Writing articles as a freelancer can be an excellent way to make a little extra income, develop or nurture a hidden writing talent or learn about different topics. Many writers spend much of their day writing memos, reports, analysis or responding to emails from friends and colleagues. As a freelance writer you use your everyday skills to create articles that meet an exceptional standard and are ready for publication.

If you are struggling with a low acceptance rate for your article submissions and want to improve your writing, there are some basic things you should keep in mind. These tips will provide you with a way to become a better writer, and gain confidence in knowing that your acceptance rate will improve and more of your articles will be accepted when submitted the first time.

Tip #1: Plan Your Writing  
The first step in improving your article writing and increasing your acceptance rate is taking some time to plan what it is you are going to write. Many times you will be presented with topics that you are familiar with and can write with ease, but more often than not the bulk of the articles you write will consist of subjects that are not known to you. Taking a few moments to look at the article’s title and any instructions for the article will help you with planning. They can be found at the top of the page after you have clicked on the article title on the dashboard.

Stye Guide

Organize your approach around creating an engaging opening line, introduce the topic, supplement the introduction with relevant information and bring your point home with an impactful closing.

Tip #2: Do Proper Research  
Research is imperative to your credibility when writing an article. You want to look at different sources in order to gain knowledge and insight about the topic you are writing. Let’s say for example that you are writing about juvenile crime in America. Using the Google search engine, you will come up with information on “Juvenile Arrest Rates,” “Juvenile Delinquency,” and “Juvenile Justice.” Although these are good places to start, you want to look at the search results to see which ones are credible sources. The sources that will provide you with the best information are those from government sources (.gov), research and advocacy organizations (.org), or are academic in nature (.edu), as well as from reputable news outlets like the New York Times or Washington Post.

Tip #3: Stay On Topic  
It’s easy to stray from your topic when writing, especially one that you may not have as much intimate knowledge about. If you followed the advice in Tip #1 and planned out what you are going to write, staying on topic should not be difficult. It can be very useful (and in some cases necessary) to create an outline of your topic. This will give you framework from which to work within and keep you focused as you write.

Tip #4: Read it Before You Send It  
You have just created an article that you worked hard on and feel ready to submit. Remember to complete this final step before your upload and submit you work: check your work. Read what you have written (out loud or in your head) and check the spelling, grammar and word usage. Did you mean “their” or “there”? Is it an idea or ideal situation you are describing? Proofreading your article for correctness and making sure the right (or is it write?) words are in the right place will also cut down on you revision requests and improve your writing competency.

Writing is a fun way to be creative and earn a living. Be serious, methodical and purposeful in your writing and you will find that it will be an effective way to increase your acceptance rate.