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Keyword Stuffing: When Keyword Density Becomes a Problem

Christina Crowe — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:59:25 +0000

Keyword density, the percentage of keyword phrases in the web content of an article or website, can increase your position in search engines if you also take advantage of other optimization methods, like meta keywords and backlinking strategies. Though keyword density does have its benefits, it can’t be overused. Overusing keyword density is called keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing isn’t just harmful to your search engine rankings. It is also harmful to your readers.

Photo by NightRPStar (flickr)

Think about it. You’re browsing for information on how to combat bad acne. You visit a website from Google search results and the first sentence you read is “Treat adult acne with adult acne treatments.” The first thing that pops into your mind is, “Huh? This website must be spam.” Or maybe you don’t even stop and think. You just hit the “Back” button on your browser and move on to another website that will meet your needs.

Keyword stuffing is detrimental to your Google SERPs (search engine results pages) as well. Because Google frowns upon keyword stuffing, you risk the chance of getting banned from search engines. This prevents any search engine traffic from accessing your website, so your earning revenue gets a big hit.

Now, some websites do get away with keyword stuffing, but only because Google hasn’t found them yet. Don’t think that you’ll get away with it, because it’s only a matter of time until Google does ban you from the search engine. Many people take part in keyword stuffing because they just don’t know that it’s wrong or could harm them more than help. In fact, keyword density is a form of on-page optimization. According to SEO Made Simple by Michael H. Fleischner, off-page optimization has a bigger effect on Google SERPs than on-page optimization. So you should really be working on obtaining backlinks, a form of off-page optimization, than stuffing your website with keywords.

You want your readers to understand your content, subscribe to your RSS feed and keep coming back for more. After all, no one wants to read the same keyword phrase over and over, even if your article does provide useful information. Keyword stuffing makes your website repetitious and spammy. Would you visit such a website? I would think not.

How to Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Type without the barriers of keyword density. Don’t think about keyword density at all while you’re typing.
Maintain a keyword density of 1-4%.
Make sure the keywords that you use are the main focus and subject of your article.
Read your article out loud and see if it makes sense. If a sentence would make more sense without a particular keyword, don’t use that keyword.
Use a keyword density tool to check for keyword stuffing.

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Do you know additional ways to help avoid keyword stuffing?

*This post has some affiliate links distributed in the content. Read more about them on the Disclosure page.

The Importance of a Writing Workspace

Christina Crowe — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:34:26 +0000

Whether you write for content websites like Demand Studios, your own blog, or a business, having your own writing workspace is essential to making a living as a freelance writer. Most people aren’t used to working from home in their PJs, so they’re faced with a lot of distractions. Distractions range from an obsessive need to continuously check your Google Analytics report for a new spike in search engine traffic to constant tugs on you’re arm as your 9 year old son finds something else “interesting” to tell you. Facebook happens to be at the bottom of your list, as your faced with even more obstacles to bypass. As a result, you can’t think, you can’t write, and you lose the ability to remain calm as frustration reaches it’s peak and your temper boils over.

Though a writing workspace won’t solve all of your problems, it will make it easier to pump out faster, more efficient, and better quality articles. Believe it or not, a writing workspace can make the difference between a full career writing to just writing for pocket cash.

The Importance of a Writing Workspace

A writing workspace gives you space away from the world to write. If you can set up your own office in your home as your writing workspace, you’ll have plenty of space to work and you’ll be away from distractions. You’ll also have the peace and quiet required for writing quality content.
A writing workspace gives you a more focused and professional environment. Because you’re working at home and you don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder, you’re more at prey to laziness. With a writing workspace, it will feel like you’re in an office environment, so you’ll be less likely to give in to distractions and more likely to stay focused on your work.
A writing workspace gives you more room to move around. Having a larger area to do work, even if it’s just a table in the living room, can completely change your attitude toward writing, especially since you won’t be forced to write in a cramped bedroom with a floor over cluttered with clothes.
You won’t have to share your space with anyone else in your own writing workspace. No one likes taking turns to use the computer or desk. With your own writing workspace, you won’t have to worry about sharing. The space is all yours for the taking. You’ll just have to convince your husband or wife to stay away and find their own writing workspace.
A writing workspace allows you to work long hours. If you share a bedroom with a spouse and this area is where you do the majority of your writing, it may be difficult to write at night when your significant other is just about ready to go to bed. With a writing workspace, you won’t have this problem, and you’ll be able to write for as long as you desire.
A writing workspace helps you to get into the habit of writing on a daily basis. Let’s face it – We all spend a majority of our time in the bedroom or living room plopped down on whatever furniture we can provide our lazy bodies. By only using the writing workspace during certain hours a day, you can get into the routine of writing regularly.

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What do you use as your writing workspace?

Rejected Demand Studios Application: Secrets to Another Chance (Bonus)

Christina Crowe — Sat, 15 May 2010 21:12:42 +0000

This is the Bonus Part of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Usually if you get your Demand Studios application rejected, you won’t have another chance to submit another application for approval. That’s why many freelance writers suggest that you make sure your writer’s resume and writing samples are nothing but perfect when you submit your first Demand Studios application. However, what if you did submit a perfect application, or one you thought was flawless, and you still received that rejection notice? Are there no other options for you as a Demand Studios writer?

When I first submitted my Demand Studios application, I didn’t know what writing samples to use and how a writer’s resume should look like. I went with my gut and submitted my Demand Studios application as perfect as I could make it. I also didn’t have many writing samples to use, as I was just entering into the world of freelance writing. Needless to say, I received a rejection letter from Demand Studios a few days after the application was submitted.

My determination to become a Demand Studios writer didn’t end with my first Demand Studios application. Several months down the road, I talked to a fellow eHow buddy of mine and he described his success with Demand Studios. In two months, he was able to make around $900 from Demand Studios. This got me interested, and I started researching whether or not I could submit another Demand Studios application. Well, the answer to my question wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Several freelance writers claimed that you only get one shot as a Demand Studios writer and that’s it. I became downhearted as I logged onto my Demand Studios account and discovered that I couldn’t reapply.

However, the more I thought about it, the more the answer came to me. What if I used my Yahoo email address? After all, I use both Gmail and Yahoo on a regular basis. I was also a more experienced writer than before, and I had more writing samples to use and better credentials to add onto my writer’s resume. I figured it was worth a try. The worst that could happen was I’d just get rejected again, and then I’d know there was absolutely no future with Demand Studios. So, I fixed up my previous writer’s resume copy, added informative writing samples that were written in active voice, and submitted the new Demand Studios application with my alternative email address. A few days later, I received an acceptance letter!

Excited, I immediately logged on to my Demand Studios account and submitted my bio for approval. Afterward, I started the article review process and, since then, I’ve been paid every Tuesday and Friday.

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

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Did your Demand Studios application get rejected?
How did you receive a second chance?

Demand Studios Strategies: Living off of Demand Studios Income (Part 6)

Christina Crowe — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:22:49 +0000

This is Part 6 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Because Demand Studios pays higher than most of the other upfront pay content websites, the company offers freelance writers a chance to make full-time Demand Studios income working from home. However, making full-time income as a Demand Studios writer isn’t easy, especially for those just learning the ropes. It requires time, constant writing, constant rewrites, and patience. As you get more experienced, you’ll learn what makes a Demand Studios writer successful and what dooms a Demand Studios writer to fail. Read about my journey toward full-time income on the Demand Studios Work Challenge.

Demand Studios Strategies for Full-time Demand Studios Income

Memorize the Demand Studios editorial guidelines. Spend a few hours each day going over the editorial guidelines until you have it memorized. Though this will take up some time in the beginning, it will save you stress and unnecessary rewrites in the long term. This then will increase your Demand Studios income.
Stick to one writing format until you have it mastered before moving on to another. If you’re familiar with writing how to articles because you were once a member of eHow, stick with that writing format first until you can finish articles under that format in under 30 minutes. If you’re unsure with which writing format to choose, play around with them all until you decide which one works best for you.
Find titles on topics you already know a lot about to limit your research. If you’re unsure with which category to build your foundation on, think about your daily hobbies or activities and decide which categories they would fit under.

Learn topics and then write about them. It’s best to write about something you enjoy, so if you enjoy something but you don’t know much about the topic, spend an hour doing pure research to learn more. When you’re ready, look for titles that fit the category you researched. The next time you earn Demand Studios income and write a similar article on the category, you won’t have to do much research at all if the information is already learned. Continue searching for the same topic daily, since new article titles are added continuously.
Keep a list of references on hand. Once you can find a topic or several topics you can write about fairly easily, whether you had to do the additional hour of research or not, keep a list of references and websites you used to learn about the topic in a file on your desktop. This will reduce the time you have to spend looking for additional references when the ones you already used are sufficient.
Keep a list of citations that can be used in the articles on your topic. If you want a high score on your scorecard, it’s a good idea to cite your sources. So, keeping a list of 10 citations that can be used in relevant articles is a good way to rack up those points in the quickest way possible.
Remove distractions and stay focused. Not only will eliminating distractions help you to concentrate on your work, but it will also increase your ability to produce more work, which translates into more Demand Studios income. One way to eliminate distractions is to close all tabs on your web browser besides Demand Studios and Google search. You can also disconnect yourself from the Internet or work offline if you know the topic you’re writing about fairly well. Moreover, there are applications like Focus Booster that will help you to stay focused on your work.
Calculate how many articles of a certain format you need to write in order to reach your income goal. Once you have a clear idea of how many articles you need to write in order to make full-time Demand Studios income, stick to that number. For instance, if your income goal is $66,000 a year, you’ll need to make $5,500 a month or $184 a day. If you generally make $15 per article written, you’ll need to write about 13 articles a day. If your income goal is impossible for you to reach now because you simply can’t write that many articles per day, divide the goal by half until your experience builds up and you’re able to write articles at a faster pace. So, if it takes you an hour to write each article now, creating 13 articles per day probably would be too stressful. Instead, work on 6 articles a day until you’re able to complete each article in 30 minutes. Then, the goal of 13 daily articles will be a lot easier to achieve.

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

Post Your Input

Do you make full-time Demand Studios income? If so, how?
How many articles can you write a day and how long did it take you to reach that goal?

Increasing Your Performance as a Demand Studios Writer (Part 5)

Christina Crowe — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:51:28 +0000

This is Part 5 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Demand Studios can be a tough company to work for. After dealing with those ~~crappy~~ copy editors, you know first hand how difficult Demand Studios can be. After writing for the company for several months, you may wonder how you can increase your Demand Studios writing assignment count or what determines the score that goes on your scorecard after the completion of each article. In order to be successful and increase your performance as a Demand Studios writer, it takes time to get used to their strict guidelines, and you need to continuous apply the following tips in your writing before you submit a finished article.

Article Checklist for the Demand Studios Writer

Article quotes sources and studies within the article body.
Article is written in active voice and not in passive voice.
Article is concise and to the point.
Article is particular to the subject matter, not vague.
Article isn’t repetitious and doesn’t repeat phrases already written previously.
Article includes more than one picture with descriptions describing each image.
Article includes at least 3 references and 1 resource.

Increasing Your Performance as a Demand Studios Writer

In order to increase your performance as a Demand Studios writer, you’ll also need to stay active and gather experience. Once you know how to write for Demand Studios and what things to avoid, you’ll be able to write faster and more efficiently. Speed is the key to increasing how much income you receive on an hourly basis. While speed is important, the quality of your articles is also important. Staying active on Demand Studios will help you become more experienced in writing quality content in the fastest time possible, maximizing your earnings in the long run. To read about my journey as a Demand Studios writer, check out the Demand Studios Work Challenge.

Set goals and work to achieve those goals. I use an organizer that has a built-in To Do List for my writing goals. Notepads are also good for recording goals. If you use a computer planner, you can also set it to remind you when your goals are due every now and then to keep you on track. Whatever you use, setting daily goals will help you to stay active on Demand Studios, while also making your life easier in the process.
Write about subjects you know. If you don’t know a particular subject well, it will cost you more time because you’ll need to do more research. If you don’t mind doing the additional research to learn about a subject, then go for it. But to save time as a Demand Studios writer and make the most out of the money earned, only write about topics you know.
Try to find similar titles. A few times, I came across titles almost exactly alike to one another. For example, one title was “How to Buy Wholesale Furniture” and then on the same day I found another title named “How to Buy Furniture Wholesale”. Writing the second article was pretty easy for me, since I didn’t have to do as much research as I had to do for the first article. As a result, I saved a lot of time.
Keep a record of all of the Demand Studios articles you write. Personally, keeping a folder filled with copies of Demand Studios I’ve written in the past has helped me save time for future articles on the same subject matter. If I find a similar article title to something I had already written, I can just read the previous article over, do 3 minutes of additional research, and then write the article with the similar title.

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

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What other tips can you add for Demand Studios writers completing new article assignments?
How do you increase your performance as a Demand Studios writer?

What Writing Samples Should be used for Demand Studios?

Christina Crowe — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:17:27 +0000

I mentioned how to get writing samples to use for your Demand Studios application. However, Demand Studios also has preferences over certain types of writing samples more than others when determining whether a freelance writer is a good match for their company. To impress Demand Studios into hiring you, make sure that all of the writing samples you use in your resume, portfolio, and as an attachment have all of the requirements below.

Photo by Vancouver Film School (flickr)

Writing Sample Requirements for Demand Studios

Article is at least 300 words. The sample can be longer, but include only writing samples with a minimum of 300 words.
Article is based off of facts, not opinions. All the article assignments you’ll get from Demand Studios are fact-based. Demand Studios wants to know that you can write factual, informative articles.
Article is not in first person. Demand Studios requires that you submit samples not in first person. If you do submit first person samples, you’ll get rejected.
Article is concise and to the point. Demand Studios favors factual articles, so the less description the better.
Article is in active voice, not passive. Read through your article samples and avoid submitting any that are in passive voice. For example, your article should read, “Check the filter on your goldfish aquarium to make sure it’s functioning properly,” and not, “You should check the filter on your goldfish aquarium to make sure it’s functioning properly.”
At least one writing sample is in how to format. Though this isn’t required, it may increase the probability of Demand Studios hiring you. Most of the article assignments on Demand Studios are in how to format, where the articles describe how to do something step-by-step.

For more tips on how to make a good impression when applying for Demand Studios, check out the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Post Your Input

What were your experiences with Demand Studios?
Do you have any advice for writers submitting writing samples for Demand Studios?

Overcoming Strict Demand Studios Copy Editors (Part 4)

Christina Crowe — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:59:02 +0000

This is Part 4 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Now that you’ve gotten accepted into Demand Studios (if you haven’t, keep working on that portfolio!), you’re probably itching to start submitting your first few articles. Before you do, though, you should be aware of a few things first. If you’ve done your research, you probably know that Demand Studios copy editors are pretty strict. Every time you submit an article for approval, Demand Studios copy editors will look over your article, give suggestions, and send it back to you for a rewrite if they find any problems with it. This sometimes upsets freelance writers, especially those who put a lot of work into their articles. Many writers don’t want to spend the extra time correcting their articles and completing the rewrites, since doing so adds to the overall time spent on the article. This conflicts with how much money is made per hour, since you’ll be spending more time rewriting the article than you would necessarily spend on the original piece.

Because of the company’s strict guidelines, a lot of people end up getting discouraged before quitting altogether. However, there are some freelance writers who will stick by Demand Studios until the very end, eventually making their way to the top amongst the experts. These people often get paid more per hour, receive fewer rewrites than the average Demand Studios writer, and reap the benefits of many experienced Demand Studios writers (such as articles with higher payouts).

But, how do you cope with the stress of dealing with Demand Studios copy editors? You won’t get far with Demand Studios otherwise. The following is a few tips that will hopefully help you not to lose your cool.

Overcome Strict Demand Studios Copy Editors

Put yourself in their shoes. Yes, I know you don’t want to hear that. However, the Demand Studios copy editors reviewing your articles don’t want to tell you negative things about your work, especially if the article needs to be completely rewritten. They’re job is to give you suggestions on how to make the article better while also having the article meet the company’s guidelines. If they make a mistake whereas the advice they give doesn’t help your article at all, realize that they’re only human. They don’t want to discourage you or make you feel like the world is crashing down at your feet. After all, Demand Studios copy editors are writers as well. They’ve probably had to have articles rewritten plenty of times, and maybe some of them have even seen rejection. They know how it feels. Think about it before you start screaming your head off at them, and know that they’re just trying to do their job.
Read the Resource Center thoroughly. It’s there for your benefit. Memorize the Blacklist and take notes on the Editorial Guidelines if you have to. There were times when I had an article sent back for a rewrite because one of my References violated the Blacklist. So, make sure you read everything there is to read in the Resource Center.
Don’t spend too much time writing each article. You’re more likely to get discouraged if you spend a lot of time on one given article only to have Demand Studios copy editors send it back for a rewrite. Instead, spend 5-10 minutes researching the article topic, 5 minutes working on the introduction paragraph, 10 minutes working on the body, and 5 minutes linking your references and adding pictures. This is the method I use and it works pretty well. However, everyone types at various words per minute (mine is 80-90 wpm), so you may have to adjust the time you spend on each section according to your needs. Just don’t spend too much time on the first copy. If they send the article back to you for a rewrite, follow all of their suggestions and then you’re done with that article.
Swallow your curses and thank the copy editor for reviewing your article. At the bottom of the article edit page, there’s a box where you can type a message to any Demand Studios copy editors correcting your article. Before you submit the article back after doing the rewrite, simply type a small thank you note and describe the steps you took to correct the article (if you want to). Everyone likes the warm feeling of appreciation, and, though you may want to strangle the person’s neck, it’s just polite to let them know that you appreciate their critical feedback, no matter how harsh. Maybe they’ll be more sensitive to the next person they review. Who knows?
Attempt to fix the article, even if you may not agree with advice from the Demand Studios copy editor. Unless the copy editor requests something that is absolutely outrageous, try to correct the article according to the copy editor’s advice. If you can’t fully agree with the Demand Studios copy editor, attempt to correct the article half way and then write a small note thanking the editor for his/her critical feedback and explaining the steps you took to fix the article.
Submit a Demand Studios rewrite appeal request. Sometimes Demand Studios copy editors will request you to do something that violates Demand Studios guidelines. If you can’t correct something a copy editor asks you to, submit an appeal form explaining how the copy editor’s request went against the style guide and the steps you took to fix the other concerns your copy editor had. Make sure you find something to change in your article, though, so it doesn’t appear like your just complaining over spilled milk.
Drink tea. As stated by Anahad O’Connor of the New York Times, drinking tea won’t exactly reduce your stress, but it will decrease the level of stress hormones faster than an individual who doesn’t drink tea. One more reason to relax on the couch with a cup of tea in your hands!
Have fun. Writing shouldn’t always be about work and making money. Find topics on Demand Studios that you like writing about and enjoy the process. Writing about what you know will also speed up the first draft.
As a last resort, delete the article in need of a rewrite and publish it elsewhere. Sometimes requests can be unreasonable or appeal forms may not go through. If this is the case, simply take the article and publish it on another content website like Associated Content, FireHow, or Helium. Remember to change the title from the original title, since that title is Demand Studios’ property.

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

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How do you overcome strict Demand Studios copy editors?

Creating the Most Effective Writer’s Resume (Part 3)

Christina Crowe — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:28:19 +0000

This is Part 3 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

You know you’re awesome. I know you’re awesome. But how do we convince Demand Studios that you’re awesome? Creating an effective writer’s resume is crucial, especially if you plan to get hired for a freelance writing job. If written correctly, a writer’s resume helps you to stand out from the rest of the crowd and gives you a boost toward that freelance writing job you’ve always wanted.

However, a writer’s resume is often different from the other resumes out there, since a lot of writers are self employed or do writing jobs instead of going to a physical place of employment. Freelance writers who intend to attract clients should create a writer’s resume that includes all of the impressive past projects that they’ve done in the past. However, since you’re applying to Demand Studios and not trying to impress a client, you’ll need to include your education history and past writing experience in addition to your skills.

Creating an Effective Writer’s Resume

Header:

In your writer’s resume, you’ll need to include contact information. You should put this contact information in the header. Information to include are your name, address (including your city, state, and zip code), phone number, email address, and your website.

Objectives:

Though some resumes may not include an objective, you should have one in your writer’s resume anyway. A resume objective describes what you hope to accomplish once you’re hired for the job. A resume objective can be crucial when determining if you’re right for the position your applying for, so it’s important to make the objective reflect your interest in writing for Demand Studios.

Qualifications:

Even more important than the objective, this section will further describe why you should be hired and how you’ll benefit the company with your writing experience. Demand Studios wants to know if you’re capable of taking on their work load (and doing it well for that matter). Spend extra time in the qualifications section to describe your level of experience and the skills you’ve obtained during the time you’ve been writing. You also might want to change the title of this section to something a little less vague, like “Freelance Writing Experience” or “Writing and Editing Experience”.

Employment History:

You should list your employment history in your writer’s resume, starting from your most recent job to your last. You should also include any jobs that don’t relate to writing at all, especially if you’ve done the job steadily for a number of years. This shows Demand Studios that you’re serious about where you work, and you don’t just hop from one job to the next. However, keep each employment history listing short. All you really need to include is the job title, the date you started working, the date you stopped working, the company’s name, the location of the company, possibly contact information of the company, and a brief description describing any promotions or big projects you’ve done for the company.

Education:

You should not only include the schools you’ve attended in the Education section of your writer’s resume, but you should also include any writing classes, special training, or writing workshops you’ve attended if it will help you to get the job. If you have a college education, you don’t need to include information about high school.

Writing Accomplishments:

This should be the last section of your writer’s resume. List all of your accomplishments, all of the awards you’ve received, and any writing organizations you’re currently a member of. You should also mention any books you’ve published to further boost your chances of being employed.

Example Writer’s Resume

This is merely an example of a writer’s resume. You should only use it for guidance when writing your own resume.

(Your Name)

(Your address) * (City, State Zip Code)

(Phone number) * (e-mail)

(Website name) * (Website address)

Objectives: A position as a writer where my skills can be utilized to contribute to the creative development of the company’s growth.

Writing Background:

Writing: Professional writer for X years with experience in [list the type of writing you have experience with]. Author of XX articles in XX publications. Winner of the [list award].
Editing: Professional editor for X years with experience in [list editing experience]. Editor of XX electronic newsletters.

Employment History:

Freelance Writer – May 2005 to present
[City], [State]
[Describe your writing activities as well as the clients you've worked with and the books you've published.]
[Job Title] – June 2001 to May 2005
[Name of Company]
[City], [State]; [Contact name and phone number]
[Describe your responsibilities as well as any promotions you've received]
[Job Title] – June 2001 to May 2005
[Name of Company]
[City], [State]; [Contact name and phone number]
[Describe your responsibilities as well as any promotions you've received]

Education:

Undergrad Degree in English, [School Name], 2008

Awards:

[Name of Award], [Year Received]
[Name of Award], [Year Received]
[Name of Award], [Year Received]

Writing Samples:

[Link of writing samples if you desire; Try not to list more than 5 and make sure all writing samples are in active voice.]

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

Post Your Input

How was the process of creating your first writer’s resume?
Do you have any resume tips for new writers?

Writing Qualities of a Demand Studios Writer (Part 1)

Christina Crowe — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:02:10 +0000

This is Part 1 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Many freelance writers have the passion for writing but not the writing qualities that will drive them toward success. This is also true if you’re applying to be a Demand Studios writer. Sometimes these qualities need to be worked for and learned, while at other times these writing qualities are naturally given. Whichever case you may fall under, it’s important that these writing qualities are put into practice throughout your writing career and not just thrown on an empty shelf to collect dust. After all, what good are they to you if they are just left in the shadows?

The difference between a successful freelance writer and a struggling freelance writer is not only based on how this person writes and how many lucky breaks this person gets. Success is also based on the individual’s attitude toward writing. With that said, let’s take a look at some required writing qualities of a Demand Studios writer and how to use them.

Passion

Being one of the most important of all writing qualities, a passion for words is a must in any writing career if you want to be successful. If writing is just another chore and you have no passion for writing, why write? Why waste your time when you could be doing something that you love? If you simply just love writing but it hasn’t blossomed into passion yet, something might be holding you back. This could be because you’re working yourself too hard, you’re afraid of failure, or you just haven’t found your form of writing. Writing for Demand Studios is so much easier if you have a passion for writing and the topic that you’re writing about.

Discipline

Discipline keeps you writing religiously day after day. Discipline keeps your content fresh, and discipline helps that money continue rolling in. Without discipline, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Usually freelance writers will have discipline in the beginning. However, this discipline often ebbs away until you’re struggling to even lift your butt out of bed and take a few steps over to your computer.

Lack of discipline is mainly caused by stress or laziness. If you have too much on your plate, scoop some out. Instead of writing 5 Demand Studios articles a day, try to write 3. Don’t push yourself to the point of impossibility. Decide what your priorities are. It might help to make goals or a To Do list. However, once you make those goals, it’s important to stick with them. Don’t let discipline slip away. If you do, it might be harder to get it back. So, write for Demand Studios regularly and see where you go.

Motivation

Discipline and motivation are two writing qualities that go hand in hand. If you have motivation, it will be easier to obtain discipline. Lack of motivation is sometimes caused by pessimism or fear. You can’t have pessimism and motivation at the same time, so get rid of it. Remember what your mother always told you? You can do whatever you put your mind to. She was right. If you don’t believe you can be a successful Demand Studios writer, you won’t. You need to trust yourself and believe in yourself before you can do great things.

If you’re afraid you won’t achieve success or if you’re afraid of success, you’re not alone. Many freelance writers have been in your shoes at one point or another. Try to demolish this fear. Don’t just drop it on the floor so that it can crawl right back when you least expect it. Destroy it. A good method of doing this is to look at payment histories or success stories of other freelance writers with similar interests. Cash Campfire, for example, is full of my own PayPal payments and checks. You even have easy access to them through the Payment History category. Make use of them and use them for your own benefit.

Endurance

If you don’t like endurance, you can always use stamina instead. If you don’t like both, well, you’re in trouble. Endurance determines how long you’ll last and if you last at all. Picture it this way: Your goal is to have 60 Demand Studios articles written in a month. This task might seem daunting. But, if you only write 2 articles a day, you’ll reach that 60 in 30 days. What happens if you combine the discipline and endurance writing qualities and write 3 articles a day? Well then you’ll have 90 articles written in a month and $1,350 in your wallet to boot! That’s if you write only $15 articles (and there are quite a lot of these). But what happens if you write 2 articles a day and stop midway there on the 19th of the month? You’ll just be cheating yourself out of $330. See where this is going?

A good way to acquire endurance is to simply imagine yourself at the top and push for that dream. Are you hoping to buy a bigger house? A classy red car? Love? Well, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to buy the last option, but you might be able to buy the others if you just maintain endurance and keep that blood flowing through your fingers. Speaking of fingers, did you know that your fingernails actually grow faster when you type? Just something to wrap your mind around.

Experience

Experience takes on two forms, and you can use both as a Demand Studios writer. You can have personal experience on a certain topic, where it helps make the topic easier to write. You can also have experience with writing, which only comes with practice. The latter is the most useful in my opinion, since writing experience will help you with both article quality and speed.

Unless you’re incredibly gifted with the writing skill, you’ve probably had your share of failures in the beginning. However, your writing experience will increase as you write more and more, analyze other pieces of work, and use those observations to make your work better. You won’t make $1,000 overnight, despite many online claims. Don’t be fooled by someone who will tell you that either. It takes time to build up your writing skills to the point where you are making enough residual income to earn $1,000 in a day. If you think that’s impossible, you should read WriterGig’s eBook. It has provided inspiration and motivation to many freelance writers who didn’t think they could do it, including myself. In the eBook, WriterGig walks you through the process of making money on eHow (a company owned by Demand Media that you’ll soon be writing for if you get accepted as a Demand Studios writer) and shows readers screen shots of her own eHow earnings. This is a must read if you haven’t read it already.

Creativity

Creativity is a great writing quality to have. If you can write, you already have some form of creativity. The only problem is enhancing this skill and using it to do your bidding. Though creativity may not necessarily help much as a Demand Studios writer if your writing for upfront pay, it will definitely help for all your other writing projects, especially if you want to attract readers or clients. Enhance your creativity by giving your words character and style. Make your writing unique to you so that, when people are reading your work, they know right off the bat that you wrote it. Are you a naturally funny character? Bring humor to your words. Are you a good listener and do you observe more than others? Express detail in your writing. Test yourself and go beyond your comfort zone. Try different writing styles and decide which style best matches you. You are in control of your work, so why not add a personal touch as well?

Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus

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Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer

Christina Crowe — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:35:45 +0000

After typing out a rather long post on how to be successful as a Demand Studios writer, I realized that it would probably be better to expand on the topic and make it a series since I had so much to cover. As a result, I have for you my introductory post to the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer. If you’re unfamiliar with Demand Studios, you should read my Demand Studios review.

Most serious freelance writers have thought about becoming a Demand Studios writer at some point. Since 2006, Demand Media, the operating company of Demand Studios, set forth and became increasingly popular on the Web. You might have heard of eHow, Livestrong, or Golflink. These are only a few companies owned by Demand Media. As a Demand Studios writer, you’ll be asked to write articles for these companies and others owned by Demand Media. However, like most big companies, Demand Media has high expectations and strict guidelines. They like to recruit only the most experienced freelance writers to fill their enormous article library. For this reason, Demand Studios should be treated as any other full-time or part-time job you’ve had in the past. If, for some reason, they don’t think you’ll benefit the company as a writer or you’re not exactly what they’re looking for, you most likely won’t get accepted after you submit your application.

Photo by Photos8.com (flickr)

To expand your freelance writing and get hired to work for Demand Studios, you’ll need to prove to them that you’re worth hiring. You need to make them believe that it would be a significant loss if they were not to hire you. You have to make them believe that your writing expertise and area of knowledge is essential to their company. You are their missing link. You can make their overall business better. You are the difference between success and failure. Without you, they’re business is worthless. Most importantly, you’ll have to believe it yourself; You are a powerful addition to their community.

But, what happens when you get there and you receive that long awaited “Welcome to Demand Studios!” letter in your Gmail inbox? Getting accepted is only half the battle. It’s then up to you whether you’ll rise victorious or crumble in defeat. You are in control of your future. This is your success on the line. You need to prove that hiring you wasn’t a mistake and that you can surpass all tribulations and obstacles that come your way, including Demand Studios copy editors.

In order to be as successful as you can as a Demand Studios writer, you’ll need several qualities. Some of these qualities are discipline, endurance, and stamina. Demand Studios will test you, push you, and frustrate you to no end. You must find a way to overcome these obstacles and rise victorious.

Now that that speech is out of the way, how do you make yourself noticed? Can you really make a living from working for Demand Studios? Is full-time income as an online freelance writer even possible? In this series, we’ll focus on:

Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer will be divided into parts (see the list above). For the next 7 days, I’ll be completing each part on the list. To continue building your earning potential and stay updated when each post is published, subscribe to Cash Campfire.

Looking for more tips? Follow my journey as a Demand Studios writer in the Demand Studios Work Challenge.

Post Your Input

What are your thoughts on becoming a successful Demand Studios writer?