What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar
The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters. A vast majority of the available online writing jobs for an online writer are for ghost writing projects. When a website or blog requires content, they will want a ghostwriter to churn out the content for them. In fact the demand for good ghostwriters online is so huge that it is unlikely to be met any time soon. Note that the huge demand is for good ghostwriters, not just any ghostwriter who does not add value to a client's site or put any money in the site owner's pockets. Unfortunately there are so many ghostwriters online who do not qualify to be called good ghostwriters. Because there is such a huge demand, many of them still end up getting jobs here and there. But you need to be good ghostwriters to get consistent repeat business and thus make a good income from your ghostwriting. You need to understand very clearly what most clients looking to hire a ghostwriter want. So what are the specific qualities webmasters are looking for in ghostwriters? A Good Ghostwriter Must Write To Bring In The Traffic Much as most people would wish it to be different, the fact still remains that over 75 per cent of the traffic that successful sites receive, will tend to come from search engines. Meaning that no ghostwriter in their right mind can afford to ignore search engines. In simple terms, the way to attract traffic is to use popular keywords where you are guaranteed of a high ranking in the leading search engines. There are various online tools that will help a ghostwriter to fulfill this important task. They include Wordtracker. A Good Ghostwriter Must Find The Words That Will Portray The Right Image Image is what sells, more so in the rapidly increasingly crowded online market. A good online ghostwriter will make an effort to find the words that will portray the right image for the particular website or e-commerce online enterprise they are writing for. Experience is critical in winning client confidence in most businesses. If this is the most important attribute prospects will be looking for in your client's business, then your content will need to reflect this. Making wild sweeping claims that anybody can make will not do it. But selecting the right words that will lead to the implications and conclusions that you want to point your client's prospects towards, will be the most ideal. A Useful Ghostwriter Will Identify The Resource Box That Will Get Response If your clients decide to make the smart move of posting the articles you ghostwrite for them at other websites so as to create links pointing back to their site, then the resource box will have to be the most important tool at your disposal. Read the following detailed article I wrote on resource boxes at; http://marketingurhomebiz.blogspot.com/2005/05/
your-article-resource-box-will-kill-or.html A Good Ghostwriter Will Need To Know Which Google Adsense Keywords Count The Most If your client is among the growing number of site owners posting Google Adsense PPC ads at their site as an extra income stream, the right keywords will be a critical contributing factor to success. This is because the Google Adsense ads that appear at their site will totally be based on the content and especially the keywords used. Most keywords will attract only cents for every click the site owner achieves from their traffic. Yet other keywords will attract ads where a single click is worth $100. In other words, it is the content that is even more important than the volume of traffic in deciding how much a site owner earns from Google Adsense. A ghostwriter who understands this and is skilled enough to deliver will be invaluable to any site or Webmaster. Christopher Kyalo makes a good regular income from online writing. Visit his writer's blog; http://100grandonlinewriters.blogspot.com He can be reached at strongwallafrica at yahoo.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How You Can Find Freelance Copy Editing Jobs
Even for those with the skills needed, finding copy editing jobs can seem next to impossible. The simple fact of the matter is, though, that through quality and building relationships, these jobs can be found and employment can lead to a career in the field. For those who are struggling to start out, finding those first copyediting positions is the most difficult part of the challenge. But, with the web's growth and the demand for more and more at home workers, freelance editing jobs are out there!
Accelerate Your Freelance Copywriting Master Business Plan!
Ever wish for your own copywriting business?
Are Long Copy Salesletters Scams?
A passionate debate is currently raging in the Copywriters Forum about long versus short copy. (If you haven't joined, do so. Click the "register" link the top. It's free. There are tons of tips from other very successful copywriters.)
How To Get Started With A Career In Copywriting
Careers in copywriting are booming. Could it be that the new and ever growing market on the Internet has helped to fuel this demand? You can bet your sweet keyword that it has! With so many businesses looking to the internet for their freelance copywriters the demand for employees keeps growing. Likewise, careers in copy writing are being filled more and more with freelance or independent workers. Even those who work right from their home are jumping onto the bandwagon. But, copywriting careers are not all fun and games.
Calls-To-Action: Making Them Fit Makes All the Difference
It was going so well, so what happened? Many copywriters get off to a wonderful start: The headline is compelling, the body copy is benefit-filled, but then comes the call-to-action and the whole thing falls apart. Why? It could be a dozen different reasons, but one of the most common I've seen is that the call-to-action doesn't fit the target audience.
Do You Make These 5 Mistakes When Writing Sales Copy?
Writing copy has sometimes been compared to an "art." While it does take creative skill to write great copy that generates results, there are some mistakes that you should avoid to make sure that your copy is read and acted upon.
Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?
My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved. Does this mean my writing is perfect and consistently conforms to grammar rules? Heck, no. It does mean that I spend hours perseverating about serial commas, dangling participles, and feeling guilty if I end a sentence with a preposition. I worry endlessly about what I call the PowerPointification of America (i.e., the trend toward writing short chunks of information in bullet points - which, incidentally, is what sells). I can't bring myself to use abbreviations in e-mail or instant messages. I don't use emoticons. I can't help it. For better or worse, I'm a word nerd.
10 Keys to Copy That Sells!
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades ... to get results! These guidelines can apply to most any form of consumer marketing communications: sales letters, brochures, web copy, or direct mail. As long as your goal is to elicit a reaction from your reader, you've come to the right place.
Be reader-centered, not writer-centered.
Many ads, brochures, and Web sites we see talk endlessly on and on about how great their products and companies are. Hello? Customer, anyone? Think of your reader thinking, "What's in it for me?" If you can, talk with some of your current customers and ask them 1) why they chose you, and 2) what they get out of your product or service. TIP: To instantly make your copy more reader-focused, insert the word "you" often.
Focus on the benefits - not just the features.
The fact that your product or service offers a lot of neat features is great, but what do they DO for your customer? Do they save her time or money? Give her peace of mind? Raise her image to a certain status? Here's an example: If you go buy a pair of Gucci sunglasses, you're not just looking for good UV protection. You're buying the sleek, stylish Gucci look. So that's what Gucci sells. You don't see their ads talk about how well made their sunglasses are. Think end results. Now, what does an insurance broker sell? Policies? No - peace of mind. (See? You've got it.)
Draw them in with a killer headline.
The first thing your reader sees can mean the difference between success and failure. Today's ads are chock full of clever headlines that play on words. They're cute, but most of them aren't effective. There are many ways to get attention in a headline, but it's safest to appeal to your reader's interests and concerns. And again, remember to make it reader centered - no one gives a hoot about your company.
Bad: "SuccessCorp Creates Amazing New Financial Program"
Better: "Turn Your Finances Around in 30 Days!"
Use engaging subheads.
Like mini-headlines, subheads help readers quickly understand your main points by making the copy "skimmable." Because subheads catch readers" eyes, you should use them to your benefit! Read through your copy for your main promotional points, then summarize the ideas as subheads. To make your subheads engaging, it's important to include action or selling elements. Bad: "Our Department's Successes." Better: "Meet Five Clients Who Saved $10K With Us."
Be conversational.
Write to your customers like you'd talk to them. Don't be afraid of using conversational phrases such as "So what's next?" or "Here's how do we do this." Avoid formality and use short, easy words. Why? Even if you think it can't possibly be misunderstood, a few people still won't get it.
Nix the jargon.
Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords - stick to the facts and the benefits. An easy way to weed out jargon is to think of dear old Mom reading your copy. Would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. (This rule, of course, varies, depending on who your target audience is. For a business audience, you should upscale your words to what they're used to. In these cases buzzwords are often crucial. Just make sure your points don't get muddled in them!)
Keep it brief and digestible.
No one has time to weed through lengthy prose these days. The faster you convey your product or service's benefits to the reader, the more likely you'll keep her reading. Fire your "biggest gun" first by beginning with your biggest benefit - if you put it toward the end of your copy, you risk losing the reader before she gets to it. Aim for sentence lengths of less than 20 words. When possible, break up copy with subheads (see no. 4), bullets, numbers, or em dashes (like the one following this phrase) - these make your points easy to digest.
Use testimonials when possible.
Let your prospects know they won't be the first to try you. Give results-oriented testimonials from customers who have benefited immensely from your product or service. Oh, and never give people's initials only - it reminds me of those ads in the back of magazines with headlines like "Lose 50 Pounds in Three Days!" Give people's full names with their titles and companies (or towns and states of residence) - and be sure to get their permission first.
Ask for the order!
Tell your reader what you want her to do - don't leave her hanging. Do you want her to call you or e-mail you for more information? Order now? Call to schedule a free consultation? Complete a brief survey? Think about what you'd most like her to do, and then ask her. It's amazing how many marketing materials I come across every day that don't make it clear what the reader should do. If you wrote interesting copy, your reader may forget you're trying to sell something. Tell her what to do, and she'll be more likely to do it.
Have your copy proofread!
Good. Now have it proofread again. Don't risk printing any typos, misspellings, or grammatical mistakes that will represent your company as amateurish. Hire a professional editor/proofreader to clean up your work and double-check your grammar. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impession! Oops - *impression*.
Some Copy Tips From An Old Hand
I have been in the ad game for a long, long time. I have trained hundreds of writers, and I've been responsible for moving of millions £ & $ in product worldwide. Here are just a few tips that I hope will help you do a better job, and make a bigger name for yourself.
Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting
Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they'll quickly tell you "Know Thy Target Audience." In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well. I guess that's why many people get so frustrated when it seems they have more than one preferred customer base. One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, "What if I have more than one target audience?" In all actuality, you probably don't. You just have different segments of the same audience.
Lapsed Donors: How to Write a Fundraising Letter That Wins Them Back
Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as someone who has not donated to your organization within the last year, two years or three years. Donors who have not sent you a gift in over three years are not lapsed donors. They are former donors.
The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect
You only have an instant to capture your prospect's attention. No matter the medium ? a sales letter, print ad, or commercial ? she's going to make an almost instantaneous decision about whether you are worth her time or not. So you'd better start off with a bang.
Designing for a Non-English Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large corporation at my previous job, I did not think being in charge of foreign language typesetting would be too difficult. After all, the layout and the images are already prepared and I only need to flow in the text - how hard could that be? I was sure that a simple Copy and Paste, or text importation, would do everything. This was my point of view when I initially began managing DTP projects in different languages.
Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works
Much of today's accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books written for a different, quieter world.
How To Personalize Your Headlines For Increased Profits!
Personalizing your headlines to your target audience can significantly improve your sales response. You can do this by mentioning a person by name, their city, their career field, their job title, or group right in the headline. You will find this has become quite common in email marketing.
3 Reasons why Content is Still King
Back in the late nineties, the phrase 'Content is King' was repeated and repeated and repeated by site owners and marketers alike. The belief was that the more content you had, the greater the number of visitors you would attract. Of course, the content had to be well written, relevant and easy to find. Many sites built very successful businesses as a result.
How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. For many, getting their foot in the door is the most important and most challenging first step. In order to succeed, a wide range of knowledge is needed as well as a good base of experience.
The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make
Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite seem to offer great products and services. In fact, some of their offers are so good, prospects would be crazy to turn them down. But they do. And these sales pieces end up falling in my lap because they're desperately unproductive.
Writing For Sex Markets
Many professional freelancers will go their entire career without ever once writing a story about sex. Oh, they may craft a racy scene or two in the course of writing the next Great American Novel, or they might someday write an article about the latest in sexual research, but that's about as far as many writers will ever take the concept.
How Not to Write a Press Release
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn't want me writing for him anymore.
|
