Vani Chugh Kabra - Online Content Writing- How To Make Money Through Content Writing

About The Author

Vani is the owner and manager of a dynamic content writing and organic marketing firm- vanionlinemedia .

She started out as a journalist in 2003 and worked for Indias top news channels including, Aaj Tak, IBN7 and Star News in her 6-year electronic media stint. She then moved to freelancing for online media and after working independently for two years, launched her own company.

Today Vani has clients all across the globe and has written EBooks, articles, Ecourses and Press Releases for various niche areas. She specializes in NLP and Marketing related content and her client base includes several International life as well as business coaches.

She is also trained in hypnotherapy and tarot (skills she picked up while producing shows on the same theme during her TV news days) and likes spending time with her cards in her free time.

Cover Illustration By: Sanjeev Malhotra

Online Content Writing

Copyright 2012 By Vani Chugh Kabra, India

Smashwords edition

No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

Disclaimer

This book is published for general reference and is not intended to be a substitute for independent verification by readers. Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors, omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

The purpose of the recommendation lists, website reviews and any other opinions expressed in the Ebook are to help the readers make an informed decision. The opinions are the authors own and based on her personal experience. Although the author has made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in the Ebook, it assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

The readers are free to exercise their discretion while using the information/opinions/suggestions shared in this Ebook. Also, the reader should use this information as it sees fit, and at its own risk. Reader's particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here.

The author will not compensate the reader in any way whatsoever if the reader ever happen to suffer a loss/inconvenience/damage because of/while making use of information from this Ebook.

Dedication

This Book is dedicated to my loving husband Nishant who has always supported me in everything I have done.

Index

Evaluate your current writing skills and learn the key content writing techniques that can help you sell your content in the market.

Simplifying SEO concepts for content writing and a detailed how to section on SEO writing for aspiring content writers.

Advanced writing skills to help a content writer create interesting and engaging content.

The most recommended job-hunting platforms, tips and techniques to stand out amongst the competition and get noticed by buyers, cover letter writing techniques and the dos and donts of job hunting.

E-mail writing and communication techniques that can help content writers cultivate long running working relationships with clients.

The best job hunting platform list with the pros and cons of each, the best article directory list that can help newbie writers build an impressive portfolio and the list of the top tools to ensure the originality of your articles.

Introduction

Working from home sounds like a great idea, right? It truly is! Though when I started out, I did wonder if it was actually possible to earn a living with only a laptop and Internet connection as your investments?

Over time I have realized that it really is! The only things that you need are: some guidance and training about the latest skills that are in demand. Thats exactly what I hope this book will provide you.

Online Content Writing contains the gist of everything I have learnt since I began my career as a content developer and marketer. From, how to write great SEO content to the tips and tricks that will not only help you get noticed by prospective employers but also aid you in building long running relationships with them.

So, Happy reading and hopefully soon youll be writing happily too!

Chapter 1

How To Write Saleable Content

So you think you can write? Then before anything else lets see whether or not what you are writing at present is saleable. Heres what you need to do. Open any 500-word piece you have written lately and answer the following questions:

• Do most of your sentences fit into the 30-35-word range?

• Do you make frequent use of ellipses instead of commas and periods?

• Read what you have written aloud, does every sentence make complete sense?

• Have you made frequent use of passive voice in the text?

• Have you made frequent use of present continuous?

• Does the average length of your paragraphs exceed 5 lines?

If the answer to most of these questions is yes, you have quite a bit of ground to cover before you can launch your content writing career. If you have answered most questions with a No, congrats, your fundamentals are correct! Now, all you need to do is to learn your SEO basics, refine your style and learn content writing etiquette.

Two Common Mistakes Made By Rookie Content Writers

I have hired and fired many content writers in the last two years and have taught tricks of the trade to several interns and trainees. The following are two of the most common mistakes I have come across:

1. Writing as you think

Our thoughts do not follow the rules of punctuation, so what makes perfect sense in our minds, looks like a bad case of verbal diarrhea in print. For example, heres an excerpt from a copy I edited sometime back:

Im going to Try this one or Im trying this new program, for so many years this is what came out of my mouth Im trying this new Pill, Shake, Supplement, Program etc etc.

Now, in the writers mind the sentence probably sounded okay, but when you read it aloud, it sounds rather odd, doesnt it?

2. Using Big Words

Another problem that I come across often, especially when it comes to pieces written by non-native English speakers, is that of random usage of big words.

What they forget is that one of most important elements of great content is flow. A reader can make out easily if certain words and phrases are inserted only to make the piece sound impressive. Instead of adding value, these words create a jarring effect and break the flow.

To give you another example, heres an excerpt from a piece one of my trainees wrote:

Although the quality and endeavor in content writing has been making rapid strides of late, there are some inherent myths that have plagued its onset.

There are several problems with this excerpt, but Ill start with the most obvious one: the desire to impress is obvious and rather off-putting.

If I were to read something like this on the web, I would first yawn and then hit the back button even before I managed to close my mouth. The passive voice in the end makes the sentences even more boring.

You have to remember that big words dont impress the readers much! What will create a great impression is your ability to connect with your reader.

How to make your words work?

Unless the readers are able to connect with your content, it wont do you much good. Based on my personal experience, here are the top content writing techniques that I would recommend: