Words hold the power to convince and contradict, even in the case when they are being used as an instrument of sales. Selling products online is a task that cannot do at all without the support of crisp and concise copy that conveys a lot about the object of sale. A good product description should hold the power of convincing the prospective buyer to purchase the product after spending a few seconds on reading the information that is relevant, appealing and sufficient to sum up the “Why Buy” of the product in 50 -100 words. Seems tricky, right? Was the same for me until I figured out the strategy for getting my product descriptions right. So, here is what I did, and what professional writers usually do too:

Read about No Touch Sales: It may be surprising but it is true that people are more drawn to ecommerce because it minimizes human contact. People purchase online when they read about a product and are longing to see the words take a shape (in the form of the product that is for sale.) So the words have to be really powerful to draw maximum consumer attention.

Understood the Tone and Language: Point to be noted. It is as important to hold back certain information as much it is to give out the rest of it. This simply means to focus on the ‘good points’. You should also refrain from giving out too many details about the product to an extent that the customer loses interest. Make your content compelling, unique and intelligent.

Kept It Original: Of course I refered to some great sites that gave me ideas on writing ome really whacky product descriptions, but managed to keep my content absolutely original. Keping your product descriptions original is important because your site can be penalized in case any copied content is published on your website.

Besides the above points, a definite structure to the product descriptions proved to be of great help. So in 100 word descriptions content writers should spend some 40 words writing about product features, approximately 30 words on style recommendation, another 20 on its utility and the remaining 10 on catchy lines and adjectives. But, often 100 words are also too much for a product description and at that time focusing on the “core functionality” + USP of the product suffices.

It is astonishing that freelance writers, despite of the popularity of the trade, still are considered as people who take up writing as a part time job. Masses still think that freelance content writers are no where serious about writing as a professional line; and, do it only for gaining an extra edge or for earning some extra money.

People need to be educated about the fact that the trends in content writing industry are shifting or changing tremendously. The fact that technology is shrinking the world is true in case of content writing also. Therefore, options such as freelance content writing and work from home have now become norms and there is nothing suspicious about them.

The problem here is that even though the freelancing has been there around for quite a while, even companies and content writers are not completely versed with its applicability or usage. There is little knowledge about making freelancing work for you. So here are a few words points of wisdom that may help out aspiring freelance writers:

1)    Define your trade: Before you enter the world of freelance writing it would be wise of you to decide your niche market. Many freelancing companies look out for writers with a defined area of interest or specialization. For example, they seek SEO writers, fashion writers or technical writers who can work on both long and short term projects.

2)    Abide By Your Terms: Identify your needs and aspirations and stick to them. Set out certain terms and conditions that you can use while negotiating with a freelance employer. It is perfectly fine to turn down offers that are not worthy taking up, as per your aspirations and tastes. This way you draft criteria that will help you decide your writing motivations and take you towards building a focused market.

3)    Act Professionally: You must always fulfil your commitments is you have entered into a freelancing contract with an employer. It is an obligation towards the writer to behave like a diligent employee while on the project. Always make submissions in time and give cent percent devotion to the allotted task.

In the end we need to understand that freelancing is not the business, the business is writing. Freelancing is just a technique or method of making writing services available and procurable from a larger chunk of audience. No matter how well you write, how well is freelancing doping for the employer that you are writing for will decide the fate of your freelancing career.

Be it a book author or a blogger or for that matter any kind of writer, what connects them with the reader is the words they write. The reader creates an image of the writer through his/her columns, blog posts, books and articles and tends to perceive the likes and dislikes of the writer from what he/she writes.

As the festivities come to an end in the office and we all get back into work mode, I thought it would be interesting to interview some of our writers, so that you get to know the people behind this blog. Read on to know about three people from our team of young and enthusiastic writers.

Isha has been with us for 7 months and believes chocolates help her fight writer’s block. Full of mischief, you’ll always see a smile on her face.

CWI: How do you manage to come up with interesting content even when the project is not very inspiring?

Isha: Although I can never make out if the content written will be able to please or interest the reader but I make sure that I’m not bored while writing on the topic. That’s the only way I keep myself going. Creating a milieu of various notions and incorporating different perspectives into a topic makes it writable and readable. Well, I too after a point surrender in front of the failing-to-cease and not-so-happening projects and just plain write.

CWI: Okay, now a non-work question – What would you prefer: A shopping spree or an evening out with friends?

Isha: Oh! It’s like asking a mother to choose her favorite child among her children… I can’t let go of any of them, since the happiness quotient attached with both of them are different. Going by my past track record I will say ‘ an evening out with friends’. Woohooo… Where’s the party tonight?

Our next writer Shrey is from Goa (one of the biggest reasons we like him!). He is the motor-mouth of our office and is known for coming up with witty articles consistently.

CWI: Before you start off with a new project, do you play around with different ideas or follow a similar format every time?

Shrey: It depends on the deadline. If it’s tight then I usually follow a simple and common format. But if I have some time on my hands then I usually try something new and different. To tell you the truth, I generally just copy a nice format from my colleagues, saves a lot of time. I hope you edit out that last part. (Sorry Shrey!)

CWI: Apart from playing computer games nonstop, what is your idea of relaxing on a weekend?

Shrey: I usually just sleep all day or read books and play video games, but every now and then I am surrounded by a couple of friends with a bottle of beer in one hand and something to eat on the other one. Sitting in a bar or on the terrace watching the sun drop down into the city, talking about absolutely nothing in particular. Though following Monday becomes a nightmare!

Sid is one of the most versatile writers we have in our team. From a travel writer to a tech expert, he can churn up interesting content even under the tightest of deadlines.

CWI: Sid, we all know that ‘content creation’ is about creativity. What is your take – is the creative process exciting for you or plain hard work?

Sid: I dare say it is ‘plain hard work’. Creativity is the major player in content creation. Hard work is just a part of it, but you just can’t do away with that also!! However, deadlines are the ghosts. Creativity may go away for a vacation if deadlines are there to haunt you.

CWI: You’ve written a lot on gadgets, what is the most must-have gadget for you?

Sid: Undoubtedly the iPad. It’s the coolest gadget I ever saw. Though I am not as tech savvy as Shrey, but I would definitely go for an iPad. The features are just awesome!

Internet is flooded with a number of websites and we visit those which attract us through the content on the website. We visit them and form an impression on the basis of content available to us. So, we can say that content makes the first impression on the reader’s mind about the company and its services. Due to this reason, many organizations and companies hire content development services where expert content writers develop content with their proficiency in the language and techniques to use the right keywords at right places. It is desirable that writers be skilled in professional writing since the content-writing and SEO efforts bounce up the company’s rankings significantly. A company achieves its aim if there is unparalleled and developed content available on internet. Content development services include website content, e-learning content and multimedia content.

Content writing helps business to promote its products and services in an efficient manner since this method of writing is marketing-oriented. Content is developed by keeping in view the targets, goals and achievements of a company. It promotes companies as well, courtesy the unique graphic designs as per its needs. Content development services stress to give recognition to the strengths and benefits of a product or a service. It generates interest among the customers which leads to the more traffic and awareness.  If we combine these, we get a settled reputation for a company. With the help of content writing, a website gets the professional mold in the content, which enables readers and customers to get the exact information they are looking for. This service is a sort of transformation for the websites since it customizes itself according to the company’s needs.