5 Tips Newbie Online Article Writers Need to Learn

Although there aren't any surefire tips that newbie online article writers need to learn in order to produce top quality articles and impress new clients, I have gathered five important things to remember when writing articles for clients.

Many website owners and private companies rely on outsourced freelance writers and copywriters to write about their online posts, product descriptions and press releases among other content. These employers find it more convenient to commission freelance article writers than to hire their own in-house copywriter. Most of the time, they are in the look out for writers not only with the best writing experience and potential, but also somebody who can write articles for an affordable rate and who has a quick turnaround time (who can turn over finished articles fast).

For freelance article writers, here are those five online article writing tips that you can follow to make sure that you not only get paid nicely, but you can also establish your integrity and good reputation as a freelance writer.

1. Be discriminate in your job applications/ bids

There are some clients who makes it clear in their job postings that they indeed are badly in need of the skills of online article writers-- you can barely make out what it is they want because of poorly written sentences, lack of details, ambiguous requests. Thus, you might need to be discriminate in choosing the job postings that you would like to apply to.

A post that says "Need editor at 10$" is not only incomplete, but may even be misleading. For all you know, 10$ is for editing a hundred articles. Look for posts that are not only complete with details, but also gives you a clear view of what the client's working attitude is like.

2. Make sure the instructions are clear

Before everything else, make sure that you completely and clearly understand what it is that you are supposed to write. Read and understand your client's instructions. Make sure that the following are well defined:

• keyword and/or topic
• number of words
• deadline
• rate

Once you have established contact with the client, whether this is for an initial interview or you've already agreed to work with each other, you and the client need to be on the same page about these specifics.

3. Make sure you understand and know what to do with the keywords/ topics

Usually keywords that are given are too broad. When this happens, you can do one or both of two options:

a.) You can ask the client if he has a specific content in mind that he wants to be written, and if the client failed to give you a proper response as to what to do, it would be safe to do the other option yourself, which is to...
b.)  Delimit the topic into something specific -- ex: fitness exercise bikes. this may sound specific, but if you look the keyword up, you will find that the results would vary from bikes for sale, to fitness instructors, to news about exercise bike injuries, to workout tutorials, among others. As long as you have the keywords laid out exactly as specified, delimiting your writing to a more specific topic is a safe diversion. But then, it is always better if you and your client can openly communicate.

4. Make notes

Starting from when you first signed up for the job, have a notepad (either on your computer or an actual one plus a pen beside you) ready. Although I would recommend the use of the one in your PC, as you can copy and paste as you wish.

PC notepad or actual notebook, it pays for you to take note, starting with the keywords, in numbered form. And then you can cross them out, as you finish one after another. You can also copy and paste the URLs and links that you need to include in your article after the numbered keywords, so that way you will not miss any.

5. Make an outline first

If you're just like me who started out as a distracted perfectionist who just couldn't seem to choose which angle to follow or which catchy novelty introduction to try, I suggest that before you start rambling and find yourself talking about irrelevant things, please do yourself the favor of making an outline.

An 'outline,' my dear brothers and sisters in the-business-of-trying-to-make-a-living-online, is a sketch or a brief plan indicating only the main features of something, as in a book, for example. Like say, the Twilight saga can be outlined this way: silly girl meets vampire boy - they fell in love - the world is against them - stupid girl leaves family for boy - everything still seemed to fall into place. Totally cheap material, if you ask me. Well anyway, that's what an outline is.

Well, alright! For a more professional example, say you will write about dating, or since I've already told you that you have to be specific about a topic, then say, "how to impress a hot geek" would be better. So, you can outline it this way: Allusion to a Star Wars film or a Game of Thrones episode as your intro - Why dating a geek is fun and an attractive alternative to jocks/cheerleaders - Steps on how to impress a geek - Summary - A quote, perhaps from Star Wars or Game of Thrones, or whatever you choose to quote.

And, that's it. That, for me, are the five top tips that I would advise to newbie online article writers/ bloggers. Keep the content and the traffic coming, guys! Good luck!

*Repost from http://maeconserva.blogspot.com/2013/05/5-tips-newbie-online-article-writers.html