Guidelines For Writing with Us

This document is divided into three parts - Content Guidelines, Instruction Guidelines, and Types of Content. Kindly go through each of these sections carefully. 


Content Guidelines- RWP

Creating content is a 3-step process of RWP; Researching, Writing, and Proofreading. Make sure you go through each of these steps in detail:

1. Research (R): 
  “  Well begun is half done  ”


Researching is an integral part of content creation. It can make or break your content. We expect our writers to do thorough research before they begin writing. A couple of important pointers.

1. Make sure you Research from at least 4-5 reference Links: Anything less than that, and there are chances of the content either being plagiarised, reworded or not value-add enough for the reader.
2. Be sure of the Credibility of the sites you research from: Not everything on Google is true. Sometimes, it may be wrong. Hence make sure you refer to credible and authority sites.
3. Research on Relevant sites: Make sure you research from relevant sites. Researching from a US-based article for an Indian client and Indian target audience may make your content wrong or irrelevant especially when writing on topics such as Finance, Insurance, Taxes etc. Consider client’s location, audience, and offerings to zero in on the right research.
4. Research Right: Please put yourself in the reader’s shoe while researching. This will not only help you narrow down while researching, thus saving time and increasing efficiency, but will also ensure you add your own twist to the content. 
5. Know the right keywords and key phrases to research for on Google: Make sure you understand the topic very well to ensure that you research right. For instance, “How to increase your home loan eligibility” may be slightly different from “How to Qualify for a home loan”. The first one talks about “increasing” your loan eligibility and the other one talks about how to qualify. 
6. Know the Industry: Make yourself comfortable with the dynamics of the industry you are writing about. Be it Digital marketing, Personal finance or Auto. Use the parlance used by the industry, instead of creating your own or using words that may be out of context for that industry. The initial effort spent in understanding an industry or domain will help you develop new skills to write for the domain in the future in an effective and efficient way.

2. Write (W)

“ Write for the Readers and for the Brand ”

Writing is simpler than you may assume only if you follow certain rules and guidelines. 

1. No Fluff and Repetitive sentences, words, phrases or ideas.
2. Write grammatically correct sentences.
3. Write short sentences. If the sentence is getting longer, try to break it into two or more sentences. Write simply to avoid making errors. https://writology.com/blog/writing-effective-sentences-long-vs-short-sentences.html
4. Write in an active voice and avoid using the passive voice: https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/ccs_activevoice/
5. Use conjunctions like Although, While, to add flow and readability to your content. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/conjunctions/
6. Use punctuations properly. I ate, mother is very different from I ate mother. Incorrect use or missing punctuation could change the meaning of a sentence.
7. Use articles and prepositions properly. 
8. Follow the right format. Samples are the best guide to know the format that is to be followed. However, a few important points that almost always apply.

 

• Title: It should be creative, click-worthy (note not click-bait) but at the same time tell the reader clearly and explicitly about the topic and what the article contains.  

 

• Introduction: It should be Crisp, Brief, Engaging and be On the topic - it should come straight to the main topic and also connect to the body of the article. Don’t beat around the bush. Assume what the reader may already know if he/she is reading this article. For example: If the topic is 5 reasons to invest in Mutual Funds - don’t talk about what is investing. Assume the reader already knows the basics.

            
            Pro Tip: Write the introduction at the last

• ​Body with Subheadings:  it should have subheadings and each point should be a value add and be on-topic - also it should give tips/actionable for each of the points mentioned to the reader - the information should be in-depth. For a 300-400 word article there should be at least 3 subheadings and for a 400-600 word article at least 5 subheadings. 

             Pro Tip: Use of subheadings and bullet points adds readability to the write-up and makes it skimmable for the reader. 

• ​Conclusion: Give a proper conclusion. Don’t use cliched conclusion lines like Now that you know how to apply for a home loan…. Or  So these were 5 tips to increase your loan eligibility. It should leave the readers with an action or food for thought. A conclusion serves two purposes; It should summarise what the reader has learned in the article and also inspire/prompt the reader to take certain action with a suitable call to action.

*Flow - It is the job of the introduction to connect the reader from the introduction to the body, and it is the job of the conclusion to connect the reader from the body to the conclusion.

3. Proofread (P)
​
“  Proofread as a Reader, Not as a Writer  ”

The difference between an average writer and a good writer lies in proofreading and editing. 

• Make sure you give your write-up a complete read once you are done. Read as a reader. Don't get too attached to what you have written at first, be open to making it better.
• Check for common grammatical errors such as prepositions, punctuation, articles, prepositions, spelling errors etc. Don't completely count on spell-check of your word processor. It has to be done manually. Get rid of repeated ideas and change overused words or phrases.
• When in doubt make it simple. Simple is always best. If while reading you are slightly doubtful of the sentence or word, just replace it with a simpler word or sentence.

Now that you know the basics of RWP, here are some important instruction guidelines that would help you write as per the client brief.

Instruction Guidelines

When we send you an assignment there are few things that will almost always be provided. 

• Topic
• Type of Content (more on this later)
• Client URL
• Keyword
• Word Count
• A set of Instructions
• Special Brief (sometimes)

Let’s look at all of these in detail:

• Topic: This is the most important part. Make sure you stick to the topic always and don’t digress. Understanding the topic is a very important part of ensuring you create the right content. As explained above already, “How to Increase your Home loan Eligibility”, is very different from “How to Qualify for a Home Loan”

• Type of Content: Type of content could be Article, Blog, On-page Article, On-page Blog, QnA, Web Content, Listicle, Press Release, Feature/News Article and more. In the beginning, you will mostly only get Articles and Blogs to write. For your reference, when we say article or blog, it means “off-page article” or “off-page blog”. If it is an on-page article or on-page blog we will specify it clearly.  The biggest difference between off-page and on-page article/blog is that while on-page is posted on the client site mostly usually under the blog section, off-page article/blog is posted on third-party websites while being linked back to the client site either through a keyword or a key phrase. When writing off-page article/blog or article, make sure you do not mention the client’s name or any of its products directly. The idea is to promote the client more indirectly and subtly here. More on the type of content, later.

• Client URL: Client URL has two important uses. The first one (a) is MUST HAVE while the second one (b) is Good to have
  1. So that you do not write anything that may be contradictory to what the client offers. For example, if you are writing on “5 Reasons to shop online” for an online website which does not offer COD, then mentioning Easy payment options such as COD will be detrimental for the client.
  2. To see if you can subtly or indirectly promote the client’s USPs and its offerings without mentioning the client’s name or its products/services directly. For example,  if you are writing on “5 Reasons to shop online” for an online website that offers 30-day Guaranteed returns, you can mention Easy Returns as one of the reasons while mentioning that some portals offer as much as 30-day guaranteed returns”. However, this should not come at the cost of content quality. Remember the topic always takes precedence. 

• Keyword (KW): Some writers confuse keyword to be more important than the topic. This is not true. The only role of the keyword is that it should be mentioned in the content as per keyword frequency naturally and organically. Don’t force-fit the keywords. Or keep them together at once place.

• Word Count(WC): We will always mention a Word count for all our assignments. It is suggested to write a few lines more than the word count mentioned as it helps in smoother editing and lesser back and forth. However, never use word fillers or write fluff to meet the word count. In case you are not able to meet the word count and running out of ideas, ask us before you proceed further.

• Instructions: Along with all that is mentioned above, you will always get a set of instructions from us. It is very important that you go through the instructions carefully. In the beginning, instructions may seem a bit overwhelming to you but once you have worked with us for a couple of days/weeks, you will get used to it and see most of the instructions remain the same. Instructions are to ensure you know exactly what is expected of you. ​

• Special Brief: Sometimes you also get a special client brief from us. This is very important and is to help you get a better direction. Sometimes what’s mentioned in the brief may conflict with the instructions. Please understand that brief always supersedes instructions.

If you have any queries regarding the instructions, always ask!

Type of Content 

There are different types of content that we produce for our clients. Have a look at some of the typical types of content that you can expect to work on with us;

1. Off-page Blog/Articles: These are content pieces that are not posted on the brand site but on a third-party site. It is usually used for guest-posting or getting backlinks to the brand site.
2. On-page Blog/Articles: These are blogs posted on the client site, usually in their dedicated blog section. 
3. Website Copy: This could for specific pages of a website or for a landing page. The stye typically is more promotional with specific call2action for the visitor. 
4. Feature/News Article: This type of content is used by brands to establish their credibility by publishing latest news/insights in their industry. The tone here is typically authoritative yet friendly. This type of content will usually be supported by statistics and data which should not be more than 3 months old unless you are mentioning a yearly data such as annual report or 5-yearly/10-yearly data such as Census. Make sure the data is credible, latest, and relevant to the topic. 
5. Press Release: This is used by brands to make new announcements either related to their product/service launch or about their team. The tone is usually formal with quotations from the company representatives. 
6. QnA: This type of content is used to answer specific queries from the brand's target audience. The tone used here is typically informal. The idea is to help the reader by answering the questions directly. Examples of QnA could be FAQ articles, Quora posts, etc.
7. Listicles: These are used by brands to engage with their audience by providing them fun and quirky content to consume. The points mentioned here are usually supported by images. While giving images, it is important to cite the right source so that due credits can be added.

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