If you are a freelance writer like me, than you know how difficult it can be to come up with original and captivating, yet quality driven effective content for your clients
That doesn’t mean, though, you only have to write low-quality web content.
Clients won’t pay you for commodity content anymore (they have AI to do that, right?).
They want some effective content marketing to help them grow their brand.
This means new freelance writers MUST stand out amongst the sea of seasoned, well-paying writers to make a living out of this.
Well, take if from me, you can write content and create quality content that makes your readers want to come back for more.
This is the type of content client seeks – actionable and focussed content that gives them a return of their investment.
So, how can you – the new online writer – do this?
All you need are tips for effective content writing and I have ’em for you.
Let’s take a look.
What Are the Qualities of Effective Content?
Effective content is crucial for clients. They want to achieve digital marketing goals, enhance user engagement, and building brand loyalty.
As a freelance writer, understanding the qualities of effective content can help in crafting blog posts that resonate with their readers.
Here are the key qualities of effective content that helped improve my writing and better freelance writing jobs.
1. Whenever Possible Provide Real-Life Examples
When you include examples in your post, it can connect your readers to what you are writing.
This also makes what you are writing more easily understandable.
For instance, if i write the sentence:
One of the iPhone 14 features that many customers are looking forward to the new design features.
Now for those of us who aren’t “techie” and up to date with iPhone features, you read this sentence and know what design features are.
But do you know what the exact features?
No.
Providing a concrete example of specific features, will make readers connect and better understand this the new iPhone.
Here is a quality example for the new features of the new iPhone.
One of the new iPhone features that many customers are looking forward to a periscope lens for the camera. This will be a great zoom feature for content creators, making for some unique Reel or Tik Tok videos.
I was able to provide accurate examples of the new iPhone camera feature and relate to that with real-life examples of content creators.
This helps a lot for freelance writers who need to write about digital products or tech gear for their clients.
This is one way for effective content creation – by simply explaining the digital tool or service or how you use it for your brand.
2. Insert Statistics to Legitimize Your Post & Improve Content
Now I know not every blog post out there provides meaningful information that has statistics to back it up.
Many people start blogs as a hobby and write mostly about their day, thoughts, musings and so forth.
If you want to have a blog that either generates income or a huge following, then make sure what you write about can be supported by statistics.
Using statistics helps the reader know that what they are reading is current and is a real issue for people.
It also validates and legitimizes the issue you are presenting in your blog post and immediately helps to improve content easily.
So how do you go about gathering data for your blog post?
The number one way I find credible sources is via a quick Google search.
However, finding the right statistic can be a challenge if you don’t know what to search for.
It is best to think about your topic and pick a sentence or idea that you feel would benefit from a statistic.
For the above example, I would need to search the previous iPhone “apple iPhone 13 sell out” in Google’s search engine to get some stats.
I feel my topic on the iPhone 14 will benefit if I insert a statistic about how many previous iPhones were sold. If I am having a hard time finding a statistic with that keyword search, then I can narrow it down by adding the term “statistic” or “%” with your keyword search.
Looking at the various links I come across a Yahoo Finance online site. I learn the following statistic about the iPhone 13 and use it to add legitimacy to my topic.
Investors Chaterjee said, Well, “the upcoming iPhone 13 launch,” for one, which Chatterjee sees helping to push calendar year 2022 iPhone sales up to 246 million units (equal to projected 2021 sales).”
3. Use Reputable Sources That Everyone Knows
Lastly, one way to improve content is to make sure your sources are reputable.
Searching in Google can bring back links that, although may have the information you are looking for, are not credible.
For the above example, I was able to find that statistic on Yahoo Finance. Yahoo is a reputable site that many people know.
This also shows the reader they can trust what you write and what you write will be up-to-date and factual.
4. Use Keywords to Optimize Content for SEO
Optimizing content for SEO means tailoring your content to increase its visibility on search engines like Google.
This lies in understanding and aligning with how users search for information online. For example, typing in “Nike Shoes” may just give you results for eCommerce stores but if your intent was to compare Nike shoes to Puma shoes you would have to refine your Google search to get what you want.
As a freelance writer, it’s our job to use keywords to make it easy for users to find what they need.
Keywords are specific terms or phrases users input into search engines. Instead of randomly inserting these into content, they should be woven naturally, reflecting genuine relevance to the topic at hand.
Suppose you’re researching for an article about “home office organization tips” for a home office brand.
After researching relevant keywords like “best home office storage solutions,” you would integrate these into a comprehensive guide.
As you discuss all about organization, you might reference (link to) a previous article about “home office design ideas” or a reputable external source discussing workspace productivity.
Accompanying images could showcase organized desks or storage systems, with appropriate filenames and alt texts.
To wrap things up, a compelling meta description would showcase the article’s value proposition, getting potential readers to eventually click on the post.
This is how SEO effectively works!
5. Having Visual Appeal Helps Content
An easy way to improve your content is to add more images and visual appeal!
These can be images, infographics, videos, or charts, break the monotony of textual content.
They act as visual breaks, allowing the reader’s eyes to rest and process the information.
And just think about it – our brains are wired to process visual information faster than text.
This means that an apt image or diagram can convey a complex idea in a fraction of the time it takes to read about it.
Think about tutorials or how-to guides, for example.
While a step-by-step written guide is informative, complementing it with images or a video tutorial can significantly enhance clarity.
Readers can see exactly what they need to do, reducing ambiguity and increasing the likelihood of them taking action.
6. For the Most Part, Content Must Be Evergreen
Most of your clients will pay you for timeless content. This is evergreen content that can live year after year after year.
Of course, there are lifestyle brands that thrive on seasonal content (Walmart hired me specifically to write seasonal gift guides) but for most of your writing jobs, you will write evergreen content.
Why?
It’s cost-effective content marketing. Creating quality content requires time and resources.
With evergreen content, businesses can ensure a long-term return on investment, as the content continues to serve its purpose without frequent updates or rewrites.
7. Every Piece of Content Has a CTA (Call-to-Action)
A call to action (CTA) is a directive or prompt in a content marketing strategy that encourages a target audience to take a specific action.
You use CTA’s in digital content, advertisements, websites, and emails.
A CTA’s primary purpose is to drive conversions, whether it’s to subscribe to a newsletter, make a purchase, register for an event, or engage in any other type of interaction.
Usually, for my CTA’s I ask a question to spark discussion or comments in my blog posts! I also advertise to sign up to my email with a free email course or to check out my latest product.
These are ways to grow leads and these are similar for your clients too.
Easy Tips for Effective Content Marketing
Doing these things to create an effective content marketing plan whenever you write a blog post for your clients.
Make sure to use these for your writing samples and for your client pieces.
What key to content writing do you feel is the best?
What would you add? I’d like to hear!
10 Comments