How to Fastforward Your Freelancing Success by Going Beyond the Basics of Content Writing

If you’ve been honing your writing skills for any length of time, especially as a professional, you’re likely aware that success hinges on your ability to read and comprehend effectively.

Today, I want to highlight a crucial factor that may be hindering your journey as a freelance writer.

The concept I’m about to share has a significant impact on your writing performance.

Here’s why it matters:

To create exceptional writing, you must draw from three key sources:

1. Your personal experiences
2. The experiences of others
3. Thorough research

Often, you may find that you rely on research more than you realize.

Given this, it's important to dive deep into a wide array of materials within a condensed timeframe, allowing you to form your insights and conclusions.

If your reading for research purposes is lacking a structure, your content will likely reflect that mediocrity, too.

I’m here to guide you on how to

• Read strategically,
• Analyze critically,
• Deduce effectively, and
• Question thoughtfully

So that you can produce original content that resonates with both you and your clients, you need to read with intent in a short amount of time.

Once you grasp this technique, your writing will naturally come to life, and your audience will engage with your content and find value in it.

What is more? You will produce top notch content in less amount of time.

Now that we have a bit of level ground on this, let's get you upgraded to reading the right way to write content you will be proud of.

How to Unlock the Full Potential of Efficient Reading with Advanced THIEVES

Whether you're a writer seeking to extract valuable insights for your content, an entrepreneur looking to stay ahead of your industry trends, or a digital marketer aiming for data-driven strategies, Advanced THIEVES is what you need.

Therefore, I will start with the foundation.

The Foundation: Revisiting THIEVES

Before we dive into the advanced techniques, let's revisit the THIEVES reading method briefly. THIEVES stands for

• Title,
• Headings,
• Introduction/Conclusion,
• Every First Sentence,
• Visuals/Graphics,
• End-of-Chapter Material, and
• Summary/Conclusion.

It's a systematic approach that helps you dissect written content efficiently.

Going Beyond the Basics of Reading

T: Title Mastery

When your research takes you to a source, start from the beginning. Look at the tittle. It is the first letter in our THIEVES technique.

At this stage, you should analyze the title for relevance:

• How does the title relate to what you are looking for?
• What route is the source leading you to?
• Who is this tittle for?
• What is the author trying to prove with this tittle?

You will also have to look hidden clues.

Learn to decode titles to anticipate the author's perspective, tone, and objectives. Failure to do this will lead to wasted time and effort.

Imagine digesting a 35-minute read only to find out that it doesn't relate to what you want.

So, spend some time to understand that titles can sometimes be misleading and gain the skills to discern true content intent.

We move to the next letter in the THIEVES technique: H

H: hyper-focused on headings

After you are satisfied with the tittle, you should be looking next to what, and where the headings are.

A lack of heading is a bad sign, and you might just be in for a surprise.

Once you spot the headings, they become your treasure maps.

So, we'll explore techniques to read headings strategically, enabling you to grasp a document's structure and the author's main arguments in seconds.

No more reading entire sections; focus on what matters most; the headings.

If you are looking for particular points or insights on certain things, the headings are what will lead you to them.

But here is how I use headings to my advantage when reading (I have this in mind when writing too):

• Skim the Headings: I quickly scan all headings to get a sense of the overall structure and flow of any document.
• Identify Hierarchical Levels: I pay special attention to different heading levels (e.g., H1, H2, H3). Higher-level headings usually indicate major sections, while lower-level headings break down those sections further.

Look for Keywords:

Usually, you came to a content through a keyword.

So, don't be satisfied until you see those keywords or its synonyms in action.

Focus on keywords within the headings that highlight the main topics and themes. This will help you anticipate the content.

Analyze Patterns in every piece you read:

Every content has a pattern, even the one you are reading now.

Notice patterns in how headings are structured.

Consistent formats can reveal the author’s approach and organization of ideas.

You don't want to just read and move on; you should connect one thing with the other.

Make Connections:

Relate headings to your prior knowledge or related topics.

You will notice how each heading naturally leads to the next. This context can enhance your comprehension and retention.

Summarize Headings:

After skimming, mentally summarize what each heading represents. This technique helps reinforce the main ideas.

Prioritize Relevance:

Determine which headings align with your specific interests or research needs and pay attention to those.

You practically cannot read everything on a page no matter how interesting it is.

So, it is important to focus your reading effectively.

Use Visual Cues:

Take note of any formatting differences (bold, italics, etc.) in headings.

We writers and authors use these formatting styles to call attention to what is important. So, you don't want to miss those highlights.

These can indicate important concepts or themes. An easy visual to help you is mentioned below.

Check for Lists or Bullet Points:

Headings followed by lists or bullet points is my favorite. It often highlights key arguments or essential information, that makes it easier to extract important details.

Any content that is more than 5 minutes read will perform better if it has these elements spread around the content.

Review the Table of Contents:

Table of content? Sure, so much information can be found on the table of content.

If you are a website owner like me, you should use Easy table of content for WordPress. The free version gives you almost everything you need and clean customizations too. In fact, it gets the job done.

Of course, it is not every piece you read or write that will have the luxury of TOC, but if available, use the table of contents as a roadmap to navigate the document, helping you quickly locate relevant sections.

I have clicked the back button more than I could recall, simply by looking at the table of content.

And I have read through content I otherwise would not have read only because of what I saw on the table of content.

In-depth Introduction and Conclusion Analysis

This should have come first on our technique, but here is equally a good place to talk about it.

Most authors and writers give you almost everything you hope to get on the introduction of their content.

One time, I implemented what I call the 60 second introduction on a client's website, and it performed well and still does.

The concept is about writing a brief overview of what the article or post is all about in one clean paragraph that the reader can digest in sixty seconds or less.

With the introduction on any piece you read, your objective will be to discover and identify:

• the author's overarching message,
• controversial points, and
• key takeaways right from the introduction.

Discern if the introduction is setting up a debate or a narrative and how conclusions wrap up complex ideas.

Having come this far, I should tell you about the letter E.

E: Elevating Every First Sentence Approach

In this phase, we take "Every First Sentence" to new heights.

Professionals and those who know their writing craft use what we call topical sentence. That is, the first sentence serves as a mini topic. It tells you what the paragraph is about.

You job as a reading writer is to develop an eye for spotting the author's use of rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques in these critical openings.

This skill will help you understand an author's style and intentions better than 99% others. And when you write, you will write better than 99.99% others too.

V: Visual Vigilance

This part is different from the previously discussed "visual cues"

This is more about any rich media you may encounter while researching.

I am talking about:

• Infographics,
• Charts,
• Diagrams critically.
• Symbols

When you understand that visuals can sometimes convey hidden narratives you will gain a competitive edge in data-driven decision-making.

Many writers overlook this part when researching, but by doing so, they miss some nuances of information that could have made their lives easier.

Exploring End-of-Chapter Material

I have a 5-point checklist that I look forward to every time I complete reading anything for research purposes. And I will share them below with you.

1. Summarize Key Points: After reading the chapter, take a moment to summarize the main points highlighted in the end-of-chapter section. Look for bullet points or lists that condense the core ideas, making it easier to recall important information.
2. Identify Actionable Insights: Most writers will give you their recommendations at the end of every piece they write. Focus on any recommendations or action steps provided by the author. These insights are often designed to help you apply the concepts discussed in the chapter to real-life situations or further research.
3. Reflect on Conclusions: Pay attention to the author's concluding thoughts. This will allow you to grasp the author's intent.
4. Cross-Reference with Main Content: Connect the end-of-chapter material with the main body of the text. Review how the conclusions tie back to earlier discussions and make your conclusion on the subject.
5. Take Notes: As you read the end-of-chapter material, jot down notes or highlights. This active engagement helps reinforce the information and provides a quick reference.

S: Summary and Conclusion Analysis

If you are not careful, you may mistake the Summary and Conclusion with the end of chapter material.

But here is the difference:

End of chapter material is written by the author, while the summary and conclusion are done by you.

Having done everything you wanted and that we have discussed here, you are left with a decision to make.

• What will you do with the information you just digested?
• Do you even agree with the information presented by the author?
• What areas do you hold exceptions?
• How will you present the information to reflect your thoughts and position on the subject?
• What recommendations will you make based on what you just read?
• How does the information you read affect or align with the rest of what you know and probably don't know?

So, those are what you have to cover in the final part of our technique: Summary and conclusions.

Next Steps

Congratulations!

You're well on your way to becoming an Advanced THIEVES practitioner, equipped to dissect complex texts swiftly and efficiently.

Before I come your way again next week, please tell me what you think in the comment section. If you are not subscribed to my elite writing and freelancing tips, its because you probably don't know what you are missing.

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