Writers don’t always get assignments that thrill them. Many times, they have to write about something they know nothing about, something that’s incredibly boring, or something about which they could care less. That’s the price of being a writer, though…you have to write. There are ways to produce content that pleases your customer and the people who will be reading it; in other words, content that sells.
Articles should be clear, concise, interesting, and above all, sincere. The first way to write content that sells is the easiest, and that is to:
1. Write about what you know. Everybody is an expert about something, and the clever writer knows how to exploit their knowledge. A stay-at-home-Mom, for example, can write volumes about pregnancy, birthing, baby and childcare for starters. Other aspects of her expertise: vacuums, grocery coupons, potty training. Take a little walk through the house and think about it; you have hundreds of things you’re expert about. Write clever and engaging articles or blogs other moms want to read.
2. Write about something you’d like to know. Perhaps you’ve found an assignment regarding something you know absolutely nothing about, such as motorcycle maintenance. You’ve never owned a cycle, but you’d like to some day. You’re getting paid to learn something that will be useful at some future time. Sweet! Write it down.
3. Ask your friends who know all about it. Maybe you’re given an assignment about mortgage lending, and you don’t even own a house; what then? You remember that your friend’s girlfriend works in a bank. Call her up and ask her some questions about it. She’ll probably be flattered to be your “mortgage industry insider”. She’s just helped you sell an article. Buy her some flowers by way of a thank you.
4. Collect trustworthy sites. In the course of your writing, you’ve probably used some websites more than others because they’re informative, easy to access, and well-written. Bookmark these sites instead of trusting your memory. Perhaps, using a trustworthy site, you’ve written several well-received articles regarding baseball. Make sure you don’t lose them for future use: bookmark them.
Sometimes an assignment is so boring and boggy that there’s nothing else to get it done but make a game out of it. Remember how much fun you had pretending, and how good you were at it, when you were a kid? It’s time to do it again:
5. Pretend you know the reader. You have to write 800 words comparing blenders. Pretend you are talking to your best friend about blenders. He needs to know absolutely everything about blenders because he wants to buy one for his girl friend’s birthday. You want him to buy the best, so tell him which one that might be. If you can convince him, you can convince anyone. Write it and sell it.
6. Pretend you’re changing someone’s mind. Your neighbor is buying obviously inferior veggie dogs for his Fourth of July cookout. He’s making a big mistake with this brand, and no one will ever come to another of his cookouts. You need 600 cogent and convincing words about the best veggie dog. You need to change his mind, and you need to do it by three this afternoon. Start writing.
7. Pretend you’re changing the world. Let’s use your buddy again. You are writing about the lives of endangered sea turtles. Your buddy has become an evil corporate polluter who wants to dump chemicals in the sea turtles’ habitat. It’s up to you to save those poor amphibians and their precious habitat. Convince your evil buddy with an eloquent argument. You become an eco-warrior 1st class, and you sell the article.
8. Be interested in your subject, even if you aren’t. Sometimes you just can’t come up with an interesting enough fantasy scenario to help you to write an article. Very well, then; remember, you’re a professional writer. Get fascinated with chinchilla farming for a couple of hours. Suck it up and write.
9. When all else fails…caffeine. Make a strong pot of coffee. Steep two teabags for seven minutes. Drive through and get yourself a double mocha-whatever-it-is and a sack of espresso beans. A righteous caffeine jag can help a writer write anything.
Melissa Tamura writes about online degrees for the Zen College Life blog.
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Amin