If you’re like many Canadians, you may be wondering how to make the most of your Wi-Fi connection. If you’ve got a knack for the written word, there can be plenty of opportunities out there for you, and one of the foundations of an outstanding article is putting in the work and doing your research before you get started.
Why research matters
While research may not always be all that exciting, it is a vital step in preparing a written piece that engages the reader. The end result will be an article that is informative and trustworthy, making your readers eager to read your next work. Successful writers even report they often find they spend more time researching than they actually do writing.
Before you start
One piece of advice that may save you a lot of time and effort is to take some time to think about your target audience and why you are writing to them. What information do you think they’ll be most interested in, and what do they already know? Are they newbies, subject matter experts or somewhere in between? This will also be an important consideration when actually constructing your piece.
It’s also smart to spend some time considering the purpose of your written piece. Is it to increase traffic to a site, provide helpful information or to showcase your own expertise? The answer to this will direct both your research and how you construct an article, blog post or other item.
Go virtual
As an online writer, it makes a lot of sense that your first stop when it comes to doing research will likely be the online world. According to Forbes, there are an estimated 1.13 billion websites, which means that you should be able to find the information you’re looking for, no matter what the topic may be. Google and other search engines tend to work best for researchers when they use search strings that look for articles, surveys or case studies related to the topic at hand. It’s also a wise move to limit the results to the past year, as this will ensure your details are up to date.
Get your ideas flowing
If you’re trying to find a hot topic to write about, social media may be a good place to start. You can find out what is trending, and sites like Quora can also be a prolific source for ideas.
Create a go-to library of information
If you tend to write about a particular topic, it can make a lot of sense to create a small resource/information library you can turn to, adding new and interesting tidbits as you find them. For example, if you craft pieces about gardening, you can collect any tips and tricks you come across, even if it’s just an idea on social media. This way, you will have a wealth of ideas you can call on when you need them.
Research studies? Yes please!
Another research tool that will be at your disposal is Google Scholar, which can be a good resource for anyone interested in using scholarly journals or research studies. These allow you to include verifiable facts that back up your words.
Turn to the real world
While the virtual world can be a great first line when it comes to doing research, there are plenty of other methods as well. One option is to personally interview industry insiders and other subject matter experts, using any quotes from them you feel are appropriate to add additional depth to an article.
This can also be helpful when used online, as you can include a unique quote that links back to the source’s website. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and Help a B2B writer are just two examples of what’s out there for this.
Go back to books
As stated above, there’s more than a billion websites you can turn to for information, but even so, there may still be a place for hard copy research materials. These can be helpful in providing historical context, and you may even be able to find information that can be applied to today’s world.
In some cases, the facts you come across may never have been converted to a digital format, and it can be exciting for your readers to come across.
Nifty newsletters
An insider’s hack if you wrote about a specific sector is to subscribe to industry newsletters. These often offer access to press releases and stories that may not be accessed by the general public, and you can even set up a special “newsletter” tab in your inbox so they don’t clog up your regular email.
Pick examples that pack a punch
Using examples in your writing may make your pieces even more powerful, but be wary of using any that have been overused. For example, if you’re discussing equipment used or a particular hobby, don’t be afraid to go outside the box and include lesser-known examples.
Survey says!
When doing research into a topic, one of the tools you can use is an online survey. Social media such as Twitter polls can help, and don’t forget about the platforms like SurveyMonkey that help you build a survey or questionnaire on the topic of your choice.
Fill the gaps
As you do your research, it may really pay off if you take some time to review what you have so far and look for any holes that need to be filled. Consider your article’s purpose and target audience. Do you feel your work will offer readers value and answer their questions? In their shoes, what more would you want to know?
Take note(s)
If you use videos as part of your research, keep a pen and notebook handy so that you can jot down any points you find especially relevant. Doing so by hand will help you remember them and think about how you can best use them, and this may be a real timesaver later on.
Consider your sources
One important caveat you should always keep in mind is that it’s important to make sure the sources you use are reliable. While sites like Wikipedia may be good starting points and offer include helpful links, it’s good practice to verify any facts you use – don’t just take them at face value.
Peruse the competition
While this may sound like an odd piece of advice, it can be a valuable step. Reading what competitors have written about a topic may help you to find any missing pieces from your own work. At the same time, you will be able to find out what details they have missed so you can fill the gap.
Spend some time considering SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps a website rank highly in Google or other search engine results. This starts with crafting title text that is an accurate description of a site’s content and includes using informative meta tags and other tools.
This also carries over to keyword selection. Choose relevant keywords that are trending if you can, and make use of SEMRush, Ubersuggest and Ahrefs, all of which can be helpful for this.
Add audio and visual elements
When conducting your pre-writing research, try and look for some engaging audio or visual elements you want to include. These can add some extra “wow” to your piece, helping them rate higher in the search engine rankings.
A pitfall to avoid
When conducting your research, you want to make sure your sources are authoritative and not simply popular. Just because a site gets a lot of traffic and shows up at the top of the list in search results, that doesn’t make it an authority, so it makes sense to verify any facts or information you find.
Guard against bias
If you’ve ever read the news, you’ve come across op-ed articles. These tend to give opinions and not facts, and may be biased. This may be found in other sites as well, so be on the lookout. It’s important to build a sense of trust between you and your target audience, and sticking to verifiable facts will help you to do so.
Keeping it fresh
Your blog posts or other online content may stay up for a long time. From time to time, schedule reviews of what you have posted. See if they need to be updated with new details that will keep them relevant, as this may give them a new lease of life from an SEO or readability perspective.
Why does all this matter?
With so much out there in the online world, it can be hard to stand apart from the crowd. Ensuring that your articles or posts are well researched, filled with facts, offer engaging content and are reliable can help you to create an audience that trusts your work and comes back to your site again and again.
At Words of Worth, we help our writers to develop this skill while they earn money writing from home. Submit your application to join our team today.