The freelance content writing industry is growing rapidly. The demand for high-quality, well-written content is higher now than ever, and many people who have spent their lives writing for fun or as a method of catharsis are now turning to content writing sites as a way to bring in extra income.
When applying for a content writing site, you may be overwhelmed at first. You may begin to say, “But I know nothing about writing this type of article or that type of article. Where would I start?!”
Here are some tips to help you make the leap into the content writing industry without having to feel like a fish out of water:
When looking at an assignment, do not assume automatically that if you don’t know everything about the topic that you are not qualified to complete that order. Legal copy, technical copy, and other in-depth copy can be written easily if you approach the assignment with an open mind and rely on trusted sources.
Legal writing services vary greatly from other types of typical content. Often, writers who have not gone through law school or who have no experience in the law field often shy away from writing for legal companies out of fear that they are under qualified. This is not always the case. Many times clients are just looking for professionally formatted articles with a formal tone.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to enter the growing filed of legal content writing:
- Learn about the law firm and what it has to say about itself
- Sound authoritative without being condescending
- Sell the firm or the services to potential clients
- Assure the content is keyword-rich to optimize SEO
- Checking other legal websites to get an idea of what the client is looking for
Different articles require different approaches and this should be kept in mind before starting any assignment. Legal writing services, for example, are formal, avoid fluff, and tend to be unbiased articles. They have a professional tone but are still personal enough that the article is clearly directed towards it’s audience.
Legal copy, unlike other areas of content writing, focuses on having an authoritative tone, being SEO (search engine optimization) friendly and is most often written from a third person perspective.
Legal writing is different from blogging, sales copy writing, as well as website copy in that these other forms of content are often informal, less authoratitive articles and content where the writer has more creative freedom over the content.
Kathleen O is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
