Lets, talk about the researching skills of a content writer. If this brings a smile to your face, you are reading the right article. I know, you fully understand what I mean 🙂
Good quality articles and blogs need a lot of planning and plenty of research. Yes, so a content writer needs to have researching skills as well. However, the problem lies somewhere else.
Researching Skills of content writers- Skip Deep Research?:
During my initial days, when I started writing content, I faced many challenges – like:
- Meeting my daily word count ( all content writers can relate to this. There is a time when performance is judged by the number of words you are able to churn out in a day. Well – once you achieve that target, the hurdle is a bigger one. The quality of the article ( I’ll come to this soon)
- Not getting enough information – So, the question of what happens if enough information is not present on the web or maybe the results are not showing up? I have seen content writers getting involved with deep search to find minute and detailed information. The problem lies elsewhere. Every content writer has a daily target to meet. If most of the time goes into research, how much time will be left for writing?
So, the question which will come to mind is how does a content writer develop articles or blogs without doing research. Now, here is a trick. A lot depends on the experience, knowledge, and writing skills of the writer.
Learning the Researching Skills
Research is necessary and there is a way to find all the information needed in easy steps. So, here I am revealing some such ways, especially some of which are used by professional writers.
Keep an Eye for Information all The While
If you are a professional writer or you desire to get into the profession, you will be churning out a lot of content. Thus, you have to be in the research mode, all the while.
No, research is not about searching for information when you need to write. But, if you wish to keep the quality of your content high and your facts trustworthy, you have to keep researching all the time.
You might ask, what to do with the research? There are great ways to keep them stored and handy as well. So, yes, as a content writer, you should be good at organizing your work as well.
Just Note your ideas and information down – you might need it later.
Does, this sound too much? No, you do not have to maintain a diary or a copy ( as in school). Let’s be a bit smart and do it professionally
- Jot down all main points ( which can be the subheadings)
- Keep the URLs for future reference ( there will be days when you will be too lazy, to even note down points. So, save your time and copy+paste the URL’s in a notepad.
- Keep a list of blogs that you feel are a rich source of information.
Develop your Researching Skills with the Help of Easy Tools:
Tools are our online friends – how can any content writer survive without tools which help in research. So, here are some interesting tools which can help you.
Thankfully, Google offers help once again. Now, with Google Trends, any writer can identify topics that can help in finding topics that can help in search rankings. As the writer observes Google trends, it is possible to identify, which topic is rising and what is falling. With trends, any writer gets an idea of the trending topics and the keywords which have high search volume.
Now, for getting the search volume, there is another tool – Google’s Keyword Planner.
Those who are not able to use Google keyword planner for some reason can use Keyword Tool. The best part is that it is FREE and a good alternative to Google’s keyword planner.
Write in Your Own Voice
Once you are done with all the research and have enough information, do not write the article in a way which ‘feels’ copied. Don’t write it as someone else.
Using your own tone, your own style can help in building your voice. Thus, you might do your research well, but remember to write in your own voice. You have to hone your skills because you can borrow information from someone else, but why do you wish to borrow someone’s tone and style of writing? Aren’t you proud of your writing ability? Wouldn’t you want someone else to copy your writing?
Remember, your style is your asset and as a writer, you have to value your style and evolve it continually. Research well but write in your own style.
Researching Skills of Content Writer – Matching the Depth and Style
Researching is critical when writing a long article, especially one which is 2000 words or more. You just cannot fill up anything you wish – especially when topics involve a lot of research and in-depth analysis
- Forex robots are scams
- Stocks to invest in
- Coronavirus – the world is waiting for a vaccine
- Health risks at 40
- Diet of a 1-year-old
Topics like the above need detailed information – no fluff and no filling words.
With long articles, an in-depth research is needed and then another problem is to organize your writing. Well, that’s something we will deal with in another article.
Short articles do not need much research?
But, wait, if you thought that a 500-word generic article doesn’t need much research, you are wrong again. Sometimes, in a short article – say one which has to be written ‘symptoms of coronavirus’- can you wrap up the article in just 500 words?
As we are going through the pandemic, most of us have so much to say and so much to write about. Wrapping up an article in just 500 can be really challenging.
Now, to answer the question, how much time do you need to spend on research?
If you ask me, I would say spend as much time as needed. If you get all the information or enough information in just 15 minutes, you are lucky. Go ahead.
If you are not able to get the information in two hours, you probably need to change your research skills. You have to change the keywords you are using on Google to search. Try changing the keywords and look for more information, you might easily find what you are looking for.
Now, if time is a problem – communication is the keyword. I think everyone understands that to write high-quality engaging content, research is necessary. A content writer should be given enough time to research, especially if the topic demands so.
So, don’t worry, research is a part of content writing and it’s your right to take the time you need.
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