I was on an internet marketing forum the other day - one which is usually chock full of great advice - when this question popped up. Driven by curiosity, I clicked on the thread, and what I saw was amazing.
"How Can I Learn to Be a Content Writer?"
People had all kinds of tricks and tips for this poster. They offered up everything from their own software products, to their own ebooks, to their own courses. (Seeing a pattern yet?) Other posters told this guy to simply write stuff until he got good at it. One person suggested he try writing articles that passed Copyscape (yeah, that would be helpful!), while another suggested him to avoid the hassle of grammar altogether until he was a good writer (huh?).
Is that what content writers have become these days? Word spitter-outers who ignore commas and kinda sorta try not to plagiarize?
I don't know what's worse - that people think they can get away with offering content writing services like these, or that people are willing to pay for content writing services like these.
Oh sure, I know the web is always going to play host to corner-cutters. You know, the people who think they can get something for nothing, and the people who only care about a quick buck. However, I was surprised that in over four dozen responses, NOT ONE suggested that this person have any kind of formal education or asked if he had any kind of natural writing talent.
Would they have made those same suggestions if the person had asked how to become a brain surgeon? A Wall Street executive? A chemical engineer?
No matter how hard I practice at it, I'm not going to be able to remove a tumor from someone's brain. No matter how many times I read the "Business" section of the newspaper, I'm not going to be able to come up with expert stock picks. No matter how many times I cut my grass, I'm not going to be able to tell you which specific chemicals make up the best fertilizer.
If you're thinking of hiring a content writer that "learned" like this guy is apparently going to, think twice. After all, your content writer is going to have a direct impact on how your business is perceived around the web - which will have a direct impact on how much money you make!
image: content writer/shutterstock