2019 - Page 5 of 11 - Outsource Digital Marketing With Tempesta Media

Best Practices for Conducting Industry Research as a Freelancer

Posted on May 3, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

Anyone who has writing and storytelling skills can write a blog. You can show some professional distinction by taking advantage of the best research tools for writers available via modern technology.

The internet is a very advanced tool for researching industries that you are writing about. However, you need to use best practice techniques when conducting online research to be the most efficient and effective.

Techniques for conducting industry research

Producing quality research for topics requires being savvy at two different skills: one, at conducting web searches and, two, at finding credible sources.
When conducting searches, these techniques will make your job easier:

Identify specific terms that are unique to your subject.
Learn indispensable searchspeak to filter information further:
- + indicates two or more search items have to be found together
- – indicates that you want to exclude this in the search
- “” indicates that a particular term needs to be exact
- | means OR; the multiple terms in the search can be found together or one at a time
- site:website URL (e.g., site:tempestamedia.com) means that you want to search a particular website. This is usually more efficient than using a website’s in-house search mechanism.

Find forums that are discussing your topic.
Maximize advanced search options.
Don’t hesitate to use another search engine whenever you feel dissatisfied with the amount or quality of information.
If all else fails, contact an expert through the phone and set an appointment.

Ways to spot credible sources

Next comes the part when you ensure that your sources are credible. This is a Tempesta Media standard. Authoritative sources with appropriate links make for superior content.

It’s not as daunting as it sounds. The proliferation of misinformation on the web has compelled many institutions to publish guidelines to gauge a source’s trustworthiness:

Get to know what web domains mean:

.edu are university websites. The older and more established are usually the most reliable.
.gov or .mil are government websites. These are reliable as long as they are not talking politics. Many studies in the U.S. and other countries can also be accessed freely.
.com are companies or products.
.org are nonprofits or special interest groups. These last two both have their own agenda, but their studies could prove useful if they are verifiable. Additionally, many experts are affiliated with the latter group.

Determine if this site is credible and the information is factual:

Check the authors’ credentials. Are they respected by their peers? Have they published similar work recently? Are they associated with special interest groups?
Ensure that the study was done less than two years ago. Also, check for contradicting studies that may have already pierced holes in their argument.
Ensure that references cited are verifiable. Confirm that the links work. For books, check the library if they contain accurate information attributed to them.
In-depth discussions are preferable. Long-form content shows that studies were extensive.
Finally, browse through the website. Are articles facts-oriented and bias-free? Is the site highly opinionated? Does it play on emotions? Were time and effort spent on designing the site? Or does it look suspiciously like a fly-by-night venture?

A few obvious best practices:

Wikipedia should never be cited as a reference as the authors are not verified and the content isn’t verified
Rather than citing an article who cited another article, try to go to the original source
Narrow your search to specific keywords and phrases to get the answers you want, more quickly
Focus on content that is current, ideally created or updated in the last 2 years

All of the information above is a lot to process. However, these are necessary research tools for writers who want to prosper in their career.

Learning to make quick and efficient searches will allow you time to review your work. Plus ensuring your sources are credible will steer you away from embarrassment and make you shine as an authority, too.

11 Ways How to Write a Good Meta Description

Posted on May 1, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

Meta descriptions are like film teasers that tempt the audience to spend their time and money on a film.

In the exciting and competitive world of search engine optimization (SEO), the objective of a meta description is to coax the reader to click a link and direct traffic to a website.

Meta descriptions are found just under the website URL on the search engine results page. Unlike film teasers that entice viewers by being stingy with information, meta descriptions spill everything. Nonetheless, there are certain limitations.

Be guided by these 10 simple tips for writing awesome meta descriptions. Everyone can learn from these compelling examples from companies that sprung forth under the digital age.

1. There is a maximum number of words for a meta description

No real limit was set but SEO practitioners suggest keeping meta descriptions to fewer than 160 characters. Example:
Twitter’s Meta Description: “From breaking news and entertainment to sports and politics, get the full story with all the live commentary.”

2. Make sure the meta description is relevant to the article

Nothing is worse than seeing a snippet for an article and after clicking it, realizing that the article didn’t actually answer your question. You then have to go back to square one. This type of behavior results in a bounce. In order to avoid bounces, make sure your meta description is about the article that you are describing.

3. Refrain from using special characters

Punctuation marks are fine but don’t use quotation marks and slashes. These are used in HTML code and may confuse search engines.

4. Keep the original copy concise

Readers should be able to digest information quickly. Only the best products and services should be presented in meta descriptions. Example:
Tempesta Media’s Meta Description: “Tempesta Media creates high quality custom content for agencies and enterprises. Easily scale original blog articles, case studies and white papers.”

5. Use simple words without industry jargon

Sites that use flowery or flashy vocabulary do have a following, but it’s severely limited. Keep the language simple. Example:
Johnny Was’ Meta Description: “Find luxury boho fashion and accessories at Johnny Was. Shop boho chic dresses, tops, jeans, kimonos, bags. Free shipping on all U.S. orders.”

6. Content that provides value to the reader

Recall the golden rule of SEO. Good writing that provides unique and relevant content will never fail to attract readers. Example:
Flackable Meta Description: “Refreshingly bold PR agency for financial & professional services firms. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Flackable is a national, full-service public relations & digital marketing agency.”

7. Format all meta descriptions properly

Use the prescribed formatting so that the technology can read the text easily and the correct and complete information is displayed for the readers.

8. Optimize meta descriptions for keywords

Make sure you target a particular keyword for every page on your website and include this in your meta description – here is another guide that will be helpful about keyword optimization.

9. Questions within content get answered by search engines

People type questions when they use search engines. Include question-like keywords in your meta description to make an easy match.

10. Original content with the audience in mind

Give your target audience what they want to hear – the information that is most valuable for them. Example:
YouTube Meta Description: “Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.”

11. Include a call to action

Use a single, strong command verb at the start or the end of your meta description. Example:
Jotform Meta Description: “Teachers can help students with undiagnosed disabilities succeed in class by following these six steps to create personalized learning plans.”
Meta descriptions are like the ad copy that get’s displayed by the search engines. If your headline and “ad copy” (otherwise known as a meta description) is enticing, you’ll receive more interest, which translates to more clicks. Clicks are directly related to SEO, which means that meta descriptions should be a component of your marketing strategy. These snippets can give you:

Another chance to trumpet your content.
Great potential for improved CTRs.
Additional promotion via social networking sites.

The bottom line: marketers benefit from ensuring their content has strategic and well-written meta descriptions.

Why FAQ Pages Are Good Idea for Your Content Strategy

Posted on April 29, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

FAQ content, as the term implies, is a piece of content that contains a question and answer (Q&A) addressing a common concern about your business.

Company websites usually have an FAQ page to help answer questions for both customers and prospects. The FAQ page is commonly used for prospects that are not simply learning about the issues, but are farther along in the marketing funnel and therefore making a decision about whether or not they’d like to work with you.

The About Us page, on the other hand, talks about a company’s history and the most impressive information about the culture and team.

The FAQ page can be considered a customer service tool. It’s where people go if they need specific information about your products, services or business operation. Your FAQ area can also serve as the first point of contact for customers and prospects looking for answers before they contact you directly with their queries.

Good FAQ pages save account managers and sales reps time by answering common questions, and they also improve the overall experience for customers. Customers like quick answers and transparency improves your credibility.

How should FAQ content be formatted?

Today’s successful companies have the most effective FAQ pages. How are these companies formatting their FAQ content in the digital age? Here are a few FAQ tips and tricks that all SEO and content marketing strategists should be paying attention to right now:

Highlight information
Focus on providing information to visitors. Design a unique FAQ interface that also considers the disappearing attention span of customers. It’s important to have an FAQ section that is uncluttered and easy to use. Make the questions and answers stand out.

Incorporate keywords
Frame your questions so that they contain the main keywords that site visitors would look for when they scan the FAQ page. Keywords help your SEO. In this example, the FAQ article used the keyword phrase “estimated reading times.”

Keep it simple and concise
Ensure that the questions and answers are clear and well-written. Use simple words and short sentences that could have been written by your customers themselves.

Utilizing a conversational tone will increase the likelihood of your FAQ page being discovered through Google searches.

Questions should be written from the perspective of your customers. Answer each question directly, from your business’s point of view.

Consider bullet points for information that will take up more than five lines. If your response requires a detailed explanation or context, you can include a link to a blog article that is dedicated to that topic. Not only will your FAQ page look less cluttered, but it will also be SEO friendly.

Try a multimedia approach to answer complex questions
If you’re struggling to answer a question in written words, feel free to use images, infographics, slides or videos.

Use category labels, clickable questions
Organize all the questions by putting them in categories. That way, visitors can quickly find the category that contains the information they seek. If your site has over 100 topics, use category labels and a list of clickable questions to increase your visitors’ efficiency. An effective FAQ section reflects well on the company. Lastly, visitors would feel confident about the company’s ability to provide proper support for their products or services.

Tags that link an answer to another related frequently asked question is another good way to be helpful to the reader, while also increasing the pages viewed and time spent on site.

End the website page with a CTA
Make the most of your FAQ article by adding a call to action at the end of your answer. A CTA that links to other pages on your site helps push visitors back into your funnel and influence conversions.

You may also link at the bottom of your FAQ to related articles or Q&As that tackle the next steps.

Choosing questions for your FAQ page

The first place to start is with your account managers or customer support team. Ask them about the most common questions they receive. Explain that this FAQ page will hopefully reduce questions, making their life a whole lot easier.

The next group of people to address are your sales professionals. Ask your sales team about the common questions that they receive during the sales process? Including links to these answers is easier that writing out the answers over and over again via email.

In order to truly understand what issues, concerns and questions keep propping up in the minds of your target audience, take these necessary steps:

Review emails and customer support tickets.
Check out social media and online forums discussing your brand.
Visit competitor websites and read their user feedback.
Take a look at competitor FAQ pages to brainstorm fresh ideas.
Ask your family members, friends and colleagues what questions about your service or product they would need to be answered before they decide to make a purchase. What information is missing from your website that causes uncertainty?
Collaborate internally. Talk to the sales team to hear what prospects ask during the sales process. Account managers, meanwhile, can tell you what questions come up a lot from their customers.

The whole process will help you determine what people care about most before as well as during and after a purchase. It will allow you to come up with an authentic, useful list of frequently asked questions.

The right questions should be raised strategically to educate customers about your offerings and create demand. Use the opportunity to turn complaints into questions and turn those questions into a path to further customer engagement or conversion.

For more information about creating content that will improve the sales cycle and customer experience, contact Tempesta Media.

Tools for Writers – Grammar and Training Guides for Freelance Writers

Posted on April 23, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

There are many apps and tools available to help freelance writers create better content.

Here are some recommendations we’ve put together:

Grammarly

Grammarly’s free writing app – available for Firefox, Chrome and Safari browsers — makes sure everything you type is easy to read and mistake-free. The add-in enables you to check spelling and grammar on Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Tumblr, and nearly everywhere else you write on the web. Key features include:

Contextual spelling checker: Detects correctly spelled words used in the wrong context. You can stop worrying about misusing homophones like lose/loose, affect/effect, lie/lay, there/their/they’re, and many other commonly confused words.
Grammar checker: Grammarly can fix hundreds of complex grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement, article use, and modifier placement, to name just a few.

The basic browser-based add-in is free. The premium app, $12-$30 per month, has many advanced features.

AP Stylebook

The AP Stylebook is an English guide for grammar, punctuation and principles of reporting, including many definitions and rules for usage as well as styles for capitalization, abbreviation, spelling and numerals. Tempesta Media uses AP style for all BrandBuilder and Ghostwritten content.

You can buy the book for $20.95 or get an online subscription for $26 per year.

Tips and Training

The Poynter Institute is a global leader in journalism training. Its website features a very helpful blog filled with writing, grammar and style tips, and it offers a variety of free and paid online courses that you can take at your own pace.

Hemingway Editor

The Hemingway Editor desktop application highlights common problems that get in the way of clear writing – complex words or phrases, overly long sentences, too many adverbs, passive voice – and offers suggestion for solving them.

It also allows you to measure readability of your text and to import and export from .docx files. Finally, it contains a set of easy-to-use web formatting tools, including HTML headings, formatting and links.

Readability Test Tool

The Readability Test Tool provides a quick and easy way to test the readability of your work using a variety of readability formulas. You can test all or part of a web page, or simply type in or paste your text for analysis. You’ll get a score for the most used readability indicators: Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Score, Coleman Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index (ARI).

Oxford Dictionaries

These free grammar tips from the venerable Oxford English Dictionary (OED) provide straightforward advice on some of the trickier points of English grammar, from dangling participles and double negatives to comma splices and the subjunctive case.

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips

Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty, a former science writer who produces an educational blog and podcast, provides this “friendly guide to the world of grammar, punctuation, usage, and fun developments in the English language.”

The Elements of Style

Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a must-have for any conscientious writer. It offers concise explanations of the principal requirements of plain English style and focuses on the rules of usage that are most commonly violated.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University provides writing resources and instructional material on grammar and writing style as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. The online service can be used by anyone who needs guidance on the finer points of writing.

Common Errors in English Usage

This guide (and accompanying book) by Paul Brians, Emeritus Professor of English at Washington State University, is a useful and fun guide to mixed-up, mangled expressions, foreign language faux pas, confusing terms, and commonly misused words.

Tempesta Media’s editors edit the writing before customers take the first look. Writers with the best quality are offered more paid freelance writing opportunities and can be part of more of our client’s expert writer teams. Apply to write for Tempesta Media.

8 Tips on How to Incorporate Internal Links to Your Content

Posted on April 22, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

Internal links within a blog article show that there is content available from an earlier discussion, a wider discussion or a continuing discussion around the topic.

When these earlier, wider and continuing discussions are located on other websites, they are external links. Internal links point a reader to the discussion located on another page of your website, but still within the same website.

Why does content perform better with internal links?

Internal links are very useful:

They create traffic for your website.
They enrich your content.
They establish your website’s authority showing that it is a cache of information.
They serve as a map of your site’s structure, including its multi-tiered contents.
They precipitate reader engagement within your site and invite browsers to visit again.
And, finally, internal links within a blog article carry more weight in terms of rankings. This helps with SEO.

So how many internal links should there be for every blog article? Here are some tips for writing effective internal links that will hopefully answer that tricky question:

Use an internal link as your first hyperlink

Start the discussion by pointing to your own resources as an expert. Internal links should be the first hyperlink in your content. It should be located near the start of your page. This gives the link better chances of being clicked, which is any link’s raison d’être.

Make the internal link visible to increase clicks

Links are usually in blue or are underlined to call attention to itself. You may also make it bold or italicized. However, making the link twinkle or be in a different or larger font may be a tad too much.

Make the internal link a natural part of the content – don’t force it

Internal links should be anchored to important words or phrases within your article. “Click here” and other generic terms or CTA buttons must be avoided.

Content still reigns supreme when it comes to your internal link. Don’t suddenly go off-topic and don’t give far-off examples just so it leads to a page in your website that you want to get maximum views. Make sure your link adds value to your current blog article.

Link to a page just once for every article

If you’ve already linked to page B once within the article, that’s enough. If you feel the latter part of your article can also be enriched by page B, find a page C within your website that can also do the job. Or just stop with that one internal link altogether.

Linking your article twice to the same page says to the reader that you have limited content.

Link deep within your website, not just the main pages

An effective internal link should not just lead to your Home, About Us or Contact Us page. Those main category pages are easy enough to search for. Link to content that is three or more clicks away from your home page.

Avoid broken links by updating the URLs regularly

As you add to your content, return to previous articles to add or change internal links. Your data or your products may have changed; therefore your content needs to be updated.

So how many internal links should there be for every blog article?

No content marketing or SEO expert has dared to put forth a number – except to say that each article should have at least one internal link. No maximum limit has been set either. So as long as you have other pages within your website that can add value to your current content, feel free to add another link.

We Want to Start, What Are the Next Steps?

Posted on April 19, 2019September 25, 2023 by Michael Marchese

A content marketing service that makes it easy to get started.

Pick a content subscription
Answer an online questionnaire to establish your voice
We then conduct an interview to gain more knowledge about your company and voice.
We use the insights gathered from the questionnaire and the interview to provide an editorial calendar with topics that will perform well for your company. At this point we help you order content on our platform.

Once you participate in the onboarding, we scale up your content marketing program

We create a team of writers for you based upon writers who have expertise in your industry and have a good culture fit with your company. Your account manager optimizes this team for you and because these writers continue to write for you on an ongoing basis the quality continues to improve.
We also optimize your voice profile, which is a writing style guide that captures your voice, personality and all of the other nuances to ensure that the writing matches your brand. The voice profile will also include details about your target audience and answer questions like “how much selling is required” and “how formal the writing should be”.
All content is written by your writing team, edited by our in-house editors and turned around in 5 business days.
Our editors review every single piece of content to make sure it is well written, matches your voice, and fulfills any guidelines that you have.

Our solution is designed to save you time and deliver high quality content that matches your voice.

What Is the Content Ordering Process Like? How to Order Custom Content at Tempesta Media

Posted on April 18, 2019November 27, 2024 by Michael Marchese

Editorial calendar at the beginning of your content marketing partnership.

When you begin working with Tempesta Media we have a simple onboarding process. You will receive an editorial calendar with topics and outlines of topics that have been created for your company. Once we receive your approval, we will pre-schedule those topics for you within our platform and you will simply be notified when the custom content is ready.

Order content about a topic of your choosing

If you’d like to order custom content about a topic of your choosing, that option is always available to you. You can go ahead and log into the platform and order a brand new piece. Simply provide your writing team with a topic and key points that should be included within the content.

You are welcome to include any calls to action, research pieces, or materials that should be referred to when creating the custom content. Once you click order, the funds are deducted from your account and your writing team gets busy writing!
The article is written and researched by your expert writing team, edited by our in-house editors, and returned to you within 5 business days.

Now isn’t that better than hiring a new employee or going back and forth with freelancers in your inbox?

Examples of How to Improve Writing by Refraining From Long and Wordy Sentences

Posted on April 17, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

“Long sentences are not necessarily wordy, nor are short sentences always concise. A sentence is wordy if it can be tightened without loss of meaning.” – Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook 2004.

Wordiness makes writing confusing and can be frustrating to the reader. With so munch content, readers have limited time, so content should be concise and to the point. Below are some examples of way to avoid being too wordy.

Redundancy

There is no need to say the same thing over and over again. Instead, focus on avoiding redundancy in your writing.

Redundant: We assess and prioritize each separate incident.
Better: We assess and prioritize each incident.

Redundant: The New York Times is a newspaper that is credible.
Better: The New York Times is credible.

Redundant: Mike, our CFO, is diligent, hardworking and industrious.
Better: Mike, our CFO, is hardworking.

Empty words and phrases

All the words that you use should have a purpose. Here are some examples to demonstrate how you can avoid empty words and phrases.

Wordy: In my opinion, community support workers make a profound impact on the lives of others.
Better: Community support workers make a profound impact on the lives of others.

Wordy: For all intents and purposes, preparedness saves lives as well as businesses.
Better: Preparedness saves lives and businesses.

Wordy: Change is quite unavoidable in any office situation.
Better: Change is unavoidable in any office situation.

Expressions

Expressions can often be said more clearly in another way. The problem with expressions is that they can easily be misinterpreted.

Wordy: His promotion will be delayed until such time as this matter has been resolved.
Better: His promotion will be delayed until this matter has been resolved.

Wordy: The price of the property is in the neighborhood of a million dollars.
Better: The price of the property is about a million dollars.

“There is/are … that” and “It is … that” phrases

Wordy: There are many employees who share your vision.
Better: Many employees share your vision.

Wordy: It is the platform that is the problem.
Better: The platform is the problem.

Passive voice

Passive voice sentences should be modified to active voice.

Wordy: A need for additional training is indicated by these results.
Better: These results indicate a need for additional training.

Wordy: Patients can be empowered by using our software.
Better: Our software empowers patients.

“To be” verbs

“To be” verbs and overused prepositional phrases should be eliminated as they don’t read well.

Wordy: Lack of sleep is bad for your health.
Better: Lack of sleep harms your health.

Wordy: Seniors with diabetes are in need of caregiving services.
Better: Diabetic seniors need caregiving services.

Wordy: In this book are examples of the use of imagery in poetry.
Better: This book includes examples of imagery in poetry.
Even better: This book exemplifies imagery use in poetry.

Always try to say less with more. Your writing will improve and your readers will thank you.

How Long Should My Blog Article Be?

Posted on April 15, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

All blog assignments have a minimum required word length of 500 words.

You can see your word count at the bottom right of the content entry screen. You may write more than 500 words, but you cannot submit the article if you write LESS THAN 500 words.

What’s the verdict on the ideal number of words in a blog post? The short answer is, it depends.

Recently, some writer-influencers have put forward that blogs need to be longer. Just how much longer? They can’t really give a number. Some say 1,000. Some say 1,200. Some say 2,000. And still some say even more. There hasn’t been a consensus yet.

The reason is the length depends on how saturated your market is with content and how difficult it is for your business to improve your SEO related to certain keywords.

When it comes to SEO and content marketing – content above all else

However, all these experts agree on one thing: Your blog’s readership is still primarily dependent on your content.

Speak to the needs and interests of your audience. You’ll see that they’ll stick with you whether you offer them 400 or 4,000 words. If you provide value and actually help your readers, the content will perform better.

Your blog articles need credible insight – context is queen

Another way of looking at this is that length should not be a consideration in the way you write your blog. Expound on a theme until it is crystal clear. Give examples if necessary.

Of course, this shouldn’t be an excuse to insert fluff. Short or long, every word should count. Each word should add value to an article.

All ideas should be fully flushed out.

Sentence and paragraph length

The jury may still be out on the ideal number of words in a blog post. When it comes to sentence length, the Flesch-Kincaid readability test requires it to be 20 words or fewer to be considered “fairly easy to read.”

Meanwhile, industry observers stressed the importance of mixing up paragraph length. Paragraphs consisting of three to six sentences work best for business and technical writing.

Do long winded sentences sound good when they are read out loud? Probably not… long winded sentences can come across as wordy in a blog article as well.

Many factors are involved when determining blog article legnth

Target audience. A Microsoft study famously revealed that the human attention span had dwindled to 8 seconds thanks to technology updates and current digital lifestyles. This made the case for short-form content until a BBC report dismissed it as a myth. Moreover, a Source Global Research survey found that business people, especially thought leaders, need substantial content pieces (hence a higher word count).
Industry. Fashion blogs don’t need discussions to be as extensive as business how-tos. Medical blogs – even those that target parents – need more words to explain treatments, complications and contra-indications.
Goal. Different blog article word lengths can produce different results. Short blogs are conducive to discussions with readers. Medium length blogs usually get the most social media shares. Longer blog articles get noticed by search engines.
Writers and time. Each writer has a different flair. You also only have a certain amount of time in your day to craft the content.

Blog articles can be long and short

Of course, the easy answer may be not to stick to a particular length for your blog. Make it short when you feel it’s enough but wax on if there’s a need. Between 400 and 1500 words should be a safe bet.

Tempesta Media offers any number of words in a blog post that a partner feels best fits their unique needs.

Varying the length, style, days of the week, and format of blog posts will authenticate your brand and hopefully improve your SEO rankings.

Make content marketing a priority for your business

Discussions on the ideal word count of blog articles will not be concluded any time soon. If Google keeps changing their search algorithms, your approach will continue to change. In the meantime, the best you can do is to strengthen your craft.

Conduct research on best practices. Update your old content. Rewrite articles that you think could use a little polishing. Up the frequency of the new content insights that your offer.

If you feel like you are falling behind or need a partner, Tempesta Media offers monthly content subscriptions to ramp up your content efforts.

How to Be a Better Freelance Writer

Posted on April 11, 2019September 3, 2023 by Michael Marchese

Improve your writing quality as a freelance writer.

Tempesta Media takes pride in having quality freelance writers who meet and exceed expectations as industry experts. As writing for Tempesta Media is a competitive endeavor, we strive to help develop skills by providing learning and training resources that will set you up for success.

Here are five specific and actionable recommendations that can help you improve your writing quality fast.

Follow grammar rules

To be clear: The most conscientious writers dutifully learn the rules. The best writers know when to break those grammar rules. The most successful writers follow the rules. To thrive in the writing business, you must pay attention to the basic principles of grammar, punctuation, usage and composition.

Use a style guide

Ensure that the writing is consistent across the brand. The messaging should reflect the brand’s value and capture all the tiny nuances of what makes that company special. Maintaining that style improves the quality and overall satisfaction across Tempesta Media customers.

It always helps to follow a set of standards for writing and formatting content. At Tempesta Media, we use the Associated Press Stylebook. You need to familiarize yourself with AP’s or the customer’s preferred word usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

Not only will you make fewer errors, but you will also achieve consistency – two things that will make editing your article a lot easier. Remember, the time it takes to edit your article affects your rating.

Research provides great insights

Your article should be both informative and insightful. Be sure to always conduct thorough research when writing for a content provider. Make sure to back up any claims made in your article by linking to credible outside sources. Proper attribution of statistical data, study findings and quotations will build trust and credibility with your readers.

Optimize your content to improve results

Optimize your content for your audience and search engines. To keep up in a digital marketplace, your content needs a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Use relevant and effective keywords or keyword phrases, know where to place them in your article and aim for the ideal keyword density percentage.

Provide value to the reader

Write engaging blog posts and thought leadership pieces. Grab readers’ attention with a catchy title. Your headline should be clear, concise and information-rich. It should adequately summarize the article in five words or fewer.

You have more control over what you are paid than you realize. Creating high-quality, error-free content, which closely aligns with a customer’s voice, tone, style and culture, is the key to maximizing your writing pay rate.

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