Writing not editing

I applied for a job today. I had to write something. Not any random thing, either. It was an assignment unlike anything I’ve had to do, and yet it’s pretty much what every online writing job requires.

I was given a website URL for a product, three SEO keyword phrases and instructions to write at least 500 words. (There was more than that, but in a nutshell, that's what I had.)

I can crank out 500 words in 20 minutes. If it requires some research, add on the time for that, but the actual writing is easy.

So why did this trip me up so much? I spent an hour researching and starting to write. I had fewer than 200 words. And I didn’t really like it. I couldn’t come up with a lede. Two hours later, I still was only at 350 words.

It finally kind of came together. I never claimed to be a great copy writer. Good, sure. Great, no.

Part of my sticking point was keeping in mind this wasn’t a newspaper article, nor was it a blog like I’ve freelanced in the past – informational only. No, this was meant to be a sales item. But I didn’t think they wanted just ad copy. I mean, who will read 500 words of ad copy? No, you have to give readers a hook, something to draw them in and keep them reading, while you add in nuggets about your product.

I really just wanted to write a history piece on the topic. That’s where I wound up doing my research. But I knew I had to bring it back around to the target audience for this website – consumers or businesses looking to buy this specific product. I wonder how other freelancers approach the topic. What angle do they take?

Fortunately, I know how to do decent research and what to look for. Anything with “wiki” in it is not an option. No sites with spammy advertising. Limit .com in favor of .edu, .org, etc. I had to link to at least three external sites, and I added an internal link to a related product for good measure.

The search-engine optimization, or SEO, part was pretty easy, too. I’ve been doing a good amount of reading on that topic, and I was familiar with it from my prior position in marketing. You have to use your keywords effectively – naturally in the context of the story or post. Use them too often or not in the right spots, and it won’t help your search-engine optimization for the page. If you don’t have good SEO, Google and its ilk won’t point to your page, and you’ll be stuck in no-man’s-land, three, four or more pages back on a keyword search. And nobody except reporters and librarians ever make it that far back in a search.

Was it my best work? Hell no. But, I got it done, and I only spent a few hours on it. By freelance standards, that’s too long when you might make only $20 for an article. (I will get paid a whopping $10 for this sample. It will pay for a bottle of wine. I’ll take it.)

I don’t know if I’ll get any work from it. It’s freelance writing – not editing, which is what I really want to do. But maybe it will put a little spending money in my pocket – if I can get over the fact that I’m writing ad copy. (As a former journalist, that’s a sticking point. I’m too damn honest, but that’s another blog post.)

I guess when it comes down to it, it’s just writing. The topics will vary, and I’ll get better at it, like anything.

But it’s still not editing, which is my first love.

Golly, I miss it.