Modern writing often goes on the internet first, and isn’t just on the tactile, tangible page anymore. When writing becomes online content, the pitch is also about the characteristics of website reading – and not just about landing a good idea. Here’s how to pitch and write content for online markets.

Working On Content

Shared work platforms (like Slack and Google Docs) are popular for writing today’s content, where editors might add thoughts into a shareable document to send back. Latest versions of MS Word allow for direct document sharing, too.

Comments and Track Changes are tools in these programs, and expect them to become your friend. Remember to remove these, however, before the final version gets sent off.

When sharing documents, make sure you share the individual document only, not the folder it might be in. Test first: click share links yourself before sending.

Content Has Keywords & Links

Content is indexed by search engines, and then ranked for users. Keywords, readability, and links influence how content will score with search engine bots. Basic SEO knowledge helps.

Include relevant keywords (say ‘plumbing’ for an article about the topic, but don’t overuse it 45 times). Add links to reputable websites, like the New York Times rather than the Tiny Town Daily Mail.

Keep readability scores above 65 to 75 percent or content loses ranking. Readability can be measured with online tools like WorldCalc, or MS Word’s built-in checker (under ‘File’ > ‘Options’ > ‘Proofing’).

When posted online, content needs tags and categories. Webmasters do this, but writers can sometimes make suggestions. Suggestions are best left in as direct comments, or added at the start of a document (e.g. ‘Tags: writing, writing life’).

Multimedia in Content

Content has multimedia options, too. Images, videos, and flash or Javascript web-applications are common.

House style of the publication you are pitching says when you can (or can’t) do this. Goes without saying that the multimedia must be keenly relevant to the post. Arrange with an editor in the early stages if your post has multimedia  to include.

Shareable document viewers like Scribd and PressReader can embed PDFs or documents into an article. YouTube (and most other social websites) has special HTML Embedding Links, which can be pasted into a document or textbox for use.

Images are best sourced from royalty-free websites: Pexels and Pixabay are two suggestions. Cite the source if you use them.

Pitching Content

There are good articles, then there are good articles that work well for the website, too. Good ideas which can snare shares and engagement is more likely to land acceptance. For example, if the website is an Amazon affiliate, they can benefit from Amazon links relevant to the article.

There are also, sometimes, trends in the content pitch. Specific holidays or news events are worth more at the right time of year. Find what’s big this year, by looking into hashtags and high-ranked content.

Use Google Trends to see what people search. News like Associated Press tells you which news is syndicating worldwide. Social sites like TikTok have pages for what’s trending today – or this year so far.

Readability and Content

Modern writing can be boiled down to statistics, which websites like Copyscape and Grammarly can do. Word overuse, sentence structure, and originality can be given as percentages – and if writers don’t check their work first, editors will. Best to take as much off an editor as possible and provide clean work at the outset.

Readability is also measurable: some editors swear by a readability score of higher than 75%. Short, concise writing improves this score.

Higher readability can make automatic translation of content easier, too, which also increases readership.

Content Can Get Stolen

Internet-posted content can run, sometimes copied-and-pasted from one journalist to the next.

I’ve had this happen personally, from a large publication. They republished a shortened article of mine without the correct attribution, and removed it from their blog when an investigation was launched by their editors.

Using plagiarism checkers like Copyscape can help you to identify when your writing pops up somewhere else.

Most editors don’t realize it when this happens. A simple, friendly e-mail to the webmaster or editor can be enough.

Seek legal advice if this wasn’t enough. Websites like Rocketlawyer and LegalZoom connect users to online legal professionals. Be covered by at least one legal insurance plan for business.

You can also proceed with a formal request, or a DCMA takedown request that has something removed from search results or domains.

Content Engages (With Comments)

Another unique advantage of online content is engagement with readers. Respond to people who take the time to comment, and engage them. They took the time to reach out, and engagement counts as a plus in the eyes of SEO.

About the Author:

Alex J. Coyne is a gonzo journalist, writer, and proofreader.. His features have been published in markets like Caribbean Compass, People Magazine, Writers Write, and others.