Many new freelance writers find it frustrating when working with clients who seem to change guidelines AFTER a draft is submitted. Here are a few format- and content-related questions that you can ask BEFORE writing that will help you better understand a client's needs. There are so many others, so please post a comment if you have more.
- Who is the audience, i.e., academic, Internet, newspaper, etc.? This will affect the readability level.
- If the audience is Internet, do humans, spiders, or both read the writing?
- If the audience is Internet, what keyword density is required, and what are the keywords?
- If the audience is Internet, what percentage or number of links is required, if any?
- What voice of writing is preferred? Here are a couple examples:
· First-person, conversational (informal) – written using the pronoun “I” as if the writer is having a conversation with the reader, used to make a personal connection.
· Authoritative (formal) – written primarily to gain respect and credibility from the reader and avoids first-person; appropriate for providing factual information, used often with medical or legal topics, for example. - If research is required, should it be cited (provide references/links to original information)?
- Related to question #1, does the client prefer more bulleted items or paragraph format?
- Are images required? If so, is it the writer’s responsibility to gather them, or is there a library?
- Will the writer release copyrights when payment is made?
- May the writer have a byline?
There are so many other questions that will be asked before and after a project is received, but this should get you started on the content. I'll create another list related to fees and payment.
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