As a blogger, writing is your passion. You have a way with words and can easily come up with a page of well-constructed, engaging content on a subject of your choice. But sometimes in your blogging career, you are tasked with writing an article on something you know absolutely nothing about.
Maybe you are writing a guest blog for an unfamiliar website, or have been given a freelance assignment on a topic that is way outside your wheelhouse. You need to be able to write about this subject with authority and interest, which can be difficult if you have no experience in it. But a key strength of any professional writer should be the ability to craft content on any subject in the world, regardless of your personal investment in it. Many of the most successful bloggers are easily able to dart from topic to topic, perhaps writing a whitepaper on investment banking one minute, and then a guide to the benefits of CBD oil the next.
And the good news is, this is an easy skill to pick up. In order to write confidently about an unfamiliar subject, you just need to adopt a few handy tips and tricks. Here are four pieces of advice to get you sounding like an expert in no time!
Do your research
As soon as you’re presented with this difficult task, the best thing you can do is to immerse yourself in the subject. Don’t just start writing and look up facts as you go or it will become abundantly clear that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Actively try to become an expert in the topic before you begin. Read blogs and articles about it, watch explainer videos on YouTube, and read books by industry leaders in your spare time. Eventually, you will get a grip on the matter and be able to write about it from a position of knowledge.
Speak to an expert
A sign of expertise in any area is the ability to explain it to a layperson. Talking to someone with advanced knowledge of the topic in question will help you to quickly get your head round it. Make use of your connections to see if you know anyone that works in this field, or post a query in a relevant online forum or group. Eventually you’ll find someone who knows their stuff and is willing to help you with your article.
Don’t rewrite content
Perhaps you’ve found a similar article online that serves as a source of information for your upcoming piece. It’s good to use this content but absolutely do not rewrite it. You should be writing in your own style and voice, and simply repurposing an existing article will be obvious.
Fact check everything
When you are writing about an unfamiliar topic, you are more likely to make mistakes. That’s why it’s so important you thoroughly fact check and proofread every single thing you put on paper. This will ensure a high quality of work and ensure the client is happy when you submit the finished piece.
