September 2008: What's in the breeze Developing content for a new women's portal - delivering 400 articles per month Writing web content for a startup company Research and content generation for client's website on a pay-per-month basis Repackaging travel related content for a client's website Developing India-centric content for a new web portal, delivering 15 articles/day Language editing of a corporate presentation... and more
Check out sample articles written by writers from our network.
Writers, use the writers' contact form to get in touch with us.
We’ve all heard of it and every second person seems to be doing it but what exactly is content writing?
In general terms thinking up anything for publication from a novel to the literature on the side of a cereal box may be considered as content development. However, for the purpose of this article, I will limit the term to mean only literature produced in a professional context such as written documents, web content and/ or marketing materials such as brochures. I will not be including the technical expertise of web-designing. I will also not be talking about the rather dubious use of optimising “hits” on web pages via search engines through the use of key words – I agree with the writers of Wikipedia who say that this is not content development although it may be advertised as such.
As is apparent, content writing can cover a wide range of topics across industries but the one key principle to keep in mind is structure.
In addition to the basic structuring of information it helps to decide on the style to be followed in the document. You can create your own template or stick to the basic style gallery provided by Word/Adobe or other similar programs. Most companies or corporations also usually have a style guide to sort out such issues.
However, the most beautifully designed brochure without content will not work for you or your employer. Similarly, just throwing in the facts without any structure is equally pointless as your end reader may or may not get the information they need from it.
In order to have a basic structure to your content you need to keep in mind the five most basic questions: Who, What, Why, Where and How. Ask yourself this in the context of your project: Why are you writing? What are you writing about? For whom are you writing? Where will this information be released? How should you go about it?
Why are you writing?
This may seem obvious but needs to be reiterated. It always helps to start with a clear agenda for what you are writing. For instance, knowing that you are writing to market a product rather than just writing about a product can change the tone of writing. This in turn affects what you actually include in your writing.
What should be included?
This means knowing not just how long or short to make your article or document but also what to stress on and what to leave out. For instance, a cell phone advertisement may require you to emphasize certain key features without going into the details, but writing a user’s manual for the same cell phone would require you to write in great detail about every single feature of the phone and how to use them. Of course, your perception of the user’s existing knowledge does play a part too. You can include or leave out information depending on what the end-reader’s knowledge level is estimated to be.
Who are you writing for?
Every piece of information has an end audience for whom it is intended. If you aren’t sure of whom you are writing for, you risk explaining minute details to an expert or throwing technical jargon at a novice and putting off your end customer. For instance, if the help feature of a web-album uploading site lists all the hi-tech capabilities of the program but doesn’t tell you how to upload your pictures, it's of no use.
Where will this information appear?
Knowing whether the information you are structuring will appear on a billboard, a printed brochure or a website (or even on a cereal box) helps you decide on certain key elements such as headings, the kind of detail and even the kind of information to put in. Other than this, there are basic differences in electronic and print media in their very format, which you can use to your advantage (E.g., the use of hyperlinks to connect information in web pages and adding graphics to make your page or brochure more attractive)
How should you go about this?
So how do you go about gathering information based on which to write? Past experience and common knowledge may help to some extent. Sometimes clients may give you a detailed brief of what they want, at other times you may need to do some research on your own. It always helps to talk to subject matter experts whenever possible. The Internet is another place to look up not just information but also the competition. See what others are doing and then come up with something better. (Don’t plagiarize because you will get caught thanks to the Internet itself)
Smart tip: when doing research, catalog information into separate components such as definitions or how certain processes work. These can be used as hyperlinks or in pop-ups if your project is web-based and can be added to the glossary for a printed document.
Some tips on structuring information for the Internet:
If you are writing for a website, keep in mind that unless you grab your viewer’s attention from the start, they can just click to a new web page. So include relevant information depending on the type of website. For instance, if you are creating a website for a company include facts and figures and also weave in graphics. If there is a separate designer or design team, talk to them and make your text fit in with their visualisation. Instead of including all the information at one place, create separate sections and use hyperlinks so that readers can choose what to read.
Some tips for structuring information for print documents:
Print documents can be stand-alone or can be made in conjunction with web-based material. The basic rules of formatting still apply: Check for consistency in fonts, headings, spellings and style.
Above all else, always read through the text before sending it out. Nothing is worse than well thought out content with errors in grammar or spelling.
Getting projects should be easier if you keep these tips in mind and know how to present your skills.
Looking for more tips and resources? Visit ChilliFreeze.com, our new website exclusively for Indian freelance writers. Chillifreeze will Coach, Certify and Connect Indian writing talent. Check it out today!
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Anandita writes for chillibreeze.
>> Read more articles written by our chillibreeze staff and writers network:
more services at a glance
.gif)
