I normally don’t send out follow-up emails

With the exception of a few messages that I get from LinkedIn, most of the messages come from my website.

People who are looking for a content writer or a copywriter land on my website, go to my contact form, submit it, I receive it, and then I respond.

When I send a reply, I assume that they need my services. Sometimes I briefly describe what they need, hoping that as we interact more, they will be able to share more information with me. I even send them sample links.

In many cases the client doesn’t get back. The reasons can be myriad. Maybe she doesn’t like my reply. Maybe she gets busy. Maybe she had contacted multiple content writers and copywriters and someone else responded and there was no need for her to get back to me.

Until a few years ago I used to send a follow-up email after 3-4 days. I would ask, “I hope you received my reply – just making sure. In case you’re looking for more information, do let me know, I will be happy to provide it…” and so on.

Then I stopped.

Initially it was because I got busy. I started getting enough assignments and unless someone’s name appeared in front of me (in the form of an unread message), I wouldn’t reach out.

Sure, when I am already working on an assignment and when I send the first draft and when the client does not respond, I do a follow-up, but that’s because I already know that the client is interested in my work, and she may have not got a chance to look at my document.

Gmail (Google Workspace) has this feature that highlights older messages if it feels I should have followed up but I haven’t.

In such cases, I go with the flow. If I feel I should write back to the prospective client, I do, otherwise I don’t bother.

As I have written above, initially it was because I was busy. Then my attitude towards my clients changed.

Almost all the clients with whom I end up working seek me out. I’m not saying I don’t value all my clients, but the clients who really want my services, follow-up. If I don’t respond for a couple of days, there is an email from them, or a message on WhatsApp or Telegram.

This works well for me as well as my clients. I prefer to work with clients who pursue me rather than me pursuing them.

The clients who don’t respond once I send them a reply either don’t need my services, or the initial offer that I have made isn’t acceptable to them. In both the conditions, I should neither waste my own time, nor theirs.

Although I’m quite better than many content writers and copywriters, I don’t delude myself into believing that I am among the best. I’m not arrogant about my abilities.

Nonetheless, there are some clients who benefit a lot from writing, and once they start getting the written text from me, they stick with me. There is a client who claims that his business picked up only when I wrote his website content.

I want to work with SUCH clients.

I remember that client pursued me for weeks. I was busy in disability activism as well as my current assignments those days. Eventually I wrote for his website.

The clients who really need my services get back to me. The clients who don’t, I don’t bother with them. And the clients who think I should pursue them multiple times before they give me their work, well, they’re not the right fit for me.

This is why I’m publishing more smaller posts these days on my blog

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What is the benefit of writing smaller posts?

Since I have just started publishing comparatively smaller posts on my blog, many thoughts are coming to me.

One of the biggest benefits of writing smaller posts is that you are not bogged down by what the supposed length should be.

Another benefit of smaller posts is that you don’t necessarily have to write it for your own blog. Although I’m not crazy about sharing my content on third-party platforms more than necessary, shorter posts can be reused on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

You don’t need to follow a format. You can use bulleted points. You can use single sentences. Sometimes, you can just use a few words.

You can also bulk create your posts. It hardly takes 5-10 minutes to write 100 words or 200 words. Write them somewhere and then publish them as and when you want.

Or, you can use a scheduler like Buffer app to automatically publish your post at the designated time.

Yes, long form content in the beginning, but then, no need to care much

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I regularly come across blog posts, articles and social media updates extolling the benefits of long form content writing.

I have myself repeatedly stressed that long form content is important not just for establishing authority, but also for improving your search engine rankings. But I have always believed that it is not as a “do or die” situation as it is made out to be by some content marketing experts. You don’t always need long form content.

It’s not the length, but the quality and relevance of your content that matters. Google says that 400 words mean good SEO and anything less than 400 words is thin content.

Again, you need to go to the root cause of what is thin content. Thin content is irrelevant content simply used to fill up a website or blog. It delivers no value. It is simply there for the sake of appearance in the search listings.

You don’t need long form content at all?

You need it. In the beginning.

Given a choice, both search engines and people who would like to link to your content, prefer comprehensive blog posts and articles on a given topic.

Given a choice, they would rather link to a 3000-word blog post with multiple sections, than a 300 words of a quick knowledge sharing spurt.

I can relate to that. Writing 3000 words on a topic, with different sections and subsections, is no mean feat. When you publish 3-4 3000+ words blog posts on your website every month, it shows you work hard, and you have got a lot to say. And after all, I charge much more for 3000 words than for 300 words.

Authoritative, quality publishers indeed have lots of information to share through their own observations and research, and through the interactions that they have with other influencers in the industry.

The Google algorithm also assumes that since you are writing so much, you must be covering all the topics pertaining to a subject and the visitor doesn’t have to go through different websites to find different bits of information on the same subject.

For example, if someone publishes 5000 words on “The ultimate content writing guide”, and if it has been decently written, it is certainly going to enjoy greater pull compared to a blog post with a similar topic but containing just 100 words summarizing all the points in a bulleted list, unless these 100 words have been written by someone like Joe Pulizzi. More people are going to link to the 5000-word peace. This will improve its search engine rankings and make it easier for more people to find it. Far more people are going to link to it. It becomes self-perpetuating.

Frankly, long form content, just for the heck of being long form content, isn’t that useful. Recently I was reading a book by a well-known influencer (I’m not going to name him because I admire him) and what he has written in his book, he could have written in 10% of the pages his book has; he goes on and not just to have a thick book.

So, sometimes people publish 5000 words simply because they intend to publish 5000 words. Most of the time they are repeating themselves or they are publishing facts and graphs they have already published 10 times. Yes, those who don’t follow them regularly may be awed by the “length and breadth” they have covered, but experienced people like me can easily make out what they are trying to achieve.

Use long form content in the beginning. It is valued. It is appreciated. It also helps to cover all your bases. Your readers will appreciate if they can find everything they need in a single blog post.

Just like everything in life, there is a threshold, and after the threshold, things sort of move forward on their own unless you do something destructive.

Once you have built enough back links, once you are generating enough traffic, don’t bother with long form content unless you really have lots of information to share.

Once the traffic is good, even shorter pieces of content – 100-300 words – will begin to appear in search results.

In fact, once you have made a name for yourself (among humans and among algorithms), people prefer short form content because instead of having to go through a thesis, they get the answers they are looking for in 100-300 words.

Better content writing often needs input from the clients

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Just because you have hired a content writer it doesn’t mean that you simply hand out a title and then go on with whatever you’re doing.

Some topics are common. Specialized information is not needed.

But, there are some topics for which the information can only come from someone who works inside the industry – the client.

Sometimes some clients take their web copy so casually that they just send me a site map or a list of web pages in an Excel sheet and then ask me to come up with appropriate content.

Recently there was a client who wanted me to even come up with the different services that he wanted to put on his Services page! So much disinterest.

I was aghast. I mean, how was I supposed to know what services they were providing?

Please remember that a content writer is being paid for writing content, not for being your content strategist, or your subject specialist. If you are hiring a strategist, then pay the fee of a consultant, and not merely a content writer. Anyway, that’s a different topic.

So, whether you are a client, or a content writer, the right information is important. Get it either through research or through work experience.

Sometimes the client says, “Oh, if I have to come up with everything, why am I hiring a content writer? I might as well do it myself.”

When a client says that, I tell him or her, “Sure, go ahead. If you think you can easily write what I’m going to write for you, then you definitely don’t need a content writer like me.”

Don’t shy away from asking. Otherwise you’ll be blamed for writing lousy content.

How to keep your emails personal yet professional?

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Every email marketing guru advises you to keep your emails personal.

What does being personal mean?

Here is a list to keep in mind:

Use your name for the “From:” field.
Know the name of the person and start with “Dear name” or “Hello name”.
Use a conversational style – write in a manner you would talk to someone sitting across the table.
Be specific in the message; this way the person knows that you’re specifically talking to him or her.
Mention something familiar (but not intimate).
Introduce yourself in the first line without sounding salesy.
Inform the person why you are writing.
If possible, inform the person why you are writing to him or her, especially.
Avoid using long sentences.
If it is a compound or complex sentence, keep just one sentence in a paragraph.
You can have 2-3 simple sentences in a paragraph.
Be genuine and come to the point as fast as possible.
Remember that your language represents your business, and more importantly, you.

How to keep your email message professional at the same time?

There is no need to do something extra. Professional writing doesn’t mean writing highfalutin sentences or injecting jargon in every expression.

Being professional simply means sticking to the business. No need to bring up intimate knowledge even if you possess it.

Be culturally sensitive. Remain as gender neutral as possible. Don’t use words and expressions that you wouldn’t use when talking to your child or someone you care for.