Rewriting – love it or hate it, it’s part of the job of many web content writers. A typical situation is that a client asks you to write a series of articles for a particular purpose, such as to publish them on a website. At the same time, the client asks you to rewrite those same articles so that they can be used for article marketing to drive traffic to the site.
Today, I’m answering a freelance writing question that one of the writers on my writing team didn’t quite get around to asking. The situation was that I had written some articles for a client based on original research. The client needed rewrites which I didn’t have time to do, so I asked a writer to do them. When they came back, some of the articles were so different that they were practically new articles, and that wasn’t what the client was looking for. I realised then that it can be difficult for writers to know what clients want when they ask for rewrites.
Here are some of the types of rewrites I’ve been asked to do in the past:
- Rewrites where the titles and subheads are based on the same keywords, but are different, and where the first and last paragraph and one of the middle paragraphs is different.
- Rewrites where each individual sentence must be rewritten so it means the same thing but says it in different words, but using the same keywords.
- Rewrites where you put the same information in the same order as the original.
- Rewrites where you put the same information in a different order from the original.
- Rewrites where you have to change sentences AND substitute keywords.
It’s no wonder that people get confused. As usual, the thing to do before you start is to clarify the brief, so that you can deliver what the client wants first time. Rewrites rarely pay well and if you have to make revisions, then you generally end up out of pocket. And watch out for No 5. I did this once, and went back to the client and argued for a rate increase, because I was effectively writing brand new articles.
Although I wouldn’t want to spend all day doing rewrites, doing simple rewrites (such as No 3) can be a great way to boost your income if you have done the original research and are a fast writer. It’s not creative, but it can help to pay the bills.
There’s one final point about rewrites. Some clients think nothing of asking writers to rewrite other people’s content for their sites. All I’m going to say is that using several sources is research; stealing from a single source is plagiarism. Nuff said!
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I’ve had so many different kinds of rewrites for clients. It helps to understand the purpose behind them. Line by line rewrites, for example, often indicate that they plan on using article spinner software. So, when asked to do a rewrite, I need to clarify what it is for so it will help me do the right thing.
Very useful article. I often have to ask for clarification about rewrites when approached for them and your post here is very helpful. I recently was pointed to a tool called Dupecop.com where you can compare your rewrite against the original which is a very helpful tool.
Cheers,
Dana
@ Katherine: Yes, it makes sense to find out how clients plan to use the articles before starting. It can save lots of rewrites of the rewrites.
@ Dana: Thanks for the heads-up about the tool. I was looking for something similar the other day.
These differentiations are interesting Sharon. It’s so easy to make assumptions when someeone says “rewrite”.
It’s amazing how many different things are meant by that simple word. Assumptions usually end up eating into my time, so I try always to ask in advance, Yvonne.
I’ve held quite a few workshops on ‘how to do a rewrite’ I made a lot of writers confused at the concept of saying the same thing in a different vernacular. I’m not sure why.
This is a popular topic for any writer…and one we all need to get a handle on…Thanks for the great information!
It’s amazing how many versions there are, Toni.
I had to Google to find this article today so I can explain to a client the different types of rewrites there are so she can articulate what she wants to me.
Had to comment to tell you what a useful post this was.
Thanks, Dana. I might actually use this in the future with clients to help determine their needs.
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