WHAT EDITORS NEED FROM FREELANCERS

Writing for the WebAHP 2009

By Christy West and Kim Brown

Writing for the Web Freelancers need to be

Versatile○ Writers, photographers, videographers, bloggers,

Tweeters, podcasters, and any other –ers you can think of!

ConfidentKnowledgeablePassionate

Writing for the Web Research a potential employer before you

contact them for work; why do they need you?

This is more than just understanding an article’s direction or scope or the type of image needed to illustrate a story.

Today’s freelancer MUST broaden their scope of coverage.

Finding stories/sources that sell

What does that publication/Web site need?Where are advertisers putting their money with

that publisher (PDFs, articles, videos, blogs)?Could a previous source give you that golden

idea for your potential client?News still sells! But what is news today? Check

out your potential client’s magazine/Web site and see what they are using.

Writing for the Web You have your story and source, but what

can you offer the client for a Web site?ArticlePhotosVideoBlog (yours or theirs)Etc.

Print vs. Web It’s a different world online!

The language is differentThe photo needs are differentThe ancillary needs are different

Web vs. Print A different language? YES!

Keywords: What are the keywords that a client is trying to maximize?

How do you use those to write your headline and first paragraph?

Switching Gears: Reader Internet Usage More than 90% of users never go past the

first page of search engine results (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/search_engines.html).

So now we have to worry about getting higher in the rankings.

What does this have to do with you?

If your content is heavily read and picked up by other sources, the demand for your services will grow.

This will also give you a good footing for negotiating rates.

Search Engine Optimization Factors for Freelance Writers Title Tags: Primary keyword or brand name first,

followed by others Keyword relevancy (how close keywords on the

page match the user's search terms) Content quality: Content that gets picked up,

read, and referenced by many

So… let’s get that article popularity up!

What do you have control over? Content qualityKeywords used

Content quality:ShortSweetEngagingTo the pointOrganized! (i.e., subheads)REVIEWED!!!!

Moving on to keywords… The point: See what words describing your

concepts are most popular, and thus, will drive more traffic to your client’s site. They may not be the same words you think of first to describe the topic.

Let’s start with an example, say, an article on founder in horses. Variants: Laminitis.

Twitter

Google Keyword Toolhttps://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

“Founder” looks like the hot tip!

BUT… (there’s always a “but,” isn’t there?)

Check out Google Trends to see what articles are driving the article popularity (www.google.com/trends)

Let’s look at that again. This time let’s try “horse laminitis” and

“horse founder” on Google’s Keyword Tool.

Not such a clear winner, is there? (14,300 local for founder phrases, 18,100 for laminitis ones)

So which do you use? BOTH! Take advantage of all of that

searching, not just half. If one were a clear winner, that’s the one

you’d make sure to repeat in your headline, deck, intro, rest of story.

Keyword Placement Headline, preferably at the beginning Deck, also preferably at the beginning Introductory paragraph or two of story Later paragraphs as works out No keyword stuffing Careful with the abbreviations

Headline Examples Equitation Science Meeting to Focus on Horse Sport and

Welfare One suggestion: “Horse Sport and Welfare Are Focus of Equitation

Science Meeting” Another suggestion: “Horse Welfare In Equine Sport Theme of

Australian Meeting”

International authorities in horse behavior, training, and welfare will converge in Sydney, Australia, for the fifth Equitation Science Annual Conference, to be held at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science and Centennial Parkland Equestrian Centre July 12-14. The theme this year is "Ethical Equitation: A Sustainable Approach," focusing on how horse sport and horse welfare can go hand in hand.

Examples Poll: Majority of TheHorse.com Readers

Vaccinate Against WNVSuggested change: “Vaccinating Against WNV:

Poll Results Show Majority Says Yes”Suggested change: “Vaccinate Against West Nile

Virus: Poll Shows Horse Owners Say Yes” U.K. to Investigate Environmental Impact of

Equine Carcass DisposalSuggested change “Equine Carcass Disposal:

Environmental Impact Investigated”

More examples How would you change these headlines?

LSU Vets Aid Horses Trapped in TrailerAHC National Forum Tackles Equine Welfare

IssuesColic in Horses: An Overview for OwnersDo Tapeworms Cause Colic? Age-Old Question

Remains ...Kester News Hour, AAEP 2008

Web vs. print: A different language?

Same message, less attention span = Same story, half the words if that!

Scannability is key: Use subheads, bullet points, and/or short sidebars to give readers more “information scent” as they decide whether to read your carefully crafted story at all.

What else can you do? Basics

Hit your word count assignments**Hit your deadlines**Self-edit**

Provide additional informationIf you’re anything like me, you like to know everything you can

on a topic of interest. And sometimes you just can’t squeeze it all into your word count.

LINKS!!!○ Not to competitors○ Related/relevant articles on same site or noncompeting sites

(save editors the trouble)○ University/government educational resources (i.e., NAHMS)

Put Together the Whole Package

If the source mentions having photos of the topic, get them! (And their permission to use them.) It may not get you paid since it’s not your photo, but it sure will earn you brownie points with your editor and it takes very little time since you’re already making the contact.

Mention the journal name/link for any refereed publications; some readers may look for it for more info, and this also saves your editor the step of searching it out.

Further Reading/Resources Useit.com (usability and web writing

w/research): http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/

Google Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Google Trends: www.google.com/trends Google Insights (search analysis by category,

region, etc.): http://www.google.com/insights/search/#

Many more!

Questions? Comments?