Freelance Writer Checklist
Pre-Writing
- Use search engines to find relevant articles, studies, and resources
- Read and take notes on the most current and reliable sources
- Compile a list of key points and supporting details
- Consider the demographics, interests, and knowledge level of the intended readers
- Conduct surveys, interviews, or market research if needed
- Create reader personas to better understand their needs and preferences
- Determine if the piece is meant to inform, persuade, entertain, or educate
- Identify key messages or goals to convey in the writing
- Align the purpose with the client's or publication's objectives
- Start with a clear introduction to grab readers' attention
- Organize main points or arguments into logical sections
- Include subheadings or bullet points to further break down the content
- Collect reliable sources, such as books, articles, and reputable websites
- Save links, quotes, and statistics that support the topic
- Organize the references in a format that will be easy to access during writing
Writing Process
- Grab the reader's attention with an intriguing opening statement or a thought-provoking question.
- Introduce the topic and provide a brief overview of what the article will cover.
- Avoid using unnecessary jargon or complicated language.
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point.
- Identify any complex concepts or terminology that may be difficult for the reader to understand.
- Explain these ideas in simpler terms or provide examples to illustrate their meaning.
- Organize the content in a logical manner, starting with the most important information first.
- Transition smoothly between paragraphs and sections to maintain a cohesive flow.
- Support your arguments or points with relevant examples, anecdotes, or statistics.
- Provide evidence from reliable sources to back up your claims and make your writing more credible.
- Proofread your writing to correct any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or punctuation errors.
- Ensure that your writing follows the conventions of standard English.
- Read through your writing carefully to identify any unclear or confusing sections.
- Make necessary revisions to improve the clarity and coherence of your content.
- Before you start writing, create a clear outline of the main topics and ideas you want to cover.
- Organize your thoughts and structure your writing based on this outline.
- Think of different types of evidence that can support your arguments or ideas.
- Write down these ideas and consider how they can be incorporated into your writing.
- Conduct thorough research to gather information and data from credible sources.
- Properly cite these sources using the appropriate citation style (e.g., APA, MLA).
- Double-check all the facts, figures, and statistics you include in your writing.
- Ensure their accuracy by cross-referencing information from multiple reliable sources.
- Seek feedback from others, such as colleagues or clients, on your writing.
- Incorporate their suggestions and make revisions to improve the overall quality of your content.
- Avoid plagiarism by ensuring that all your writing is original and not copied from other sources.
- Use plagiarism checker tools to verify the uniqueness of your content.
- Use storytelling techniques, ask rhetorical questions, or incorporate interactive elements to captivate the reader.
- Create a conversational tone and make your writing relatable to the target audience.
Formatting and Style
- Maintain consistency in font style, size, and spacing.
- Ensure consistent use of headings, subheadings, and bullet points.
- Organize the content using headings and subheadings to create a logical structure.
- Use bullet points for lists and key points to enhance readability.
- Choose an appropriate font size that is easy to read (e.g., 12pt).
- Maintain consistent spacing between paragraphs and sections.
- Adjust margins to provide sufficient white space around the text.
- Follow the designated citation style (e.g., APA, MLA) for in-text citations and references.
- Include full bibliographic information for each source cited.
- Use bold formatting to highlight important terms or concepts.
- Italicize text to indicate emphasis or provide emphasis to specific words or phrases.
- Include relevant images, charts, or graphs to enhance understanding.
- Ensure the visuals are clear, properly labeled, and support the content.
- Limit the use of exclamation points to avoid sounding unprofessional or overly enthusiastic.
- Use italics sparingly to prevent excessive emphasis.
- Avoid excessive use of CAPITAL letters as it can be perceived as shouting.
- Review the document carefully for grammar errors, including subject-verb agreement and sentence structure.
- Check for spelling mistakes and typos using spell-check tools.
- Ensure proper punctuation usage, including commas, periods, and quotation marks.
SEO and Keywords (if applicable)
- Ensure that the keywords are seamlessly integrated into the content, making it readable and engaging for the audience.
- Avoid keyword stuffing, and focus on providing high-quality and valuable information.
- Include the targeted keywords in the meta tags, titles, and headings of the content.
- Craft compelling and descriptive meta tags and titles to attract search engine users.
- Add alt tags to the images used in the content, describing the image in a concise and accurate manner.
- Incorporate relevant keywords in the alt tags, if appropriate.
- Use appropriate heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure the content.
- Break up the content into easily scannable paragraphs and use bullet points or numbered lists when applicable.
- Add links to other relevant articles or resources within the content.
- Ensure that the linked content provides additional value and context to the reader.
- Link to other pages or articles within the website to improve navigation and user experience.
- Choose anchor texts that are descriptive and relevant to the linked content.
- When linking to external websites or sources, use anchor texts that include relevant keywords.
- Avoid using generic anchor texts like 'click here' or 'read more'.
- Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that accurately summarize the content of each page.
- Include relevant keywords in the meta descriptions to improve search engine visibility.
- Implement structured data markup, such as schema.org, to provide search engines with additional information about the content.
- This can enhance the visibility of the content in search results with rich snippets.
- Regularly check the rankings of the content for targeted keywords using tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush.
- Make adjustments to the keyword usage based on the rankings and search engine algorithm updates.
Post-Writing
- Read through the entire document carefully
- Check for clarity, coherence, and logical flow
- Ensure all the necessary information is included
- Make any necessary changes or edits
- Send the document to the client or peers for review
- Ask for specific feedback on areas of improvement
- Consider their suggestions and incorporate them if necessary
- Address any feedback received from clients or peers
- Make necessary changes to improve the document
- Ensure the revisions enhance the overall quality
- Review the client's initial requirements or brief
- Check if the document fulfills all the specified criteria
- Make any necessary adjustments to meet the requirements
- Check the deadline provided by the client
- Ensure the document is submitted before or on the deadline
- Communicate any potential delays or issues to the client
- Carefully read through the entire document
- Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors
- Correct any typos or other mistakes
- Save a copy of the final document in a separate location
- Use a reliable storage medium or cloud service
- Ensure the backup is easily accessible if needed
- Create a dedicated folder or directory for the document
- Organize the document in a logical and easily retrievable manner
- Consider using appropriate file naming conventions
- Move the document to a long-term storage location
- Label and categorize the document for easy retrieval
- Ensure the document is stored securely and backed up
- Identify relevant social media platforms for sharing
- Create engaging and informative posts about the document
- Include appropriate hashtags or tags to reach the target audience
- Write a concise summary highlighting key points or findings
- Include relevant statistics, quotes, or examples
- Ensure the summary captures the essence of the document
- Check if there are any existing records related to the document
- Update those records with the completed document's details
- Include relevant information such as date, title, and purpose
- Create a dedicated section or page in your portfolio
- Include relevant information about the completed work
- Add any supporting visuals, links, or testimonials if available
Use in Manifestly