It’s this wizardry and skill that we celebrate in Writer Spotlight. After all, we know it’s formidable talent and not enchantment that pulls solid, sparkling copy out of thin air. And I trust that this month’s featured writer won’t mind the sorcery comparison, knowing the magical worlds that live on her bookshelf.

Meet Bea Johnson. Originally from a small town in middle Tennessee, Bea now calls north Fort Worth, Texas, home. She’s going onto nearly two decades of working as a professional writer, transitioning from web and graphic design. “While building sites, I discovered I liked writing the content for them more than I liked building them,” Bea explains. “So, BOOM! Here I am.”

Bea’s got a certain way of making prose shine, and I suspect it’s from her avid love of words. She bubbles with exuberance when responding to our question about her favorite books.

“I’m not sure I have a favorite-favorite so much as a favorite in various genres,” she begins. “Like with urban fantasy — my main fluffy squeeze. My favorites are Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series and Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series.”

(The Dresden Files is about Chicago’s first and only wizard P.I. There’s wizardry everywhere. But, back to Bea’s bookshelf.)

“As far as standalone works go, I love Arturo Perez-Reverte’s The Club Dumas, of which half was the basis for the movie The Ninth Gate,” she continues. “I also enjoy older stuff like Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea’s Illuminatus! trilogy, which I quote excessively, and modern crime drama authors like Elmore Leonard.” Bea also slips in a “great big nod” to Neal Stephenson and graphic novels such as Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.

“In all honesty, though, I’d read the back of a cereal box with gusto if that’s all I had on hand,” Bea concludes.

Bea is a mainstay on our platform as both a writer and editor, although she doesn’t remember how she found Crowd Content all those years ago. “I’m just glad that I did because I love working with y’all,” she comments. We’re glad, too, Bea!

She appreciates the platform’s open lines of communication. “The project managers are always quick to answer questions and address concerns, and most writing platforms could take a page from CC’s book in that regard,” she says.

Her favorite project was Darice, because of her love of crafting. “Also, all the research I did for it took me on some interesting tangents and aided me in improving my own personal projects…and even landing some other writing projects,” she adds.

And what about life beyond words? When Bea’s not reading about the wholesome grains in her cereal bowl or writing for Crowd Content, you can find her watching CatTV. No, it’s not a new streaming service. It’s right outside her window.

“My guy and I enjoy watching suburban wildlife,” she explains. “We started leaving food out for the feral cats in the cul-de-sac to help out and entertain our indoor cats, calling it CatTV. After a bit, we naturally started seeing foxes, raccoons and opossums pretty much every day.” I think Bea’s onto something. I can hear Sir David Attenborough narrating the series.

And now it’s time for Writer Spotlight to really dig deep. Harry Dresden, wizard detective, doesn’t let up on an investigation, and neither do we.

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “I love a perfectly seared medium-rare sirloin and baked potato when we go out…because I don’t have to fight with the cats for it.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “I don’t really have a favorite. We’re just finishing up Justified. We binged on Banshee and The Boys earlier this year, and I think we’re doing Deadwood next, followed by Life, this really great show with Damien Lewis that only lasted two seasons.”

Where do you write? “I write on the sofa with my laptop, well, on my lap. It’s just easier for me than toting it all over the place.”

Have you been published by any notable sites or organizations? “No. I actually try to fly below the radar.”

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “Making outlines. I avoided long-form content for so long just because headings and subheadings make me nervous.”

If you could change one thing about our platform, what would it be? “I’d love it if you could fix the spell check issue on the new editor.”

Do you have any advice for new writers? “Don’t take feedback personally, but do use it to improve your writing. When you’re too attached to your writing and can’t take criticism, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Like most anything else in life, it’s about the effort you put in, and part of that is knowing where you lack and working to fix it.”

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to… “Hang out on social media and meme with my friends…and play with cats. Luckily, my guy is the same.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “No words are bad, but usage and context might make them so, depending on who utters them. Some words sound better than others…but they all have their place in the tapestry.”

Poof! And just like that, another Writer Spotlight is in the books. My thanks go out to Bea for her time. And I hope you’ll join us again next time when we lift the curtain on another Crowd Content writing wizard. Maybe it’ll be you! 

The post Writer Spotlight: Bea Johnson — Thoughts on Words, Wizards and Wildlife appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

The Internet also makes the world a little smaller, giving Crowd Content writers, editors and project managers a digital space to gather no matter where they live. We’ve connected with freelancers around the globe because of this unique ability to cross oceans and continents with a click.

One of our most active writers, Australia’s Brianna Ford, is the subject of this month’s Writer Spotlight. Better known as Kaia in real life, she spent time chatting with us about writing, traveling and where she found one of the best bacon cheeseburgers in the United States. Let’s get to it.

ALSO – Hire Freelance Writers Today

Kaia is originally from the beautiful city of Adelaide on the Australian coast. She takes full advantage of the flexibility of Crowd Content and the Internet to work from different locales. Before the pandemic hit, she spent a few years house-sitting in a variety of destinations, mostly in South Australia. With travel now on hold, she’s living with her parents until people take holidays again and she can resume her own travels.

Kaia began her writing career early. “I wrote my first short story at five,” she says. “It was about my Cabbage Patch Kids’ adventure at the circus.” Creating imaginary worlds has always been her preferred type of writing, but, she says, “I haven’t written any fiction in years.” This must mean we’re keeping her too busy, but perhaps this chat will inspire her to revisit the craft. It’s time for a Cabbage Patch Kids sequel, perhaps?

Kaia worked in an administration role before putting her writing skills to work as a tech writer for a government project. She credits a good, old-fashioned Google search for helping her find Crowd Content.

We casually ask her what she likes about our platform. Okay, we fish for a compliment, but she cheerfully obliges. Kaia credits “the people, the great projects and a willingness to help writers become better and achieve success” as the best features of the platform. When we inquire if there’s anything she’d change, she answers, “With the new auto-save feature, I feel like all my wishes came true!” Kudos to our technical team for that one.

Kaia writes a broad range of copy, including snappy product descriptions and captivating blog posts. She pitches in on whatever our project managers need help with, but she looks back fondly on one client in particular. “I really enjoyed the Link Business project, which finished quite a while ago. I always learned something new,” Kaia says. “It was also fun researching something for them and discovering a past article of mine was in the top Google results.”

While Kaia has successfully found her niche at Crowd Content, we know some of you are just starting out and looking for tips to make an impact here. She serves up this advice: “Listen to the editors and project managers. They want to help you get better.” And, if you feel nervous or intimidated about picking up a new order, Kaia suggests going for it. “Jump into projects, because there’s a lot of great work.” It’s true. We all started somewhere.

Now that we have a sense of what Kaia is really like, it’s time to shift this Writer Spotlight into high gear with the lightning round.

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “I cross-stitch and plan to learn crochet this year. I also do CrossFit.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “That changes pretty regularly, but Cory Doctorow is probably my favorite author at the moment. My favorite book isn’t one of his, though. It’s World War Z, by Max Brooks.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “I don’t really have one.” (Have you tried 24?)

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “Finding new ways to say the same thing.”

Where do you write (office, outside, coffee shop, etc.)? “Mostly at my desk in my home office, but I do like to go write at the library a couple of times a month.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “I like a good bacon cheeseburger, and last time I was in the U.S. I had one in every city I visited to discover the best.” For those of you wondering which city earned the honors, it was Kingman, Arizona, on the famed Route 66.

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to… “When I’m not working, I love to read. Or cook.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “Cut 100 words from the piece. It always makes the piece better, but it’s hard choosing what to delete.”

Speaking of which, my word count runneth over, so this seems a good place to wrap up. Kaia, I look forward to your Cabbage Patch Kids trilogy. Yes, I suggested a sequel earlier, but I’m upping the stakes and confident you can do it. We’ll go for a bacon cheeseburger when you’re done.

There are so many of you writers who keep Crowd Content happily buzzing. This edition of Writer Spotlight may be over, but we’ll be back soon with a provocative profile of yet another freelancer. Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Rachel Elle — A Peek Into the Life of a Crowd Content Pro

The post Writer Spotlight: Brianna Ford — It’s a Small World, After All appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

At Crowd Content, it’s our writers we count on when things get hectic. This month’s Writer Spotlight shines on one of our most steadfast freelancers, a seasoned pro who’s been helping us tackle overflowing work queues and looming deadlines since our earliest days. Meet Rachel Elle — a four-star writer, foodie, and treasure trove of information about the New York subway.

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Originally from Ohio, Rachel began jotting down stories at the wise old age of four. Eventually turning her passion for prose into a marketable job skill, she started collecting paychecks for writing when she was a junior in college. Rachel graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing and a Master of Accounting; two vastly different degrees that she’s put to good use.

Today, she lives in Manhattan and works full-time in finance for a media company. When Rachel’s not at her day job, she fits in as many Crowd Content orders as she can. “When I commuted, I used to occasionally write from my phone on the train or while walking,” she says.

Wait. Did she just say writing while walking?

She did, but doesn’t recommend this approach. This is a good thing. We don’t want our writers to step off a curb or walk into a lamp post while working keywords into their blog posts. End of public service announcement.

Our story now turns to Mark Zuckerberg, or at least his social media empire, for helping Rachel find Crowd Content. In 2013, she discovered our platform through a Facebook group that shared work-from-home resources. This means she’s been writing blog posts, articles and product descriptions for us for nearly eight years. She’s certainly earned her spot in the Crowd Content hall of fame with other veteran writers and editors like Sapphire Knight.

Rachel’s ability to tackle almost any writing job makes her indispensable to clients and project managers. “I consider myself a generalist,” she says. “As long as an article topic fits into my general knowledge base and isn’t something I’m personally/morally/ethically opposed to, I’ll write it. I’ve written about everything from cremation jewelry to tankless water heaters.”

As much as we rely on Rachel’s finely crafted prose, we appreciate that there are times when she’s not crunching numbers or writing copy. What does she do when she’s not working? “Real answer? Sit on the couch and do nothing,” she confesses. “Idealistic answer? Explore the city — no matter how long you’ve lived here, there’s always something new to see.” She adds, “My husband and I are foodies, so we’re always trying new restaurants. An enormous portion of our disposable income goes to dining out…or ordering in, in these fun COVID times.”

All right. I think that’s a pretty good warm-up. Now let’s get to the meat and potatoes of it all. It’s time to learn Rachel’s honest opinions about books, movies, and, gasp, Crowd Content.

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “I’m really into elite gymnastics and follow U.S. gymnasts closely. I also love mass transit and am a veritable fount of useless information about the New York City Subway.” (Oh, do we have a treat for you, Rachel. Stay tuned till the end.)

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “My favorite author has long been Tamora Pierce, possibly now from more of a nostalgic place. My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “If I’m cooking myself, I’m a big fan of fresh pasta with homemade pesto.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “I hate movies. I find them equal parts too short and too long: too long for me to sit through without multitasking and yet too short to tell a well-rounded story. I’m a big fan of crime dramas, true crimes stories and female-focused dramas. I’ve seen every episode of Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Minds at least once.”

Have you been published by any notable sites or organizations (digital or traditional)? “Not that I’m aware, but I’m not always sure who my clients are.”

Which project has been your favorite? Why? “FHE Health. The orders are both easy and interesting.”

What do you think sets Crowd Content apart from other content platforms? “Ease of use, pay (much higher than most competitors), transparency into internal practices, and ease of communication with management. I’ve tried many others over the years, and Crowd Content is hands down the best.”

If you could change one thing about our platform, what would it be? “I dislike the new content editor.”

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “I guess I’d say research if I had to pick, but I’ve always found writing easy.”

Do you have any advice for new writers? “Be patient; writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone and developing the skills necessary to succeed can take time. Stay in contact with clients, especially when starting out. I built my early client base by thanking clients who gave me good reviews and letting them know I was available for more work.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “All words have a place. They’re only bad when used improperly or by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

Rachel, thank you for giving us a peek into your world. To express our appreciation, we have a tidbit to add to your New York City Subway knowledge. Did you know the longest ride on the system without changing trains is on the A train? It’s 31 miles from 207 Street in Manhattan to Far Rockaway in Queens. But, you probably knew that already.

It’s been a pleasure as always, readers. Please join us again next time, when another Crowd Content writer steps into the spotlight. Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Jenn MacDonald — Yes, It Started With a Bough of Holly

The post Writer Spotlight: Rachel Elle — A Peek Into the Life of a Crowd Content Pro appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

For Jenn MacDonald, the latter occurred on a summer day in 2019, when she sent a product description about a decorative Christmas garland through to our servers. Little did she know this cheerful little PD would lead to a steady stream of client orders on topics such as digital marketing, health insurance, travel nursing and puppies.

This month, Writer Spotlight is dedicated to getting to know Jenn, one of the four-star writers whose prose helps keep our platform humming smoothly. Settle in, grab your beverage of choice and let’s head out on a virtual journey to Canada’s west coast. Virtual trips are the only ones we’re taking in 2020, anyway.

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Jenn, who’s known as Anita to her family and friends, lives just outside of Vancouver, B.C. She tries to keep the sentences flowing despite the distractions of a husband taking Zoom meetings all day, two kids navigating online school, and a couple of cats that stare her down until they’re fed.

“I’ve been a freelance writer for more than 15 years, but have been writing since I was a child,” she says. “I used to scribble stories on any piece of paper I could find.”

Before becoming a professional writer, she worked in communications and marketing in the film industry, including a stint as a publicist for the National Film Board of Canada. “Copywriting was always my favorite task, and I decided to focus on it,” she explains. “My first clients were companies I’d worked for, so I was lucky to have a fairly easy transition to going out on my own.”

Anita took a short break from freelancing a few years ago, and began writing with us when she returned. “I read about Crowd Content in a blog post somewhere,” she explains. “It was singled out as the most professional of all the online writing platforms, and I was intrigued. I’ve been here ever since.”

In fact, we’ve made such an impression on her, we’re the only content creation platform she writes for. “I like the variety of work, the awesome project managers and the sense of community here,” she enthuses. “I also appreciate that I can focus on writing while someone else lines up clients and makes sure the invoices are paid. That side of freelancing is so time consuming.”

We do sound pretty amazing when you put it that way. But there’s always room for improvement, right? We press her to tell us what she’d change. “One adjustment has already been made, which is providing the TaT bonus on direct orders in the marketplace. I don’t usually qualify for the bonus because of the way I work,” she explains. “I’d love another way to earn the bonus besides speed, but I understand why it’s set up that way.”

Anita cites Walmart, Darice and Love’s Furniture as some of her favorite past projects because she enjoys the challenge of making ordinary things sound appealing. “I like to write marketing content, product descriptions and blog posts — unless the subjects are related to technology. Then, I run the other way, because I find it hard to wrap my head around those topics,” she says. Really? Are you sure I can’t interest you in an order about cloud computing?

Despite avoiding certain subjects, Anita has submitted about 350,000 words and 700 orders to our project managers and clients. She must have some advice for new writers who are just getting their bearings here.

“Dive right in,” she encourages. “It’s the best way to learn. Try to understand why editors make changes so you can improve your writing.”

Speaking of diving in, it’s time to get really serious about this profile. Let’s put her on the spot with some of our hardest-hitting questions.

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “Sushi is my go-to. Even better: all-you-can-eat sushi.”

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “Nothing unusual. I love to read, write and travel.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “I really liked A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth — it’s a gorgeous, sweeping epic. It’s a TV series now, but I’m not sure if I’ll watch because I visualize the story in a certain way.”

Have you been published by any notable sites or organizations (digital or traditional)? “I’ve written for parenting sites like Savvy Mom and Grown & Flown.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “I love The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and am waiting for season 4. Right now, I’m watching The Long Way Up, which follows Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman on a motorcycle trip through South America. It makes me want to travel there.”

Where do you write? “On my sofa, so I can look out the window. When my back starts to ache or the cats begin climbing on my keyboard, I move to the dining table.”

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “Falling down the research rabbit hole. I like to get a sense of a topic before I write but sometimes, I get off track.”

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to… “Walk in nature. Go on family road trips. Sleep.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “I’m choosing five consecutive words: ‘What’s for dinner tonight, Mom?’ I mean, is it really time to feed them again?”

I hate to break it to you, Anita, but you probably should provide some sustenance to the cats and kids, so you can get back to writing. And that’s my cue to wrap up Writer Spotlight for this month. I’d like to thank Anita for her time, and all of you for the pleasant company on this journey. We’ll be back soon to introduce another Crowd Content writer. Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Katharine Rochemont — Crowd Content Writer, Aspiring Novelist and Gardener Extraordinaire

The post Writer Spotlight: Jenn MacDonald — Yes, It Started With a Bough of Holly appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

It’s the same with our freelance writers. Some are just dipping their toes in and picked up the craft recently, and others have been immersed in words for years. Which brings us to our illustrious Writer Spotlight column, where we untangle the diverse paths writers take to became part of our community. So, set aside your Oxford commas and active voice for a little while as we get to know Katharine Rochemont, known in real life as Jeanne.

ALSO – Hire Freelance Writers Today

One of Crowd Content’s most prolific wordsmiths, Jeanne’s smooth prose and willingness to jump in makes the lives of many project managers a wee bit easier. Although she’s loved writing since she was a child, it’s only been the last 11 years that she’s spun her lifelong passion into a full-time career.

Jeanne currently lives in Scotland, but has done some continent-hopping. She grew up in England and moved to the United States in her early 20s. She spent 14 years there, dividing her time between Minnesota and Kansas. In 2019, she crossed the Atlantic again, this time with her Kansas-born husband and three young children in tow — a precious souvenir of her time in North America.

Jeanne’s work life began in retail in the U.K. with Futon Company. She eventually became a store manager in Exeter. “After that, I spent some time in the training department at a subsidiary of Carlson Craft in Mankato, MN, and then worked for Dollar General for a few years [where I] started as a store manager [and] moved up to district manager,” Jeanne explains.

After putting all her energies into the job and eventually getting burned out, she opted to leave the 9-to-5 grind for a freelance writing and graphic design career in 2009. “That’s basically where I am now, although I dedicate almost 100% of my time to writing these days,” she says.

Her transition to Crowd Content was fairly seamless. “I’ve known many of the people involved in Crowd Content for years — Lisa, Katelynne, editors like Stuart Brown, etc.,” Jeanne explains. “We’ve all hung around in the same online content writing circles since the beginning of time — or so it feels!”

Her favorite projects to pluck from the platform’s work queues are 2,500- to 3,500-word articles for BigCommerce. “I love writing long-form pieces, editorials and so forth,” she says. “I think I’m probably drawn most often to content with an analytical/narrative/persuasive blend. I appreciate an honest tone.” But, like many of our writers, Jeanne dives in where needed. “Bitty web page content makes me want to rip my eyeballs out — but I’ll write it anyway.” If putting your eyeballs on the line isn’t true dedication, I don’t know what is.

Does our veteran four-star writer have any advice for those starting out? “Keep at it. The key to writing well is to write a lot,” Jeanne says. “Don’t be precious about your writing: instead, find a good editor, buddy up, and take advice to heart.”

When Jeanne isn’t writing…she’s writing. “In my spare time, I enjoy writing fiction: at the moment it’s a detective novel,” she says. But sometimes, she exchanges her suspenseful plotlines for a pretty garden plot. “I love gardening — I really like growing things from seed. I find it pretty fascinating.”

And now, let’s get to the root of it all. Here’s what inquiring minds want to know.

What do you think sets Crowd Content apart from other content platforms? “It’s a friendly place to work, and hosts a good number of decent projects. It also has a better pay rate than many other content marketplaces.”

If you could change one thing about our platform, what would it be? “I’d add an extra writing tier for small-volume high-end boutique projects.”

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “Crafting a compelling introduction to long-form content. Those first 2-300 or so words are a hook. They have to reel the reader in and get them interested in the rest of the piece. Once I’m happy with the beginning of a piece, I can write the rest at a quicker pace.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “I have to admit, it’s probably Stephen King. I really enjoy his edgy tone, which is unmistakable in the writing world. It’s not that I’m a particularly avid horror aficionado, it’s more that I find his story ideas compelling (well, most of them). I’m also currently working my way through Anne Cleeves’ Shetland book series — slow-burning detective yarns set in a moody atmosphere. Lovely.”

Have you been published by any notable sites or organizations (digital or traditional)? “Not under my regular name (I nearly always ghostwrite). I’m working on it, though. I’m sure I’m capable — it’s just a question of opportunity.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “Nearly anything Italian.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “Gosh, so many. One that springs to mind: Inception. I thought that was very good.”

Where do you write? “Sitting at my kitchen table, sitting at my desk in front of the window, or sitting in front of the fire. I don’t choose option three unless I’m feeling really chipper, though — too big a risk of falling asleep.”

Complete this sentence. When I’m not working, I love to… “Write fiction and look at the sea.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “Oxymoron, bifurcate, proactive (even though I use it quite often), disruptor, incentivize (ugh!).”

And on that note, Jeanne needs to pull herself away from the fireplace and figure out how not to use the word bifurcate in her next content order. I’d feel better if someone could please give her some protective goggles to make sure her eyeballs are safe.

Come back soon as we dig into the life of another Crowd Content writer. Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Marisol Rivera — In Which We Discuss the Importance of Writing, Coffee and 24

The post Writer Spotlight: Katharine Rochemont — Crowd Content Writer, Aspiring Novelist and Gardener Extraordinaire appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Getting Started

It takes more than a keyboard and the ability to type to be a commercial writer. If you want to succeed in the online content creation industry, you must:

• Understand the basics of writing, including sentence structure and composition
• Have a better-than-average grasp of basic grammar, spelling and punctuation (or take the time to learn it before you start – Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips is a great resource for newbies)
• Be able to follow instructions to the letter and ask questions when there’s something you don’t understand

In the digital content world, things move rapidly. Successful writers and editors are able to absorb information quickly, communicate professionally and, above all, hit their deadlines. It’s as simple as that.

Types of Content Companies

Some companies work with freelancers they find on job boards, while others have full-time writers on staff. Most medium and large businesses, however, outsource at least some (if not all) of their content to companies like Crowd Content.

There are many types of content creation companies, but they all fall into one of three basic models:

• Marketplace: In a content marketplace, you work directly with clients and communicate with them as questions arise. Most clients edit or review the work you deliver, but sometimes there’s a freelance editor in the mix.

• Enterprise: With an enterprise model, you deal with an in-house Content Manager or Project Manager rather than directly with the client. Project managers assemble teams, create instructions and place orders; they also review submissions and manage deadlines. Freelance editors are always involved in these types of orders, and some companies use a third layer of review called QA.

• Agency: Content agencies often offer clients services that go above and beyond content creation (SEO, strategy, etc.). Those that hire freelancers usually require a higher level of expertise, though they typically pay a bit more. 

Why is this important? If you’re new to this industry, there’s a lot for you to learn. If you have some basic skills or expertise, you’re much more likely to get the mentoring you need from an Enterprise operation, where Project Managers are tasked with creating and training teams of workers. Marketplace clients expect writers and editors to already be “experts” before they pick up orders.

Crowd Content is one of the few content creation companies that successfully run both a Marketplace and an Enterprise operation. When you’re accepted as a writer or editor on our platform, you can apply to work for either (or both) sides of the business. 

What You’ll Need

Most content creation companies have proprietary platforms where you write and submit your work, and they’ll usually require a PC or Mac laptop or desktop computer. If you have a tablet, you may be able to make it work, but that’s dependent on the platform you’ll be working on.

You’ll also need:

• Internet access

• An internet browser

• Word processing software (optional)

• A valid PayPal account

Internet Browser

There are a lot of browsers to choose from, but Chrome seems to be the one that most writing platforms get along with best. You do have the option of trying out others, including Firefox, Opera and Edge, but don’t be surprised if you run into compatibility issues here and there.

Word Processing Software

You don’t absolutely need a word processor to get going, but it can help. The platforms among different companies vary wildly in their capabilities – some don’t even have built-in spellcheckers – so you may find it helpful to write in a word processor and then copy/ paste your work into the platform’s text editor. If you don’t have access to word processing software, you can download something like Focus Writer for free or pay a minimal monthly fee for a subscription to Microsoft Word and the rest of the Microsoft

Office programs. Using Google docs is another option.

PayPal

You’ll want to get paid for the work you do, and you’ll find that most content companies pay via PayPal. Once the funds are in your PayPal account, you can transfer them directly to your bank, or you can request a PayPal debit card, which works exactly like your bank debit card.

How It All Works

Let’s walk through what you’ll experience when writing commercially for Crowd Content. Note that most other writing platforms are similar but have their own rulesets and ways of doing things.

• After you create an account, complete an application for one or more of the various Marketplace or Managed (Enterprise) teams. Once approved, you’ll be given a quality rating based on the work you did on your application. At Crowd Content, there are four tiers: one, two, three and four stars.
• When you log into the platform, you’ll have a personal dashboard that shows any work that’s available to you on the Marketplace or Managed Content sides of the platform. What you see here depends on your application approvals and the quality rating you were given. You see all open work at your star rating and below as well as any work for teams that you’ve been placed on or any direct order work.
• A four-star writer sees all open orders, for example, while a two-star writer only sees open orders placed at one- and two-star orders.
• When you view an order on Crowd Content, you’ll see a title or topic, instructions on how to write the piece, when the order is due, how much it pays and any other information the project manager or client included.
• You can choose to pick up orders based on all this information. You’re a freelancer, so you always have a choice about whether to accept work or not. That’s even true if you get direct orders (orders placed solely to you) that you don’t want to write for any reason. You can pass on those orders and even let the client know why via the system chat — for example, you might want to let them know you’ll be out of town and can’t complete orders next week but would be happy to write content for them when you get back.
• After you’ve completed the order, submit it — and this is where things differ depending on whether your order was in the Marketplace or Managed Content.
  • Marketplace: The client may have added editing to the order. If they have, the order will be picked up by an editor before going to the client. But the client is still responsible for ultimately approving or rejecting the order. The client or the editor may send it back to you with notes to make revisions. Once the client has accepted the order, you’ll be paid for it on the next payday. In our Marketplace, it can take anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks for the client to review and approve orders.
  • Managed Content: Once you submit a written order, an editor will review the piece. The order may be edited and submitted, sent back to you for revisions or rejected if it significantly fails to meet the minimum requirements for the task. Once the editor submits the order, it goes to QA. That’s where a member of our team reviews the order to be sure it meets the client requirements. QA will either accept, reject or send it back for revisions. Once QA has accepted the order, you’ll get paid. When working on Managed Content, completed work is typically reviewed within a few days.

• Even if your order is accepted by the client, editor or QA, they may opt to leave you notes. It’s important to go back and read these notes and view the changes made to your order using the tracked changes tab. In the world of commercial writing feedback is gold. Learn to accept feedback and put it into practice, and you’ll do well.

How Much Does It Pay?

Private clients, like those found on job boards and places like Upwork, often pay by the hour or by the piece, but most content companies pay writers and editors a set per-word rate. The rate of pay varies widely among different companies. At Crowd Content, pay rates for writers range from a few cents up to 10 cents per word and sometimes even more. Editors are paid between 1.5 and 3 cents per word.

The per-word pay doesn’t always give an accurate picture of how profitable a writing job might be. The figure you should look at is how much money you can make per hour. Short product descriptions that require minimal research but only pay four or five cents per word might work out to be more profitable on a per-hour basis than a 2,000-word feature article that requires heavy research and multiple rounds of revisions — even if that feature article pays more per word.

When Do I Get Paid?

Some content companies pay once or twice per month, but others pay more frequently. Crowd Content pays its writers twice per week — Tuesday and Friday — for all work that’s been accepted by the client or Project Manager by the evening prior.

Next Steps

Ready to start? Here’s what you need to do next:

• Read this guide in its entirety
• Brush up on your grammar and punctuation skills
• Open a worker account with us
• Apply for work

Keep in mind that other companies may have different requirements. You may be asked to complete an English grammar test before you’re able to apply for work, or you may have to create a portfolio. Before you do any of this, make sure that the company’s pay rates are within the range of what you’re looking to make.

Want more information? Grab our free ebook, Intro to Commercial Content Writing here.

Best Practices: General

No matter what companies you choose to write for, Enterprise or Managed Content projects tend to have lots of information around them, including style guides, project briefs and in-task instructions. When working in a Marketplace environment like ours, the amount and type of information you get from clients will be all over the map. When in doubt and unless the client states otherwise, follow these simple rules: 

Style 

• Defer to AP style. 
• Use American English spelling. 
• Use title case for all titles, headers and subheads. 
• Format titles, headers and subheads appropriately using H1, H2 and H3 tags or via the formatting functions of the platform in question. 
• For blog posts and marketing copy (product descriptions, etc.), use second person (you). For landing pages and other website copy, use first and third person. 
• Vary your sentence structure. Use some simple and some compound sentences. 
• Avoid rhetorical questions. If you do use them, limit to one per article.
• Avoid exclamation marks. They do have their place, but they should be used only rarely.
• Avoid cliches and overused jargon (with ease, is a snap, is a breeze, etc.). 
• If you cite a fact, study or statistic, link to it. Always try to link to the primary source — not a site talking about the source — and avoid using data that’s more than a few years old. The exception here is that something like Census data is perfectly fine to use, as it’s only updated once every ten years.
• Never use Wikipedia or random blogs as sources unless a particular blogger is an influencer in the industry you’re writing about. 
• Stay evergreen — unless you’re writing something that’s absolutely seasonal or a client has asked for content about current events or news. 
• Avoid negativity at all times, particularly in marketing copy. Better to say, “This cleaner keeps your floors looking like new” than “This cleaner gets rid of all the icky goo off your dirty floors.” 
• Use common contractions (it’s, you’e, etc.). 
• Defer to Merriam-Webster for spelling and hyphenation. 
• Watch out for repetition in words and phrases. Don’t start back-to-back sentences or paragraphs with the same word. 
• Stay concise and avoid fluff and filler. 

Structure 

• Use bulleted and numbered lists and subheads to break up the text. 
• For blog posts and general articles, start with an intro paragraph and end with a conclusion. 

SEO 

• Before you start writing, Google the primary keyword to be sure you understand the intent of the search – what information the reader is really looking for. 
• Unless the client tells you not to change keywords in any way, always correct them for grammar, spelling and punctuation. 
• Use the primary keyword in the title, first 100 words of the intro, one subhead and at least once or twice in the text, depending on how long the piece is. When you’re writing something like a 50-word product description, you might only use the primary keyword once, for example. 
• Try to use all secondary keywords at least once. 
• Cover the topic comprehensively, and work in as many semantic keywords as possible. If you haven’t been given any semantic keywords, you can generate some for free using LSIGraph.com. Don’t, however, shove in a semantic keyword that’s clearly not related to the search intent of the primary keyword or the topic at hand. 
• Do not ever keyword stuff. 
• Remember that readability always trumps the keywords.

Best Practices: Metadata 

The most common types of metadata you’ll be asked to create are meta titles and meta descriptions. These are the pieces of information someone will see on a search engine results page (SERP) when they make a search query. You can see an example below.

Meta Titles 

You may be tempted to use an article’s title as your meta title, but that could be a mistake. Google will only display up to around 70 characters (including spaces) of your meta title in the SERPs. How much of the title is displayed depends on a variety of factors, including what type of device the searcher is using. If your title gets cut off, the reader may not know what to expect. 

Many companies also want to get their company or website name in the meta title, and they usually do it like this: 

• Title | Company Name 

Note that the pipe symbol and company name should also be counted as part of that 50- to 60-character allotment, and you should work your primary keyword in the title if possible. 

Meta Descriptions 

The purpose of meta descriptions is to get readers to take an action — in this case, to click a link to go to a page listed in the search results. Meta descriptions should:

• Be engaging and enticing 
• Contain the primary keyword 
• Be up to 160 characters in length, including spaces 
• Start with an action verb, if possible

Best Practices: Blog Posts

Companies use blogs for many reasons. These articles can inform or educate an audience or help position a company as a thought leader in an industry. Behind it all, though, search engine ranking is always a high priority, which makes blog posts one of the most asked-for types of content. 

When writing blog posts, follow the style, structure and SEO guidelines set forth earlier in this document — unless the client’s instructions differ. Before you begin writing, determine the purpose of the content (to inform, educate, convert, etc.) and who the target audience is. How you broach the subject of buying a Bluetooth speaker would probably be very different if you’re writing for Boomers instead of Millennials, for example. 

Also note that depending on the purpose of the blog post, it may (or may not) require a call to action — typically called a CTA. If that’s the case, you’ll want to encourage the reader to take action: call, click, schedule service, etc. Unless told otherwise, you should always hyperlink to the page on the client’s website where the reader can take that step.

Blog Post Lengths 

Most of the blog posts that we produce at Crowd Content are somewhere in the 500- to 750-word range. Clients who are after backlinks or creating pillar pages will often create long-form blog posts of 1,000 to 2,500 words or more.

Keep in mind that to really get any decent SEO value out of a blog post, the lowest word count should be roughly 300 to 350 words.

Types of Blog Posts 

You may think of blog posts as just being articles, but there’s a science behind them and there are many variations you can use to drive the information home in different ways. Here are some of the more popular types of blog posts: 

• Listicles: 10 Places for Fun Summer Travel, 3 Recipes for Date Night 
• How-To and Tutorials: Learn Spanish in 3 Easy Steps, How to Host a Holiday Party 
• Link and Resource Lists: 10 Best Instagram Stories, SEO Tools the Pros Use 
• Checklists: Things to Pack When Traveling with Kids, Off to College Checklist
• Reviews: ASUS vs Dell Laptops, Why SEO Pros Choose SEMRush 

For examples, and more content types, download the ebook here.

ALSO – How to Find and Succeed With Freelance Copywriting Jobs

The post How to Become a Content Writer – The Complete Guide appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Who are these fearless scribes? This month, we meet four-star writer and self-proclaimed 24-aficionado, Marisol Rivera.

See, there was a point to that Jack Bauer reference.

ALSO – Hire Freelance Writers Today

As we continue our quest to introduce you to the people behind the pen names, Marisol — known as Missy to her friends and family — dishes about highly classified details such as her path to Crowd Content, what it’s really like writing for us and the secrets new writers can learn from her experience. And rest assured, Missy willingly obliged. There were no surreptitious interrogation techniques used in the making of this Writer Spotlight.

It’s been awhile since our last installment, and we only have a thousand words, so let’s jump right in.

To get to know Missy, we’re setting the scene by whisking you to O’Fallon, Missouri, an hour outside of St. Louis. Missy’s settled at her desk in her living room with her coffee, computer and feline friends. Carefully crafted words are flowing from her fingertips to impress Crowd Content clients such as Teknicks, Jumbleberry and Lendzi. “Rick and Erin manage most of my favorite projects,” she says, when asked about the orders usually found in her queue.

Missy is partial to writing content that requires a casual voice. “I prefer anything where I can use a conversational tone, and product descriptions are always fun,” she says. “Dry content isn’t my thing, but I admire writers who can do that stuff well.” She adds, “I really miss Walmart PDs, so please hit me up if we ever get another batch of those.” Duly noted.

Prior to becoming a full-time freelance writer 12 years ago, Missy worked a wonderfully varied career that involved stints as a retail cashier, chiropractic assistant and McDonald’s manager. She also oversaw marketing events at hockey games, concerts and festivals. Her first article was published in 2002 when she was a teen, a personal essay about getting her GED. Since then, her work has also been featured on Mint.com, Health.com, Faveable, Legit Lender and Medium.

She discovered Crowd Content when she followed some fellow writers from OneSpace, and hasn’t looked back. “I absolutely adore Crowd Content, and I’m not just saying that because you chose me for the writer spotlight,” she says, when asked what sets the platform apart from others. “The project managers are friendly and helpful, and they respond quickly when I have a question. The quick approval times for content are awesome, and my bill collectors appreciate the twice-a-week pay.” Impressive testimonial, indeed, but there must be something she’d change. “Nothing, but I hate change. Just ask my therapist,” she replies.

Still, even the most seasoned professionals have their challenges. And while our freelancers have created a supportive and close-knit community as evidenced by the threads in our discussion forum, writing is usually done solo as you wrestle those words into coherent sentences. “I’m a social person, so working from home can get rough,” says Missy. Fortunately, she knows what she needs to do to maintain her positive energy and outlook. “I try to infuse socialization into my workday by meeting friends for lunch, spending too much time on Facebook and calling my favorite people.”

While Missy is one of our veteran writers, there once was a time when she was a newbie. Does she have any pearls of wisdom for those just starting out? “Write as much as possible, and don’t be a perfectionist,” says Missy. “New writers always tell me they’re terrified to submit their content. Don’t let fear derail your goals. The more you write, the easier it gets. I also recommend following sites like Grammar Girl. Mignon Fogarty was a lifesaver when I was a new writer.”

And now, let’s get to the really good stuff. We want to know all about those quirks and habits that aren’t apparent through our computer screens.

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “Is chugging coffee while chasing after my kids a hobby? I also enjoy hiking, making crafts, cooking and listening to music. Oh, and I have 5 cats. Some people find that weird.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “If you saw my cluttered bookshelf, you’d understand why I can’t pick a favorite. I enjoy a variety of genres, but I usually lean toward thrillers and self-help books.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “Mexican or Thai food are my top picks. I love street tacos, chicken flautas, yellow curry and garlic fried rice. We won’t talk about my DoorDash obsession.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “I was really into 24 and have finally given up hope on anyone making a 24 movie. Currently, I’m rewatching The Office for the millionth time on Netflix. I also love Marvel movies, Dancing With the Stars and Lifetime movies (yeah, yeah, I know).”

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to… “Spend time with my kids and friends.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “I hate the word rural. I’ve never been able to pronounce it correctly. I strongly dislike hors d’oeuvres because I can’t remember how to spell it (in fact, I Googled it for this spotlight). I’m also not a fan of hullaballoo, wifey or firstly. I feel like I’m going to regret sharing this list after my passive-aggressive friends find my spotlight.”

We’re not passive-aggressive around here, so we won’t make a hullaballoo about the list. We’d like to thank Missy though, for generously sharing her stories, and to tell her to never give up hope because we hear Kiefer Sutherland is interested in a 24 reboot. But for now, back to those PDs.

Check back soon for another tantalizing profile of a valiant Crowd Content writer.

Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Penny Ethridge — Showing Newbies How It’s Done

The post Writer Spotlight: Marisol Rivera — In Which We Discuss the Importance of Writing, Coffee and 24 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

What Are Service Descriptions?

Service descriptions are like product descriptions. But instead of describing tangible goods, you’re describing the services that you provide, including what you do, some basics about how you do it and why people should care about the service.

How many service pages you have on your site depends on what you offer and how you want to market it. It also might depend on your content marketing budget. You definitely want to highlight your main services with their own description pages. Check out the table below for examples of the types of service pages you might see on various business websites.

How to Write a Service Description: 7 Tips

Once you decide how many service pages you need and what services you should highlight, it’s time to create the service description content. Check out some tips below for creating service description pages that are likely to perform in SERPs and convert consumers who arrive to your pages.

1. Scope Out the Competition in SERPs

Start by checking out the competition. Search your keywords and look at the pages in the top three spots. What are they doing and how can you do it better?

(Okay, technically you start with keyword research so you know what your keywords are. TBH, we’re assuming if you know you need service descriptions, you know you need keywords and keyword research.)

Matthew Rogers, a search analyst and senior editor at Mango Matter, says he analyzes service descriptions that are ranking in SERPs before creating his own. “I work on the premise that every page Google promotes on page one is there for a reason,” says Rogers, “and success can often be reverse engineered.”

2. Focus on Your Customer

But you can’t let analytics reign over your content at the expense of the consumer. Rogers notes,”The most difficult part of writing service descriptions is balancing the need to please the user while pleasing Googlebot.”

It’s not enough to shove the ranking keywords into your service description and show up high in the page rankings. Your content must also:

• Align with searcher intent
• Provide relevant, helpful information to the user
• Persuade the user to take the next action in the sales funnel

In addition to doing your keyword research, make sure you have a target consumer and that you understand their needs and preferences. That way, you can create content for your service description that speaks specifically to the target audience.

3. Use Feature/Benefit Writing

One of the best ways to speak to the consumer’s needs and desires is via feature/benefit writing. This is common in product descriptions, and you should employ it in writing about services too.

Feature/benefit doesn’t just tell the consumer what you do. It tells them what you do for them (the feature) and why they should care (the benefit). Check out some example feature benefit pairs below to better understand this type of content.

4. Make Service Descriptions Scannable

No matter how great your feature/benefit copy is, most people will skip the entire page if you present your service description as a big block of text. It’s daunting and annoying—especially on mobile.

Instead, break your content up into scannable chunks by using subheadings, small paragraphs, bulleted and numbered lists, block quotes, call outs and images. Check out our service page on article writing for an example of friendly scannable content with plenty of white space.

5. Include Various Content and Media Formats

Remember that not everyone prefers text-based messaging, and some people engage much better with images or video. That means they’re more likely to remember your message later when it’s time to make a purchase. Incorporate various media formats by:

• Explaining services using videos and infographics
• Showing services in action in photos
• Integrating consumer reviews and testimonials to back up your claims

6. Don’t Try to Do Too Much With One Service Page

To perform in SERPs and with users, your service pages have to answer pretty specific intents and questions.

For example, someone looking for toilet repair might be interested in some basic information about new toilet installation—especially if it’s information to help them decide between a new item or repairing the existing one. But they probably aren’t going to want to read an entire page devoted to sinks.

Ensure your service page comprehensively answers the intent of the search regarding a service, but leave tangential information to its own page. You can certainly mention that you also install sinks, but instead of going into detail, link to your sink installation service page.

Plan out your service description pages ahead of time so you can ensure you cover all the most important services and that they each go on their own page.

7. Include a Relevant, Clear Call to Action

Finally, don’t leave the consumer hanging. Be specific about the action you want them to take to engage your services.

Include buy now, get a quote or contact us buttons—and do so where the consumer can see them. If they’re buried somewhere seven scrolls below the fold, they won’t do you any good.

You should also give a concise explanation of what the consumer can expect when they act. For example: They’ll call to schedule a free consultation or drop their email in a form and someone will contact them within 24 hours.

Get Professional Help Writing Service Descriptions

Service descriptions can be hard to write well as they rely on a balance of SEO and strong marketing copy. Contact Crowd Content to find out how our experienced copywriters can help you create service descriptions that perform in the search engines and convert consumers into customers.

ALSO – How to Scale Your Agency By White Labeling Content Writing

The post How to Write Service Descriptions appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

We don’t have a Rookie of the Year award at Crowd Content, but I won’t let that stop me from appointing Penny Ethridge (aka Imogen) as the first recipient of the Crowd Content Writer Spotlight Newbie award. 

ALSO – Hire Freelance Writers Today

In the freelance writing business, there’s no shortage of newbies. They come and go on a daily basis, many discovering that it’s not quite as easy as expected. But once in a while, we find a diamond in the rough: a writer with natural talent, strong communication skills, a positive team-player attitude, and the capacity to learn quickly. Over the past year, Imogen has shown us that she embodies each of these valuable qualities. 

Writing just over 13,000 words, Imogen hit the ground running in her first week back in late May of 2019. Of the 18 orders that received client ratings, half earned four stars—the rest got five. She worked on Marketplace orders while also dabbling in Darice product descriptions, and in July, she began working on some new managed projects, writing rehab-related orders for UKAT and blog posts for Amazing Medium. She caught our attention. 

High-quality writing led to a three-star promotion, and her willingness to accept—and deliver—  last-minute rush orders resulted in a growing reputation as a reliable contributor. It wasn’t long before Imogen found herself added to more and more teams, both in the Marketplace and on Managed Projects. 

Imogen doesn’t have a background in writing—unless stapling papers together to create books as a child counts as resume-worthy experience. “I’ve dabbled with fiction and poetry ever since but never tried to do anything serious,” she says. “In the future, I’d love to get fiction published.” Prior to discovering Crowd Content via a Reddit thread, she worked as a restaurant manager in London. 

She now resides in Helensburgh, Scotland, where she spends her days writing from Wetherspoons and enjoying £1.35 refillable coffees—at least she did before the pandemic turned us all into homebodies. 

While she’s tried out many different types of content, Imogen feels she prefers “writing blogs and website copy. Researching diverse topics keeps my brain happy, and I find practicing those helps me to write more clearly and simply. Otherwise, fiction is my preferred type of writing.”

When asked what her favorite project is, Imogen replied, “I love Lead to Conversion because it involves writing about puppies. I like the variety involved in writing for digital marketing agencies and find the tone comes quite naturally. BathMate always brought a smile to my face as well.” (BathMate has no doubt brought smiles to many faces, Imogen. Quick, somewhat-related side note: BathMate sent a package of samples to the original project manager when they first came on board. Good times.) 

Being a newbie, Imogen found it helpful to listen to some of the experienced veterans. Advice from a well-known CC writer stuck with her, and she offers that same advice to other newcomers. “As a wise lady (Greta Scribe) once said to me, you’ve got to have a thick skin in this game. Throw yourself into it from the beginning, work hard, embrace critique from editors and you’ll do really well.” 

With little provocation, Imogen felt it prudent to throw some compliments our way, and I’d be remiss not to share her thoughts. “The community,” she offered when contemplating what sets Crowd Content apart from other platforms. “The forum has been such a great resource, and I’m elated to have met everyone at CC. It also seems to genuinely reward hard work and a good attitude, which is awesome.”

In the interest of balanced reporting, I gave her the opportunity to tell us what we could do to improve. She went easy on us. “I’d have it so you could highlight text in the editor and the word count would display.” I’ll pass that request along. 

We all have our stumbling blocks, especially when writing content is a new endeavor. When asked what she’s found most challenging so far, Imogen said, “Referring to companies and organisations as it and not they! We say they in British English, and it’s so hardwired. Most other spellings/nuances are easy to adapt to, but that one is a blighter.” (editor’s note: that means something that’s looked at with contempt or irritation. Brits have some weird words.)

As is tradition in the long and storied history of Writer Spotlight, we took some time to get personal with Imogen and discover compelling secrets that only her closest friends and family members know. As always, we share the intimate details with you: 

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “Erm… I don’t have any unusual interests but I think I’m probably unusually into my interests. I listen to the radio all day — BBC Radio 4 in the morning and BBC Radio 6 in the afternoon. I’m a huge music, literature and comedy fan, which keeps me busy. Politics and current affairs interest me a lot, too. That sounds so boring but I’m actually cool.” 

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky. But also The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde. But also Demian by Herman Hesse. But also Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami. I could go on doing that for so long.” 

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “I love so many restaurants. Other than writing, food is definitely my passion. I love nothing more than treating myself to a lovely meal. The best dinner I’ve ever had was at The Fat Duck, which was a gift from @Olivia Goodwin (AKA my aunt and legend in her own right!).” 

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to “ROCK.”

If you were a farm animal, which one would you be and why? “A cat. Is a cat a farm animal? Cats have always been my Gs.” 

I had a boss once who always asked that farm animal question during job interviews. When I asked him why, he said, “Because it makes them think that I know something they don’t. I just like to hear what they come up with.” 

And with that, we bring the June Writer Spotlight to a close. Imogen now joins the ranks of those in the spotlight before her, and she carries a shiny, albeit imaginary, Writer Spotlight Newbie of the Year award. Display it with pride, Imogen. You’ve earned it! 

Join us next month when we get to know another Crowd Content writer. Maybe it’ll be you!

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Carrie McCarthy — A Story of Wine, Crayons and Coyotes

The post Writer Spotlight: Penny Ethridge — Showing Newbies How It’s Done appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

It’s with heroes in mind that we welcome you to the next installment of Writer Spotlight. While this month’s hero may be safely sheltered at home with her kids and weiner dogs, many at Crowd Content will agree that Clarissa Howard (Kim in the real world) is right up there with the Jack Bauers, Dean Winchesters, and Jon Snows of TV lore — consistently answering the call when we’re in a content crisis. 

It started two years ago in early May, 2018, when Kim wrote a Darice product description and a short article about saving money as a vegetarian (I read that, Kim. You’ve come a long way!). 

Since then, Kim has gone on to submit well over 4,000 orders. Many of these orders were the result of emails desperately seeking writers to hit a fast-approaching deadline. More often than not, and regardless of quality level, Kim would volunteer her services — even when better paying work was available. A consummate team player, Kim has proven time and again that she’s something more than a freelancer. 

Kim’s background includes time spent in IT sales, retail management, and music promotion, but she currently spends most of her time writing for Crowd Content and creating some personal essays for blogs and magazines. Add in a family, some dogs, a second-hand clothing business, and a part-time communications manager job, and it’s easy to see why we’re so impressed with the amount of work she handles for us. 

Still, Kim manages to find time for her hobbies and interests. “I’m a huge fan of stand-up comedy and try to get out to the comedy club as much as possible, which isn’t very often these days, unfortunately!” Kim says. “I also enjoy hot yoga and am trying really hard to get into gardening, although I’m absolutely horrible at it.” A hero to all but plants, apparently. 

Kim has been writing professionally for four years and has been published by Parents Magazine, Explore Magazine, Huffington Post, and YourTango.com. “Essay writing is my favorite,” she says, “but I also really enjoy any type of sales/marketing writing, except for product descriptions, which I don’t enjoy writing at all!” Have you tried starting with an action verb? It makes all the difference. 

Kim stumbled upon Crowd Content while searching for ways to make money from home. An online review of our platform sent her our way. Over time she’s written on many projects but says she “loves writing on the Caring.com/PFSC projects and Lead to Conversion.” Expertise snippets also hold a special place in her heart. If that doesn’t make her a hero, I don’t know what does. 

As has become a tradition with those showcased in the Writer Spotlight, Kim offered some major kudos for Crowd Content, and I’m sticking to my story: It’s completely unsolicited. “I’ve written on several other sites, and CC is infinitely better in so many ways,” Kim gushed. “Our project managers and editors are kind and communicate effectively; the availability of work is second-to-none, and the pay is more than fair for the work we’re doing.” 

But every rose has its thorn, and for Kim, that thorn is relatively minor. “I’d really love the ability to change my pen name! If I’d known I’d be sticking around here and writing as many orders as I have, I’d definitely not have chosen the name Clarissa Howard.” Let’s see if we can do something about that for you, Kim. 

Kim feels that listening to the feedback given by editors and project managers has helped her become the four-star writer she is today, and she urges new writers to follow that same path. “Stick with it and be open to the advice of editors and project managers. I’ve gone back and read some of the work I completed in my earlier days on the platform and I can see how far I’ve come in the two-ish years that I’ve been here. In addition to honing your own skills, being open to constructive criticism is the best way to open doors for yourself and access more work on better projects!”

While this is a treasure trove of compelling advice combined with dramatic heroics, we’re all here for the real news, and as always, Writer Spotlight delivers:

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? My favorite author is Graham Greene. My favorite book is The Beach by Alex Garland.

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? My favorite restaurant is a local steakhouse called Caesar’s; they make the best filet mignon and stuffed potatoes in the world. On the other hand, I’m always up for Taco Bell!

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? My favorite TV show is Weeds, I’ve probably watched every season at least four or five times. My favorite movie is The Boondock Saints.

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I love to…  spend time with family and friends! Even when work is really busy, I try really hard to break up the day with playdates for my kids, coffee with my best friend or outings with the family.

What are the five worst words in the English language? Without getting into the vulgar stuff, I’d say flap, ointment, curd, chunk and slurp. 

I would only regret it if we passed on this opportunity to say: Slurp the chunky curd before applying ointment to the flap, Kim. 

With that poetic gem, we’ll bring this month’s Spotlight to a close. Kim, put down the garden shears and spare those poor plants for another day. It’s time to take your place among past heroes in the Writer Spotlight hall of fame. Join us next month for another Pulitzer-worthy look into the secret life of a Crowd Content writer. Maybe it’ll be you! 

ALSO – Writer Spotlight: Sapphire Knight and a Tribute to Longevity

The post Clarissa Howard — A Hero to All but Plants appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

It is with great pride that we take yet another step toward reaching the historic longevity of these media giants. Welcome to the third installment of Crowd Content’s Writer Spotlight. 

This month, we honor the lasting dedication of Caen, The Simpsons, and The Courant by getting to know one of the earliest members of Crowd Content’s esteemed writing and editing teams: Sapphire Knight — aka Tracey. 

ALSO – Need to hire freelance writers?

Just last month, Tracey reached her seventh year with Crowd Content — a feat achieved by few others. It all began with a Marketplace order compelling businesses to use new, cutting-edge click-to-call technology. Seven years and over 4,600 orders later, Tracey continues to provide our clients with high-quality content, serving primarily as an Managed Projects editor. 

While you may have chatted with her in the forum or through order chat, it isn’t until now that we uncover the true person behind the friendly comments and helpful feedback. Let’s dim the lights, grab some popcorn, and dive deep into this no-holds-barred interview.

Though she’s made the rounds through Toronto, Belleville, and Smiths Falls, Tracey keeps returning to a small tourist town in Prince Edward County, Ontario. After spending years in the healthcare industry, she chose a new path and earned some IT certifications before operating a successful consultancy in Smith Falls. But, following the birth of her fourth child, Tracey sought a new career that would allow her more time at home with her children. It was then that her writing career began — well, the paid part of her writing career. 

“I’ve wanted to be a writer for as far back as I can remember,” Tracey says. “I started working on the craft at 13, but at that time, instead of paychecks, all I got were rejection letters. It wasn’t until 1998, so about 22 years ago, that I started writing professionally.” Like many of us, getting those first payments for writing seemed surreal to Tracey. “I remember when I got that first paycheck for writing, and I remember worrying that I’d wake up some morning just to find out it had all been a dream.”

ALSO – Do You Need Expert Writers? What Type of Expert Do You Need?

Tracey’s focused heavily on the IT niche, writing weekly columns for three popular IT certification websites and working on long-form projects, including an MCSE study guide, a Project 2000 BlackBook for Coriolis Technology Press, an A+ Certification Passport for Osborne/McGraw-Hill, and countless educational materials for a company called Total Seminars. Tracey also writes fiction under several pen names and has been both traditionally and self published, and one of her works was mentioned in The Washington Post in December of 2015. 

So, how does this lead her to Crowd Content? As it turns out, our CEO, Clayton, played a role in her recruitment. “When I became burnt out by the IT industry (I never had more than four weeks to complete 600-page books because everything changes so quickly), I started looking for another venue that would allow me to work from home. In early 2013, I visited the WAHM writing discussion boards and noticed a post by a gentleman named Clayton. He’d just started a new company and was looking for writers. I applied immediately and was accepted as a four-star writer. As soon as I started here at Crowd Content, I knew I’d found something special.”

Something special? While I’d never stoop to solicit compliments for our platform, I felt the need to dig deeper. “There are so many things that set Crowd Content apart from other platforms, including pay rates, twice-weekly pay days, the clients, the chat boxes and the forums,” Tracey volunteered without prompting. “I think the main thing that sets us apart though is the people. We have a great bunch here, and everybody is so friendly and helpful.”

Tracey does acknowledge that we’re not perfect, however. When asked how we could possibly improve, she offered this: “I would love it if we had a dedicated support phone line for writers and editors. When you’re chasing a deadline and the power goes out, it can be difficult or impossible to email support or post in the forum. I think having a contact number would be useful to pass information along to the project managers, who would then be able to reassign an order or provide an extension. That way writers wouldn’t get strikes due to something beyond their control.” Actual conversations with real people? How very progressive of you, Tracey. 

With over two decades of writing and editing experience, including these last seven years with Crowd Content, Tracey knows a thing or two about perseverance and getting noticed. She offered this advice to new writers: “Keep at it. If you’re not seeing many jobs in the marketplace, keep going until you start getting direct orders and also use your time to apply for managed content work. If you’re receiving revision requests and are starting to doubt your abilities, think of it as a learning opportunity and keep going.”

She feels that tracked changes are a critical resource for new writers. “It’s also important to check the tracked changes on your orders, both when they come out of editing and after they’ve been through QA. Sometimes when we’re in a hurry, we might go ahead and make changes without sending a revision request or making a note in the chat box. Reading through your tracked changes will help you see the little things that you might not have noticed before and help you perfect your writing.” That’s solid advice. 

Many writers know little about the life of an editor. When asked what she finds most challenging about editing, Tracey responded, “I think the most challenging thing is being mindful of different writing styles. Just because someone’s writing style differs from mine, doesn’t make their style incorrect. I often ask myself before making edits whether the edit is truly needed or if it represents one of my preferences. If I decide I’m making the change based on my own preferences, I don’t make it.” 

With those little nuggets of wisdom out of the way, let’s wrap this up with the real reason you’re here — the things only those closest to Tracey could possibly know. 

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “I don’t know that it’s unusual, but I spend a lot of time researching ancient and medieval royal history and following the every move of current day royals.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “I wish I could say something profound here, but unfortunately, I can’t. My favorite author is probably Jackie Collins, and my favorite book that I’ve ever read was probably The Man Without a Face.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “My favorite meal is steak and perogies smothered in cheese sauce with bacon bits. It’s a heart attack on a plate, but I can’t get enough of it.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “My favorite movie is Catch Me if You Can. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do enjoy Chicago Med.”

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I… “love to read. I’m always reading something.”

Tracey now joins the annals of those in the spotlight before her, including Lee Soren and Carrie McCarthy, and we thank her for taking the time to give us a peek into her personal life. It’s through the hard work of writers and editors like Tracey that Crowd Content has become a trusted source of publish-ready content across the globe. 

Join us next month as we attempt to deliver an unprecedented fourth edition in this series; maybe it’ll be about you!

The post Writer Spotlight: Sapphire Knight and a Tribute to Longevity appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

One of Crowd Content’s most skilled writers, Alana has completed over 1,400 orders and written nearly 800,000 words for our clients since joining the platform in May of 2016. Her knack for writing compelling marketing copy has earned her frequent praise from numerous businesses, and she’s often the go-to writer for project managers who need high-quality sample or calibration orders for new clients. “I do love onboarding new clients though and doing samples. It’s especially rewarding to help bring CC business and play a role in shaping project briefs,” says Alana.

ALSO – Hire Freelance Writers Today

Born in Ohio and currently living in Las Vegas, Alana has a varied background. “I spent 15 years or so as a professional musician, then I dabbled in culinary school and worked in restaurants as a server, corporate trainer, and sommelier.” (that’s a wine snob – I had to look it up). 

After a life-changing car accident kept her at home, she began freelancing full time in 2013, and it “basically saved her life,” she says. She doesn’t quite remember how she stumbled upon Crowd Content (it was four years ago, and I can’t remember what I did two weekends ago, so we’ll let it slide), but she thinks she may have migrated here with a group of other writers who left another platform because… well, we’re just better. That’s not a quote, but I’m going with it.

Alana’s preferred type of content is “anything with a little voice to it. I specialize in bringing personality to sales pages and web content,” she says, “but my main passion is food and wine writing.” She writes at home after her children are in bed and sometimes moves the workspace out to the porch but not too often because “we have Las Vegas heat to contend with. And also coyotes.” Yikes. 

Not one to shy away from the hard-hitting questions, I dug deep to get a true feel for who Alana really is. Enjoy the spoils of my investigative reporting:

Do you have any hobbies or unusual interests? “I have two young children. My hobbies are cleaning crayon off of walls and sleep typing.”

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? “Poe. Dorothy Parker. I also really like short stories, so I read anthologies more often than not but I also have a deep love of nonfiction — biographies, anything about travel. I read cookbooks like they’re novels.”

Have you been published by any notable sites or organizations (digital or traditional)? “A bunch, many as a ghostwriter though. My favorite ‘notable’ project is a profile I wrote about legendary winemaker Mike Grgich. It was published online; his staff saw it, and they said he loved it so much that he had a bunch of copies printed and handed out to guests at his (mega big deal) 93rd birthday party/book release. Meant a great deal to me as a writer and as a wino.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal? “I will never turn down a good sandwich. My life is pretty much sponsored by Boar’s Head and Jersey Mike’s.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie? “The Princess Bride, forever and always. As for TV shows, I frequently rewatch Friends, The Office, and 30 Rock. But Fleabag is an absolute masterpiece. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the kind of surprising, authentic, comedically brilliant writer I inspire to be.”

Complete this sentence: When I’m not working, I… “love to play with my kids and sleep.”

What are the five worst words in the English language? “We’re out of Diet Coke.”

Let’s get to the good stuff before Alana resumes her Diet-Coke-and-wine-drinking, crayon-cleaning, sleep-typing days. What can you gain from Alana’s experience, and can we get some unsolicited compliments about our platform? (ok, maybe not completely unsolicited).

What do you think sets Crowd Content apart from other content platforms? “The staff. The platform is great (and about to get better); the clients are solid and delightfully varied, and the interface is fairly intuitive, but the PMs and other admins are why I stick around. I had pretty high status on another well-known content platform but I couldn’t stand how the staff treated the majority of writers — like they’re disposable. CC listens to and appreciates laptop monkeys like little ole me and that respect goes a long way.”

If you could change one thing about our platform, what would it be? “I abhor the TAT system and think rewarding speed while expecting accuracy/quality is the exact wrong approach. Sorry(not sorry)!”

Do you have any advice for new writers? “Don’t ever disqualify yourself from a project unless you’ve already tried it and know for sure it’s not a good fit. I’m totally self-taught, and I’ve advanced because I’m willing to learn on the go. Mastering a new niche while writing requires dedication (and lots of sandwiches), but it’s totally possible and will vastly expand your professional potential. Also, use a thesaurus. Repetitive content is the pits.” 

What do you find most challenging about writing content? “Creativity on demand. Sometimes the muse just doesn’t want to play and having to come up with all the werdz when you really just want to watch Love is Blind and dream of pudding is really hard.”

I don’t know about you, but I get the impression that Alana is hungry. Go grab yourself a sandwich and big bowl of pudding — and maybe some wine; you’ve earned it. We appreciate all you do, Alana. Keep up the great work! Join us next month for a peek into the mysterious and glamorous life of another Crowd Content writer. Maybe it’ll be you.

The post Writer Spotlight: Carrie McCarthy — A Story of Wine, Crayons and Coyotes appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Whether consumers are querying Siri or typing into a desktop browser, one thing is consistent: If you’re not engaging in digital marketing and ensuring your site is search-engine optimized for every stage of the buyer’s journey by creating relevant ecommerce content, you could be missing out on these opportunities.

One way to create SEO content that helps you show up for consumers online is by publishing high-quality buying guides. Plus, this content can increase user experience on your site and help persuade someone in the middle or later parts of the funnel to click and make a purchase (or visit your local store to do so). High-quality buying guides can be planted with mid-funnel search terms that draw in consumers at that stage of their journey and help set the stage for harvesting conversions later.

Read on to find out how to write engaging SEO buyers’ guides that help land you on the first page of SERPs and guide your customers through appropriate buying decisions once they discover your brand.

What Are SEO Buyers’ Guides?

An SEO buyers’ guide is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a piece of search-engine optimized content that also guides the buyer through various aspects of shopping or making a purchase.

The concept of an SEO buying guide is based on the fact that modern shoppers tend to follow a path to purchasing that aligns with the roadmap below.

• The buying journey begins with the search engine.
• The consumer clicks your link (if you’ve done the SEO work to show up).
• Your interesting, relevant content informs the consumer’s decision.
• At this point, the consumer makes a purchase decision or continues to ponder and research, depending on where they are in the funnel. A good buying guide informs that next action, whatever it might be.

Top of the funnel: An introductory buying guide provides high-level options and helps the consumer see the brand as an expert. This increases the chance the consumer will return to the site or brand once they’re ready to take the next step.

Middle of the funnel: Typically, this is where buying guides shine the brightest. The consumer is aware of their need and may know what type of solution they want. The buying guide sets the brand or its products up as a high-quality solution, prompting the consumer to click through, sign up or call to find out more.

Bottom of the funnel: The consumer is ready to make a purchase now or nearly immediately. Some buying guides concentrate more on specific products to help the consumer make a final decision between items. But it’s important to realize that buying guides should work in conjunction with your other content. For example, product descriptions are usually the bottom of the funnel content that ultimately drives the conversion, so using your buying guides to push site visitors toward those pages is a good idea.

Need help with product copy? Connect with a skilled product description writer.

ALSO – 5 Secrets From Successful Product Copy Teams

What Are the Benefits of Publishing SEO Buying Guides?

Buying guides provide a number of simultaneous benefits, including:

• Increasing on-page SEO and rankings for valuable middle of the funnel keywords
• Providing high-quality, comprehensive content that helps increase the E-A-T value of your pages
• Delivering something of value to the consumer to increase brand loyalty, trust, and authority
• Creating a potential path via which a consumer finds the product or service they need and helps nudge them toward a purchase decision
• Providing valuable long-form content for your site

All those benefits combine to help your page perform better in SERPs and increase your conversion rate and revenue.

Josh Bluman, Co-founder of JJ Suspenders, notes that buying guides “make your site an authority on a subject, which is also good for SEO and can improve your overall website’s ranking.” That’s because buying guides are an example of comprehensive content. They naturally provide complete coverage of a topic, answering a lot of questions searchers have about products or types or solutions and incorporating a wide range of semantic keywords.

“We recently started adding a bunch of buying guides on our off-site blog MajestyCoffeeSchool.com,” says Nunzio Ross, the co-owner and ops manager of Majesty Coffee. “The results have been fantastic. We’ve noticed a pretty substantial increase in traffic and sales since we started doing it…It’s pretty safe to say our sales have increased by about 1/4 since the buyer’s guides started getting traffic.”

Common Types of Buying Guides

Buying guides actually come in a wide range of content types, and how you create yours depends on factors such as best practices for your industry, the needs and wants of your audience, and which part of the sales funnel you’re targeting. If you’re not sure where to start, consider five common types of buying guides below.

As you can see, a lot of these types of buying guides can overlap. You can have an introductory shopping guide or a technical comparison guide, for example. It’s up to you to mix and match these elements to create content that resonates with your audience.

Top Tips for Creating Compelling Buying Guides

Put some of the tips below to work to create buyers’ guide content that sets you apart from others both in the search engines and with your readers.

1. Conduct research before you write.

Don’t assume that because you’re an expert on your products that you’re also an expert on what people want to know. Ross says the entire point of a buying guide is to answer the questions customers might be asking. Do keyword research to find out what people are turning to search engines to find out, then answer those queries in your buying guides.

Why? Keyword research aligns your content with what’s performing in search results, increasing your chance of landing a top spot. Content that answers specific consumer queries gets more engagement and keeps people coming back to your page.

ALSO – Qualitative Keyword Research: How to Invest 10 Minutes into Your Content Marketing Process & See Your Content Rise to the Top of Google

2. Use conversational language that aligns with your audience.

Write as if you’re an expert speaking to a friend about the topic—but think about how you communicate with different subsets of friends. A gamer who is explaining his computer choice to a non-gaming friend uses different language than he would when explaining to another gamer. Use the right communication style for your target audience.

Why? People turn to buyers’ guides for help making a purchasing decision, but no one wants to be talked down to (or talked over).

3. Pay attention to formatting.

“Huge blocks of text,” says Ross, “are a no-no.” Break up your content with plenty of headers, bulleted lists, tables and other scannable content. Don’t skimp on design. Buying guides are typically long-form content, but the best examples are visually appealing and draw the reader in with more than a wall of text. 

Why? It helps the reader digest the information and makes content easier to glance through when seeking fast answers to a specific question.

4. Always ensure content is optimized for mobile.

Use responsive designs and write shorter paragraphs that won’t create a wall of text on mobile devices whenever possible.

Why? A huge portion of people who start their buying journey on digital channels do so via mobile devices. And users don’t just conduct research from a single device; 60% or more move from device to device as they go through the buyer journey.

5. Write with authority.

Bluman says brands should ask, “Does this content help us become an authority on the subject and build our brand?” You shouldn’t publish buying guides for the sake of taking up more pages on your website. They should come from a desire to truly assist consumers and share what you know about the products you create or sell.

Ask yourself: What will make my guide the most comprehensive content for this subject, and how do I make sure the search engines agree?

Why? First, it’s more authentic. Pages and pages of buying guides that simply try to hit an SEO keyword are lackluster, boring and, in some cases, seen as inauthentic. A few high-quality buying guides that provide expert advice and answers are valuable to your readers, which increases the value of your brand in their eyes. Second, it’s good for SEO. Google likes expert, authoritative pages readers can trust.

6. Include images and other media.

Break your buying guide text up with pictures, videos and other media.

Why? People want to see the products you’re recommending, including how to use them. Images and video also make it more likely someone will share your content on social media.

7. Include links and calls to action.

Don’t turn your informative buyers’ guide into a sales free-for-all, but do include relevant product links, buy buttons or CTAs to get a quote or schedule an appointment.

Why? Ultimately, at the end of the day, conversion is what you’re after. The best way to foster that in high-quality content is to provide specific and helpful next steps.

Where Should Buyers’ Guides Go on Your Site?

No one rule exists for the best on-site location for your buyers’ guides. You may need to test various locations to find what works for you. However, here are some starting guidelines that work for many sites.

• Buying guides aren’t landing pages. Don’t use them in place of presell, sales and landing pages to try to make conversions after funneling interested readers via ads.
• Buying guides are definitely not home page copy.
• You might publish product buying guides on category pages. Category pages list all of a similar type of product (such as women’s jeans or coffee makers), and a relevant buying guide on the bottom of the page can support SEO.
• You might publish buying guides on your blog, using those pages to drive organic traffic and link into your eCommerce pages.
• You can create a specific area of your site for consumer resources, placing buying guides there and linking to them from relevant category, brand and product pages.

What Types of Keywords Should Your Buying Guides Target?

Short version? The types of keywords that people are searching for. Do your research with tools such as SEMrush to find out what phrases consumers are using to find this type of information. 

Slightly longer version? Since most buying guides are mid-funnel content, they should incorporate mid-funnel keywords. Typically, these keywords indicate the consumer is headed toward a decision but they still need a bit of guidance. Examples of mid-funnel keywords include:

• What’s the most cost-effective phone?
• Best smart TVs
• How to choose roman blinds for my window
• Reviews for plumbers in Austin

Buying guides might also incorporate some keywords with commercial intent. These are often targeted with product descriptions, but it makes sense to pepper a few in buying guides to better support the bridge that allows mid-funnel visitors to convert to bottom-funnel customers as they engage with your content.

Commercial intent keywords are those that indicate the person has a serious plan to make a purchase immediately or soon. Phrases that include words such as buy, deal, discount, price, cost, coupon, free shipping, affordable, best, comparison and review all indicate potential commercial intent. 

Get Help Creating Buying Guides That Perform

Sold on the concept of buyers’ guides, but not sure how to string all that content together? No worries. Our team of professional copywriters bring product knowledge, SEO savvy, and wordsmithing to the table to craft buying guide copy that can wow the wariest of readers.

The post How to Write Engaging SEO Buyers’ Guides for Your Website appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Our first spotlight shines brightly on none other than Lee Soren — aka Lisa in the real world. After her husband found our platform on a list of freelance writer sites in September of 2018, Lisa joined and submitted her first work, quietly knocking out Darice and facility blurb orders. But it didn’t take long for project managers to recognize the clean, descriptive writing of a seasoned pro. Lisa was in demand and started producing high-quality work for some of our most challenging four-star clients. Today, Lisa is just short of completing her 2,000th order on the platform. 

Lisa hails from the south shore of Long Island but now calls Florida’s Treasure Coast home, where she enjoys spending time at the beach and photographing dogs playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean. She’s had various professional jobs, including freelance transcriptionist, corporate trainer, and website librarian for an outsourcing organization. She says she started writing “pretty much as soon as I could string words together on a page” and was published in 2016 by Albert Whitman & Company (Resurrecting Sunshine – young adult science fiction). She’s also had numerous short stories published in notable publications, including Family Circle and The Poughkeepsie Journal. 

While she says she’s a fiction writer at heart, she has a “soft spot for product descriptions,” which she had never written before joining Crowd Content. Lisa says her favorite project involves writing blog posts on travel nursing and other health topics for one of our health care clients.

But let’s get to the nitty-gritty — the real news. 

What does Lisa think of Crowd Content; what can we do better, and what advice does she have for new writers?

What do you think sets Crowd Content apart from other content platforms?: “I haven’t done much work for other content platforms, but I think it’s probably the people. I love how Crowd Content promotes teamwork, and I always appreciate the level of communication between writers, editors, and project managers. Crowd Content has also been a very respectful, appreciative platform, something that isn’t easy to find when you’re working remotely.”

If you could change one thing about our platform, what would it be?: “I would love to be able to see what teams I’m actually on and which ones are actually active.” 

Do you have any advice for new writers?: “Yes! Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. That’s where the most growth happens. It’s also so important to be open to feedback, whether it’s from an editor or — for off-platform writing — an agent or a critique partner. Not all feedback will resonate with you, but you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from others in the industry.”

But the hard-hitting questions didn’t end there…

Who is your favorite author? What’s your favorite book?: “I have a few. I’m a big fan of Stephen King. I also love pretty much anything by Margaret Atwood or Alice Hoffman. Asking an avid reader to pick one favorite book is a cruel form of torture, so I’ll give you two: Pet Sematary by Stephen King and Rings of Ice by Piers Anthony.”

What’s your favorite restaurant or meal?: “Definitely Italian food. I’m a native New Yorker so of course I’m a big fan of pizza.”

What’s your favorite TV show or movie?: “I am a dedicated fan of The X-Files. My favorite movie is probably Poltergeist (the original version) or Jaws 1 or 2.”  (Editor’s note: Thanks for clarifying that it’s the original version of Poltergeist because the remake was absolutely terrible.)

On behalf of all of us at Crowd Content, we want to extend a big thank you to Lisa for taking the time to talk with us and for the outstanding work she’s submitted for our clients. It’s writers like you who make our jobs so much easier and enjoyable. Keep up the great work!

Check back next month for another edge-of-your-seat exposé on one of Crowd Content’s writers or editors. Maybe it’ll be you! 

The post Writer Spotlight: Lee Soren — Four-Star Writer, Dog Photographer, and Jaws Enthusiast appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Need help writing killer category pages? Connect with skilled eCommerce content writers today!

If you’re looking to purchase a new shirt, you’re much more likely to plug “men’s shirts” into Google than “Ralph Lauren collared cotton button-down shirt in brown and blue.” The category phrases still have strong intent, though they’re a bit higher up in the funnel, and those long-tail searches are where your product pages come into play.

There are plenty of other reasons to create and optimize SEO eCommerce category pages:

• There’s lots of competition for those long-tail, bottom-of-the-funnel product keywords, which makes them difficult to rank highly in the search results
• Category pages with robust content help the search engines understand the site structure a bit better
• Even though category-type search phrases don’t convert as well as product-related keywords, you can use them to drive substantial traffic to product pages
• Traffic that hits your category pages is highly qualified and likely to convert if you run retargeting campaigns 
• Category pages are higher up in the hierarchy of the site than product pages, so they get better internal link equity

ALSO – Content Marketing for eCommerce: 6 Types of Copy You Need to Succeed

What should I include in my category page content?

Google is all about quality content instead of those keyword-stuffed gibberish pages of the past, and that includes eCommerce category pages. Many eCommerce companies, though, still create short paragraphs that are filled with keywords and shoved down at the bottom of the page below the products. These SEO footers aren’t usually meant to be read, so quality is often pretty poor.

If you want your category pages to do their job, they must:

• Meet the searcher’s intent
• Add value to the reader
• Educate, inform and engage

Let’s say someone searches for “kitchen blenders” and they land on your category page. The text should tell the reader about the different types of blenders, what features are available, what they can use the product for and, typically, what the most well-known brands are.

The category page for blenders on the Williams Sonoma site does a terrific job.

The content on your category pages should be useful to those in the early stages of the buying process, and it should also include a clear call to action. Mention leading or well-known brands, provide useful information about the products and for new or obscure products, don’t forget to mention usage occasions. Also, sprinkle lots of action verbs in your content, and stay in active voice whenever possible. 

Even if you’re not an eCommerce operation, your pages may benefit from category pages that are beneficial to the reader.

What should the content cover?

Part of satisfying search intent in today’s SEO landscape is ensuring that you cover the semantically related topics to your target keyword well.

Remember that Google is ranking semantically complete content highly these days, which means you should be crafting content that covers all the semantically related keywords and topics. 

For example, when searching Google for “LED televisions,” pages that cover some of the following keywords/topics as identified by SEMrush’s Content Template are more likely to rank highly.

These keywords can help you design sections and subheadings your description should cover. This is especially valuable when you need to create longer content. For reference, SEMrush recommends that a category page aimed at the keyword “LED televisions” would need to be longer than 1600 words to outperform Google’s current top 10 ranked pages. 

ALSO – Copywriting for SEO: How to Be Sure Your eCommerce Copy Converts and Ranks

Should I include internal links in my category page?

Yes, yes and yes. Ecommerce category pages are a perfect spot to include links to internal pages. Bloomingdale’s does a great job at internal linking, though you could argue that they could include even more.

Always link to subcategory or brand pages from your category pages and avoid links to product pages. Since products tend to come and go and newer, better models replace old ones over time, you could find yourself spending oodles of time fixing broken links and updating copy.

Need help writing product descriptions? Hire professional product description writers.

If you’re creating content for subcategory or brand pages (and you should be), be sure that these pages do link off to specific products. Visitors that have made it to these pages are further along their buying journey and more likely be evaluating products.

While pushing visitors closer to your product pages is an important use of hyperlinks, remember that you’re ultimately helping visitors learn more about their options at this stage of their journey. You should also consider linking off to more educational resources such as buying guides to educate consumers.

Here’s how Best Buy helps visitors to their TV category page to learn more about their options:

How long should my SEO eCommerce category pages be?

The experts are all over the map when it comes to the proper length for SEO eCommerce category pages. Ahrefs says they should be “short and sweet, but Backlinko insists that category pages should be at least 1,000 words long and contain your primary keyword three to five times. The truth is that there’s no one answer. Your category pages should be as long as needed to get the job done.

A good rule of thumb – take a look at what competitive eCommerce websites have on their category pages, and then do more – or do it better. This is true for the length of content and for the number of products that you display on the page. Don’t forget – if retail giants like Amazon and Walmart have category pages for women’s shirts that display a lot of products (50 or more) per page and your women’s shirt category only displays 10 products, your rankings (and traffic) may be impacted.

ALSO – How to Determine Optimal Content Lengths (and Why Longer Isn’t Always Better)

I mentioned the need for creating semantically complete content earlier in this post. Using tools like SEMrush to audit your top competitors helps you identify the topics that are being covered in Google’s top-ranked content so you can craft content that covers all the topics they do – and more.

In the example of the search for “LED televisions,” you can quickly build out a category page with multiple subheadings about screen quality, gaming and power use. That’s incredibly helpful when you’re trying to write a piece that’s at least 1,600 words long.

Where should I place the content on the page?

At the top of the page or at the bottom – it’s a question that’s up for a lot of debate. Most designers want category content to show below the product listings so as not to mess with design or user experience, but copy that’s shoved to the bottom of the page may or may not ever be read.

How to handle this dilemma? Consider putting your content at the top of the page with a Read More button or put a short sentence or two at the top – just enough for the search engine bots and readers – and then include the remainder of the content at the bottom.

You’ll need to assess what’s right for your site’s design as well as the consumer experience.

The best piece of advice we can offer is to make sure that your content is displayed in an appealing way. Great content hooks readers and boosts search rankings, but how both interact with that content makes a difference between a page that looks appealing and one that’s bound to drive consumers away. 

Try to break up your longer content into multiple sections, add imagery and leverage expandable fields to give your content the best chance of being read.

What about on-page SEO?

As discussed, there are two primary reasons for crafting high-quality category pages:

1.       Providing useful information to the consumer
2.       Giving the search engines something to grab onto to help rankings

SEO is extremely important for brand and category pages – in fact, it’s the first thing you should think about. That means really putting thought into the length you’ll need and the keywords you’ll use. There are lots of other things to think about as well, but digital marketing experts like Search Engine Journal and Credo have done a great job of covering everything you need to know to optimize your category pages properly.

To sum it up:

• Assess your competitors (which keywords, how much text, how many products, etc.)
• Determine which categories you should optimize 
• Research how many products you should display per category
• Do thorough keyword research
• Organize your keywords according to search intent, mapping each intent to a stage of the buyer’s journey
• Write semantically complete content
• Craft your metadata properly
• Include internal links and make the link text relevant
• Keep an eye on page load speed
• Ensure you have a simple navigation hierarchy – no more than three tiers

Category pages are some of the most important pages for any eCommerce site. Whether they’re landing pages for traffic from Google search or pages your visitors navigate to in order to move along their buying journey, make sure they’re adding value to your visitor and you’ll go a long way towards higher page rankings and increased sales. 

The post How to Create Killer SEO eCommerce Category Pages appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Review posts and articles are also a great way for bloggers, marketers and businesses of all types to increase site traffic and revenue. Knowing how to write a product review is essential to success in those efforts, though. Discover more about types of reviews, reasons why you should write a product review and how to do it below.

We’ll also cover some times for finding skilled product review writers who can do the job for you.

ALSO: Content Marketing for eCommerce: 6 Types of Copy You Need to Succeed

What Are Product Review Posts, and Who Should Write Them?

Numerous types of product reviews exist, including:

• Consumer reviews, such as those posted on Amazon, wherein people who own or bought the product leave a short review and star rating
• Expert reviews, such as those written by CNET, wherein writers with knowledge of a certain type of topic review them as a third-party for the purpose of educating consumers
• Round up or list reviews, such as those provided by Capterra, wherein writers compare a number of similar products to help buyers make a choice
• Blogger or affiliate marketing reviews, which are written by people who received the product for free or who get some type of commission if you buy the product off of their links

Expert, round up, blogger and affiliate marketer reviews are all ways to monetize content on your site when you aren’t the manufacturer, producer or direct seller of products or services.

Steve Kurniawan, a content and growth strategist at Nine Peaks Media, explains when review posts work and when they may not:

“In my opinion using this approach is only effective when the business is not the producer of the product/service and this is not the only product they sell. For example, if you’re an eCommerce site covering a niche, you can review a lot of related products. You can get revenue either by selling these products yourself or through affiliate marketing.

If you’re the producer of the product/service, people won’t believe your own reviews because they’ll consider them biased, so this can be very counterproductive.”

Examples and Tips for How to Write a Product Review

Before you set up affiliate links or stalk brands on social media in the hopes of becoming an influencer for them, take a look at the examples of review posts below and what you can learn from them.

1. CNET: Expertise and an Easy-to-Read Format

CNET is a go-to resource for many consumers on the prowl for electronics and other technology devices. What sets CNET reviews apart from the crowd is that they are written by people who understand the technology deeply — if not by actual industry insiders. At the same time, CNET marries expertise with a conversational tone and explanations of specs, so anyone reading the reviews can make an informed decision about the products.

Let’s take a look at this CNET review of the Google Nest Hub to get some tips for writing a review.

• Even before the review article starts, CNET provides a quick summary that consumers can scan for high-level details.
• CNET never gushes over a product without offering a look at the disadvantages. Remember that no product is perfect, and hyping something without writing a realistic review won’t inspire trust (and thus, conversions). Including the pros and cons of a product or service is important.
• CNET provides easy-to-access links to reviews of similar products, ensuring consumers can compare options and stay on CNET’s page. That increases the chance that, whatever the consumer ultimately buys, the affiliate link comes from CNET.

2. Capterra: Comprehensive and Convenient

Capterra takes a similar approach with its reviews, providing expert and comprehensive content for the software niche. But Capterra is also known for its lists; if you’re looking for a type of software, you can usually find lists of 10 or even hundreds on Capterra along with reviews, comparison tables and links to the product site.

Consider this page of reviews on applicant tracking software.

The top lesson review writers and publishers should learn from Capterra is that presentation matters. Check out how easy the interface is to use. If people can’t find the product information on your site, they’re not going to fumble around on it forever for the pleasure. Even bloggers should create categories, tags and menus that make it simple to navigate information.

Capterra also provides high-level content with the opportunity for readers to dig deeper as desired. Note that users can see the star ratings and a small blurb for each type of software on the list. They can then choose to:

• Click on the link to read the full Capterra review for that product
• Click on the link to go to the product website to make a purchase
• Add the product to a comparison table to see how it stacks up to other options on the list

It’s always important to present the reader with a great article about the product or service and then get out of the way so they can make a decision about buying. But before you step off stage, follow the Capterra example and leave a link for that purpose, whether it’s to the product on your own site or an affiliate link.

3. Golf Influence: Niche-Based Product Reviews

You don’t have to be a tech or software guru to use this type of content to your advantage. It works with almost any product; Golf Influence does it with golf-related goods.

Check out this article on irons, for example. The site takes a more magazine-style approach, creating a gorgeous review piece that’s full of visuals to support scanning and inspire sharing.

Right away, you get an information-rich graphic that demonstrates the authority and accuracy of the content below it.

Golf Influence presents a comprehensive article, but for consumers with little time or short attention spans, it first calls out a top three of sorts. The table provides some quick tidbits and the all-important affiliate buy link.

Once you get into the meat of the review article, each section is broken up with handy infographics that provide the top talking points, including the pros and cons for each product. Readers can make a decision from that information or click to read more about every option.

Like CNET and Capterra, Golf Influence provides expert, comprehensive product reviews. But it does it with additional graphical style, which increases the opportunities for social shares. This is a great tip for anyone writing product reviews for niches that perform well on Pinterest or Instagram.

4. Bloggers: Personalized Reviews and Recommendations

When bloggers share their personal journeys or use of products, it creates an incredibly authentic product review. While consumers appreciate input from the experts, especially with complex or niche goods, they also like to see how a person like them is able to put the item to use.

Consider a post from Make it with Missy about a NECTAR mattress. It’s a very personable post, including images of her family interacting with the product. Missy also provides a detailed look at how the mattress comes, why it comes packaged the way it does and how you open and set it up. That might seem like a lot of weird pictures for no reason, but if you’re a consumer shopping for this type of mattress, you may wonder exactly how a rolled-up tube becomes a posh memory foam product on your bed. Missy answers those questions to alleviate buyer fears.

Missy also includes a pros list in her review. She tells other consumers exactly how the mattress has helped her.

5. Integrating Video Reviews

Product Review Mom shares her lifestyle in the form of product reviews. As with Make it With Missy, this blog provides super personalized reviews that often give readers a look at how this mom and her family put goods and services to work.

Product Review Mom also does something any reviewer can do: she enhances her content with video in addition to images.

Check out this review for RevAir, for example.

Product Review Mom doesn’t just address the product. She reviews it from the perspective of her needs, which likely resonate with the needs of her target audience. She specifically answers the question whether RevAir works for black kinky/curly hair, which automatically adds value to her review for that target audience. Then, she shows her readers how the product works for that niche by including a video.

ALSO – 4 Ways to Get Compelling eCommerce Content for Your Brand

Start Writing Product Reviews Today

Product reviews are a great way to increase conversions and revenue for all types of sites. Start writing your own reviews today or connect with freelancers who can get the job done for you.

The post Writing Product Reviews to Engage and Convert Shoppers: Examples, Tips and Best Practices appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

There are plenty of options when it comes to finding writers and editors, including hiring freelancers or using eCommerce content creation companies or agencies, but each one comes with its own set of pros and cons.

In-House Staff Writers

PROS: The value of in-house writers is their experience with your company and products. Whether part-time or full-time, in-house writers know the value your company provides, and they have an intimate knowledge of the entire content-writing process for your website. They also have better access to the right people and products when they have questions.

CONS: Most companies simply don’t have enough experienced writers on staff to complete a major overhaul in a timely manner. Hiring a full team of writers can be cost-prohibitive when you factor in salary and benefits. If your content creation needs slow down or go through a lull, you still have to pay your in-house employees.

You may also find that your company’s in-house writing team has lots of priorities on their plate, and your project may not be at the top of the list. This could mean your project will take a backseat to other work, which may impact deadlines.

Freelance Contract Writers

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PROS: There are thousands of freelance writers available who would jump at the chance to work on content creation for your eCommerce website. They typically can start work quickly, and you can often find professionals with extensive experience in your company’s niche. Since they usually charge by the job or by the hour, you aren’t obligated to pay them when you don’t have a need for content.

CONS: Hiring your own team of freelancers is often the most stressful and time-consuming option by far. It’s usually very labor intensive at the start — just as difficult as hiring a brand-new team of employees — and you could find yourself drowning in paperwork just to get them paid.

Once you have a team in place, you’ll probably find the quality of the writing varies from writer to writer. Like new employees, there will be growing pains, edits and rewrites as you coach the different freelancers in the style, process and overall results you’re looking for.

Agencies

PROS: For many companies, hiring an agency is attractive because it gives them one point of contact for their project. An agency will usually assign you an account manager to organize the project and work with you to ensure the work meets your specifications. Agencies typically offer other services as well, such as SEO, creative or marketing, so some companies look at agencies as a one-stop shop.

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CONS: Some agencies have in-house teams of writers, but many turn around and hire freelancers or content creation companies to complete projects as needed. They then simply mark up the fees and pass the bill along to you. So if you don’t need the agency’s additional services, you’re almost certainly paying too much.

Specialized Content Creation Company

PROS: In many ways, this option provides a balance between hiring an agency or a team of freelancers on your own. It gives you access to a pre-qualified team of writers with experience creating content for eCommerce websites.

Most companies will assign you a project manager, so you won’t have to hire and train each writer individually. It’s also often a less expensive option than hiring a traditional agency, since you’re not paying the marked up price you’d pay the agency for the services of the writing team. And many content creation companies are poised to scale with you as your content needs grow. In fact, many agencies rely on these kinds of specialized writing teams for exactly the same reasons. By hiring them directly, you cut out the middleman.

CONS: Content creation companies are not created equal. Some use a rigorous vetting process and hire only highly skilled writers; others don’t have high standards in place. Pricing is all over the board with these types of companies, and the price isn’t necessarily reflective of the quality you’ll see in your product descriptions. When you go this route, expect to invest some up-front time to be sure you get the company that will do the job you need.

What’s Best for You?

Every project and every website is unique, so you’ll need to run the numbers to see what works best for your project. Most agencies and content creation services will gladly sit down with you and discuss your situation at no cost to you. Depending on the volume and scale of your project, you might be able to do a small proof of concept trial before signing on. You have nothing to lose by reaching out to them to see what they can do.

Now that you have a sense of your options and the pros and cons, it’s time to make a decision on what works for your business. Remember to ask yourself:

• Do you have the team of writers you need to accomplish the task?
• If not, what’s the most cost-efficient method available to get them?
• Is the solution you choose able to deliver the quality you need?

Whatever you choose, remember to focus on the quality of content (everything from titles to descriptions) you are adding to your site whether they’re being written in-house or by outside contractors.

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PS: if you want the full story on how you can create content for an eCommerce website at scale, you might want to download our eBook for the full how-to.

The post 4 Ways to Get Compelling eCommerce Content for Your Brand appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Want to spend even less time creating content? Check out our range of content creation services.

It’s easy to make blunders on social media, and there’s very little you can do to stop the momentum once the bad press starts. Fortunately, one brand’s pain is another brand’s gain. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s biggest social media fails and what you can do to avoid similar situations.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”22qDy” via=”no” nofollow=”yes”]Know your audience well before posting on #socialmedia, or the backlash can go more viral than your posts. [/ctt]

U.S. Department of Education Failing at – Education

Companies need to put their best foot forward when posting on social media, but that’s especially important when it’s a reflection of their core brand or service. If a butcher misspells “Angus,” it’s not really a big deal. But if that same butcher calls a New York strip steak a filet mignon, it could turn ugly really quickly. That’s what happened for the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was already struggling with her public image when the U.S. Department of Education that she spearheads made this tweet in honor of Black History Month:

The typo sparked quite a bit of attention:

What we can learn: Do your homework. No matter what you’re posting — but especially if it’s directly related to your business — get it right. There are no backsies when it comes to social media. If you can’t get your industry bits and baubles correct, consumers are going to lose faith in your brand.

Related: Social Media Stars – Love’em and Learn From Them

Uber and the Immigration Debacle

In response to President Trump’s immigration ban, taxi drivers decided to stop service to New York’s JFK International airport and demonstrators gathered in protest. Once it was over and drivers returned to work. Uber opted to capitalize on the development by tweeting this:

Consumers — including many celebs — saw this as Uber trying to profit from the controversy (although Uber claimed it was trying to do the opposite), and they weren’t having it. The #DeleteUber movement was born, and the Twittersphere was filled with screenshots of users deleting the Uber app and making their contempt known.

In fact, within a few days after the original tweet, more than 200,000 had deleted the app and pledged their loyalty to Uber’s top competitor, Lyft. I think Lyft was the genius in this whole scenario. It was also trying to capitalize on the situation but did so in a way that was meaningful to its audience. It publicly pledged a $1 million donation to the ACLU to help it defend the Constitution.

What we can learn: When it comes to politics and cultural issues — tread carefully. You may have the best intentions and truly mean to show empathy, but your followers may not see eye to eye with you. When making important statements about current events, don’t do it in a vacuum. Get several pairs of eyes on what you plan to post or risk offending your audience.

[ctt template=”4″ link=”qcUre” via=”no” nofollow=”yes”]#Socialmedia done right can get great exposure for your brand. Done wrong, and you’re in for a PR nightmare. [/ctt]

Asleep at the Wheel at Walkers

Popular UK snack brand Walkers learned a lesson in user-generated content with its recent #WalkersWave campaign. The company invited consumers to snap selfies of themselves with the Walkers brand. The photos were then turned into short videos starring former soccer player Gary Lineker.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though anyone at Walkers was vetting the images, and Lineker was seen across social media holding up photos of and interacting with the likes of serial killers, dictators and well-known sex offenders.

Though a Walkers representative responded immediately, the damage was already done. Three months later, and the brand’s campaign is still being actively mocked across social media.

What we can learn: Never put your social media on autopilot. Whether you let your audience generate content for you or you have a leading industry expert in charge, your social media channels need constant oversight.

Ted Cruz Gaffe

Senator Ted Cruz is publicly known for his ultra-conservative stance, but that may or may not be a reflection of his personal life. Earlier this year, his official Twitter account apparently liked a porn video. His staff was paying attention, fortunately, and they were quick to delete the post and apologize:

Cruz was quick to lay the blame, stating that a member of his staff had inadvertently made the error.

What we can learn: If you constantly switch back and forth between your personal Twitter account and that of your brand, stop. It’s not a question of if this could happen to you; it’s a matter of when. To prevent this from happening, sign up for a service such as Hootsuite that posts for you, and only register your brand’s Twitter address. Trust me – it will save you a lot of pain and embarrassment down the road.

The post These Social Media Fails Really Happened appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.