Almost everyone in marketing suggests that you should start your own newsletter or write articles to demonstrate your expertise. As a reader, consumer, and a business owner I agree. As a reader, I take pleasure in good writing. As a business owner, I know that my writing has brought in more leads and contacts than I could ever count. And as a consumer, I know that I am a lot more inclined to purchase something from someone who has written a book or article that teaches or educates me about something.
Although writing can open a lot of doors, it’s no secret that many people struggle to find the time to write. After all, a well-crafted article takes time to create. Most people can’t just whip out article after article, since they often have other things they need to do (like work for paying clients).
You can employ a number of techniques to make your writing go more quickly. The first thing you should do is figure out where you need the most help. Most articles or writing projects involve a research phase, a writing phase, and an editing phase. At various times, I have employed freelancers in all of these areas.
When doing research, it’s easy to fall down into a bottomless time sinkhole. If you are spending way too much time surfing the ‘net in the name of “research,” get help. Because of the volume of articles I have been writing lately, I have employed this tactic. I have topics that I plan to write about and my virtual assistant sends me links to sites that have information I can use for ideas. For example, for this article, she sent me links to about 20 blogs, articles, and Web sites with information. Thanks to Tina’s effort, I spent about an hour writing this article, instead of three or four hours. (I’m really bad about getting distracted when I “research” something!)
If you don’t have confidence as a writer yourself, you also can opt to farm out the entire writing process. Freelance writers or ghostwriters are available for a fee. I used this approach for a regular monthly newsletter I did for a client. In that case, I worked with the customer to come up with a list of topics. Every month my freelance writer fed me the articles. I edited them and laid them out in the newsletter. If you take the freelance writer or ghostwriter route, check writing samples first and make very sure that the writer is reputable. The last thing you want is someone accusing you of plagiarism because your “freelance writer” really just did a copy and paste. You do get what you pay for, so shy far, far away from those writers who say they’ll write articles for $5 a pop. Don’t ruin your reputation by being a cheapskate.
If you have good ideas, but get tripped up by grammar and usage issues, consider hiring an editor. Even though I have been paid to do editing work for years, I hired an editor to review our books. Everyone’s writing benefits from editing. The more important the work, the more vital it is to spend the money on a good editor. Although hiring a pro is ideal, for short articles consider enlisting friends or significant others to review your work. If you have a buddy who happens to be an English teacher, even better.
In my case, I have my husband read over everything I write. Even though he’s a programmer by trade, he’s actually a good editor too (probably from years of being exposed to my editorial self). He knows my writing foibles and helps me fix them.
The bottom line is that if you need it, writing help is available. Find out what your weak points are and get the assistance you need.