In our education, you’ll often hear us preach about the power of written content in the blog entries and web pages of your website. Not only can good writing help you get discovered by your potential clients via search engines, but good written content can also help you convert leads by showcasing your knowledge and expertise. Written content can also help you answer FAQs and create a knowledge base for a better overall client experience.
However, one of the main challenges photographers face is finding the time to create such content. Moreover, many photographers simply don’t feel confident in their writing. To help out, we’ve researched and experimented with 3 solutions for creating written content quickly, with little to no writing skills.
Note, the following information is included in our Photography Business Training System, a complete guide to creating a successful photography business, available in SLR Lounge Premium.
AI Writing
Artificial Intelligence is all the buzz these days in almost every industry, and the writing industry is no exception. In particular, we’ve had great experience using jarvis.ai (formerly known as conversion.ai) for writing simple articles for our website.
This is a great option if you are looking to cut your writing time down or improve the quality of your writing. However, “Jarvis” still requires significant user input, feedback, and guidance so it’s not as “hands off” as hiring a copywriter.
Moreover, the Jarvis engine struggles when it comes to communicating highly technical information, so it’s not a great option if you’re talking about photography or post processing techniques. But when it comes to everyday topics like beauty, makeup, or weddings, it does a great job.
Here are a few of their “templates,” which provide a good starting point based on your needs.
Copywriting Services
Another option for creating written content is using copywriting services like Textbroker.com, Contentfly.com, or Scripted.com. Many of these services pull from the same database of freelance writers, so the quality is similar from site to site. With different writers working on each of your articles, all of these sites are consistently … well … inconsistent. You’ll have some articles that are ready-to-go and others that need significant work. The good news is that you can request revisions at no additional cost on all of the sites if you’re unhappy with the work. And with many of the services, you can shortlist your preferred writers.
Of the many options, I’ve had the best luck with Textbroker because they do not require any monthly fees. This allows you to order as many (or as few) articles as you need. Other services, such as Contentfly, require monthly subscriptions, which may not be ideal if your schedule for creating content fluctuates throughout the year.
If you decide to move forward with copywriting services, here are a couple of tips:
- Focus on the introductory paragraph – Readers often decide whether or not they want to read an entire article based on the intro paragraph. You may want to consider rewriting the introductory paragraph to ensure that it’s engaging and that it provides the reader with a clear understanding of what the article is about.
- Add in lots of great images – Subpar to average writing can often be overlooked when surrounded by incredible images. Does that mean you should accept bad writing? Absolutely not! However, you don’t need to rework the writing to perfection either. Readers should understand that you are a photographer and not a writer, so great photography can often compensate for writing that is just acceptable.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants are workers who are typically overseas that can perform a wide range of tasks. Getmagic.com, for example, has a highly educated workforce typically located in the Philippines. The agent pairs you with a worker that fits your needs, you conduct a quick interview with them, and then they report to you daily (or as needed). The main advantage of this over copywriting services is consistency since you have a single, dedicated individual that you can train.
In addition, your virtual assistant can assist with things outside of writing, such as checking your emails, managing your social media, and more. Basically, think of anything you can train someone to do virtually, and they can likely do it.
Conclusion
Written content is still important in today’s marketing world, especially for SEO. Try some of the aforementioned services to help you automate your workflow and to help you accomplish more with limited time. With all of the technology available and with a globalized workforce, you have plenty of options! For more business education, see our Photography Business Training System.
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