Author Archives: Amrit Hallan

About Amrit Hallan

Amrit Hallan is a professional content writer who helps businesses improve their conversion rate through credible and compelling content writing. His main strength lies in writing search engine optimized content without compromizing quality and meaningfulness.

Is it essential that your content goes viral for content marketing success?

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Does the success of your content marketing depend on your content going viral?

How does your content go viral?

Look for this question on Google and you will find many blog posts and articles.

But is it essential for the success of your content marketing?

Depends.

It is understandable that if traffic matters to your website/blog and you earn ad revenue then definitely your content going viral matters to you because when your content goes viral, it means more traffic.

A few years ago, I wrote a political blog post on Medium and it went viral (it was read by more than 300,000 people) and I gained more than 1000 Twitter followers as a result, though, in terms of getting more business, it didn’t help me because it wasn’t related to content writing or content marketing.

Content going viral also helps you if you want to spread a message or an idea within a span of a couple of days. You want one of your articles or blog posts to reach thousands of people. When I wrote the above-mentioned political blog post, I actually wanted it to be read by as many people as possible.

It also gets you brand recognition when your content goes viral. The more people read your blog post, the more people know about you.

Many clients come to me and say that they need an article or a blog post that will go viral.

I tell them that I cannot promise anything. I can put in all the ingredients that are needed for a particular piece of content to go viral, but ultimately, whether that particular piece of content goes viral or not depends on many unpredictable patterns.

Does the success or failure of your content marketing depend on viral content?

I don’t think so.

The purpose of content marketing is, aside from building an audience (a viral blog post does not guarantee that) over a long period of time, is to help people so that they begin to remember you with a positive impression.

Content marketing makes it easier for people to find you.

Suppose you have covered all your topics in your field. For example, I provide content writing and content marketing services so I’m constantly explaining different aspects of these two realms.

Although it is not up to me whether I get good search engine rankings or not for the blog posts and web pages that I continuously publish on my website, the possibility of increasing my rankings definitely improves.

It is like, if you do something and there is 1% chance of success, if you don’t do something, the chance is 0%. So, publishing high-quality content, no matter how meagre or how limited, is better than publishing no content.

So, instead of worrying about making your content go viral, focus on publishing quality-content on an ongoing basis. Aim to help your audience.

If you help your audience and if due to that, you get more leads and generate more sales, your content marketing is successful, whether one of your blog posts goes viral or not.

Something that I have observed in most budding content writers

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Become a writer before becoming a content writer

This is again one of those times when I try to expand my business by trying to partner with multiple content writers.

Mostly I write content on my own but now I feel if I want to grow my business beyond what it is now, I will need to start collaborating with other content writers so that I can focus more on expanding my reach and getting more work. Most of my time is spent doing work rather than getting work.

Right now, my main problem is that most of my clients hire my services thinking that I will write for them. They read what I have written on my website. They read my blog. They read my articles and blog posts on other websites. They like what I have written. Hence, I am the reason they contact Credible Content. Which is natural.

But then, as I have written above, I need to grow my business. Over the years I have observed that I am good at getting work. Right now, just 5-10% of my time is spent on marketing my services, communicating with prospective clients and getting work. Sometimes weeks go by without any sort of marketing and promotion. Even with such little effort, I get regular work (which is not enough, of course).

I’m also good at writing and I enjoy writing a lot (the point I’m trying to make through this blog post, which is the central point), but in terms of business, if I keep on writing I am less able to focus on getting more work.

Anyway, these days I’m trying to find some good content writers with whom I can partner. As a result, I am interacting with a few content writers and there is one thing that I have observed: most of the “content writers” just want to make some quick money and then get on with their lives.

Writing is not their passion.

They will write because they are getting money and that’s it.

I don’t mean to preach, but content writing doesn’t work this way, and in fact, any type of writing doesn’t work this way.

Just because you can write sentences and paragraphs without committing spelling and grammar mistakes doesn’t make you a writer.

When you’re trying to promote a business through your writing, you need to make an emotional connection and, call it something bordering to metaphysical, your real message, your real communication exists between the lines, and not in the words, sentences and paragraphs that you write.

When budding content writers send samples to me, within a couple of paragraphs I can make out whether the person is a passionate writer or not.

The disinterest is too obvious. And the writing invokes the same disinterest in readers.

It’s your passion for writing that makes you a good and effective content writer

“Do something that you would love to do even without getting paid, be good in that, and you will be never out of work.”

This is not a lofty ideal. I have actually seen it materializing right in front of my eyes, right in my own life, in multiple ways. Of course, you need to promote yourself, you need to market your skill so that people who can benefit from your skill can contact you.

I’m not a published writer in the conventional sense. I mean, I don’t have books in my name.

But, before I became a professional content writer, I had already written a lot. I have written without getting paid, without even expecting to be paid.

I just wrote for exposure. I liked it when people read what I had written and then praised it. It was very thrilling. I always wanted to show off my writing skills. I was proud of the way I wrote. Although I’m not a Pulitzer-prize-level writer, I’m confident about my ability to communicate.

During my school and college days, my friends used to tease me that I never read books and novels for enjoyment, I read them to polish my language (whether it was English or Hindi) and then later, show off. I did enjoy, though. Still do.

I’m not saying that it is bad to expect to be paid for your writing, I’m just telling you about how I evolved as a content writer – your story may be totally different.

So, I was published a few times in the city newspaper. I had my articles published in local magazines

When the Internet came up and when the concept of publishing helpful content began to materialize, I started publishing tutorials on various websites to promote my web design business.

I have used practically every blogging platform that was started in the 2000’s and this meant lots of writing. I wrote on various forums. I participated in email discussion threads.

The point I’m trying to make is, I wrote a lot.

So, by the time I started receiving professional content writing assignments, writing came to me naturally. Yes, I may have done badly in some cases and I may have done well, but the fundamental skill required to get good content writing assignments was there. The ground had been prepared.

The problem with the content writers that I come across is that without having honed their skills, they want good content writing assignments.

Believe me, this doesn’t work.

Of course, there are many clients who are not looking for quality writing or, they are not aware what quality writing is (lack of knowledge, lack of desire, or both).

You may get work from those clients, but this work is not going to sustain you as a content writer. There are hundreds of thousands of mediocre writers and if you are a mediocre writer, you are constantly competing with them.

You will have to work very hard, put in long hours, and you won’t earn much, eventually giving up.

Enjoy writing to become a successful content writer

Again, this is not a pep talk, this is reality.

Writing is not a skill, as many mistakenly think. Writing is an art, preferably, a performing art.

You are performing through your words and people are watching you perform when they are reading your words.

When it comes to being a good performing artist, you have to lose yourself in your performance. If you’re cautious of what you are doing, you become stiff and instead of performing, you are simply displaying yourself.

Compare it with walking. Do you have to constantly think when you walk? Are you thinking of every step?

No, if you think of every step, very soon you will get tired and you may even fall.

To be able to walk long distances, you need to be able to walk without thinking of walking, without thinking of every step. The same happens with writing. You shouldn’t have to think.

You shouldn’t have to think about writing – you only need to think about the subject, the thing that you want to say, the message you want to communicate.

How can you lose yourself in your work, you may ask, when you’re writing for a business?

By not counting every penny, or every paisa. By not constantly doing clock watching. By not being conscious of much effort you need to put or not.

When you manipulate your writing according to the money you are getting, you are not doing justice to your art.

I’m not saying people should exploit you and you should spend hours on work you are not being paid much for, but once you start writing, focus on your writing.

This is exactly what I do.

Although, I quote my writing work per word, per page or per hour, once I’m writing, I don’t hold myself if I have more to say. When I’m writing, at that time, my writing is important, not how much I am being paid. If you have a problem with the payment, don’t take up the assignment, but once you have taken it up, give your 100%.

It is great that you want to become a content writer, but don’t approach me if you are between jobs and you are looking for something to do in the meantime, if you are a student trying to make side income or if you are a housewife looking for “opportunity on Internet”.

Being a student, being between jobs and being a housewife isn’t something bad, what is bad is, you want to be a content writer just because you are in these situations otherwise, you would be doing something else.

You have to be a writer first. Writing must be one of the priorities of your life. Only then you can become a good content writer.

My content writing process for different niches

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My content writing process

In this blog post I’m going to explain my content writing process for different niches – different industries and segments.

This content writing process is for general reference as well as for clients who want to know what process I will be following when I write content for them.

What exactly do I do to make sure that I use the right language for that particular audience?

Here is the outline of my content writing process:

Submit sample/samples
Take an advance
Do background reading
Understand the concerns of the end customers and clients
Make a list of primary and secondary keywords
Write the first draft of the first document
Submit the documents for review
Work on the remaining documents

Many clients who contact me for the first time ask a very valid question, “What makes me a good writer for their niche?”

Also, what is going to be my content writing process?

Someone from a web design company wants to know how I will adapt my content writing for their audience.

Someone from a jewelry design company wants to know the same, and so does someone from a real estate construction company.

At the outset I would like to tell you that I am most comfortable writing on technology.

This is due to 2 facts:

I have great interest in technology: I read a lot about technology. I firmly believe that it has a strong, positive impact on our society. Personally, since I have cerebral palsy, technology plays a big role in enabling me to earn a living and also make my day-to-day life easier without having to go out.
Technology businesses understand content marketing better: It’s easier to work with technology companies because they understand the importance of quality content. Since they understand its importance, they also know that they need to pay for the service. Hence, by the time they approach a content writer, they have the budget for it.

Then what enables me to write for other business realms?

Do I follow a special content writing process?

Well-defined content writing process for different niches

I have been writing content since 2004.

I have written content for all major industries and business segments including Internet marketing, web design, software development, surveillance, background check, detective services, high-tech gadgets, home appliances, accessories and apparels, photography, hospitality industry, real estate industry, non-profit, healthcare businesses, emotional and physical well-being, legal counseling and even a rock band.

And there are many categories I cannot recall right now.

Owing to my well-defined content writing process, I can say with confidence that I can count the number of unsatisfied clients on my fingers.

In most of the cases, clients have been satisfied, happy, and whenever they have needed content, they have come back.

For a good writer, for a trained and experienced writer, writing for varied niches isn’t as hard as it may seem in the beginning.

Journalism is a different ball game.

Specialization matters in journalism because you are not just informing people of the latest happenings in your niche, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, you are also expressing opinion, and when you express opinion, you need to know lots of other stuff.

But when it comes to content writing for business websites, as long as you have the basic information, a style guide, and writing experience, quality content can be written.

My content writing process

Content writing process explained

Here is the process I follow when writing content for different niches:

Submit content writing samples

Once I receive a query and the client shows interest in my content writing services, I submit appropriate samples.

Over the years I have written for many niches. Most of the times I have a live sample (active links) that I can share with my client.

What happens if I don’t have a sample?

I request the client to give me a topic and I prepare a write up of around 300 words. This is enough to give an idea to the client how I will be writing and how I present my idea.

The sample often gives an insight on my writing style, my presentation, text formatting and research abilities, if needed.

Take an advance for my content writing services

Once the client finds the sample/samples acceptable, I request an advance.

If it is a small project – one blog post, one web page, or one email marketing campaign – I take full advance.

If it is a medium-sized project – 5-10 pieces of content – I take a 50% advance.

For larger projects, I take a commitment money and after that, I may charge every month.

Why I take an advance?

When I start working on a project, I will be committing my time.

I need to make sure that the time that I’m spending, I will be spending on a paid assignment.

Charging an advance also raises stakes on the client side.

They respond faster. They are more committed. There is greater cooperation.

Do background reading

This helps me set the tone.

Different industries have different languages and different styles.

They even have different concerns.

Though, sometimes the budget available for a particular content writing project doesn’t give enough scope for extensive reading, depending on how much payment I’m getting, reading is an essential part of the content writing process.

Reading helps you understand how people write in the industry and how I can write better.

Understand the concerns of the end customers and clients

Content writing is basically for end customers and clients.

If you are a web design company and if I’m writing for you, I’m writing for your clients.

They should be able to understand how they will benefit if they hire your web design services.

A content writing process is not complete without understanding the needs of the end customers and clients.

Similarly, if you are a jewelry seller and I write for you, I will write keeping in mind the needs and desires of your customers who will buy jewelry from you after reading your content.

Make a list of primary and secondary keywords

Keywords are not just for SEO.

They also help you write for the target audience using the language the target audience prefers.

When you have a list of primary and longtail keywords, it gives you an idea of what terms to focus on while writing content.

Of course, using primary and secondary keywords is also good for your SEO.

Write the first draft of the first document

I first create the outline.

Crafting an outline is important if a document is long: 1500-2000 words.

Otherwise everything goes haywire.

I write all the subheadings first.

I make a list of all the important points that I would like to cover.

I also write phrases and expressions that my client doesn’t want me to miss in the document.

Since the first document sets the tone and also gives an idea to the client how I’m going to approach the project, a lot depends on the first document.

I prepare the first draft and send it to the client for approval. This is where the core part of the content writing process kicks in.

The client can suggest changes and I try to incorporate those changes as soon as possible so that the main project can be kickstarted.

After evaluating the first document, the client can also decide whether he or she would like to continue with me or explore other options.

Submit the document for review

The review of the first document is one of the most important parts of my content writing process.

The review of the first document sets the tone of the remaining documents.

It is very important for the client to properly go through the first draft and suggest revisions, if any.

Based on the suggestions made by the client, I revise the document.

I move forward only when the first document is approved by the client and he or she is satisfied.

Work on the remaining documents

While working on the first document I gather as much information as possible about the project.

Once the client is happy and satisfied with the first document, I proceed with other documents.

Most of the clients prefer to get the documents as they are completed so that in case there is some problem, it can be sorted out.

I also prefer this because then psychologically, I’m always on my toes and I don’t leave all the documents to the last couple of days.

Concluding remarks on my content writing process

Ultimately, it rests on the client whether he or she wants to work with me or not, whatever is my content writing process.

Sometimes, I can quickly make out whether I myself want to work on a project or not and I communicate this to the client.

Fortunately, most of the serious clients (clients who convert and eagerly pay) have already gone through my samples.

They have also gone through my website and my blog.

They are convinced that I can write for them even if initially they think I need to educate myself about their business, which I obviously do.

How to prevent your emails from looking like spam

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Prevent your emails from looking like spam

One of the biggest reasons why your email marketing isn’t working is because both your recipients and their email clients conclude that your email is spam.

There is still some scope if your recipient decides whether your email message is spam or not, but if the email client (Gmail, for example) itself takes charge, sometimes your recipient doesn’t even realize that he or she is missing your messages.

There are many ways you can prevent your email messages from looking like spam and consequently, being marked as spam both by human and machine.

Here are a few things you can do

Build your own mailing list – patience pays

For successful email marketing, nothing is better than building your own mailing list.

It takes time.

It is like building a house or a building, brick by brick.

One of the biggest benefits of building your own mailing list is that you can request your subscribers to “white list” the email ID from which they are going to receive your email updates.

When someone submits his or her email ID to your subscription form, he or she is taken to a thank you page. On this page, you can instruct the person on how to white list your email ID so that your messages are not redirected to the spam folder.

Another benefit is that when people subscribe to your updates, they are fully aware of what they are going to receive.

When you subscribe to my Credible Content updates, you are fully aware that you are going to receive updates on content marketing and content writing. So, when you get these updates, you are not caught off guard and in frustration, you don’t mark my messages as spam.

At the most, when you don’t want to hear from me, you will simply unsubscribe. Which is much better.

Don’t offer something lucrative to make people sign up for your updates

I have seen that even reputed and well-known businesses, individuals and publications use this tactic – they offer a useful e-book or a white paper in lieu of getting a new subscriber for their newsletter.

If you have an e-book or a white paper or a case study that you think might help your current and prospective customers and clients, just give it to them.

Offer them something for which they would like to subscribe to your updates, as a long-term value, not as an instant bait.

Preferably, encourage them to join your mailing list or newsletter for the quality of your content.

When you offer something lucrative, people simply sign up for your newsletter, download the e-book (or whatever you are offering for subscribing) and then unsubscribe, or simply mark your messages as spam later on when they cannot make out why you are sending them messages.

Make it very clear why they are subscribing – this is one of the best ways of preventing your email from looking like spam.

Avoid using words and expressions that are frowned upon by spam filters

Over the years, spam filters have developed a huge collection of words and triggers that they use to consign messages to the spam folder.

Expressions like “earn extra cash”, “double your income”, “make money”, “online degree”, and so on, automatically get your message marked as spam.

You can search on the Internet to find lists of words that you should avoid using, especially in the subject line.

Provide quality content through your email

Remember that people subscribe to your updates because they expect to receive some valuable information that they can use to improve their lives.

Stick to the theme you promised at the time of the signup. Continue to send quality content that is highly valuable to them.

Be regular and stick to a routine when sending out your email campaigns

Another reason why your recipients may think that you are sending them spam emails is that they lose track of who you are and what business you represent.

For successful email marketing and to make sure that your messages are not marked as spam, you need to be regular and you need to stick to the schedule.

For example, if you send out an email every Wednesday, then make sure that you send that email every Wednesday.

I have often observed with different clients that they send out emails whenever they feel like. Sometimes, they simply send one or two haphazard emails in a month. This doesn’t work.

Making sure that your email messages are not marked as spam involves lots of precautions but your content, and the way you generate your mailing list, are the most important ones.