Web Writing Burnout Reflections

My need for a “sabbatical” resulted from something I’m going to term “web content writing burnout.” I’ve seen it happen a lot before, and remember reading a lengthy post on a message board when I first started writing online. At the time it seemed like a foreign problem that I’d never encounter. I was so thrilled to be making money from writing. I didn’t think it could ever happen to me, but 2008 has been a gigantic ball of stress and deadlines.

I think web writing burnout is common for a few different reasons, some that are fixable and some that are just the nature of the beast. The main reason, and feel free to disagree with me, is that web content can get a bit boring. It’s not the creative fiction or the insightful magazine column that some people wish they could be writing. It’s a means to an end instead of an end itself.

At first, it is the perfect opportunity to make some easy money. But after a while, easy becomes mind-numbingly boring. The ease of the articles makes it tempting to pack ten or twenty in per day and once you’ve set that pace for yourself, it can be hard to set more realistic deadlines. What results is writing that is under par, and even more frustration. It’s a nice recipe for disaster.

The solution? For me it was in changing my mindset and my perspective on where my web writing sat within the greater scheme of things. I’ve always been a writer but (this may be true for most of you) writing online was something that wasn’t a goal. In fact, when I made the decision to work from home two and a half years ago, the thought of combining my love of writing and the Internet hadn’t even crossed my mind. After I learned about web content, I was really excited to put my skills to good use. Then when I found Tiffany Dow and was introduced to the world of Internet Marketing, things got even more exciting.

As thrilled as I’ve been to make money online, it’s a far cry from the writing I dreamed of doing once upon a time. Maybe you relate? If you get stuck in thinking “I was supposed to write a novel” or “I was supposed to see my name in print” you can get discouraged pretty fast. What I resolved was to abandon the “or” thinking - instead of thinking web content OR writing dreams, it became web content AND writing dreams. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

Web writing is a vehicle to use to reach a goal. My personal goal, and what I value most, is freedom. Web writing allows a great deal of freedom, along with a great opportunity to build up virtual real estate that will continue to earn while I move onto other writing projects. Web writing is a tool to achieve my goal of freedom.

It can also be used a tool for many other things: extra income (who doesn’t need that?), funding while you write the Great American Novel, or a way to get some clips under your belt to move on to published writing. Although the skills you learn as a web writer don’t transfer over completely, working as a web writer is better than working doing something non-writing related.

Ironically, this advice is exactly what I’ve been giving other people and wasn’t listening to myself. I lost my way somehow in the deadlines and keyword research and forgot what I’d been advising all along: Use web writing to fuel your other projects. Whether those projects are internet marketing related or involve other forms of freelance writing, web writing is a way to get there.  Once I re-discovered this for myself, my burnout fizzled out and I was ready to go back to work.

What about you? Have you experienced web content writing burnout?

April 22, 2008 | Filed Under Web Writing Basics | 6 Comments 

How Low Can You Go? $3?

The wahm.com writing message board was all a flutter this week when it was leaked as a “secret source” for cheap labor in an outsourcing report. People popped out of the woodwork looking for content to be written for a whopping $3 per 500 words. The responses ranged from horror to non-chalant. Some wahms were outraged, started a “strike” and encouraged othes to “just say no.” Other work at home moms were in defense of the buyers saying that they were smart for being able to market and re-sell the content for a profit. “Don’t like it, don’t write for them” was one response.

My first content writing job was $7 for 400 words, and I’ve done a select few for $5 for 300 words. I don’t want to insult people who take these kinds of jobs, because I know we all have to start somewhere. But honestly, I have mixed feelings about this whole thing.

Being active in both the marketing and writing communities, I can see both sides of the fence and can speculate about how this cheap content is being used. Here’s the gist:

-Buy a set of 10 articles for $30 to $50

-Place articles into a web template and promote the website.

-Resell articles to Associated Content, therefore making your investment $0

-Sell the entire site for a profit of hundreds or even thousands
Are these writers setting themselves up for being painted into a low wage corner? The argument I’ve read in response to this is that people who write for $3 aren’t trying to make a career out of it. Obviously not. But even if content writing is just a “job” wouldn’t you want to make more from it?

For a great look at the Wahm perspective on this issue, check out Jenn Dize’s post at Project Wahm.

And for people buying this content, don’t you want your business and your site to be a good reflection on what you’re selling? Whether it’s an affiliate product or a product you’ve written or a physical product you’re selling, you need quality content. See this post for more on how quality content matters.

I can’t really blame the buyers for wanting to find rock bottom prices on their content. When you’re building sites to flip, the lower you keep your costs, the better. I also can’t blame new writers for wanting to find work and thinking that $3 per article is all there is out there.

What I’d really like to see is writers take these ideas and do it themselves. After all, the most important part of these sites is the content. You’ve got those skills already! A little bit of education and an account at Namecheap and you’re almost there.

I know my audience includes a lot of different types of writers, and some marketers as well….so I’d like to hear your take. Is selling your skills for $3 per article like shooting yourself in the foot? Is buying articles for that rate a recipe for disaster?

December 23, 2007 | Filed Under Making Money, Marketing, Web Writing Basics | 45 Comments 

Take a Number

I had another post planned for today. But this issue has risen to the surface twice in the last week so I felt the need to address it. If you’ve written for a while, you probably have a queue of sorts. You don’t turn folks away when your plate is full. You schedule projects in advance and develop what’s called a “lead time” for your projects.

When someone wants a quote, I give them a due date based on when I receive a deposit and my current writing schedule. I’ll try not to book more than a few weeks out. But there is always a lead time.

I’ve had two potential clients in the last week try to pressure me into delivering earlier. One even told me he “couldn’t believe” it would take a writer of my caliber (his words, not mine) 10 days to write one report. He’s right. It doesn’t take me 10 days. But with the other work on my plate, it will take me a little time to get to a new project.

This doesn’t happen a lot, but with it happening twice in the last week it made me think about reasonable lead times, and how often service providers are expected to bend over backwards to meet insane demands. I don’t think that anything less than a 2 week turn around time for a small project is that much of a hassle to a client if they were really honest with themselves. I think that sometimes clients get into the mindset of “the faster, the better.” Unfortunately, just like with the mindset of “the cheaper, the better” a fast turn around time can sometimes mean that the writing isn’t great.

In my experience, if a writer doesn’t have a queue, they are either brand new or not that good. Or they promise a few days and then end up delaying and then dropping the ball.

So it’s your choice clients: either take a number and get in line for an experienced writer or go with the fastest turn around time and possibly end up disappointed.

December 17, 2007 | Filed Under Client Relations, Web Writing Basics | 8 Comments 

Yawn! Exciting Ways to Wake Up Your Keyword Articles

Okay….I can’t deny it any longer. Sometimes, writing content just plain sucks. There are still better perks to being a web content writer than any other job I’ve ever had, so I can’t complain too much. But there are times when I’d rather not have to think of a way to work in “auto loan rates” into an article.

Thanks to some changes at Google several months ago, article keyword restrictions aren’t quite as hard to deal with as they used to be. There’s no more stuffing “hardwood floor patterns” into an article 8 times. It can be tricky though to try to make articles sparkle when the topics are so dry.

So I’ve developed a few tricks to make those articles more readable, and prevent myself from falling asleep while writing them.

Combine topics to create a fresh angle

Instead of just writing a general how to article, try to spice it up by focusing on a specific aspect of the “how to” process and combining it with a problem that is commonly experienced. Instead of “How to Install Hardwood Floors” write “How to Install Hardwood Floors and Save Your Back.” You could include tips for installation as well as back-saving work tips, like lift with your legs, etc.

Add action steps for your reader

If you’ve just written an article on overcoming stress, you can help the reader by giving them some action steps at the end of your article. This works well for self improvement and home improvement articles. Adding action steps helps the reader feel empowered and driven, and they’ll appreciate your writing more.

Write an outline

It’s easy to ramble when you don’t have an outline in place. A confusing topic can be even more confusing if you jump from point to point. Even with short 300 word articles, it’s important to sketch out a quick outline. Even if it’s as simple as “Intro, Point 1, Point 2, Conclusion” it will help guide your writing and make it pop. (Obviously you’d use real points instead of just writing Point 1…etc.)

Share a personal story

If it’s relevant or possible, share a personal story about the article topic. When the reader can relate to the article, they pay closer attention to the advice or the recommendation. You could create a character to help drive the article, or use someone as an example. Sometimes people don’t understand a topic until they see how it can play out in a real world example.

Some keyword articles are joys to write. I could write about Internet marketing and parenting all day, and sometimes I do! But writing others is like pulling teeth. Hopefully, these little tricks will help you coast through your next list of keywords.

December 10, 2007 | Filed Under Web Writing Basics | 8 Comments 

To Bid or Not to Bid…That is the Question

I used to get a fair amount of work from Rent A Coder, but moved away from the site almost a year ago to network directly with Internet marketing professionals. I’d considered joining Elance, but never got around to it. Now it looks like lots of freelancers will be looking for other places to look for work.

I’m not sure of all of the details, but Jennifer at CatalystBlogger has been keeping readers up to date on the issues, and her personal experience with talking to Elance execs.

In the meantime, The Hidden Writer has a great list of alternatives to Elance.

December 7, 2007 | Filed Under Making Money, Web Writing Basics | 3 Comments 

Can everyone write?

There were a few great posts last week on whether writing was something everyone could do, or something that requires true gifts and skill.

Harry and James at Web Content Writer Tips had two differing views (something nice about sharing a blog with someone else - you can have those pro/con posts!)

Deb Ng  at Freelance Writing Gigs outlined some of the major problems with assuming freelance writing is easy money.

Lorna at Freelance Writing Parent has some great insights on education (and the lack thereof) and writing.

Even before the Internet, writing was marginalized and undervalued. I remember stories of my dad trying to make it as a freelance writer in the late 70s, back when typewriter tapes instead of modems were the necessary accessory. It’s part of what speaks to the “art” of writing. Doesn’t our society undervalue art in general?

Can everyone write? Nope. Not off the bat. I’d argue that anyone with a *desire* to learn to write can. And learning doesn’t have to mean formal training. My English degree helped me conquer the learning curve of proper writing. But it didn’t necessarily give me an edge when it came to learning about marketing and running a business.

Writing as a career isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it isn’t as mystical as some make it. With a little direction, practice and dedication, anyone with desire can write. Desire can get you through the millionth rejection, the fifteenth rewrite or the client that drops the ball.

December 3, 2007 | Filed Under Link Love, Web Writing Basics | 17 Comments 

Are you building your house on a pile of sand?

There’s something to be said for offline writing. It’s generally more coherent, more engaging and better researched. I contend that this has less to do with the online medium, and more to do with the propensity for quick, sloppy content creation online.

It all started with back links. Your page shows up higher in the search engine results for certain terms when there are links out there in the Web ether back to your site. After link exchanges and other first generation back link techniques faded away, article marketing came to the forefront. Articles (well written articles, mind you) are great ways to build traffic. But it takes a lot of articles to create a big influx of traffic. So it takes lots of content to build up a large volume of traffic back to a site. Unfortunately, some people have taken this to mean that they need to write all of this content in a few days.

Whenever I start a project, I check out what others have done at Ezine Articles. I’m often shocked by the poor quality of the content. Many articles have run on sentences, bad grammar and pointless paragraphs. I imagine these are the type of articles people pay $1 for or write in a hurry. Don’t get me wrong, if the topic is right and I’ve had my caffeine I can whip up 400 words in 15 minutes. But that’s a first draft. I edit, perfect and then submit.

Writing bad articles because you need lots of back links is like building your foundation on a pile of sand. Over time, you’ll just have to produce higher volumes of bad content, because your first batches of bad content will fall in the search engine rankings. Worse yet, people won’t respect you if you represent yourself that way online. If you didn’t spend the time to proofread your work, why should I listen to what you have to say?

If you’re on the marketing side of the fence, purchasing poorly written content and using it in your marketing is doing your business more harm than good. Take the time to learn to write a good article, or pay for quality writing. I know it’s hard to swallow .04 a word, especially when there’s a $1 an article writer right around the corner, but isn’t your business worth spending the money on being represented professionally? Well written content isn’t going to take the rankings nose dive that bad content will. You won’t have to reinvent the wheel each and every month.

Well written content works for you. It informs your visitors, inspires them to take action and persuades them to purchase from you. It speaks for you when you’re not there.

I see a lot of frustrated marketers who throw in the towel because their once vibrant affiliate business is crashing to the ground. I often wonder what their content looked like and if that was a factor in the decline of their business.

It looks like great minds think alike! Hope Wilbanks started a three part series on quality content writing. Make sure to stop by her terrific blog and take a look.

November 28, 2007 | Filed Under Making Money, Web Writing Basics | 18 Comments 

Next Page →