Hello again, dear fellow freelancers.
The amount of gratitude I got for the free tips I previously posted is worth more than any cash.
So I shall continue with the free tips and I hope these help your freelancing journey.
Thank you for wanting to learn. Thank you for working hard to support yourselves, your family, and for helping our country in the midst of a global recession.
Let’s earn those clients and fuel our local economy. So without further ado, here is free tips Set # 4:
How to write properly in English, especially for an online audience.
Short bio: I’ve been an online freelancer for 12+ years. This is my way of giving back for the happiness this career path has given me.
Now let’s dive in!
This time I’m covering some basics (and some secrets, too) of effective online writing.
NOTE: You don’t have to be a professional writer or an aspiring one to reap benefits from these tips. Online writing includes (aside from actual client writing jobs):
– cover letters
– job proposals
– business emails
– social media content
– a professional and appealing LinkedIn profile to land those awesome clients
– and more…
I’m not going to cover basics like subject-verb agreement. Rather, I’ll give you tips that will instantly take your online writing to the next level.
Let’s go:
1️⃣ Remember people online are distracted like crazy.
Notification bells left and right. A text message from their kids. An alert that their ex wants to talk.
You get the idea.
With this in mind, write short paragraphs. This is important. One to four sentences maximum per paragraph.
Deviate only from this rule with good reason.
People see a long block of text and get turned off. They have funny videos they want to look at. Netflix is calling!
Short paragraphs please.
Don’t meander. Get to the point. Pepper your writing, of course, with words like “please” so you don’t sound rude.
It’s easy to be misunderstood online.
How else can you grab the attention of these distracted readers (who could be the client of your dreams)?
– Use bullet points.
– Cut unnecessary fat from your writing (more on this later).
– Don’t go for fancy unless you’re a poet and you know what you’re doing.
– Simple is beautiful, and it tells experienced writers and readers you know what you’re talking about.
2️⃣ Cut the fat from your writing.
Good writing looks easy. It’s not. It’s the writer’s job to make it look effortless.
How do you achieve this quicker?
Limit your adverbs.
Really. Totally. Absolutely. Mostly…
You don’t need these fluffy words most of the time.
Check these out:
– I’m really tired VS I’m exhausted
– I’m absolutely angry VS I’m enraged
– I’m very happy VS I’m elated
– I’m so hungry VS I’m famished
See the difference? There’s more conviction and punch in the second variations.
And if your vocabulary doesn’t fill you with confidence, enter the magical world of www.thesaurus.com
It’s free. Use it.
NOTE: But use a thesaurus with care. Not every word suggested by a thesaurus can replace the original word.
A thesaurus provides suggestions. You have to use common sense plus experience to pick a better alternative word.
Next, remove other fluff.
❌Check this: “It is in my opinion that we as a team should make an effort to transition to using Trello. I heard it’s one of the best productivity tools in the market today. I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter.”
Sorry, what did you say again? I just saw a funny meme.
Instead, try: “I suggest our team use Trello. It’s an amazing productivity tool. Please let me know your thoughts.”
Boom. You got their attention.
When editing, remove certain questionable phrases and words. Does the sentence still convey your thought? That means those fluff words can go.
BONUS PRO TIP: Visit the www.hemingwayapp.com and use it.
This free tool tells you if you’ve overused adverbs or passive sentences. Check it out 😊
3️⃣ You won’t survive without Grammarly.com
The free version is all you need.
It’s not perfect but it helps a lot. That being said, proofread your work manually and don’t rely on Grammarly 100%.
4️⃣ Read your work backwards.
Yes, you heard me right. Read your work, sentence by sentence from last to first.
Why does this proofreading tip work?
The brain gets used to reading the same piece of content. This then makes it more difficult to spot errors.
Reading your work backwards is like training your brain to see the piece from a different perspective. You’ll be surprised to spot mistakes you previously missed.
This tip is extra useful when writing a vital piece such as a cover letter or a job proposal.
5️⃣ Read daily.
“But I’m not a reader!” you might say.
That’s fine. I’m not suggesting you read The Book of Revelations followed by Noli Me Tangere then War and Peace.
A minimum read a day of an article about your job industry–or anything to do with improving yourself–will suffice.
Calm consistency is better than occasional bursts of erratic effort.
But, of course, more effort = more rewards. The sooner you get better, the sooner you get paid more.
6️⃣ “Write drunk, edit sober.”
No, you don’t need to open a bottle of Red Horse beer or fancy wine.
I like to take this to mean write freely. Allow yourself to write trash but follow it up with industrious editing.
People experience writer’s block because they’re scared to suck. They’re afraid their work will be horrible.
I’m here to tell you it’s OK to suck. At first. Then you edit, edit, and edit until the piece of “trash” becomes a thing you can be proud of.
Don’t let the obsession with perfection lead you to procrastinate. There is no such thing as perfect.
But there is such a thing as regret for things you didn’t try doing.
So write first without fear, like a child would. Write freely and openly. Then edit like a solider.
That’s it for now. I read the comments to give me an idea of what can help other freelancers the most.
As always: keep your head down, work hard, wash your hands, and help each other.
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I post motivating quotes to help us get through these challenging times.
