Ugly Facts about Product Reviews
A product review is one of the most common tools in Internet marketing. If you want your product or service to create a buzz online, you have to disperse product reviews all over the Internet.
As an online writer, you would get a lot of product review requests from your client. It is a fact that some product reviews that you read online are paid for- in fact, you are being paid to do it!
Another fact about writing a product review is that you would have to review and talk about a product- without a product! What I mean is, most clients would request you to write a product review, say, about iPhone. You do not expect your client to hand you an iPhone and review it. It is also not expected of you to buy a brand new iPhone worth $499 just to write a factual review about it when you are being paid $20 do the job. So what do you do?
Product Review Template
The key in writing an effective product review is to make it realistic. Of course, it needs to be a positive review- but it also needs to be factual. It would be a lot easier for you to use a template when you write your review. Cut up your article into several sections so that readers can have an easy read and you would not have hard time writing.
Introduction
This is where you introduce the product and what it is for. You can talk about your first impressions and your expectations of the product. You can also talk about physical attributes of the product here.
Features
Give a run down of the features and functionality of the product. To some clients, they would want a bullet form for this part of the product review. But you can also talk about the features of a product in paragraph form.
Advantages and Disadvantages
If you point out only the positive points of a given product, your product review would not be credible. To make your article more realistic and believable, mention its disadvantages and downsides.
Conclusion
Sum up your product review by stating your personal note at the end of the article. At this part of the article, create a call to action scheme that would entice your readers to buy and try out the product you are selling.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Problem with Rewriting an Article
As an online writer, you would get a lot of requests to rewrite an article. I find it troubling actually to rewrite an article and be paid for half my regular rate. The thing is- you would spend as much time as you would on writing an original article and rewriting a published article- that is, if you want a quality and unique article.
Rewriting jobs on regular rate
If your client would send you a material to rewrite, naturally you would use it as one resource of information. As I said in my earlier article, to come up with a good article, you need to use more than one resource of information. So you would still have to do some research. Luckily, some clients understand this and would pay writers their regular rates for rewriting jobs.
Rewriting jobs on half your regular rate
For clients who would pay you half your regular rate on a rewriting job, (saying that you would spend less time on the work), they would want you to use a single source of information (which they would provide) and rewrite and rephrase the article so they would pass Copyscape. I think this is not the way to rewrite, but hey, you are getting paid to do it and as they say, clients would get what they pay for. If you get this kind of job, do your best to re-tell whatever topics you have in your hands in your own words. Always add your own thoughts and ideas.
On rewriting software
A simple advice- DO NOT USE THEM. Don’t even think of using them. There is no single rewriting software I use to rehash articles. They just don’t work and believe me I tried using a lot of them.
If you are given a rewriting job, don’t think of it as just another low paying job. A writer always takes pride in what she does, no matter what the price.
Rewriting jobs on regular rate
If your client would send you a material to rewrite, naturally you would use it as one resource of information. As I said in my earlier article, to come up with a good article, you need to use more than one resource of information. So you would still have to do some research. Luckily, some clients understand this and would pay writers their regular rates for rewriting jobs.
Rewriting jobs on half your regular rate
For clients who would pay you half your regular rate on a rewriting job, (saying that you would spend less time on the work), they would want you to use a single source of information (which they would provide) and rewrite and rephrase the article so they would pass Copyscape. I think this is not the way to rewrite, but hey, you are getting paid to do it and as they say, clients would get what they pay for. If you get this kind of job, do your best to re-tell whatever topics you have in your hands in your own words. Always add your own thoughts and ideas.
On rewriting software
A simple advice- DO NOT USE THEM. Don’t even think of using them. There is no single rewriting software I use to rehash articles. They just don’t work and believe me I tried using a lot of them.
If you are given a rewriting job, don’t think of it as just another low paying job. A writer always takes pride in what she does, no matter what the price.
How to Start Working on an Article
The key in producing a good article is to make it sensible and informative. If you are online writer and you get your living from writing articles, be prepared to write about weird topics- so better prepare for it.
It would not be a surprise for a client to assign you a topic about, say, a brand of thumbtacks. Imagine reviewing and talking about a thumbtack in an article of 500 words. In how many ways can you really describe a thumbtack? Well, that’s where you creativity and your resourcefulness would come in.
If you are at lost on how to work on an article, here are a couple of tips:
Read about your topic
Google is your number one friend if you are an online writer. Do your research and do it good. Read articles about your topic and other related ideas that can relate to your subject.
Use more than one source
Do not use just one write up as source for your article. You might as well rewrite a published article- which is an absolute no-no. Use three or more resources then sum it up in your own words.
Use established websites as source of information
If you want your articles to be credible, you should rely on established websites if you want to get real information. Stay away from blogs that offers personal views. If you are working on something health related or something technical, always get your sources from established and credible resources.
Sum up and add your thoughts
After getting enough information and resources for your article, start writing. Collate the ideas that you just read from published articles, sum it up and add your own thoughts and ideas about the topic at hand.
Even if you are writing about awfully weird topics, if you improve your research skills, you would eventually get the hang of it.
It would not be a surprise for a client to assign you a topic about, say, a brand of thumbtacks. Imagine reviewing and talking about a thumbtack in an article of 500 words. In how many ways can you really describe a thumbtack? Well, that’s where you creativity and your resourcefulness would come in.
If you are at lost on how to work on an article, here are a couple of tips:
Read about your topic
Google is your number one friend if you are an online writer. Do your research and do it good. Read articles about your topic and other related ideas that can relate to your subject.
Use more than one source
Do not use just one write up as source for your article. You might as well rewrite a published article- which is an absolute no-no. Use three or more resources then sum it up in your own words.
Use established websites as source of information
If you want your articles to be credible, you should rely on established websites if you want to get real information. Stay away from blogs that offers personal views. If you are working on something health related or something technical, always get your sources from established and credible resources.
Sum up and add your thoughts
After getting enough information and resources for your article, start writing. Collate the ideas that you just read from published articles, sum it up and add your own thoughts and ideas about the topic at hand.
Even if you are writing about awfully weird topics, if you improve your research skills, you would eventually get the hang of it.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
How to Start a Writing Career Online
Do I have to build a website to start an online writing career?
I have been in the online writing business for more than three years. A website is a not a necessity but is highly recommended if you want to make your work look credible and professional. But I've seen a lot of writers doing so well as a freelance writer with just a free website from Blogger or Wordpress.
Just Do It!
The key in starting a writing career online is to take the first step- write! Write a few good writing samples and publish them online. This would serve as your portfolio from where your customers would base your writing style.
Give reasonable rates
If you are just starting out in the online writing industry, you should not price yourself too much. If you are a non-native English writer, you can start at $0.02/word. It is not a surprise to work with good writers who works for $0.01/word.
Market yourself
You can find clients on different forums on the Internet. You can also bid on freelancing websites. You can also start spreading links to your sites on directories and article directories.
Love your clients
Once you have your first client, impress him or her. Your clients can refer you to other clients. Word of mouth marketing still works like magic!
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