How to Set Freelance Rates for Contract Work

Determining freelance rates in the freelance writing industry has become increasingly more difficult. Due to high demand and more and more media professionals adopting a gig mindset toward their careers, there is no longer a standard rate card that makes sense across the board.

After all, it’s not merely magazine features or line-by-line copywriting that’s farmed out these days — it’s so much more. From a 2,000-word (or more) SEO deep dive to writing podcast copy and creating a game plan for interactive Instagram stories — a writer’s job description continues to transform and expand.

Freelance rates are subjective

Executive agility coach and author Nancy Capistran shares, there is no perfect answer on what you should be charging. “Keep in mind that there are only so many hours in the week/month/year to earn money. So being smart about finding that healthy balance for work hours and pay rate,” she adds.

Balance. What that means for you will differ from your freelance friends. For example, if you have kids to take to school, and a house to maintain, your time and energy for work don’t stretch as far as your friend who lives in an apartment with no children.

Drafting your freelance writing rate

A good starting place is to work backward. How much money do you need to make each month to cover your core living expenses, savings, self-employment taxes, business expenses, and other necessities? And, how many hours do you have available (and want) to work per week? Remember, as a freelancer, you call the shots. There’s no more 9-to-5. 

You can work as many or as few hours as you want or need to hit your income goals. Start by dividing your monthly income goal by the number of hours you will dedicate to work per month to get an hourly freelancing rate.

Next, estimate how long a specific project will take you to complete. Multiply that number of hours by your hourly rate to get a per-project rate. Easy peasy! Now you have a number to quote to prospective clients that you know allows you to earn the income you need to stay afloat.

Get feedback from your writing peers

Branding expert Wendi Weiner shares that the ability to compare and contrast your rate with freelancers who work with similar clients will open your eyes and guide your finances. This helps you to know if you’re invoicing for far too much — or too little.

How long you’ve been filing articles or working for clients makes a difference too. After all, if they’ve invested in you for many years and you know their voice and mission, it’s more cost-effective for them to keep you on their roaster of freelancers. So, prepare to raise your rates every year or two to keep up with inflation while maintaining your contracts. Here’s how.

When It’s Time To Raise Your Freelance Rates

As you get the hang of quoting your freelance writing rates and taking on projects, you’ll eventually discover that you can work faster or produce better copy, which means it’s time to give yourself a raise. Value your work and skills! 

It’s also time to raise your rates when:

• Your expertise has increased. Maybe you took a course to extend your content marketing knowledge. Or, you wrote a book. Perhaps you took on a highly visible client that made the news and gave you kudos for your work. Capistran notes when your proficiency strengthens, your rates should rise.
• Your client wants more. You started writing for their blog — and then they decided to move forward with SEO. Now, they’re interested in a newsletter. Building a healthy rapport with a client is beneficial, but it also means they’ll demand more and expect you to deliver.
• Your workload is heavy. You’ve been working well with a client for almost a year now, but in that time, you’ve taken on new brands. And you’ve started writing for three more publications — that pay you far more. In fact, you feel as if you’re overflowing with assignments and running out of time to meet them all. This is when you could consider asking for a raise.

How to Make More Money as a Freelancer

Ask any freelance writer you know about how they make ends meet, and chances are high they’ll present a laundry list of their countless gigs that, when added together, actually make a sustainable income.

Even though many publication staffs continue to shrink and the days of $2/word pieces are few and far between, it is possible to accumulate wealth as you check off magazines from your byline bucket list. But it takes time — and often, a shift in your attitude. 

In addition to calculating your livable freelance income rate, and giving yourself raises periodically, be aware of the value you provide, the types of clients you take on, how you view your freelancing/conduct business, and how you manage your finances. These factors affect your income.

Be aware of your time, and its value

Depending on the story or project, getting from assignment to payment is a time-consuming process. In addition to securing sources, transcribing interviews, optimizing content for the web, sometimes building the piece in the CMS, going through editing rounds, and, eventually, seeing the direct deposit come into your inbox, you’ve likely logged upwards of five or more hours on a single article.

Takeaway: Account for non-writing tasks when estimating the time it takes you to complete a project so you figure out an accurate rate quote. 

Choose your clients carefully

Freelancing, you’ll discover one-off projects and ongoing relationships with clients who provide a constant stream of projects. The latter are often referred to as anchor clients and fuel full-time freelance writers who want dependable income month after month.

Takeaway: Don’t get stuck in the loop of searching for individual projects for new clients each week. Building a relationship with a company with ongoing freelance job opportunities is a more effective use of your time, which translates into more income. 

Maintain a professional business presence

You’re running a writing business. If it helps, banish “freelance” from your lingo and use “small business” instead. Be the reliable writer your clients can count on. Share your business hours as needed. Complete projects on time. Send invoices promptly. Operating professionally attracts professional interaction, on-time payments, and steady income.

Takeaway: You’re the boss; now, act like one every single day. You are running your business. If you don’t meet deadlines and follow up with invoices, you won’t get paid. 

Stay aware of your financial situation

Finally, if you want to value your work and elevate your income over time, you must have a financial plan. Sure you’ve calculated your freelance rate, but how often will you announce rate increases? Are you including a budget for future purchases (writing workshops, a new car, etc.) in your monthly income goals? Sit down and map out a game plan for your business and personal income needs at the start of each year, then align your business to those needs. 

Takeaway: Awareness of your current finances and future expenses will help you determine your rates and when to increase them. 

Speed Up Your Freelance Success!

When most writers decide to turn their passion into their full-time careers, it is a major personal investment. Not only are you going out on an — often unsteady — limb, but you are putting yourself out there many times, with fear of rejection. It’s something many writers face, even with decades of experience. 

Trust in yourself, your skills, and your value.

As a freelance writer, growing a full-time career can take a while. But, there are ways you can speed up your success. For example, if you join our Talent Network, we can help pair you with top brands that match your expertise and skill level. Get started today to level up.

The post The Art of Freelance Pricing: How to Value Your Work and Elevate Your Income appeared first on ClearVoice.

As a creative, the (catnip) ball is now in your court. How can you make pet-loving web-scrollers stop on the animal content you craft?

First, you have to create the types of content pet caretakers need (helpful, educational) and want (cute and snackable). Then, align it with the content strategy and branding of the pet services or products company you’re marketing if you want it to ultimately boost audience engagement and get tails wagging in the sales department.

And, it’s totally achievable. I do it weekly for a handful of pet product vendors who create foods and supplies for everything from cats and dogs to pet geckos, rabbits and tortoises. Here’s the inside scoop, my friend.

When do writers write about pets?

Any content type can be pet-focused. But, some assets get created more often than others. I find that my pet-focused clients assign blog posts and text for infographics frequently to me as a writer.

With that said, I’ve also created scripts for chatty cats in YouTube Videos, cheeky one-liners for pet memes and detailed product descriptions for hamster cages. Don’t be surprised what challenging-yet-clever tasks come across your desk when writing for the pet industry.

In the meantime, here are the most common content types you’ll likely get your paws on:

• Animated videos
• Blog posts
• Case studies
• Customer stories
• Ebooks
• Emails
• Explainer videos
• GIFs
• Infographics
• Landing pages
• Memes
• Newsletters
• Press releases
• Product descriptions
• Social media posts

Example 1: Blog post for Kaytee

This ‘What is…’ blog post is classic. It informs small animal pet owners about a product they may see advertised for their furry friend, but aren’t sure what it is or why they need it.

Enter, the TOFU educational blog post.

When I penned this, I dug deep to explain that timothy hay isn’t actually hay (it’s grass), where it’s grown and what types of animals can benefit from the nutrients found in the product. Since this is a marketing piece, not editorial, I also list the flavors of timothy hay offered by the brand and some tips for identifying quality products.

The editor was thrilled with my work on this comprehensive piece that leaves readers informed and empowered to make healthy feeding decisions for their small animals.

Example 2: Product landing page for Milk-Bone

On this page for Milk-Bone® Brushing Chews® Dental Treats, we see a handful of short, quippy descriptions and facts to entice MOFU dog owners to try a new treat. Likely, the reader is already familiar with Purina products and has fed them to their canine companions before. In this context, the writer is sharing why these new dental treats are worth adding to cart.

Every word matters on a succinct landing page. The copywriter here is overlapping health benefits with the expected enjoyment your pet will have by engaging with these chews. Let’s take a moment to appreciate that opening line, “Tastes like a treat, cleans like a toothbrush.” Perfection!

How can writing about pets enhance your marketing?

The pet care industry is no small niche, and with more people adopting furry, feathery and scaly friends to enjoy during their extra time at home these days, the numbers are on the rise. The American Pet Product Association reports that in 2019, pet lovers spent $95.7 billion spent on products and services for their critters. In 2020, the total jumped to an estimated $99 billion. The numbers for 2021 will likely be even higher, so marketers, it’s up to you to put your brand in front of those ambitious buyers of treats, foods, supplies, veterinary care, boarding and grooming services.

It’s no longer good enough to say a pet product or service is top-quality. Your writing needs to be the barking dog above the rest and stand out if you want to drive the ultimate engagement, bolster brand loyalty and secure those recurring subscriber-services sales each month.

Writers, it’s time to pitch content that speaks to the emotions of a pet owner.

They want what’s best for their pet family member, and if your writing is persuasive and endearing, you’re going to capture more leads for your client.

“Customers are emotional because humans are emotional. We buy the why, not the what.” ~ HubSpot, The Complete Guide to Pet Business Marketing in 2018

Here are a few highlights from the 33-page report to fuel your writing:

• Know the pet brand’s promise to consumers (and positioning statement) and reiterate it in your content often. Use it as a guide for your focus and tone.
• Share strengths of the company that rivals others in their category. Do they offer free two-day home delivery? Are the products organic?
• Be conscious of audience demographics and psychographics, and speak to them as their friendly, helpful neighbor.
• Integrate SEO research offered by the client. Use long-tail keywords as presented, since those are the high-ranking search terms they want to dominate.

4 do’s when writing about pets

OK, let’s put fingers to keyboard and get this content written. When you’re staring down a blank page and blinking cursor, it can be hard to know where to begin. After working with multiple pet brands over the years including Purina, Hill’s Pet (Science Diet), Friskies, Kaytee, AvoDerm and Milk-Bone, here are my top tips.

1. Do follow tone and language guidelines.

This niche has a huge divide when it comes to referring to pets as fur babies and children or by their proper species, such as canines, felines and small mammals. Most clients will outline their preferred usage in the editorial style guide. Some will go as far as explaining if a pet is a he/she or an it. (More on this, soon.) Pay attention closely and reread your copy twice before submitting so you can catch these common style mix-ups when writing about pets.

2. Do itemize information by breed, size, age.

What works for one pet, doesn’t work for another. For example, if you’re writing about sleep habits, a puppy’s routine will vary wildly from an adult dog. Writing about nutrition? An athletic, working hunting breed dog needs different food than a tea-cup poodle living in an NYC high-rise.  When you are writing an article that speaks to more than one specific breed, size of pet or age group, make it very clear to the reader by using subheadings or identifiers in each sentence.

3. Do reference quality medical sources.

Just like human medicine, pet care content deserves trustworthy advice from professionals, not other pet owners who happen to blog about their experiences. When tackling a health topic, go straight to the professionals, including veterinarians, veterinary schools, pet nutritionists, breed-specific organizations or well-established rescue groups. Some pet clients will include a list of approved sources for writers to use that align with their company’s beliefs. Organizations, such as The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) can spark controversial conversations. Know where your pet client stands, and whether or not you can source these organizations.

4. Do know your client’s ethical beliefs.

Speaking of ethics, the pet industry is full of opinions. Your client will likely outline these in your writing guidelines, but if they don’t, you may need to ask about whether or not it’s OK to mention topics like dog ear cropping, cat nail declawing, breed-specific legislation, microchipping, vaccinations, tail docking, neuter/spay, buying from a breeder or if any specific breeds are not allowed to be mentioned due to their stereotyped demeanors. Some clients are extra cautious. I have one that won’t allow me to include any stock photos with my blog posts that show a pet without a collar because it represents poor pet owner responsibility. Be clear on what your client supports before you start writing.

4 don’ts when writing about pets

Now that you have a solid foundation for what makes pet writing howl, let’s take a quick look at some of the common pitfalls of newbie content creators in this niche.

1. Don’t use human he/she pronouns.

Well, unless the client specifically asks for this in their style guide. By default, a pet is property, and therefore, an it. One quick question to your contact can clear up any confusion and a boatload of tedious updates to your draft. The takeaway: Never assume. Know how the client wants you to refer to animals. One of my pet clients only allows me to use the gender-neutral words ‘them/they,’ which requires creative plural wording consistently throughout each piece.

2. Don’t pretend to be a medical professional.

Clearly state your secondary sources or who was interviewed within the body of the article. Readers want to know the advice is sound and reputable, especially when the health of their best pet friend is at stake. Some clients may ask for you to list your sources at the end of the text or use footnotes. And as a best practice, always refer readers to their veterinarian for advice specific to their pet based on its medical history. More than one member of a client’s legal team has advised me to do this! It’s a safety net for possible liability issues.

3. Don’t accidentally promote other brands.

It’s easy to mention giving Heartguard monthly in a health post, but don’t. Instead, use the non-branded phrase ‘heartworm prevention.’ Watch your branding placement and remember who your client is and what they sell/support in their partnerships. Again, most pet clients will include this information in a style guide, but if they don’t, you know the routine. Ask! Some clients may purposely dictate necessary mentions to a partner brand, while others will give you a blacklist of names to avoid.

4. Don’t over-promise on results.

Look carefully at approved wording from the client. Don’t make assumptions or claims about products or services curing, treating or remedying anything. Instead, focus on benefits, processes, features and testimonials. Many pet clients will have a legal team review your text to ensure you’re not making wild claims about a product or service. A good way to soften your language is to use the word ‘may’ or ‘in some instances’ to let readers know the outcomes are not typical for all animals.

Takeaway tips for writing about pets

Composing helpful content for pet-doting folks is the dream project for animal lovers, but it comes with additional responsibilities to keep pets safe and clients from getting sued for misrepresentation.

Before you outline your next talking cat video script, dog care blog post or gerbil toy product description:

• Know what the client’s promise is to customers, and lean into that messaging often to keep the branding consistent across content types.
• Read the client’s branding, editorial and style guides closely. Pet content language and tone can be precise, and a bit tricky, like being tethered to a short leash.
• Use quality sources and disclose them to your readers, or the editors, at the very least. Don’t relay information based solely on your experience as a pet owner.
• Play with the content. Pet writing often allows for a chance to explore light-hearted alliteration, casual conversational tone, relatable pet parenting scenarios and comical anecdotes.

If you need help getting ahead on your pet writing projects, maybe it’s time to call in the Top pets and animal writers at ClearVoice to help make progress on that growing task list. From eBooks and blog posts, to infographics and landing pages, there’s a professional freelance writer waiting to pounce on your project. Talk to a content strategist today!

The post Writing About Pets: How to Create Purrfect Content for Pet Clients appeared first on ClearVoice.

What is an enterprise business? It’s for-profit in status and usually a start-up in nature, often a sole proprietorship headed by an entrepreneur. An enterprise business exhibits fast-paced growth and focused ingenuity.

Business is business, right? Nah, in marketing, businesses are categorized by size, services, audiences, and many other factors. So when we refer to a company as enterprise, it’s new, scaling, and ambitious.

An enterprise business focuses on learning. In marketing terms, they may be A/B testing various social media platforms, digital newsletter formats and blog post designs.

They’re refining their buyer personas quarterly and updating content funnel stages as analytics roll in. Staffing levels may boom exponentially as funding materializes or partnerships form with established tangential businesses. Enterprise businesses embrace full-on growth mode.

Where and why the distinction of “enterprise business” is used:

• Company bios to show initiative and newness
• Press releases to trigger interest in the industry
• Seed funding applications and small business loan applications
• Partnership considerations to show determination and progressiveness

Examples of enterprise businesses

Forbes identified 25 enterprise-level software start-ups to keep tabs on. Here are some names you might recognize as they build their status in the tech world.

1. ClickUp

Looking for a new cloud-based project management platform? This enterprise business promises to save you one day a week with its organizational prowess. The company has raised $100M in their Series B round of funding, per the front page of their website in February 2021.

2. Discuss.io

If you’re discovering your audience, the on-demand market research provided by Discuss.io might be worth a browse. This enterprise business assists with gathering consumer insights, branding, and segmenting (and much more) to help marketers hone their strategies. They’re currently promoting a video component.

3. Observe.AI

As artificial intelligence seeps its way into marketing more and more each year, this enterprise business is taking the reins on AI-powered speech analytics and quality management. Their focus? Quality, compliance, and coaching at contact centers so humans can have better phone-based and virtual customer service experiences. Perfect — since we’re all shopping from home more these days!

Scale your business faster with high-quality content from ClearVoice. From blog posts and ebooks to email sequences and website copy, talk to a content specialist about how we can help your business grow.

The post Enterprise Business appeared first on ClearVoice.

6 ways to stand out to clients and get more work

As brands choose who to work with in the days ahead, get intentional about standing out — and getting picked. Here’s how.

1. Have a polished portfolio online

You sell a service. The only way for hiring managers to know what you do is to show them, and in the freelance world, that’s via an online portfolio of your prized products. Whether you’re a master at crafting blog posts, composing infographics or recording voiceovers, you need a carefully curated collection of your work to show potential clients.

The business management folks at AND.CO who work with solopreneurs, entrepreneurs and freelancers say having a quality portfolio influences a potential client’s first impression of your style, skills, content offerings and previous client base. At a glance, they’re getting a taste of your abilities and history, so make it shine!

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers tips for effective hiring of freelancers.

They say to hone in on these aspects when evaluating someone for a temp role on a teamlance:

• How do you approach strategy, efficiency and effectiveness in a project environment? Weave this into a bio or mission statement at the top of your portfolio.
• How much time do you have to dedicate to a new client/project? Mention when you’re available next by date and how much lead time you need on deadlines.
• Do you have projects in your portfolio that are similar to what the client needs? If you know a client is going to be browsing your portfolio, pad it with content that mirrors their style and topics.
• How do you collaborate and communicate with clients? Name the tools you use, such as Basecamp, Google Docs or Asana.
• How do you manage time and project tracking? Again, mention the software and methods used.
• What is your structure for pricing? Flat rate per project? Per hour? Per word? Per service requested? Be specific.

Incorporate this information into your online portfolio to make yourself shine as a pro teamlancer to recruiters and talent scouts. Then, set up a weekly reminder to peek at your portfolio to make updates that align with current leads with relatable, targeted information.

If you haven’t set up an online portfolio yet, get started with a free CV from ClearVoice to showcase your talent. It’s easy to navigate and instantly puts your name in front of brand clients seeking freelancers for online work.

2. Do excellent work

If you want to stand out as a top-notch choice in your niche, you must produce incredible content. Giving each project the time and dedication it deserves shows in the final results. And, that’s the type of work you want showcased on your online portfolio.

Always put your A+ work out there. Sure, there are times when you have to put an A or a B out the door, but don’t make it a habit if you want to be deemed a pro teamlancer. Clients want to hire workers who bring the A+ game to each and every task. Make that you!

I just finished reading ‘Deep Work‘ by Cal Newport. In this manual for creatives, he helps readers understand how to hone their focus and attention so they can do stellar work in less time. The secrets really boil down to ramping up your self-care so your brain functions optimally, limiting external distractions to achieve razor focus and tackling one work task at a time.

When is the last time you audited your work process? As a self-employed individual, this is the equivalent of an employee performance review. These tips from the Harvard Business Review can move you into this evaluative mindset. If you were going to hire you, would you? Why or why not?

3. Create a business social media presence

We work and play online. Be sure you create a clear delineation between the two when sharing a social media link with a potential client. They want to see pro-teamlancer-you, not weekend-party-you.

I know a community manager who scopes out writers to hire via Twitter. She keeps close tabs on their feeds for clues about their current workflow, clients, topics… and bad habits. If they joke about missing deadlines, having the worst editor ever or putting off a project until the last minute, you better believe she’s taking notes.

As you evaluate your online presence, spend time discovering which social media platforms best align with your professional skills. If you’re promoting freelance photography skills, you’re likely hanging out on Instagram. If you’re into writing thought-leadership pieces, master LinkedIn. Where are the people who might hire you spending their time online? Be there!

Then, polish your presence. The Freelancers Union says to have a professional social media feed, follow these best practices:

• Avoid posts about religion, politics or personal struggles. Your private life and opinions may clash with the brand’s identity and put one of you in an unfavorable light.
• Limit your discussion of income to general details, not numbers. Just landed my biggest project yet! is fine. I just got paid $500 for this post! can make the client uncomfortable, especially if they pay variable rates for new vs seasoned writers.
• Skip naming your clients, unless you have a byline and no privacy disclosures in your contracts. Some may be hiring you to ghostwrite for them and prefer you to stay quiet.
• Speak with kindness. Your business-focused social media feed is not the place for trash-talking anyone or anything. Save your rants for a customer service number or a visit with a trusted friend, in private!
• Respond to comments and messages. More than once I’ve had a client reach out via DMs and Facebook comment sections. You never know where a conversation regarding work will pop up!

4. Respond promptly to all messaging

Speaking of replying to social media messages, ditto for email, platform messaging integrations and social apps. In our connected world, we communicate many ways and need to be timely with every avenue where we have a presence. Notifications on your desktop, laptop and personal devices can help you stay on top of things during business hours.

And logging into platforms, such as ClearVoice, daily to check for internal messages via commenting features within project management tools ensures you won’t miss any notes from your team.

If you want to be seen as a pro teamlancer, your communication skills have to be prompt, courteous and timely. The folks at SuperOffice, a cloud-based CRM conducted a survey of 1,000 companies (yes, freelancer, you are a company too) about response times to online messages.

Here are some eye-opening facts:

• 62 percent of companies don’t reply at all to emails from customers. Don’t be in that group. Hit the reply button!
• The average response time is 12 hours. Can you beat that and be the teamlancer who communicates promptly during common business hours?
• And the whopper — 88 percent of customers expect a reply from a business within an hour. An hour! If you’re trying to land that primo gig, it’s best to have your email tab open and ready to answer questions from a hiring manager while they review your pitch or application.

Finally, never ghost any of your professional contacts. Just don’t. From my experience over the years, you never know where that contact will work next and they could become part of your teamlancing circle once again. Now that creepy neighbor down the hall, that’s another story. Ghost away!

5. Be a team player on projects

You may be a business of one, but you’re not alone on these projects. As we all learned on the playground from a very early age, play nice. Leading with a professional tone and timely communications with your teamlance colleagues helps you be memorable. Next time a brand client needs to build a team, they’ll remember your performance and add you to the roster again. Sweet!

With that said, our teammates often become friends. We pal around and enjoy water cooler talk at the start of Zoom calls. We might text each other funny memes occasionally. It’s all good, until it isn’t. Let your personality shine, but don’t become a bully, offensive, gossipy or a loner when it comes to being part of a team. These people are still your colleagues.

To be an effective teamlance partner, be on top of requests that affect people down the line in your workflow. For example, responding to a pitch request by the deadline ensures that the person creating the project calendar can fill in the blanks with ideas, and in turn, assign projects in time to meet publishing deadlines.

6. Always meet deadlines and show up

Finally, if you want to stand out as a teamlancing pro, you have to complete the work. This means meeting all deadlines — big and small — including check-ins, revisions, final deliverables and pitch requests. You will also want to consider anything with a time slot on your calendar a deadline too, such as video chats and group phone calls. If you’re supposed to be present at a scheduled time, be there.

Sometimes things pop up or your schedule won’t accommodate the deadline. If that’s the case, communicate directly to the person who informed you initially and explain your situation. Offer an alternative that works for both of you, with an awareness of the team as a whole. How will your changes affect the next step in the content production workflow? Can you complete the work or communicate in a way that keeps everything on schedule? If so, always offer that, and your team will continue to move forward.

The post Get Chosen: 6 Ways to Stand out as a Pro Teamlancer to Potential Clients appeared first on ClearVoice.

Do you use the words ‘writer’ and ‘freelancer’ ad nauseam? It’s OK, it’s who we are and what we do, but there are oodles of other ways to convey our festive wordiness in fresh ways.

7 Synonyms to Use in Lieu of “Writer” or “Freelancer”

Let’s crack that thesaurus (and our creative minds) to find new monikers to add variety to your bio. While these words may not be incredibly common, that’s exactly why they will catch the attention of that publisher or editor who’s scoping you out. Being memorable is the point for writing a fab bio, right? Let’s update that verbiage.

1. Scribe

Hear ye, hear ye, let’s channel our inner historians and honor the ancient copiers of manuscripts. The word ‘scribe’ comes to us from the intelligent copyists and editors who studied and duplicated scriptures in the New Testament times in ancient Israel, per the good folks at Merriam-Webster. The Latin word ‘scriba’ means official writer, while the Greek incarnation of the word ‘skariphasthai’ means to “scratch and outline.” Today, the word is synonymous with writer and journalist.

Example:

As a fulltime scribe, John is happy to pitch original ideas for your publication or tackle assignment briefs crafted by your content strategists.

2. Wordsmith

Feeling confident? Got some awards under your belt? Perhaps swapping out the word ‘writer’ for wordsmith is an accurate representation of your skills. According to Dictionary.com a wordsmith is “an expert in the use of words.” A wordsmith makes a career in words as a journalist or novelist. I also hear the term used in content marketing, blogging and public relations, so I say go for it.

Example:

Since 2009, wordsmith Asunta has partnered with brands and their agency partners to craft audience-centric B2C and B2B online content.

3. Contributor

When you’re not a staffer or employee, but a publication posts your work, you’re a contributor. ‘Contributor’ is probably one of the fancier synonyms for freelancer that I’ve come across. I often see it used in television spots and in print magazine bylines. If you craft content for these outlets, maybe slip contributor into your bio to talk-the-talk of your target audience.

Example:

Sarah is a regular contributor to the Today show’s science segments as a scriptwriter and Health magazine’s content on brain function and clinical studies.

4. Author

Authors aren’t limited to fiction novels and scholarly essays. Really, anyone who writes is an author, so embrace the term if it fits your personality and use the rest of the sentence to explain the type of writing you do. For those who are curious, the Cambridge Dictionary says authors are the writers of books, plays, reports, and articles. An author is “a person who begins or creates something.”

Example

Author Angela writes content marketing and journalistic pieces in the health and wellness niche for brand clients.

5. Content Creator

Are you a Jack or Jill of all content needs? Hallelujah, there’s an all-encompassing term for you too, and that’s content creator. Content is an umbrella noun over so may creative feats, and if you’re not only writing but also designing graphics, doing voiceovers and snapping photos, you’re most definitely a content creator. Use that term proudly in your bio. This phrase also works for writers who venture into multiple styles of writing: blogs, ebooks, newsletters, scripts, etc.

Example:

For the past 11 years, content creator Paulo has penned blog posts, crafted editorial cartoons and recorded podcast introductions for clients across South America from his home office in Brazil.

6. Essayist

This niche writer usually takes a first-person, opinionated stance on a topic and presents ideas from various viewpoints for the reader. A concept or theory is usually born from the opining. An essayist might strive to instruct, seduce or mystify, according to Public Books, a digital magazine that publishes essays regularly. In content marketing, we’re seeing an upsurge in thought pieces, perhaps ghostwritten for a C-Suite executive to connect with a particular segment of an audience in a personal way. You might find an essay published in a newsletter, email or blog.

Example:

Jenna’s an essayist who creates thought-provoking columns about environmental advocacy. She’s happy to ghostwrite letters from the CEO and first-person essays relating to climate change and the greenhouse effect.

7. Word Slinger

So, you love what you do and haven’t quite nailed down your specialty. That’s cool. You’re an honest to goodness word slinger, so go ahead and shout it from the rooftops. Let those bio-scanners know why words are your passion and you enjoy finessing them often. Word slingers can be full-time, part-time and serve in any style of writing.

Example:

On the weekends, Bob’s a word slinger crafting long-form articles (complete with screenshots and video captures) for tech outlets and offering video gaming tips on his Twitter feed.

Ready to Get Noticed?

Spruce up your bio with creative expressions. If you don’t have an online portfolio, snag this free one from ClearVoice to start attracting new writing work and make connections in your field of expertise. And if you want to really level up your career, join our Talent Network and we’ll get you matched with the top brands that match your skill level and expertise.

The post 7 Cool Synonyms for “Writer” to Refresh Your Bio appeared first on ClearVoice.

Well, maybe. Let’s dig into the definition and history of this popular writer’s moniker and how we can use it in our own wordy-world.

What Is a Wordsmith?

In the spirit of words, let’s use some dictionaries to break it down.

Merriam-Webster says…

A wordsmith is someone who works with words, or an especially skilled writer. Based on this definition, I think any writer who hones their craft and makes a living from wordplay could be called a wordsmith. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says this term was first used in 1873.

Cambridge Dictionary says…

A wordsmith is someone who “has skill using words, especially in writing.” This definition makes me think great orators would be included alongside writers since both are pros at word usage.

Collins Dictionary says…

A wordsmith is a person, especially a professional writer, who both coins new words and uses language skillfully. Excellent! So every time we come up with new expressions and phrases in our writing, we’re being wordsmiths.

Urban Dictionary says…

Surprisingly, this definition is pretty accurate with a side of humor. This source explains that a wordsmith has the ability to “effortlessly string words together” to create smiles, laughter, or admiration and to “make up bullshit on the spot.” Well, depending on the project, this definition is fitting too.

The Backstory of Smithing

Let’s dig a little deeper into the etiology of wordsmithing. If we break it down into word and smithing, we quickly see how this word became synonymous with people who work in words to create new things.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, smithing is the act of doing metalwork for fabrication or repair. When we think of this classic trade, the idea of forging something new from bars of metal is top of mind. Much like a blacksmith twisting and molding iron or steel to fashion a new tool, writers do the same with words to create thoughts and ideas.

Another step down the rabbit hole can be found in Forge Magazine. Read it with writing in mind. The language used could easily describe the creative mind of a writer: artistic component, craft, creating something out of the ordinary. The first known evidence of blacksmithing is thought to hail from 1350 BC in Egypt, where smiths kept their techniques secret — much like prolific writers, er, wordsmiths.

Playing With Words

We can all agree that wordsmith is a pretty cool noun that deserves more use in our everyday lexicon. You can weave it into online bios, elevator-style intros, and online convos amongst others who finesse words each day. Give these variations a gander.

• Wordsmithing: This active verb refers to the act of shaping words. Use it in place of the word writing to perk up a few ears. I’m off to do some wordsmithing at my desk this morning.
• Wordsmithed: This past-tense verb celebrates the actual doing of writing. When a project is complete, you wordsmithed it. It took five hours, but I wordsmithed my best poem yet.
• Wordsmithery: By far my favorite, using this fancy four-syllable concoction screams word nerd. Refer to your wordsmithery when showing writing samples or exclaim in an upcoming tweet that you’re off to do some wordsmithery on a project. Let the wordsmithery of the day commence! I must fashion new words for your consumption!

Working with fire? Forging? Creating? Molding? Yep, sounds just like a day at your desk as a writer.  Happy wordsmithing to you, fellow worker-in-words.

What’s Next in Your Wordsmithing Journey?

If you’re a wordsmith, you have a special skill set that is in high demand. Companies and brands are always looking for talented writers to improve their content creation. If you are one, join our Talent Network to get a leg up. We’ll pair you with the best brands that match your skills and expertise.

The post Wordsmith: A Detailed Breakdown appeared first on ClearVoice.

This quiet little segment of content marketing is slowly gaining more eyes and ears as readers crave empathy and relatable stories. For example, one of my content marketing brand clients publishes a health-focused magazine. Behind the scenes is a pharmacy delivery service. What do I write for them? I share my ideas on living with chronic illness; each essay is its own first-person reflection of ideas and thoughts blended with actionable, authoritative advice that’s relatable to people like me and their caregivers. I share inspiration.

When do writers write about ideas?

As you prep your next editorial calendar, consider freshening your content cycle with idea-based content. Connecting with your audience using a personal tone is possible through a variety of content types. Simply add a first-person voice requirement to the assignment brief and editorial guidelines. Then, let the writer connect with your audience through empathy, experiences and ideas. Relationship building happens when a personal story aligns with what your readers really cares about, according to the marketing pros at Convince & Convert.

Connect with readers by writing about ideas in:

• Articles
• Blog posts
• Customer stories
• Emails
• Essays
• Letters to readers
• Livestream scripts
• Magazines
• Newsletters
• Podcasts
• Reviews
• Testimonials
• Social media posts
• Webinar slides

2 examples of first-person content

Now, let’s look at a few examples of this type of writing to see how it can be appealing to readers, like you.

1. LinkedIn: Marketing Solutions Blog

Career-focused social networking site LinkedIn offers a section of thought leadership articles on their blog to get the curious mental wheels turning for their audience of critical thinkers. As I browse the current line up of posts, I see topics ranging from corporate social responsibility to a reflective piece on B2B decision-makers. There’s also a thoughtful piece regarding crisis communications in the age of COVID-19. Writing about ideas can span various topics, unified by common concerns or stances embraced by your core audience.

2. The Pulitzer Prizes: Editorial Writing

This newsie at heart is going straight for the gold. Here’s a link to the award-winning editorial writings of Pulitzer winners from 1917 to 2020. These articles are celebrated for their sound reasoning, moral purpose and ability to influence public opinion. Marketers, take heed. Influence. Isn’t that what you want to do to your audience too?

As you partner with freelance writers to nurture your content creation goals, consider leveraging the idea-generating thought processes of editorial writers, essay writers and those who don’t mind crafting prose in the first-person to connect with your audience on a one-to-one level.

How can writing about ideas enhance your content?

You have an idea which content types can support this style of writing, but why put in the effort? What’s the genuine purpose behind writing about ideas, beyond the need to be expressive and heard?

Content marketing manager Elisa Gabbert from the online advertising company WordStream was bored with the content her team was pushing out. That’s when she yelled, “pivot!” and implemented a new content strategy including more long-form content, better content promotion and a vow to disrupt the current content cycle.

“There’s so much noise out there. Most content is noise. I wanted us to be the signal. We’ve made contrarian opinions part of our brand, and it’s helped us stand out when every other blog is saying the same thing,” Gabbert says in a WordStream blog post.

Writing about ideas (especially ones that challenge the status quo) help you stand out as a tangential thinker. Here’s how:

• You break the boredom of duplicate messaging
• You challenge common wisdom
• You command attention by hitting a nerve
• You create a ripple effect of emotions (surprise, anger, intrigue, empathy)
• You give a voice to a back-burner topic/audience segment/ideal
• You can challenge a sensitive pain point in your funnel

In turn, these idea-sharing-and-generating content pieces can lead to an uptick in social sharing, comments on posts, forwards on emails and overall traffic to and from your content. Sounds pretty good, right?

The marketing pros at HubSpot explain that thought leadership and opinion writing helps readers vet organizations they hire, nurture leads and build brand authority. Now, let’s do it!

4 do’s when writing about ideas

You’re fired up and ready to revisit your editorial calendar. Good. Now let’s address a few best practices to ensure your idea writing is well articulated and trustworthy. After all, you don’t want your audience to think you’re haphazardly making unfounded claims.

1. Do share the opinionated nature of the content.

When you’re expressing ideas, mention this upfront. Labeling content as an editorial, essay, commentary, analysis or letter makes it evident to readers that opinions will be woven into the text.

The Digital Resource Center from the Center for News Literacy offers a primer on identifying opinion-based content. You might notice statements that start with the word “I,” a sarcastic tone, exaggerations or even parody of a person or issue. These techniques are used to emphasize the points being made in the piece.

2. Do let your voice shine in first-person content.

Crafting this style of content allows you to break away from the distanced second- and third-person voice often used in content creation. With ideas, the writer gets to take a step forward and share their unique tone, cadence and wit. For readers, this can be a refreshing departure from content that speaks at them solely with “you” and “your” language. Idea-focused content often uses “I” and “we,” to create a sense of camaraderie between the reader and writer.

Digital marketing author, speaker and blogger Ann Handley explains on her blog that, to develop a strong voice that accurately reflects the writer, you must discover what makes you unique, then express it in the writing. This helps you develop a one-of-a-kind voice that can be documented in a style guide and focused on across all the content creation tasks related to the opinion writing, such as social media teasers and newsletter blurbs to promote the content.

3. Do back-up your ideas and statements.

Sharing your thoughts with the world can gain momentum by incorporating supporting facts. Maybe it’s the journalist in me, but I love a great commentary that’s fortified with statistics, expert quotes and links to research that helps me understand how the author formed their opinion. Why? As a consumer, this effort helps me learn why I’m having a specific perception of the text.

So, let’s chat about sourcing for a moment. I opined about the importance of this writing staple in Primary vs. Secondary Sources: How to Vet, Cite and Use Sources in Content Marketing. This piece is a mix of my personal experiences as a writer and insight from respected sources, including the Society of Professional Journalists and Federal Communications Commission. As a reader, scrolling through a post about sourcing could be dry and factual, but by weaving in my experiences as a content creator, the topic becomes relatable and engaging.

4. Do use a persuasive tone to align with content goals.

“Persuasive writing seeks to convince its readers to embrace the point-of-view presented by appealing to the audience’s reason and understanding through argument and/or entreaty.” ~Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Marketing is not journalism. We do not have to be unbiased and share all possible viewpoints. In marketing, we’re creating content with a specific agenda (see your sales funnel and content strategy for reminders). We aren’t appealing to the masses. We want to target a specific buyer persona with known pain points. Marketing is calculated and deserving of a tone that nurtures lead generation, so you can hit those sales goals.

Marketers are persuasive. And when you’re writing about ideas, that compelling tone shines even brighter when asking the reader to consider a new perspective.

4 don’ts when writing about ideas

Being mindful of how we write about ideas includes staying focused on why you’re taking this approach in the first place. As you ideate thought pieces for your own content production, keep these faux pas top of mind.

1. Don’t forget to state your purpose.

It’s easy to get into rant mode after those first few sentences fly off your keyboard. Instead, pause after each paragraph and make sure your arguments and ideas are in alignment with the purpose of creating the content.

It’s a good idea to state your specific reason for writing the piece with a succinct statement in the lede or as a nut graph before you dive into the supporting statements. The Moody College of Communications Writing Support Program at the University of Texas at Austin offers a refresher on these basic writing components.

2. Don’t name-call anyone or anything.

Again, don’t let your personal fire for an opinionated piece scorch your professional demeanor. Never, ever, ever defame a person or business, unless you want a libel lawsuit on your doorstep. (You don’t!) Here’s a guide to libel law from the Freedom Forum Institute to browse.

Instead, work to dispute opposing ideas by creating a constructive argument supported by facts and resources. If you must mention a person, weave their words into the piece via a testimonial or quote. Then, let your audience come to their own conclusions. And of course, all idea-based content should get a review from your brand’s legal advisors before publication, just to be safe!

3. Don’t lose sight of your funnel goals for the content asset.

Start with an outline for your piece. Does each section work to get you closer to your specific goal? If not, revise. You’re putting energy into this piece to not only connect with your audience, but to help move them through your acquisition and sales process.

If you need help getting focused, perhaps working with a freelance content strategist is in order. They will make sure you’re not creating content simply to fill a publishing schedule and keep up social appearances. Instead, your content will align with what your audience needs, moving them closer to buyer status.

4. Don’t leave readers hanging.

Finally, be sure the ideas are clearly presented and resolved. Did you make a point? Did you propose a hypothesis and offer a conclusion? Is your reasoning sound and sensible?

Sure your thoughts can be unconventional, but are they tangible to some segments of the population? Or, are they just… unimaginable? You want to connect with your readers, not alienate or confuse them.

Takeaway tips for writing about ideas

Taking the plunge into a new writing style is equally exciting and scary, especially when you’re presenting an opinion that may not be popular. But, it’s worth doing if you want to make an impact on your readers in an unconventional way. When writing about ideas:

• Label the content as opinion, hone your personal voice and back up the statements with respected sources.
• Be persuasive and kind with your words. Nobody wins by beating others down.
• Understand why you’re creating this content (think funnel alignment!), and state its purpose and reasoning clearly to your readers. Don’t ramble aimlessly.

If you’re ready to explore idea-focused content, and need an extra helping hand, consider teamlancing with strategists and writers from ClearVoice. They can seamlessly work with your marketing department to finally check those overdue content tasks off your to-do list. Learn about our Talent Network today.

More articles to sharpen your content:

• Writing About Data: Using Statistics to Strengthen Security
• Writing About Services: Selling the Consumer Experience
• Writing About Products: Sell Experiences That Persuade Buyers to Add to Cart
• Writing About People: Tips for Stronger Interviews, Quotes, Testimonials

The post Writing About Ideas: Sharing Opinions Nurtures Brand-Consumer Relationships appeared first on ClearVoice.

“Teamlancing is the practice of collaborating with a networked team (or networked teams) of freelancers to achieve a common goal, whether for a client or as a remote extension of a branded entity.” — ClearVoice

Psychologist Keith Sawyer has dedicated his career to studying the magic behind group creativity. Here’s a video of him speaking about the creative power of improvisational collaboration in the arts, which he says, “…ideas emerge that no one person would have been able to think of alone.”

In marketing, we do this via brainstorming, creating and revising as a team. Yes, those goofy Zoom gatherings do have purpose! They nurture our creativity.

Here’s how I’m a team player

Hey, I’m Angela. I left my last newspaper job (and collaborative newsroom environment) in 2009 to become a self-employed content marketing writer. I first traveled that rocky road solo, taking on writing projects for small businesses offering little marketing structure or content creation oversight. I quickly discovered I craved documented processes and like-minded camaraderie to both boost my productivity and genuinely enjoy my new career path. Hello, teamlancing.

When I started collaborating with production teams at digital marketing and advertising agencies, I discovered I thrive when joining creative forces with content strategists, editors, designers and marketing directors. Bouncing ideas off one another was not only career-building, it also made me feel integral to the full content creation process, not just the copywriting segment of the workflow.

Over the years I’ve crafted copy for infographics, video scripts on YouTube, a bazillion how-to blog posts, ghostwriting projects and many more word-based content needs. But, here’s the secret — I rarely worked alone. My successes are built on the foundational brilliance of teams that dig deep into audience analysis to offer detailed buyer personas, research SEO to share a list of poignant keyword phrases and wield sharp grammar skills to pare those paragraphs until they shine.

3 ways teamlancing furthers your freelance writing career

Over the last 11 years, I’ve worked directly with content-needing business owners and with content marketing teams. Hands down, I prefer the latter. Overall, the workflow process is smoother and more calculated, making time at my desk more efficient and enjoyable, which in turn makes me happier in my career and day-to-day task completion. Here are the specifics.

1. A team environment generates more writing jobs

As a freelancer, you’re always sniffing out your next project, even when the calendar is full. When you work in a teamlancing environment, you’re automatically on the roster of several marketing creatives, who are likely to reach out to you again next time they need assistance with content.

If you’re a cost-benefit analysis nerd, you already know it’s more economical to work with an established contractor repeatedly instead of going through the onboarding processing of training a new recruit. A Business Insider report explains that a tiny 2 percent increase in customer (that’s you, freelancer) retention reduces costs (to the hiring brand) by 10 percent.

The BI article goes on to explain that if you want to get hired again and again:

• Deliver specifically what the client asks for and needs. Go above and beyond, if possible.
• Meet your deadlines throughout the content process, including drafts and revisions.
• Communicate effectively. Respond to emails in a timely manner and show up for video chats.
• Be accessible and follow-up as a team player.

A job well-done puts you at the top of the list next time a teamlancing roster is being built for a creative project.

2. Working on a team is more structured and predictable

When a client knows multiple people outside their organization need to understand the company’s strategy and content plan, they document it. Ahref explains that once a freelancer has been onboarded, the client should provide information regarding business goals, company core values, editorial guides, information about the target audience and how to access your communication and collaborative work tools, such as Slack or a CRM. It’s so much easier to perform a job for a paying client when you know how they expect you to work.

Every time I’ve been involved in a teamlancing structure, I’ve been provided with ample information regarding the workflow process, from campaign calendars with highlighted deadlines to editorial guidelines that spell out exactly what the client needs. Now, when I come across a client who wants to work solo, and doesn’t have any structure in place, I decline their proposal.

3. Teamlancing is a secret career cheerleader

I’m having flashbacks to sixth-grade gym class. I was never good at team sports, but when I heard the crack of the softball hitting the bat and I took off to round those bases, I knew I was doing well thanks to the cheers of my classmates. Go, Angie, Go! they’d holler. When I’d play in the backyard at home with a ball and bat on my own, there was no cheering crowd. The difference between playing ball alone, or as part of a team, is encouragement.

Since prioritizing teamlancing collaborations, my confidence as a writer and knowledge of content marketing has steadily increased. It’s the tiny daily challenges, nuggets of insight and words of wisdom each day from your colleagues that accumulate over time to make you realize, dang, freelancing is a pretty amazing career. That positive mindset goes a long way to stave off creative fatigue, writer’s block and freelancer burnout.

3 ways teamlancing helps freelance businesses get projects done

Along with those injections of career-pumping positivity, I get ample feedback from my clients. Some that I have worked with for years feel comfortable telling me the ups and downs of our collaborations. I appreciate this, because then we can workshop the issues together and find solutions so we both have a better experience.

1. Teamlancing moves your business goals forward

Raise your hand if you have a content project that’s been in the conceptual phase for… hmmm… months, or maybe even years. You’re not alone. More times than I can count I’ve been asked to finally take actionable steps on a project that a client has wanted to tackle for a long time. By hiring a team, project management becomes a focus and goals are met more readily.

Here in farm country, we have a saying: Many hands make light work. It often refers to putting up the hay crop or mending fences. The same is true when maneuvering a marketing campaign with a complex funnel and multiple content assets. The workload can initially appear daunting until you realize you have many creatives to parse and process the tasks. The scheduling pros at Asana share a few workload management and team coordination tips that teamlancers can use:

• Attach a time element to each task. Should this take an hour and one person? Or, three days and the whole team? This helps your colleagues budget their time effectively.
• Break tasks into small chunks. Can they be outsourced to people witch specific expertise? For example, instead of one person tackling a presentation in its entirety, collaborate with a freelance graphic designer for the art and a freelance writer or copy editor to finesse the copy.
• Label tasks based on urgency and where they fit in the workflow. You may know it’s a top priority, but the others on the team have no clue. Loop them in and get those tasks checked off the to-do list ASAP.
• Have regular check-ins with your team. Ask how the project is going. Do the team members feel excited, overloaded or like they are spinning their wheels? Make adjustments if needed and move forward!

2. Teamlancers can supplement your internal team

OK, here’s the cool thing about collaborations outside the walls of your organization: You can instantly expand your team virtually. Most businesses don’t have the budget or time to onboard new specialized employees for a one-off marketing campaign. And, not many job hunters want temporary placement. So, why not leverage creative professionals who work on contract? Hello, that’s teamlancing.

If you need to sway HR and accounting, share this tidbit with them. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a survey in 2016 that discovered it takes an average of 42 days to fill a position and $4,129 to hire the candidate. Or, you can lean into the vetted creatives at ClearVoice, start one-on-one conversations today and have the best matches for your project review your proposal this week. Yes, onboarding can really be that fast. I’ve been contacted by a marketing client, read through their assignment brief and submitted polished copy all within a two-week turnaround.

3. Your business can try new content assets

Finally, if you want to move forward, and stay on-trend, you have to be willing to try new things. What was hot on social media two years ago doesn’t work today. Heck, some of the content marketing clients I work with do a full website redesign every two years or so, simply to look fresh and explore new content types. If you’re discussing revamping your marketing mix to accelerate your growth (whether that’s visibility or profits), it’s likely time for a refresh.

The Alexa blog defines this mix as seven key P’s: product, price, promotion, place, people, process and physical evidence. Let’s say your marketing has been hyper-focused on your process and physical evidence that it works via white papers and blog posts. Maybe it’s time to teamlance a crew to launch a visually enticing campaign that focuses on the people and products behind the scenes of all that social proof you’ve been dishing out for so long. Perhaps you start posting professional environmental portraits (thanks to freelance photographers) of satisfied customers and explainer videos (hello, freelance videographers) to show your product in action.

These new content assets tell your marketing story from a fresh perspective, capturing even more eyes and ears, and sales! I love these examples from OptinMonster if you want to kickstart an ideation session.

Are you ready to join a team? Whether you’re a writer looking for more direction and support, or in charge of marketing for your organization, strategic teamlancing propels you forward in your content creation efforts. Browse ClearVoice today to learn more.

The post What It’s Like Being Part of a Teamlancing Collaboration appeared first on ClearVoice.

In 2019, we asked over 2,800 marketers about their biggest hurdles when it comes to content, and it’s no surprise that having the time to devote to content tasks topped the list.

Additional concerns included:

• Needing help with content creation
• Creating a quality product
• Getting the writing done
• Having trouble finding talented content creators
• Putting out content consistently
• Devising a strategy to make sense of it all

See, you’re really not alone. Successful, actionable content production involves more than putting an idea into words and clicking the publish button.

Teamlancing can solve these six marketing challenges.

Let’s be candid and recognize it’s not uncommon for small-to-medium-size businesses and boutique agencies to collaborate with creatives on contract to supplement in-house content marketing efforts. Here are six of the top challenges we recognize here at ClearVoice and have the skills to solve.

1. Short-term project execution

Everything is aligned for your new product launch. The packaging is beautiful. Retailers have it stocked. But, you know you need to promote it beyond the sales route, and your marketing team is already overtasked with the everyday needs of your website, newsletter and social media feeds. This scenario is so incredibly common.

The Project Management Institute explains that an initial best practice in project management is defining and scheduling a project. Sounds simple, until you don’t have the staff or hours to implement this critical step. By choosing a teamlancing approach, you can temporarily hire a team of creative individuals to spread the word about your launch. Whether you want to invest in one quarter or one year, you can enjoy a documented strategy, content plan and analysis of the campaign’s success to evaluate the ROI of your marketing dollars.

2. Marketing strategy development

Let’s say you do have a robust marketing department. You even have writers in the wings that you can call on to help create your content, and they do so faithfully, but you’re just not seeing much of a spike in leads, engagement or profits. What gives?

Do you have a strategy in place? We find that many clients race ahead with content production without having a clear roadmap in place to do so. In HubSpot‘s ‘The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Strategies & How to Improve Your Digital Presence’ a marketing strategy is defined as the tool that defines a specific goal in an achievable way. Hiring a content strategist to mesh with your team can help you identify your challenges, determine how to solve them and outline the targeted actions needed to reach your goal. This strategy then informs your content plan and production.

3. Content creation and production

Got products. Got strategy. Got a process? No? Thank goodness teamlancing can kickstart your content production into high gear. Once you have a content plan in place, it’s time to get those assets created and scheduled for publishing and sharing. Working with an extension of your team can quickly fill your content coffers.

The Marketing Insiders Group explains that producing quality content at volume on a tight time schedule is often one of the biggest challenges content marketers face. Having an external team augmenting your marketing efforts allows you to both scale and be agile with content messaging that resonates with the current public climate and your brand’s core values.

4. Content dissemination

After all that content gets produced, it can be tough to know what to do with it. It goes on a blog, right? No! Content can be used to populate your website, yes, but it’s also used to engage with social media audiences, fuel ebooks and use in emails to nurture leads, and so much more. The takeaway? Content distribution shouldn’t be an afterthought.

The University of Queensland, Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, and partners penned the “Planning a Dissemination Strategy” chart to engage potential interest across the life of a project. In the flowchart, they also remind us that content can work as talking points for presentations, provide the base for press releases and be transformed into new mediums, such as podcasts or videos. A freelance content strategist can help you get the most mileage out of your content assets by creating a distribution strategy.

5. Campaign evaluation

We all like to know what we’re doing is working, right? If your team doesn’t have the time or expertise when it comes to campaign analysis, this is another task that can be teamlanced. Let pros who know the ins and outs of SEO, social media trends and reporting software work their magic and produce an easily consumable feedback report for your review. This deep audit can then be reviewed by your head of marketing to inform your next strategy, and how it may need to shift from previous processes.

The creators of reporting software at Adstage crowdsourced a group of marketers to comment on their favorite ways to measure the success and failure of a campaign, generally in the B2B space. They all agreed any campaign should produce results by way of leads, revenue, filling the pipeline and creating sales opportunities. Sure, engagement metrics and likes are fun to see, but, did they convert? A campaign evaluation can shed light on this popular inquiry.

6. Long-term growth planning

Finally, we often meet focused, productive marketers who have stellar content strategies, plans, and production methods. They know campaign analysis is vital too. But, what they forget is to look to the future. They get so focused on real-time production and results that they don’t anticipate shifts in audience needs. We can help with that too.

A team of strategists can review your brand’s marketing efforts over time to determine trends and how your audience might respond to future messaging. This predictive strategy lays the foundation for future campaigns, taking the guesswork out of what to do next. Semrush offers an incredible content marketing strategy guide for 2020 that can inform your planning, positioning, value proposition and business goals as we move forward in an economy that’s flocking to at-home online shopping and services.

These are just six challenges we see pop into our inboxes here at ClearVoice each week. Some marketing folks need us to help with one aspect, while others onboard a teamlancing collaboration to work from strategy ideation to future planning together. Some of our clients have been partnering with our team of creatives for years, while others use our service as a helping hand to get through a one-off project. No marketing task is too big or too small around here.

Challenges solved: 2 teamlancing case study highlights

If a few of these challenges have crossed your desk too, you’re in good company. It’s no secret that everyone from solo marketers to huge corporate marketing teams outsource tasks to teams of creatives. Let’s dig into two success stories of brands who took the leap into teamlancing to finally meet their goals.

1. Customer experience content production

A marketing specialist from CloudCherry, which was acquired by Cisco in 2019 and is now known as Cisco Webex Experience Management, contacted ClearVoice to assist with challenges #1 and #3, content production for a short-term (one-year) project. Her organization needed a mix of long- and short-form content focusing on customer experience. Together with ClearVoice, she guided a team of writers and editors to produce blog posts, case studies and white papers during 2019-2020. The team communicated via phone calls, email, and the chat feature in the ClearVoice platform to keep the collaboration on track and on time.

2. Scaling to see website results

Nested within the challenge of creating content is the ability to continually produce and then up the ante. Southern California home furnishings store chain Jerome’s Furniture engaged a teamlancing model with ClearVoice in 2018 to produce 50 pieces of content. In 2019, they scaled to 350 pieces of content. The company’s goal was to improve site page ranking in organic search and increase page-quality scores, both of which were achieved by building up their content quantity and quality.

Are you ready to teamlance your way to a successful product launch, website redesign, or blog refresh? Contact ClearVoice today to discover which freelance pros can move your plans into production.

Learn more about the new era of teamlancing:

• What Is Teamlancing? The Future of Content Marketing
• How to Introduce Teamlancing to Your Company
• What Hollywood Can Teach Us About the Future of Teamlancing
• The Cross-Generational Teamlancing System

The post Teamlancing Is the Solution for These Six Business Marketing Challenges appeared first on ClearVoice.

The new practice of data journalism is not a completely new type of journalism. Rather, think of data analysis as simply part of journalism for the modern world. Reporting has always involved numbers. Today, technology enables journalists to use numbers less anecdotally, more authoritatively, and to uncover otherwise invisible stories. — The American Press Institute

Weaving surprising or informative data into your marketing copy adds depth to your level of storytelling by introducing an element the reader can verify with the source. This inspires confidence. From a marketer’s perspective, data impacts marketing success, according to the omnichannel analytics management team at V12.

Here are a few takeaways from the piece:

• Marketers are adding value to their campaigns by incorporating CRM data and real-time data from analytics.
• 88 percent of marketers use data from third-party resources to better understand their customers.
• Marketing data helps to better focus on targeting offers, content and messaging.
• 44 percent of marketers have data management platforms at their fingertips.
• Data marketers are harvesting purchasing behaviors, browsing histories, device usage, social media habits and real-time geo-tracking information.

When do writers write about data?

Before we get too far into how to write about data, you might wonder when a client will ask for this type of approach. It can be requested for any type of content, really. I’ve been asked to include a quick stat or appealing number in everything from landing page copy to requesting testimonials from happy customers.

Here are a few common content types that are strengthened by incorporating data:

• Article
• Blog post
• Case study
• Data study
• Ebook
• Guide
• Infographic
• Landing page
• Presentations
• Press release
• Testimonial

Let’s dig into a few examples of marketing copy that glows thanks to the use of a data journalism approach. Then, we’ll pick apart the do’s and don’ts for this type of writing so you can incorporate it into your data-loving client assignments.

2 examples of data-supported content

In June of 2019, The Global Editors Network (GEN) announced the Data Journalism Awards 2019 at the GEN Summit ceremony and gala in Athens, Greece (view the full list of winners). Among the popular news reporting agencies, including the Associated Press and Reuters, you’ll see a few business organizations highlighted that understand the value of data-based content creation.

1. The Civio Foundation

This independent non-profit based in Spain monitors public authorities and lobbies for transparency. Eva Belmonte, co-director and head of journalistic projects at The Civio Foundation, is known for her investigative articles published on Our Daily Official Gazette. This article dives into the rising cost of butane cylinders, a primary heat source for Spaniards.

To make the story more easily understood and intriguing, she shares the exact prices of butane, rather than simply saying it has increased, complete with a chart for visual learners. She also explains how the price of butane is calculated by sharing exact numbers and a formula. This deeper level of reporting helps answer the why question for readers while building authority and loyalty for her non-profit organization

Additional winners to note include The Pudding (a digital publication explaining cultural debates with visual essays) and Factchecker.in (a database of religion-based hate crimes in India).

2. National Sleep Research Resource

This example isn’t final written copy, but rather, the type of data you might be presented with to use for your writing. Browse this page from the National Sleep Research Resource regarding their Sleep Heart Health Study. You’ll quickly learn who funded the project (the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health), the population size (5,804 adults ages 40+) and a whole lot more.

I’m sharing this so you can see the types of documents and citation requirements you may be asked to study for the research portion of your writing. Tip: As a writer, I tend to budget extra hours for my writing project when I see these types of documents included with an assignment brief. Data documents require careful examination and understanding before drafting begins.

How can writing about data enhance your content?

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) defines writing stories about numbers as ‘statistical stories.’ In the content marketing world, you might hear this referred to as data-supported or data-driven content. In journalism, it’s data journalism. In the end, these styles of writing ultimately are narratives supported by statistics.

Readers tend to recall ideas more easily than they do data. A statistical story conveys a message that tells readers what happened, who did it, when and where it happened, and hopefully, why and how it happened. — United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Writing about data enhances your content creation efforts by informing readers via facts and giving them quantified perspectives on a topic. This helps readers understand the significance, relevance and importance of the points you’re driving home in the copy. Data is used as a guide to help inform decision-making, improves relations with consumers and creates greater viability for a product, service or mission, per the UNECE.

A quick statistics primer for data writers

As the writer on the project, you’ll be supplied with reports, studies, charts, lists, spreadsheets or other data to complete your project. As you synthesize information from these resources, you may come across data terminology that’s new to you. Keep these lists of statistical terms provided by the Journalist’s Resource from the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and the University of California at Berkeley Department of Statistics handy.

In the meantime, here are a few key terms to browse:

• Average: In statistics, this term is very ambiguous. It means the arithmetic mean, but can also reflect the media, mode or geometric mean.
• Cohort: This is a group of subjects sharing a defined characteristic. The people you’re addressing based on a buyer persona are generally cohorts.
• Correlation: This is when two variables move together. They can be positive (both moving the same direction) or negative (repelling in opposite directions).
• Elasticity: This how much a change in one variable affects another.
• Margin of error: This reflects the measure of uncertainty of an estimate. It’s a good idea to always include this information when reporting on percentages.
• Mean: When adding a list of numbers, then dividing by the number of numbers, you get the mean of that list.
• Median: This reflects the number situated in the middle of the list of numbers.
• Mode: In a list of numbers, the mode is the most frequent, common number appearing on the list.
• Moving average: This calculation analyzes a series of subsets of the full data set to help rule out random fluctuations in the numbers.
• N: This single letter represents the number of people/subjects involved in the study/report.
• Parameter: This is a numerical property of a population. For example, the mean would be a parameter.
• Population: This refers to the full collection of numbers, people, units, etc. being studied.
• Random sample: These are study participants chosen by chance.
• Sample: This a portion of a population.
• Stratified sample: These are carefully chosen subjects based on characteristics of the population at large.
• Standard deviation: This number reflects how much variation there is within a group of variables.
• Unit: This is one member of a population.
• Variable: This is a characteristic that differs from unit to unit.

3 do’s when writing about data

If you haven’t gathered it yet, data writers are a specialized breed. They find joy in analyzing charts, adore numbers and can blend it all together into a narrative that makes the findings engaging and easily digestible by readers. Whether you’re testing the waters with your first data-driven content piece or you’re a seasoned writer needing a refresher in this niche, keep these do’s and don’ts top of mind.

1. Do evaluate the source/collection process of the data.

Every bit of research out there is funded, created and supported by someone or something with personal interests. When digging up information to cite in your content, take a moment to look beyond the report summary and findings. Where did it originate? Is there a partnership or monetary funding that conflicts with your marketing partner? Do the findings seem to be swayed to represent the agenda of one of the funders? Think like an investigative journalist.

Diana Aleman, editor for SAGE Stats and U.S. Political Stats, shares some tips for evaluating a data source. She says numbers can easily be manipulated, so it’s best to be critical and also study the questions asked during the study. Were they confusing or leading? And how big is the sample size? Is it enough to draw accurate conclusions? And finally, why was the information created in the first place? Were there incentives for sharing the information?

2. Do share the full data set.

Readers are smart. When they come across an intriguing statistic, they often want to click through to learn more or at least know they have access to additional details. Get into the habit of linking to the full report, additional charts or summaries of the data you’re discussing. This gives readers confidence in both your reporting skills, but also empowers them to review the data for themselves.

The Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM) shares rules for submitting data-driven manuscripts to medical journals. They explain, “The first thing the author needs to do is to make a selection of what is worth presenting. Having decided that, he/she will need to convey the message effectively using a mixture of text, tables and graphics. The level of details required depends a great deal on the target audience of the paper.”

3. Do offer key insights and analysis.

As a marketing writer, your task is to create easily consumable text. Data can get heavy with numbers, lingo and formulas. Mindfully provide narration and interpretation of the data, per the AFPM.  You don’t want the reader to have to analyze the data and form their own conclusion. That’s your job. It’s a reader’s job to absorb the information, then dig deeper into the data themselves if they desire a broader scope of the information — by choice, not necessity.

You’ve likely heard that taking a storytelling approach is effective in marketing, and that rings true especially when breaking down complex topics in the world of data reporting. Our brains are wired to remember stories. So, by transforming data into narrative, you’re helping your brand client become more memorable.

4 don’ts when writing about data

OK, you know to be fair, unbiased, thorough and engaging. But, when it comes to doing the legwork for these types of pieces, it’s easy to get bogged down in information. We get it. As you work through your next data-focused content piece, run through this checklist a few times. It could save you hours of edits.

1. Don’t allow for interpretation errors.

If you don’t understand some of the lingo, look it up! Ask questions. Scientific data isn’t everyday language and may require a few extra levels of research to fully comprehend.

2. Don’t present skewed numbers.

Since you’re working for a brand, and they may want to be represented in a specific way, it can be tempting to only highlight the data that supports their agenda. Meet the client’s requirements, but also include a mention or link to information that tells the entire story. Discerning readers will appreciate this unbiased approach.

3. Don’t breach confidentiality with your sources.

If they’ve shared research material with you in confidence, it’s never advisable to leak that proprietary information to anyone else. A casual social post about what you’re specifically writing about might be over the line. Stay quiet about insider data.

4. Don’t use weak generalizations.

When writing about data, specifics are preferred. Exact numbers, percentages and details are what the reader wants. Avoid language such as “may” or “generally,” unless it’s requested by the client in their editorial guidelines.

Takeaway tips for writing about data

Writing about data requires an analytical thinking process merged with creative writing to bring numbers to life for your reader. As you work your magic at the keyboard, keep these writing tips in mind.

• Research papers and analytics reports often use terminology from statistics. If you write about data often, get familiar with this industry lingo.
• Data sources vary. Know who created and published the information. Are they credible?
• Link to the original report so readers can engage with the information directly, if they so choose.
• Explain what the numbers mean. That’s why you’re writing about them!

If the idea of analyzing spreadsheets, reading about experiments or reviewing survey reports makes you smile from ear to ear, combine it with your love of writing. Claim a ClearVoice Portfolio to get your skills in front of our brand clients who crave creative data-focused writers like you.

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