As a content writing team, we pride ourselves on the ability to take minimal direction and develop it into amazing content. Content writing is best when it’s done by a professional copywriter (like the content writing team at Express Writers, naturally), and even though we do have the ability to spin straw into gold when it comes to converting vague instructions into great content, we function best when we have a great relationship with our clients. We want to take a few moments to share some tips with you to help you get the best work you can from your content writing team.
Communication, Communication, Communication
Communication is the core of the business of content writing, and it’s also the core of getting great content writing results. Simply put, if you want to get the best possible work from your content writer, effective communication is how you get it. Now, we understand if you knew precisely everything you needed to get in your content writing, you could probably just write it yourself. It’s okay to not know some details of what your goal is – but make sure you communicate what you don’t know as well as what you do.
The Brief
Every content writing assignment begins with a brief. Your initial brief should contain information as to who you are, what you do, who your audience is, and what your content writers need to achieve. If you have existing content writing samples, it’s always good to include those – if you don’t, but some of your competitors do, it’s a good idea to let your content writer see those, too. If we know what your competition is doing, we know how high the bar has been set. It’s okay if on the brief you aren’t quite sure what your ultimate goals are. If you’re a little hazy on details, don’t sweat it too much – you’re certainly not alone. Simply provide as much information as you can, and your content writer will take it from there.
Clear Direction
In your initial consultations with your content writer, focus on what your goals are. You don’t need to know how to get there, only where you want to end up. Often times your content writer can take this compass heading and develop that into a content writing strategy including keyword targets, SEO goals, tone and voice guidelines, and more. If you’re not sure where to aim your compass, ask yourself this: what has worked for your customers in the past? How can that translate into your content writing activity? Promotions that have been successful before are hints of topics and ideas that resonate with your target audience.
Listening
Of course, half of communication is listening skills. You may be convinced that the key to content writing success is to produce a series of infographics. Your content writer may want to point out to you that while certainly visually appealing and great for social shares, infographics don’t help with SEO at all unless they are framed in some great article content. Being willing to listen as well as give clear direction will lead to better results, because after all, we do this for a living.
Feedback
Just because we’re content writers doesn’t mean we’re mind readers. When your content writing team provides content to you, proofread it and make some notes. If there’s a phrase or section you don’t like, tell us about it (and also tell us about what you do like). Prompt and thorough feedback is an important part of the content writing process and will ensure that your content is as good as it can possibly be.
It Takes Time
It’s possible to find a content writing team who can turn around work at a moment’s notice. If you find one, don’t be so quick to rejoice. A writer who works impossibly fast is often a “too good to be true” scenario. Many less-than-scrupulous writers will use article spinning software to take material that is already written and published online and “spin” that text into a new article. Take time to carefully read the material your content writer produces. If it seems empty or robotic, it’s probably done by a spinner and it won’t do one bit of good to publish it on your site. Some fast-as-lightning writers do write their own material, at the expense of accuracy. Once again – if a writer produces content that contains misspellings, grammatical errors, or – worst of all – factual errors, this content won’t be good for you.
A good content writer will take time to research a topic before we begin writing, and research takes time. We’ll also want to proofread and edit our own pieces before we give them to a client, to ensure that the piece looks as polished as it can before our clients’ eyes see it. Good writing isn’t rushed, so give your content writing team some time, within reason. A content writer isn’t paid by the hour (anyone who tells you otherwise is scamming you), so allowing a little extra time for quality content is only going to lead to better results for you.
If you’re looking for a professional, highly skilled, exceptionally talented content writing team to develop some content for your website, Express Writers is the place to be. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.