Tag: Blogs

Word Tip of the Week: Using the Readability Feature

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Writing something for the general public?

Then you’ll want to aim for about a 5th grade reading level.

If you’re writing for an academic journal, on the other hand, you’ll probably want to aim for college level.

How do you know if you’re close?

There’s a handy feature tucked inside Word that will let you know if you’re in the right ballpark for your audience’s reading level.

To check readability:

1. Go to File -> Options.

2. Select Proofing in the left-hand menu.

3. Check the box next to Show readability statistics.

4. Click OK.

 

 

5. Run your spell checker by going to Review -> Spelling & Grammar.

6. A dialogue box will appear. Check the Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level.

 

 

As you can see, this blog post is between 5th and 6th grade reading levels.

For tips to help you create the perfect Word document, check out our other “Word Tips of the Week!”

 

 

 

The Writers For Hire: A Look at 2017

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Two-thousand seventeen was an exciting year at The Writers For Hire, Inc.

We celebrated some big milestones and witnessed our community come together in amazing ways, during a time of crisis.

As we reflect on the past year, we are ever grateful for the opportunities we have had to meet so many wonderful people who have greatly contributed to the growth and success of TWFH. Tweet this

OTC 2017

At the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in May, we had a great time chatting with O&G industry representatives from Houston and around the globe.

We were also pleasantly surprised by some of the amazing corn hole skills we witnessed.

A big thanks to all of you who took the time to stop by to see us at our booth!

10-Year Anniversary!

In July we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of our awesome senior editor, Stephanie Hashagen.

This was the first 10-year employee anniversary for The Writers For Hire!

To help commemorate this exciting milestone, we asked Stephanie to share some of the wisdom she has acquired over the past ten years.

Media Mentions

TWFH partook in a couple of fun media events in 2017…

In July, Media Bistro published an article about Wintress Odom, our owner, titled “The Pros and Cons of Running a Writing Agency.”

The piece described Odom’s journey from freelance writer to founder of a successful writing-services company.

VoyageHouston, a community news publication, featured Odom and TWFH in November.

The artice, “Meet Wintress Odom of The Writers For Hire in West,” includes some of the challenges Odom has overcome while building her business, along with shout outs to some of the people who helped her make TWFH a success.

Hurricane Harvey Relief

After Hurricane Harvey devastated greater Houston with floods in August, we witnessed the very best of humanity, as people from all walks of life came together to help however they could.

We are extremely grateful those who, like our Communications Manager Brittany Cooper and her husband Cody, put their lives on the line and traveled throughout the Houston area by boat, rescuing people who were stranded in their homes.

We also want to thank all of you for pitching in and helping the Odom’s and The Writers For Hire provide much needed supplies directly to flood victims. We could not have done it without you!

We will forever be inspired by the “everyday heroes” who selflessly stepped forward to make a difference in the lives of others.

Donation to Las Amigas

In November, TWFH was given the opportunity to participate in an amazing event, benefiting Amigas Para Niños, a nonprofit organization helping young people in need.

We were very excited to find out that the personal history book package we submitted was auctioned off for $2,200!

It really was an honor to be part of such a worthy cause.

2017 was truly an incredible year, and we have all of you to thank for that.

We cannot wait to see what 2018 brings!

 

Our writers and editors manage multiple topics, multiple subject matter experts (SMEs), and multiple deadlines, all with equal ease. After hundreds of clients and decades of experience, it’s likely we’ve written about a business or focus like yours. But if we haven’t, rest easy: we’re quick learners who love research and never miss an opportunity to check a fact.

We’ve also come to grips with the realization that, online at least, readers want to get the point, fast. So we’ve mastered the art of the scannable post, including:

  • Strong headlines
  • Compelling subheads
  • Infographics
  • Bullet points
  • Highlighting important content
  • Links (learn more about our thought leadership capabilities here).
  • Calls to action that make people move. Now!

We’ll Work (Well) With Your SMEs

Your SMEs have vast knowledge to share and keen insights to impart, but they’re generally so caught up in their own work that they don’t have time to sit down and write a blog post. (Which might be just as well, inclined as they are to include everything they know instead of the key messages your audience wants to hear.)

Fortunately, our writers have the copywriting chops necessary to prepare content that keeps readers coming back for more. They also have the people skills to work with your SMEs.

  • They’ll respect your SME’s time, do their homework, and come prepared.
  • They know how to ask thoughtful questions, listen, and follow up. That helps them reach the gems hiding under the surface.
  • They’ll do the hand-holding needed to get the project completed on time. Like discussing goals, deadlines, and expectations at the start. Agreeing on ways to track progress. And implementing an established process for copy review and revisions.
  • They’re diplomatic. They understand that sometimes SMEs feel the piece won’t be complete without those 117 slides they did in 1982. Our writers will explain why that isn’t the best approach and offer alternatives that will keep everyone happy.

In other words, our writers create great partnerships with subject matter experts that result in great work.

In-House SEO Expert

SEO has changed dramatically over the past decade: Today’s Google rankings are more complex and sophisticated than ever — and it takes more than repeated use of keywords to keep your brand on the first page. Authentic, engaging content matters more than keywords. If you aren’t offering anything of value, readers — and Google rankings — will quickly go elsewhere.

When you work with The Writers For Hire, you’ll have access to a full-time SEO expert who can help you create blog campaigns that rank for search terms your target audience will use. That means your blog campaign will be built around a steady stream of relevant, high-quality content — no keyword stuffing here!

Request A Quote
or
Call 713-465-6860


Write — or rewrite — your company’s website from the ground up. Establish your company as an industry expert through downloadables and shareable content. Engage with current and potential clients through social channels.

Whatever your goals, our web content writers will draw upon their decades of experience in marketing, journalism, content marketing, and social media to craft web-friendly content and copy that resonates with audiences and sets your brand apart.

The Secret to Producing Successful Blog Posts

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Thank you to Michelle Rebecca for this guest post.

Just about anybody can be a blogger, but it takes a certain set of skills, knowledge, and experience to consistently write popular posts.

When it comes to creating content for an online audience, you can be the best writer in the world and have little impact unless you know the tricks to the trade. If you are just establishing yourself as a blogger or feel like you aren’t getting the attention you deserve, consider these four expert tips that are sure to give your blogs a boost in popularity.

Grab Attention

While at the end of the day your posts will be judged by the content within them, a sure-fire way to attract a writersforhire2-300x141wider readership is to create a title that demands attention. Creating attention-grabbing headlines is the No. 1 rule of all forms of mass communication, from newspapers to blog posts.

You want to captivate the reader by using words that resonate; your title should promise to deliver the answer to an age-old question or provide insight on a hot-button topic. Make your titles short and to the point, and give a compelling reason for the reader to click on your story to find out more. Make your title a question so the reader is forced to read your blog to find out the answer. You can also try making your blog post titles a little shocking.

Make It Inviting

No one likes seeing giant blocks of text, online or not. However, online readers are more turned off by the look writersforhire3-300x225of a blog post that’s long, dense, and ultimately foreboding than people who also read traditional forms of media.
Be sure to organize your posts into easily digestible sections, starting with a snappy introduction that pulls the reader in, and continuing in short paragraphs of concise information no longer than three or four sentences. Whenever applicable, use bullet points and numbered lists to support your ideas.

Tip: Add in a few condensed “tips” or “hints” that will help your readers put your ideas into practice. You want to make sure your reader feels like your post actually helped them.

Preach to the Choir

If you want to grow your readership on the Web, choose subjects that register with a large audience. As long as you are demonstrating a unique perspective and speaking from a place of authority, everything is fair game.
Try formulating your concepts in high-interest areas such as popular culture, personal finance, or how-to subjects. Just remember to be original and choose to add something new to the conversation rather than going over the same old ground that’s been covered a thousand times.

If you’re an extremely opinionated person, try to restrain yourself from getting too one-sided in your blog posts. Taking a stance on a controversial topic will result in a much smaller readership than a neutral blog.

If you feel as though you absolutely must express your opinion on something, consider incorporating a weekly or monthly opinion piece into your blogging schedule.

“”

Throw In Some Eye Candy

Nothing puts the bow on a blog post better than the addition of an appropriate visual element.

Whether it’s an instructional video, creative infographic, or good old-fashion photo, you can draw a bigger crowd by adding visuals for support. Sites like Pinterest, Wanelo, and Instagram have made people very spoiled when it comes to visuals. The increased use of infographics and videographics are great examples of how visually based we’re becoming.
People may be bored by text, but turn that text into an image, and people are so much more likely to read it. Plus, many people are visual learners, and including a visual that illustrates a point will help them better understand what you’re saying.

Visuals also make the post look more polished and professional, and they give you the opportunity to connect with potential readers before they read a single word.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re blogging for legal professionals or executive resume writers, you’ll have more success if you tailor your style to the online reader. By choosing compelling titles, formatting your work for readability, adding visual elements, and choosing favored genres, you will surely see a boost in the popularity of your posts.

Michelle Rebecca is a writer, blogger, and freelancer who currently resides in Mechanicsburg, Pa. After attending college in Pittsburgh, she worked a large variety of jobs before finally realizing that writing is her true passion. She also enjoys social media, and is constantly fascinated by how social media brings people together and allows connections worldwide – connections that used to be impossible. (Bio updated December 2016)

How to Make Your Small Business Blog Work For You

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Thank you to Shelley Roth for allowing Socialot and Jessica Scheider (from The Writers For Hire) to host this Webinar on small business blogging.

It’s really got some GREAT info in it.

Jessica answers questions for beginners and advanced bloggers.

How can I use my blog to increase my search engine results?
What is a guest blogging program and why would I need one?
How long should a standard blog post be?
How do I know what to write about?
Why would I want a blog anyway?
How can I use my blog to benefit my small business?

Flip through the Power Point presentation here: Blogging for Business
Got any more questions for Jessica? Let us know and she’ll answer them here!

Secrets for a Successful Blogger Outreach Campaign

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

by Isabella Woods

The internet is packed with information on a whole host of topics, much of which comes from the countless bloggers across the world. Blogging has now become a genuine source of news, information and entertainment, and there is an almost limitless supply of blogs out there. But with this saturation comes a certain difficulty: namely being able to generate solid and reliable traffic. One of the key methods to achieve this is via a blog outreach campaign. The concept revolves around networking, and the fact that being linked to from other blogs will boost your popularity, and bolster your SEO. Let’s look at the top secrets to launching a top-notch blog outreach effort.

Do your research and know your audience

Key to boosting the popularity of your blog is knowing who your readers are. Armed with this crucial information, you can then set out to discover blogs that may be suitable for linking to your own. For example, if your blog is on the topic of a certain video game, you may want to reach out to a blogger who runs a blog on a similar game. You can then share links with one another, and essentially share relevant traffic. And that’s what a blog outreach campaign is all about: increasing the amount of relevant traffic to your blog. If you can find a steady source of people who are interested in your topic, you’ll see your blog’s popularity soar and (with any luck) stay there. This depends on the quality of your content, of course, so make sure your posts remain as good as they can be. Before sending out requests for backlinks and such, you’ll need to do your research: find out which blogs have the best quality traffic, and reach out to the people that run them.

Reaching out

Connecting with bloggers can seem like quite a lot of work to the uninitiated. And because it’s a fundamentally social system, there’s the etiquette and protocol which might seem impenetrable to outsiders.

One of the first things you need to do is comment on their blog posts. It’s courteous, and (as long as you post some content) it’s going to add value to their blog. If they like the cut of your jib, they’ll come and visit your blog and comment on one of your posts. A connection is born. Be very clear about who you are, where your website is and what the blog is about, but remember you’re in their domain and as such you should be focusing on what to add to their blog.

There are other ways of getting in touch. You’ll have heard of social media? Look on their blog for links to other profiles and ways to communicate. This is another excellent reason to have prominent Facebook and Twitter buttons on your site – it’s all very well being good at outreach, but you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you’ve made it difficult for others to find you.

It’s always right under your nose

Ever spent half an hour looking for something, only to find it right where you were sitting? The same is true online. No amount of clever searches and outreach strategies will match the benefit of checking your own blog, Twitter feed and social media profiles for enterprising bloggers who have found you. If you’ve been engaged by a blogger, it demonstrates their marketing prowess and probably indicates that they’ll give your online presence a great deal of coverage.

”

Always be patient

As with most web-based ventures (specifically SEO), a blog outreach campaign is a long-tail game. It requires that you plant seeds, so to speak, then wait to watch them come to fruition. Whether that’s in the form of a backlink from a fellow blogger or a featured on your blog, it’s a great feeling when your work starts to pay off. Just remember that it won’t happen overnight, just as your blog probably took quite a look to pick up steam, so too will its promotion. All you have to do is sit back, put your feet up on the sofa, and wait for your hard work to start paying dividends. A blog outreach campaign is most certainly worth your time, just as long as you’re willing to put the work in (and be as patient as possible at the same time).

Social networking can be your secret weapon

The world of blogging is inextricably linked to the world of social media. In fact, many people assume they are one and the same. In this way, social networking sites can be a real godsend when it comes to blogger outreach. You can use the search function on Twitter to do all sorts of things; from discovering bloggers who are looking for guest posts, to finding out exactly which blogs are being talked about most.

Twitter’s search function is a surprisingly powerful piece of software. It functions in a very similar way to Google, so you can make enquiries in a very specific way. For example, if you’re looking for a blog in York, England, any search for “York” will be polluted with blogs from New York. Adding “-New” to the search will eliminate this problem. It seems simple, but along with using the “near:” function (which adds a geographical element to your search) it’s an invaluable tool in social networking.

Obviously if you want to write relationship articles for blogs in York, England, searching for “relationships York + guest post –New” will be a good search string and will give you only the relevant results. It’ll only take a few moments too.

If you’re serious about social media, there are some powerful tools which help you get the most out of Twitter. They’re too numerous and complex to list here, but services like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck give you the ability to use Twitter in ways you never imagined. Another blog post for another day.

This kind of ‘market research’ is not really possible with any other media, so make the most of it. You can also use sites like Twitter and Facebook to make direct contact with the bloggers whose sites you like the look of. This will give them a chance to check out your blog before making a decision about whether or not you can help each other out.

Blogger outreach is not unlike traditional networking in the world of business. It’s all about making connections and sharing valuable traffic (whether that be clients for a business or visitors on a blog). If you dedicate a good amount of time and effort to finding bloggers who are relevant to your topic, and who are willing to trade links, you’ll find that blogger outreach can be one of the most useful tactics in the world of online content publishing. So what are you waiting for? Get on those search engines and social networking sites, and find yourself a fellow blogger who shares your passion for the web!

Cast Your Vote . . . Again!

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

First of all, we’d like to congratulate Chris for taking first place! We’ve emailed him his $50 Amazon.com gift certificate! Also, be sure to check out Chris’ website, Part Time Writer.

We’d also like to congratulate Ms. Very Married and Charlotte P. They’re tied for second place ($25 gift certificate). We’re kicking off a tiebreaker to determine the winner.

Tiebreaker: Cast Your Vote for Second Place!

In case you need a refresher, here are the entries:

1. T-Shirt fail from Charlotte P.:

2. “Water” for Sale from Ms. Very Married:

Our tiebreaker poll will close on Thursday, November 11. We’ll announce the official second place winner on Friday, November 12.

Cast Your Vote!

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Our grammar-fail photo contest is officially closed, and we’ve selected our five finalists.  Thanks to everyone who submitted photos!  Voting will close on Thursday, October 28, and we’ll notify first and second-prize winners on our blog and via email.

 

The five finalists are:

1. “Your Sexy”: College grammar fail from Kevin:

2. “Grils” wallet from Jeremy & Jenni:

3. “Water” for sale from Very Married:

4. T-shirt fail from Charlotte P:

5. “Dinning” fail from Chris

Vote for Your Favorite Grammar Fail HERE!

Why Ghost Blogging For Your Company Is Needed, and Ethical.

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

I’ve been reading some great posts by Jason Falls and Mark Schaefer on ghost blogging, so I thought I’d throw in my two cents.

Is it OK to hire a ghostwriter for your blog?

My answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Maybe.

That is, under certain conditions.

And here’s what I think those conditions are:

  1. The ideas in your blog authentically express your ideas, your expertise, and your opinions, even if the blogs themselves are ghost authored.
  2. See No. 1.

We ghost write books for clients all the time. These clients have their own thoughts and their own industry knowledge, which they have legitimately accumulated over years of experience. The clients just may not be good writers, or they may not have the time to write.

It’s an extremely personal experience to ghost write for a client in the true sense of the word. The ghostwriter is a medium (forgive the pun) for the client. It’s the client’s knowledge that makes the book possible. It’s the ghostwriter’s job to turn that client’s thoughts into words.

And, yes, this is entirely possible – although the relationship can take months to get settled. It’s much like hiring a good private secretary: After the second week, you’re ready to fire her, but after a month, you don’t know what you’d do without her. After a month, you can give her a three-bullet memo, and she can turn it into a beautifully sculpted email. After a year, you can give her a three-bullet memo, and she’ll turn into a four-page letter to the shareholders.

Now, here’s why it’s necessary for many companies to hire a ghost blogger:

What busy C-level exec really has an hour a day to spend on blogging? And when I mean an hour, I really mean more like an hour minimum. Even if you know the subject you are writing about by heart, even if you feel the muse take you, and some muses are finickier than others, and even if you are a really, really fast typist blogging for yourself may not be practical. By the time you’ve typed up all your ideas, read them over, agonized about what people will think, double checked your facts, and posted the darn thing, you’ve spent an hour.

“”

At the same time, companies today need to blog. Companies need to connect with their audience, to share industry knowledge, and maintain Internet branding. But the people who represent the company are just too busy doing their job. And their job is not writing.

Yes, it takes time to hire a ghost blogger and train them and review material – but it still takes less time than it would to do it yourself.

Oh, and before I wrap up, I’d like to post a response to the question that’s been coming up on some of the blogs relating to this topic: What about responding to comments? Does the client have to approve every comment post?

Again, I’m going to go back to the private secretary example. The answer is yes, and no. Just like a secretary, the ghost blogger keeps track of the comments, spends an hour or so a week reviewing comments with the client, and takes notes on the basic responses. The ghost blogger then pens those responses.

Does this take time out of the client’s schedule? Of course. But does it take as much time as it would for the client to pen those responses himself? No.

And will the responses be better written?

Almost certainly.

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