to promote yourself online. Establish yourself as an expert through your own content and by sharing valuable content on social media and your blog.

While you’re growing an online presence, visit freelancing sites like Upwork and People Per Hour. These freelance sites feature hundreds of jobs for new writers to help you get experience and build your portfolio. You may have to weed through some low-paying gigs, but they exist. There are also job boards for writers all over the internet. The highest-paying jobs come from pitching directly to companies and focusing, again, on how your writing will further their marketing and help their company to grow.

A good content writer has knowledge of SEO and social media marketing, can write in many styles to represent brands authentically online and can say what needs to be said clearly and concisely.

If you have these skills, working as a freelance content writer online is one of the most lucrative ways to get started in the freelance writing industry.

How Rich Can You Get as a Writer

Though reading and writing are basic skills thought in our own homes and in our schools, the talent of effective composition and written material is not gifted to everyone. As many want to talk than write, many also prefer to write than talk. In any case, if you have the skills for writing, it is time to use them and make yourself rich!

To start with, you can jump on the technological bandwagon and make yourself a blog. It can be a personal blog but it would be great that it be one where you discuss a specific topic that you are knowledgeable about. Say, it could be about how to maintain a small home, how to hire a Maserati or any other luxury car, or even how to write better. Find your niche that could be your identity as well. How can you earn this way, you ask? Well, in your blog, you can be able to put paid advertisements and if you bring much online traffic, companies will want to sponsor you too.

You can try out to be a freelance worker. By day, you can perhaps, go for a job at a newspaper or magazine company. Many are in need of writers and if you believe that you fare well in informative reporting and/or entertainment interest, then this can work for you. Then, at night, if you are not too tired and you still have the energy and heart to function like the awesome writer that you are, there are online jobs you can apply for.

There are companies who have websites that are yet to have content. They look out for people who they can instruct on what to write. If you are open for such supervision and control, even on the Web, then take this step. Aside from turning your talent into a profit, this way you can also learn and pick up more knowledge on different topics since you do not have much choice on what you are to write about. Think about this as widening your scope.

Also, you can bank on your open and extensive imagination. You can create your own fictional stories and either send it out to publishers and publishing companies. Or again, there is a home for you on the Internet. There are portals where you can post your novel. Many have been successful in this particular endeavor as they were able to satisfy the tastes of the public; some started from having a popular story online then getting it published afterwards. On top of your writing skill, a deal of luck is quite needed though.

Fond of travel? Well, you can still have a career while you are on your trip! Be a travel writer. Companies who create travel books and magazines pay people to do budget itineraries and reviews on various places around the world. Isnt it fun? You get to travel, write and make a living as well!

The range that writing can bring you is indeed endless and how rich you will be doing this craft will be up to you.

Why I write in the Garden and the Qualities of a Creative Space for Writing

creative work spaceWhat is your favorite spot in your home? Is there a specific place in your home or garden that seemed to bring out the creativity in you?

Indeed, we all have a favorite spot in our home. It brings out the best in us. This is just one of the reasons why there should be an allocated space in the home that is dedicated to writing. An individual who makes a living through the words he or she makes should have a space where he or she can draw as much creativity as possible.

Some find it great to be in a landscaped garden while others find more creativity when they go outside and speak to people. However, with all types of writers, it is important that they have a space to work peacefully. These creative spaces should at least be:

Comfortable.?Can you think straight when you are not comfortable? Of course not! You tend to search for ways on how to achieve your comfort instead of thinking about the next set of paragraphs to write. This particular reason is applicable for any profession. No one can work well if they are uncomfortable. It breaks the flow of thought.

Convenient.?You can accomplish more when everything you need is within your reach. When writers write, they may need to delve deeper and may need to read a couple of books. Though this is the age of online information, nothing beats the information from a well-researched and well cited book. As such, it would be great to have everything within reach ? the coffee or coffee maker, the books that provide valuable information or the plants in the window that provide the writer enough respite from long hours of working in the computer.

Clutter-Free. Some writers may find it easier to write despite a cluttered environment. However, most individuals find it easier to think and sort things out in an environment that is clean, fresh and supports creativity. Some find it beneficial to think things through while walking in the park. Others find the garden the best place to write, like I do. I find the garden the best place where I can bring my creativity in harmony. The chirping of the birds relaxes me and the sound of the cascading water from the fountain invigorates me to think.

Collection of Creative Inspiration. Some writers need to go out, talk and observe people accomplish their daily tasks in order to write creative and effective essays and stories. However, when the weather does not permit such luxury, the garden can provide the creativity that one needs. For a writer and storyteller, he can easily derive stories from observing the plants and insects in the garden. One can draw inspiration from these small living things without leaving the comforts of your home office.

Depending on the personality of individuals, writers need a place where they can think and ponder on what to write. This may mean a clutter-free space in the home or the shade under a big orange tree in the garden. Regardless of the place, a creative space is indeed a necessity to create moving and inspiring stories and essays.

Exploring Writing Ideas

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Ideas seldom pop out of an author’s head fully-formed and prepared to pitch. An idea is the most fundamental type of a suggestion and developing?it into a fully increased, profitable?article suggestion. When you brainstorm, produce as numerous ideas as you can without judging them. Then, experience them individually and start having fun with the subjects, angles, and markets to turn seeds into fully recognized suggestions. But often times, we can come up with ideas that are just so:

Old fashioned:

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Forming Writing Habits – Tips

James Chartrand is the owner?of?the blog Men with Pens and clearly discusses the different kinds of writers. Whatever kind you may be, it’s not too late to start these habits she discussed in the latter part of her article. Do you have any of these habits? Here are her pointers:

The 4 Secret Keys of a Successful Writing?Habits
Secret # 1: Specific, writing-centred?objectives

You always need to be dealing with something.?Composing isn’t a finite activity that finishes, specifically if you’re producing material for your company.

Many business owners think that writing is merely getting a project done. Wrong. In other words, if your goal is merely to polish your business’s website and compose a few articles and afterwards move on,?your writing takes its toll.how-are-you-writing

Pro writers?who make money?constantly have a composing objective. They treat writing the same way gym addicts set objectives for their physical body. They might currently have a six-pack and bench press hundreds of pounds, but that doesn’t quit them from appearing everyday to work with the following difficulty or maintain their degree of fitness.

Composing does not need to be all-consuming or perhaps your number-one concern, yet if you wish to make money with words, you need to regularly set, work towards and obtain certain creating goals.

Trick # 2: Community

Very few professional authors obtained their levels of success by going at it alone. The greatest authors ?exchanged drafts and shared their collaboration?with their inner circle. Even the most secretive?authors might depend on a fraternity of various other authors to exchange ideas, or even just beers.teens1

This is why wonderful authors, pre-internet, would certainly relocate to Paris to complete their magnum opus. The effects of being about and chatting with other pros has profound consequences on the composing attitude … and ultimately, your monetary success.

It’s like the think-and-grow-rich principal: your revenue will certainly be the standard of the 5 individuals you spend the most time with. Investing time with various other writers will rise your word count. Your job will get even more refined, your skills will certainly improve, and the prizes you collect will get more beautiful and shinier.

Key # 3: Accountability

The charming concept that writing includes just you and your work?isn’t really accurate. Such a pic is coated by those that believe writing is all about imagination and motivation.

The reality is that 90 % of creating includes self-control and effort.

And you don’t need to do that alone.?writers-write1

That’s why having someone hold you accountable to your writing practice is exceptionally crucial. You require someone to keeping you going. And while accountability can be a side impact of an area, it simply works well when done.

This somebody which holds you responsible should be a person with greater expectations for your success than probably even your own.When you’re held accountable to the pro-writing specification, the various other two keys of writing success– particular goals and area– come together sweetly.

Key # 4: a Mentor

Pro writers have mentors.?To attain your composing targets, you need a person that has already beaten the long road to pro-writing success. He or she has to be several steps beyond where you are now, since their key perform is to reveal dangerous challenges on the path before they kill your development.

A coach doesn’t have to be a component of your neighborhood or be your accountability individual. A give-away characteristic of a great mentor is a person that holds themselves apart from all that.?Be mindful the dangers of B.S. though: ensure your mentor has confirmed outcomes of their success?to reveal you.

A couple of minutes of conversation from such a person develops much more direction, quality and progression for you than weeks of also the most effective comradeship with the soldiers.

With these 4 tricks or keys– certain objectives, community, mentorship and accountability– even an amateur writer could transition to coming to be a well-paid specialist. Smart habits?get built and ended up being solid columns, and cash will certainly stream. As a freelance writer, you’ll market a lot more words. As a content?creator, you’ll generate more regularly and to better outcomes. As an entrepreneur, you’ll market consistently and move your sales to higher degrees.

Do you agree to the author’s points? What are your tips in developing successful writing habits?

 

On Writing Resistance

I write every day. There are days when I write nonstop but there are days when everything stops and finding those words seem to be futile.
A veteran blogger calls this resistance. The writer further defines it as a “feeling you don’t want to do something even when you know you’ll feel good afterwards.”

I have resisted so many things:

  • Texting
  • Writing articles
  • Making phone calls!
  • Writing blog posts
  • Feed the dog
  • Writing
  • Running

… as you can see, writing turns up a whole lot!

The strange thing is, all these are great things. When I write a blog post, I felt really good once I’d completed a composition.

The very same goes with running,?I may believe ?I would like not to?but?once I get moving, I love it.

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It’s not the creating part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance. I like writing but I am not really into editing. If there was a book published from freewriting, I’d have novels already. Unfortunately, there is a step called editing and another step called proof reading. So, I’d rather do free writing.

There are many days however that I am stumped. That as I wake up and think of the task of writing, my mind races to come up with thoughts of why I shouldn’t be writing. But as I force myself to sit down, I wait… and wait.. and wait .. to no avail.
So I do the dishes, clean the bathroom, feed the dog, attempt to sit down but opens my social media account to look for ideas, or just wait.

And wait.

The inspiration might come and I begin typing as the thought s and words flow.
But sometimes, the drive seem unreachable.

Instead, I began reading on Resistance (for writers).

And here’s what I’ve gathered so far. Resistance happens.

Composing daily is excellent, however you do not need to: the moment or twice a week is great.

Act before resistance expands. If you’re feeling reluctant to compose, reach it when you can. The longer you put it off, the tougher it will certainly be. (Caveat: if you’re genuinely worn out or reduced on energy, you may wish to wait– yet at the very least established a certain beginning time for your writing.).

Remind on your own what you like about writing. For me, reading, or doing a ten-minute video watching, commonly makes me forget about the resistance I was feeling.
Open the document and start typing. Taking any action will certainly decrease resistance, and something as easy as this could be good enough to get you composing.

You don’t have to comply with resistance head-on. You don’t have to fight and have a hard time every day … however you don’t need to give up either.

Feeling an occasional or even a regular sense of resistance doesn’t mean you’re not reduce out to be a writer. Actually, it’s rather the reverse: it indicates you’re doing something beneficial.

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If you’re having problem with resistance now, or if you’ve got a tip about resolving it, just let me?know?in the comments.

Five Dumb Grammatical Errors for Writers

images (2)I have an eye for writing errors. And my eyes get sore whenever I see those errors on blogs and articles online. Blogging has created this free reign for many who wants to share something in the internet by writing it. Sadly, without a concerned netizen pointing a writer’s error out, most bloggers will continue to commit grammar mistakes. For example, most writers end sentences with a preposition.Often, their subject and verb do not agree as well. Moreover, the usage of run on sentences and dangling modifiers give me chills when reading them in creative essays. However, there are obvious errors that may ruin a writer’s attempt to create his niche in the internet. Need I explain why the following words are often interchanged? Let’s discuss

1. You’re vs. Your

2. It vs. It’s

3. Who and Whom

4.Continual and Continuous

5. Whether and If

6. Since and Because

7. Bring and Take

8. Affect and Effect

9. Farther and Further

10. Fewer and Less

This image is not far from the truth. Take care to write well and correctly.

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For more information, read Lit Reactor for grammar and writing tips. Their website is: http://litreactor.com/