Having a great title to write about doesn’t always make it easier to craft a great article. While some titles provide plenty of ideas online content writers are able to incorporate into masterful copy, other titles present themselves like toddlers throwing temper tantrums—exasperating, unfathomable and defiantly uncommunicative. Any article ghostwriting professional will readily understand this comparison, especially when that superficially attractive title involves a product, a technical subject or is hiding a topic so incredibly boring that even the most experienced freelance marketing writers ultimately snatch themselves bald from agonizing over how to turn a plain rock into a stunning precious gem.
Brainstorming Techniques That Work
Generic product descriptions are usually difficult to write when clients want article ghostwriting that does not mention brand names or information specific to the product or service. They simply want an article that can be published anywhere at anytime while remaining consistently relevant to the promotion of the product.
Thinking more like a creative nonfiction writer than a copywriter can kickstart the process of breaking through the great title/boring topic impasse. Some potential article icebreakers include:
- Making a bullet list of the benefits of a product or service before actually beginning the meat of the article. Try to avoid mentioning product features because features are basically inorganic, while benefits offer more flexibility with the direction of the content
- Flavoring boring content with spicy ingredients like similes, specific descriptions and sentences that emotionally connect with your target audience. Always keep in mind who will be reading the article—young mothers, sports enthusiasts, small business owners, etc—and establish a bond with them by speaking their language
- Appealing to universal wants and desires—love, beauty, money, health and status. Everybody always wants more money, wants to make an impression on others, wants to enjoy good health, wants to have the best of everything. Even something as mundane as a certain brand of motor oil can be turned into an emotional appealing anecdotal article. For example, you could describe a scenario involving a guy using cheap, bad oil that causes his car to smoke badly while out on a date with the girl of his dreams—well, this would not have happened if he had used your client’s motor oil!
- Working on another article when writer’s block slams you against the wall—rather than trying to force inspiration try writing two pieces at once or even three if you feel particularly daring, stopping occasionally to go back to your original article
- Predicting the future of your readers—dust off your crystal ball and imagine how a reader’s life may be transformed after using the product or service about which you are writing. If you are writing about gourmet confectionary, describe the transcendental experience that awaits them upon eating one of these lusciously delicious chocolates.
So don’t despair when that interesting title you’re given to write turns out to be the stuff of a freelance writer’s nightmare. Try some of these brainstorming ideas and your fingers just may start dancing irrepressibly on your keyboard.
Kimberly M is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
