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Writing 25 articles a month

by PhilipT
27 replies
I have been asked by a potential client to write 25 1,000 word articles per month in a very specialised niche in the financial services sector.

I have written multiple articles before but never on this scale.

I would appreciate some advice on any techniques I can use to say something fresh every time.

I should say that I don't believe in using article spinners, having seen the garbage so often produced by them.

Any advice wold be most welcome.

Thanks

Philip
#articles #month #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Hooda M Kismet
    Is outsourcing an option?
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I currently write 48-100 articles of 1000+ words a month. I find writing consistently at a rate of a few a day yields better copy but writing one after the other will go faster.

      Research is the key. I do a lot of research before I start writing. I keep a file full of sites and references where I've found facts and viewpoints. You can't avoid repeating certain facts because the facts don't change. It's the writer in you that lets you present the facts in a different way or from a different angle.

      When I feel I'm in a rut I reread through the research sites (I also use the library in town) to get another angle and go on from there.

      For example, if you research ten important/relevant facts about the topic you can write ten articles where each article focuses on one fact as primary and then pulls in several of the other "facts" to fill out the article.

      It's not about having something totally unique for each article - but about presenting facts in a unique way in each article. I hope that makes sense.

      kay

      Edit: I just read some of the other comments. We're talking "writers" here - I've been working at this level for months and only slightly less volume for a year before that. If you want to write for a living or for substantial income...this is one way it's done. It's not always easy - and it isn't cheap.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick Britton
    I have seen the quality of your work Philip and if you are going to find this tough it will be near impossible for most mortals. Took me a month to write 15 x 500 articles on my own niche in which I have 25 years experience so 25 x 1000 in a strange niche? Wow tough

    best of luck if you take it on and it will be an impressive success if you manage it. I would be brainstorming the sub-categories for title suggestions to see how many angles you can come up with.
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  • Profile picture of the author jimmyn
    Try related communities forums to get ideas about topics. For each topic look there are often two or more sides so write about each side.

    If it's really narrow write about the same thing from different points of view - 1st, 2nd, 3rd person etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    I would read what's currently in the news and try to use tie-ins.

    Is your target audience always the same? If not, you could do "Financial advice for those in their 20s" "How to Save for Your Children's College", "How to Plan for Retirement When You're Already Fifty" etc. In other words, a series of articles for each age group or situation. "How Single Mom's Can Fund College for Their Children". I know those aren't the topics you'll be using, they're just example of using different ideas based on the reader.

    To come up with the 25 articles I would work in blocks of five. I would find a topic that's broad enough for five articles. Then I'd think of the titles. As I did the research I would post appropriate quotes or statistics under each title. That way I wouldn't have to research for each article one at a time.

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    It is a slow week if I'm not writing at least that much a week... here are some things I do...

    1. Find niche forums and search for questions or hot topics.
    2. Check news sites for any popular news in the niche.
    3. Check popular niche blogs and see what they are talking about.
    4. If all else fails, ask the client if they have any suggestions.

    When writing articles, don't be afraid to take a topic and expand on it. Really dig into a topic to get all of the information you can so your articles will be more focused on one idea. I would tend to write a general article, such as a top 10 tips list, and then follow up with articles focusing on each of the tips.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Rose - I go backward with titles. Can never think of a good one until I'm done with the article. I think that's because I start writing with a general scheme in mind and I'm never quite sure where the article will go...but it always heads out in a direction and develops from there.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Rose - I go backward with titles. Can never think of a good one until I'm done with the article. I think that's because I start writing with a general scheme in mind and I'm never quite sure where the article will go...but it always heads out in a direction and develops from there.

        kay
        I don't think I have a solid "technique" for this one. Sometimes a catchy title comes to mind right at the get and I fashion my article/report to the title - other times I have to devise a thesis sentence to start with and sometimes a whole thesis paragraph. But I usually know what direction the yellow brick road is pointing me down before I start writing.

        I do have a technique for writing daily though -- I do my writing during the day early enough that I won't get tired and woosey while writing - in the afternoon I take an exercise break and take the dog hiking to get my blood flowing and think a bit. I get too restless to get anything done if I don't get outside for awhile every day. Then at the end of the day when my head is starting to call it quits on me, I do my research for the next day's work. I've got a pretty extensive library at home for the subjects that I write on frequently so don't have to go to a library too often - I hate libraries. I only go when I have to.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    Kay,
    I often change the title when I'm done. I come up with a better one or the article goes a different direction. But I sometimes find it helpful when I'm doing a lot of articles to have "working titles" as I do research.

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    I had a client who wanted something very similar (albeit in a different niche). The first thing I did was take an hour or so to learn about the topic - what the current issues/hot topics were, what the basics were, and what most people were looking for in the niche. Once I became more of an expert on the subject itself, it helped me brainstorm ideas.

    It may seem like alot right now, but once you start reading (I would start with some authoritative blogs and go from there), it won't be as insurmountable as it seems As you read, you'll think of more and more ideas, so have a piece of paper handy to jot them all down!
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  • Profile picture of the author The Simpleton
    25 X 1000 articles per month is actually quite a moderate target, even considering the fact that the niche might be sophisticated and somewhat alien! Each writer has his/her own style and speed of writing, but 25 articles in a month is an easy target to meet, without compromising on the quality.

    To come up with the 25 articles I would work in blocks of five. I would find a topic that's broad enough for five articles. Then I'd think of the titles. As I did the research I would post appropriate quotes or statistics under each title. That way I wouldn't have to research for each article one at a time.
    This is an excellent piece of advice and works great. Instead of planning for a single article, it would be much better if you finished the research+planning phases before you set out to write the first article. Once you've jotted down your ideas about all the articles (I like to write all my ideas in a separate text file before starting work), then it is only a matter of time before you finish your project Not having to wonder about what to write is very beneficial once you once you start writing. So it would definitely be a good idea to have all the 25 ideas ready before you actually start writing!
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  • Profile picture of the author Duckyshucky
    You don't have to spin a thing. Like you've mentioned, a lot of the times the stuff some spinners produce is not readable, so maybe you should consider outsourcing instead. It's less than an article per month, so it's quite doable. Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
    Use the Google Adwords keyword tool to do a search for keywords related to the niche. You'll probably find keywords you can use to create topics you hadn't thought of.

    Originally Posted by PhilipT View Post

    I have been asked by a potential client to write 25 1,000 word articles per month in a very specialised niche in the financial services sector.

    I have written multiple articles before but never on this scale.

    I would appreciate some advice on any techniques I can use to say something fresh every time.

    I should say that I don't believe in using article spinners, having seen the garbage so often produced by them.

    Any advice wold be most welcome.

    Thanks

    Philip
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by PhilipT View Post

    I have been asked by a potential client to write 25 1,000 word articles per month in a very specialised niche in the financial services sector.

    I have written multiple articles before but never on this scale.

    I would appreciate some advice on any techniques I can use to say something fresh every time.

    I should say that I don't believe in using article spinners, having seen the garbage so often produced by them.

    Any advice wold be most welcome.

    Thanks

    Philip

    It reminds me of the log-chopping contest between 2 champions.

    The first went hammer and tongs at it - while the other spent
    almost 45 minutes sharpening his axe.

    He won.

    For myself, I find it easy and fast to churn out 4,000 to
    5,000 words at a sitting after I've thoroughly researched a
    topic. The research phase may last a day or two, typically,
    and involve reading blogs, articles, reports, white papers,
    and even ebooks or print books on the subject to get myself
    familiar with the broad picture and jot down ideas to cover
    in the writing.

    Then I sit down and hammer out the articles in a dash -
    usually in a few hours.

    Having very little time available on any given day to get
    this done is an extra incentive!

    Some great advise here in the thread. Hope this helps,
    Philip.

    All success
    Dr.Mani

    P.S. - Outsourcing is indeed attractive, if it's an option.
    You can then edit/modify the drafts to fit your style.
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  • Profile picture of the author AmandaT
    Oh, another thing I use for ideas is the EZA title suggestion tool! It has come up with a lot of good ideas for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick Britton
    Originally Posted by Rick Mollema View Post

    Most ideas I am currently using have been mentioned here, but I would like to add one more idea.

    I have been using Yahoo! Answers a lot to find new ideas for my articles. On most subjects, new questions and answers are posted every day. Building your content around a question-answer is a great way to create some (extra) articles.
    this is great

    and if you use Google Alerts you can get notified every time someone inputs those questions
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  • Profile picture of the author grandstar
    I can see maany of you here have engish has your primary language. This thread will prove useful when. I want to outsource article writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author wordydiva
    I completely forgot about the EZA title suggestion tool so I am glad I started reading this thread.

    When dealing with a subject I am not familiar with I spend at least an hour researching. I write down what I find in one of my trusty notebooks, and also outline my articles before I start typing. This helps me avoid wasting time staring at the computer screen wondering what I should write.

    Also, I usually work backwards with titles. If I have a title in mind I go with it, but if I can't think of one I move on and worry about it later. I have to write a certain number of articles each hour to meet my goal for the day so I cannot afford to spend too much time blinking at the computer trying to puzzle out an article title before I start writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author robyna
    I like to use article templates. You can Google this but they are basically an outline, not of a specific article but a structure you use to build your article. You can have multiple templates for different types of articles. They really can really increase your productivity greatly.

    I've been debating on writing an ebook on this very subject because I don't think many writers know how awesome they are. You can set one up for say, a review, a pros and cons article, a general article where you just discuss a topic, etc. Then just work down your outline as you write the article.Huge, huge help!
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    I'm not sure how I found this article. It may well have been a link here at the forum. I have found it to be very useful for generating ideas. I'm not sure how much help it will be if your topic is really stuffy but it may suggest a few directions you can go:

    30 ways to slant an article
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    • Profile picture of the author jgant
      Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

      I'm not sure how I found this article. It may well have been a link here at the forum. I have found it to be very useful for generating ideas. I'm not sure how much help it will be if your topic is really stuffy but it may suggest a few directions you can go:

      30 ways to slant an article
      This was super helpful along with so many other suggestions.

      I work in cycles and for a while I was publishing at least that much and I always started a large batch of articles with keyword research. I've discovered loads of topic ideas simply from keyword research.

      Of course, each niche only has so many keywords, so then it's implementing many of the other suggestions.
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