I’m a freelance content writer, which means I get to work on a huge variety of business websites. A question my mom has often asked me is, “Heather, you’ve never worked in software development or the linens industry or martial arts… so how can you write about it?”
If I only wrote about the things I know, it would have been a short career indeed!
One of the benefits of being a freelance content writer is the constant variety. One of the drawbacks is… the constant variety. It means that every few days, you have to learn about a new sector and learn enough so you can write about it intelligently.
Content – Research = Fluff
Many small businesses are burned by copywriters who don’t make that effort. And the content that results is a disappointing waste of money.
It just barely skims the surface of the subject matter, tends to be repetitive, and is usually full of platitudes: we pride ourselves on…, our service is second to none…, etc.
A good freelance content writer will do thorough research before entering one word on the screen. Research into the client’s business, their competitors, the industry overall. The terminology. The features and benefits. The problems the business solves for their customers.
Putting Background in the Foreground
Research is the most time-consuming part of any writing project. The up side is that once the writer’s head is full of all that background, the writing becomes easier. And it becomes better.
So if you’re toying with the idea of maybe hiring the cheapest freelance content writer you can find, odds are they’re cheaper because they aren’t doing their homework. And they’re hoping you won’t notice.
