Writing Content That Sells

There are several sites that will try to sell your work, but the prices are ridiculously low. There are also sites where they promise a lot, but don’t deliver.

So how can you write content that actually sells itself for a great price?

1. Research

Before you compose a piece, you need to know your topic.

Do you have a topic in mind or do you need a topic?

If you need a topic to write about, choose something that's relevant. Search Google and see what the most researched keyword articles or phrases are for the day, week, month or even year.

If you choose a hot topic, such as real estate, technology or forex trading, there are many markets open to buying it.

On the flip side, the hot topics will also have a lot written about them. If you have a topic, research on who or where you can sell it. A magazine? A website? If there isn’t any clear market for your topic, you will want to slant your focus on a specific market.

For example, Real Estate Trends for New York won’t have any relevancy to a realtor in California who is looking for web content articles. But change your topic to Real Estate Trends for California, and you have a market.

2. Be Discriminate

Don’t write on a topic that already has 3,208 articles showing in your research.

'How to Recycle Office Paper' may have dozens of articles that all sound alike so consider changing your title and topic to 'Where Recycled Office Paper Goes' and you have a fresh slant and a more open market.

3.The Content

After your research is done, start writing content.

To make your article sound like the authority on the topic, do at least one of the following:

• Interview an expert. Getting an experts opinion or advice puts an air of authority in your work.

• Tell both sides of a story. One-sided stories can come off as biased and judgmental, and not something you want to be known for.

• Present only facts. Gossip and rumors don’t have a place in writing unless it is for a celebrity blog site!

• Write clearly and concisely. The article content needs to include a topic sentence, followed with examples and summarize in a conclusion.

• Follow keyword rules. Keyword articles are hot right now, but only when they are written to certain rules, provided by the buyer you are working for.

4. Sell Yourself

Depending on where you want to sell your article, you may also have to sell yourself first.

A publisher or editor will require a cover letter, a list of publishing credits and a summary of your piece. If you don’t sell your experience or sound like you have good skills, they will skip over you and go with someone who does.

Prove you know your topic and have a good ability to write with a short query and list of credentials (which you can get with article submission).

Writing content does take time to do well. You need to practice the skill and fine tune it so your pieces shine above others who are sloppy with their work.

When your content is great, the pieces will be quickly purchased and you will no doubt have yourself a repeat customer and therefore a recurring income.