In the latest installment of our Writer’s Spotlight series, we go back and forth with Andrew Sanders, one of the most successful (and active) writers in the nDash platform. To date, Andrew has written highly technical content for some of the world’s leading security, cloud and telecommunications brands. Learn more about him below or hire him on the nDash platform.
nDash: If you could only write about one topic for the rest of your freelancing life, what would it be? And why?
Andrew Sanders: I’ve always been fascinated by information security, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Throughout the last year, these topics have come into importance like never before. Writing and learning about these fields is an object of continual fascination, and I’d be delighted to keep writing about them for as long as they’re relevant.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part about being a freelance writer? The most challenging?
A: The reward and the challenge for me are two sides of the same coin. I’m often asked to write about subjects that are off to the side of my expertise. Learning about these topics, learning what makes them interesting, and then writing about them is difficult—but in the end, I gain new knowledge that helps me grow not just as a writer but as an individual.
Q: What do your most successful clients all have in common?
A: Detailed feedback, I think, is a must. In the early stages of an engagement with any writing, use the redline function in Word early and often. Once you’ve gained confidence in your writer’s abilities, use them as often as you can. It’s a truism, but there’s no substitute for both quantity AND quality.
Q: What made you decide to become a freelance writer?
A: I came to a point in my life where I had specific knowledge in a given field, plus the ability to write well. For a freelancer, this is the best possible starting point—you can pinpoint the marketplace of individuals who need your skillset and begin marketing to them right away. From there, you can use your written portfolio to begin to appeal to a wider audience.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake you see brands making with their content?
A: I’ve seen people put out great content on their sites but support it only anemically via social media. Content is only great if other people read it, folks. On that note, you should also be trying to publish more than two blogs a month. Lastly, spamming content with too many keywords is irritating both to read and to write.
Q: What marketing trends should brands be keeping an eye on in 2017?
A: Content Marketing, as always, should be a critical factor for marketing managers 😉
Rapid Fire:
- Favorite marketing buzzword? Gamification.
- Watched any terrible movies lately? Fantastic Beasts was, unfortunately, trash.
- The world record you are most likely to break is ____? Puns per minute.
- Are you cool with the Oxford comma? I’d marry it.
- What is a reasonable punishment for people who double-space after a sentence? Thumbscrews.
To work with Andrew Sanders, you can hire him on nDash! Sign up now!
