Content Ray is a content writing agency that delivers ready-to-use content ranging from blog posts to press releases to sales letters and more. It offers high quality content at unmatched prices. Sabih Javed is a co-founder and marketing manager with the company.
1. How did Content Ray first get started?
We (me and Giuseppe Lo Giudice) started Content Ray in November 2015 and finally decided to register it as a business entity in January 2016.
It all started when I was working with Giuseppe on one of his blogs. Due to overwork, we decided to outsource blog post writing and publishing. As we were looking for blog writing services that would help us with getting some blog posts done, we found that most of the content writing services weren't cheap. The ones that were affordable returned content that was not acceptable.
Another major issue that we faced was lack of ordering content instantly, as most of the companies didn't have any online store (or shop).
It was then when we decided to launch our own blog and content writing company that would be cost-effective and allow customers to purchase content instantly from an online shop.
2. What types of content writing services do you offer?
We currently offer six different types of writing services at this moment:
1. Blog writing services 2. Optimized articles
3. Ebook writing service
4. Copywriting
5. Press release writing service
6. Website content
We plan to introduce a few other writing services in the future which include a guest posting service, weekly blog post package, and press release distribution.
3. Would you tell us more about your eBook writing services? Do you write both fiction and nonfiction?
We write both fiction and nonfiction eBooks.
As soon as we receive an order for eBook writing, we assign it to the most suitable writer. We hire a writer or choose one from one of the permanent writers we have on our team. We have five permanent writers on our team, so if a writer from our team has the right experience and skills to take the project, we assign it to him/her. Otherwise we hire a specialist writer and get the eBook written.
4. How do you balance keeping your prices affordable while also supplying good quality writing?
We have kept administrative cost to a minimum because we haven;t overstaffed. We have just seven permanent team members, and this helps us reduce costs significantly.
We have 50 freelance writers associated with our company who are ready to serve our content writing needs. We contact them on an as-needed basis, so you see we are not paying them any salary. This is one major variable that has kept our cost significantly low as compared to our competitors.
We have four different writing plans: Basic, Standard, Premium, and Premium Plus. The quality and thus the price of the written content varies. For instance, junior writers having experience of less than one year write content for Basic plan orders. This bifurcation lets us control the cost.
5. Is there anything else you'd like readers of this blog to know about Content Ray?
Content Ray is not one of those traditional content writing agencies that will deliver poorly written content; instead, it is a registered business that delivers top-notch content to its customers. We offer unlimited free revisions to make sure you get what you actually like.
Content Ray is your business's best friend.
Sometimes when I'm online, I just like to browse a website with a collection of interesting articles and videos. This is exactly the kind of site that Knowledge Exchange has set out to be.
You can find articles on a variety of topics, and the two main things that I like about this site are that the articles are clearly categorized under useful descriptive subheadings, and the content on the site is updated every day. I always like a site that promises new content each day--it makes it worthwhile to visit the site to see what's been added since my last visit.
Some of the recent articles on Knowledge Exchange include fall gardening ideas, tips for managing arthritis, and information about the possible benefits of coconut oil. Much of the content on the site focuses on home and health related topics, including cooking, diet, and gardening. There are also articles on business, especially work from home business and ecommerce.
By the way, if you follow Knowledge Exchange on Facebook, you can have little descriptions of new articles posted to your news feed as the website is updated.
This is a site with lots of content, and I think it will continue to grow. I'll be checking back with the site over the next few months to see how it has expanded over time!
Jordan Hernandez is a veteran of the US military who served in Afghanistan. Now living in Texas with his wife, Dulce, he is working on starting his own business called Article Express. He is raising start-up funds for his business through this GoFundMe campaign. Jordan also hopes to help his parents and brother through his new business.
1. When it came to developing a business idea, what inspired you to focus on an online-based business?
The thing I love about doing anything online is that it's liberating--it's totally creative. I feel as though this was how the "American Dream" was back when we had such a massive and booming society. It allows anyone with a vision to create it and get the benefits from that creation.
2. Why did you decide to create a site focused on articles and content marketing?
Well, I started meditating a few years ago, and it has helped open up my consciousness so much. It helped me understand what thoughts ran through my head, and how to better interpret the meaning of those thoughts. The way I understood what popped into my head has led me to a gut decision that this is something that I am meant to do too liberate my family's life! So I'm doing it, one way or another!
3. For you as a reader, what makes for interesting web content--and what keeps you coming back to a website?
Anything that would keep me coming back would have to be giving me insight on something. It's that feeling whenever you hear something so true that you just can't help but smile and shout "YES!!! I know exactly what you mean!!".
4. Why did you decide to kick off your project by seeking backers through a crowdfunding platform?
Honestly, I decided to go this route because I would like to avoid the debt of a loan. My wife and I are trying to get a new house which we got pre-approved for, and took on a new car bill recently as well. Reaching my goals this way will avoid all the excess debt we just can't handle. I believe when people see a legitimate cause, they are compassionate, and they are loving. I have high hopes for humanity.
5. As you and your wife look ahead to the next year or so, what are your goals?
I try to place myself in this present moment. If I do try to think of a future, I'm creating separation from this moment, and now have a chance to be dragged down by thoughts of anxiety and worry. In the present moment that will be in the "future" so to speak, we are hoping to accomplish an income that will take care of us and my family around us. I hope to help my father and brother who are addicted to antidepressants, and to free my mother from a household of gang retaliation due to my brother's lifestyle. I just wish to ease the pain and hurt from their minds. Thinking about that every day must be torture.
These pictures show my brother today, and back when we were kids.
Based in Maryland, Charles Silberman is a physical education teacher who currently teaches P.E. to 800 elementary school children every week. He has been teaching for over ten years. When he's not teaching, Charles is working as a freelance writer, specializing in SEO content. He also writes a monthly column for the Maryland Association of Health, Recreation, Physical Education, and Dance, and his articles and blog entries have been published on a variety of websites. Charles also enjoys writing poetry. Learn more about him by visiting his educational portfolio.
Most recently, Charles has found a venue for his freelance work on the website, Fiverr. Check out his Fiverr profile and available gigs at https://www.fiverr.com/silberma1976. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. His current offerings include SEO-optimized and well-researched web content, product reviews, data entry, and custom-written poems. Here's a video about his writing work.
1. What inspired you to set up a seller's account on Fiverr?
As a teacher, I am lucky I get to do something I love every day: help positively mold the lives of our youth. However, that does not come with the highest salary, so I am always looking for ways to help make some extra cash to pay student loans and save for retirement.
I came across Fiverr while reading an article on how to make extra income. The article described the site and what it took to get started. I decided to look into it, and I saw it was a legitimate option to earn extra cash for my skills.
In my professional work as a teacher, I have been able to use my writing to help advance my field. I have written articles that have been published in state and national publications and websites relevant to health and physical education. In addition, I have written curriculum, and I have presented at local and state conferences on my subject matter. I have always loved writing, and I was ecstatic to be doing education-related writing projects.
There came a point where I not only wanted to monetize my writing, but also use it to help others achieve their goals in advancing their passions along the way. I saw Fiverr as a way to do this.
2. How do you decide what gigs to offer, and what do you feel makes your work unique?
I decide what gigs to offer based on my strengths and things I have found success in. As I mentioned already, I love to write! I am good at it, too. So I decided that my first few gigs would be my writing gigs. I started with a poetry gig, and then added two SEO content gigs. One is for SEO website content. And one is for SEO article content. But I really will write most content or articles. These gigs are entry points, and I find people usually see you're good at a skill, and they will ask for you to use it to do other projects besides the one specific to the gig.
Another gig I have is for teaching people how to make money and earn rewards through online surveys. This is because I have been doing online surveys for a little over a year with booming success. I have earned $2400 in Amazon gift cards and about $800 in cash, and been able to test and keep many products such as cereal, blenders, shoes, and so much more. I know there are people out there who could use some extra cash and gift cards. I have seen it from helping friends start with online surveys to find their own success. That led me to turn it into a Fiverr gig. I just know there is a single parent out there or another teacher like me who could benefit from this service.
What makes my work unique is that every gig is based on a skill where I have found success. I am not trying to mislead anyone. I am an honest, hardworking person, who is taking his successes and using them to try to help others find similar success. You could say in a sea of people looking for a quick buck, I am genuine about my intentions, and my experience and work I produce shows as much.
3. Would you tell us a bit about your day job and how you balance it with your freelance work?
I am a physical education teacher at an elementary school. I have been doing this for 12 years, and I have routines and rituals that help keep me organized and productive at my day job. This allows me to leave my work at work. I also work a second job part-time to help pay down my student loans. So, I am busy to start with. I am able to maintain a balance through routines.
I dedicated a certain day and amount of time to each endeavor. I have set days I work my second job. I schedule in my Fiverr work along with any personal occasions. I use the weekends to catch up, and if I cannot take a gig, I will negotiate what I can handle or be honest and not take it.
In addition to scheduling, taking time for me helps with the balance. I make sure to set aside days and times to exercise and socialize. These times help me keep grounded and productive in other areas of my life.
4. How did you first become interested in writing poetry, and what makes for an interesting poem, in your opinion?
I have been writing poetry since I was 14. It started as an outlet for some teenage angst, and grew from there. I used to keep notebooks of poetry, and I would share it with my dad who always gave me positive feedback on it. So, it was more for personal reasons then anything else.
I put it away for a while as I grew. But I turned back to it time to time, especially during tough times. I have always had a natural ability to sit down and express myself in poetry in a way I cannot verbally. Over the years, I started to use my poetry for local community organizations, to give to colleagues as end of the year gifts, or to publish along with the nonfiction writing I did for the publications related to my profession.
I decided that it was worth sharing that gift with others through Fiverr. If I could write a poem for someone who wanted to communicate something special to someone special, it would be worth it.
5. As someone who has participated in the Fiverr community as both a buyer and a seller, what keeps you coming back to Fiverr--and what would you say to people who haven't yet given it a try?
I keep coming back to Fiverr because it works. It is something that is easy to get started on with little up-front investment time-wise or financially. The tools they provide help you grow and manage your gigs. You will find people on the site with exceptional talents you would not otherwise find. It is a one-of-a-kind place.
As a buyer, I can get a second set of eyes on written work for my profession. For example, I had written a book proposal that I wanted to send to publishers, and I found a Fiverr seller to help edit it. So far that has paid off, as the book is garnering some interest with a major Physical Education and Health publication. As a buyer, Fiverr give you access to people that can help further your goals in life.
As a seller, I stick with it because it is paying off. I have seen steady growth in my gig purchases since I started two months ago. I honestly wrote Fiverr off after a month of no gig purchases. Then one order came, then another, then another, and now I am a level one seller all of a sudden. It is extremely gratifying to not only get paid for something you love to do, but to get such positive feedback on your work is a thrill. To know people like what I do and that it is helping them is an amazing feeling.
The big reason I stick with Fiverr is because I feel a part of a worldwide community of like-minded people. I have worked with and communicated with people from all over the world. From London to Louisiana, I have met some very kind and endearing people doing wonderful things. I have learned new things about new places, and I have learned more about life on Fiverr because of the kindness of the community.
I would tell newcomers to reach out for help and stick with it. When I started, I had someone who was sort of mentoring me on how to be successful on Fiverr. He really helped me so much. And now he has given me work as I have given him work. Other Fiverr sellers have helped me with advice, too. Being patient was the biggest piece of advice I got. So, to someone new to this, I would say, reach out to experienced sellers for help, follow the advice that they and Fiverr give you because it works, and be patient as it takes time to see results.
Lastly, I would caution that you have to know that you are starting a small business when you start on Fiverr. Keep that in mind as you build your gigs over time. You will have to consider marketing and social networking.
How to Say is a website with information geared toward people who are interested in learning different languages. It features vocabulary sets for over 10,000 words and phrases in ten different languages. It also includes posts about languages, travel, and related topics.
The following is a guest post reprinted with permission from How to Say.
Improve Your English Pronunciation
Let us be honest with ourselves. Reading about pronunciation is not going to take you anywhere. You have to speak English to master the pronunciations, and it doesn't matter if you go wrong. You fall down; you learn to get up.
Every English speaking country has its own form of English. There is the American English, British English, Australian English, etc. And then we have our own Indian English. Pronunciations are different in each country's English. Learning them all would be inane. Start with clarifying and neutralizing your own regional English accent and then move on to learning the accents and slang of other countries.
Learn the phonetics
There are phonetic symbols which indicate whether a word should be pronounced as "cat" or as "cut." These symbols are often found in dictionary. It is advisable to have a dictionary by your side all the time for quick meaning and pronunciation references.
Watch movies, and listen to songs and radio
The best way to improve pronunciation is not through reading grammar books, but by watching native English programs and movies with subtitles, and listening to English songs with the lyrics in front of you. Listening to the radio is another excellent way. You have less distraction visually and your entire concentration is on what is being said.
Understanding stress
Words that can be split into two or more syllables will have distinct stress. The shift in stress changes the pronunciations and in some cases their meaning. Stress markings can be referred to in a good dictionary.
Miscellaneous tips
If you have to communicate in English with another person and you are not sure about your pronunciation, it doesn't matter. Just give them a background of what you are going to talk about so that they can tune in.
For example, it will be a good idea to ask, "Can you help me? I need directions to this address," rather than jumping directly to the address.
Write down the words that trouble you often. There are plenty of websites where you can listen to pronunciations.
Just a word to conclude: "Practice makes perfect." Speak good English taking cues from the above-mentioned tips, and make your way up the ladder of mastering English.
It always makes me happy when an internet marketing company has an informative, content-rich blog. To me, it demonstrates that the company is sincere and really knows how to do their job well. Akado is one such company. Founded in Finland just over ten years ago, Akado offers services in SEO, online reputation management, and more; they also offer services in Russian.
When I visited the site, the most recent article was a thoughtful piece about the differences between manual and automated SEO. In short, automated is cheaper, but manual is more likely to return results because you actually have someone sitting down to write meaningful content and to work on creating quality links.
I was also interested in a recent article on online reputation management for doctors. This makes a lot of sense to me because I know that when I get a referral to a new physician, I look the person up online. Even one bad review online can create a reduction in patients choosing a doctor. It really is a different world today where "word of mouth" can easily become distorted.
If you're interested in increasing your visibility online in Russia, Akado's site has some relevant articles for you. I learned about the popular Russian search engine, Yandex, by scrolling through the posts on the site. There are several articles on Russian SEO and how to reach the Russian market more effectively.
Akado's blog is officially known as its "news" page, and the articles are archived by year. Check out the articles from 2015 here, the articles from 2014 here, and the articles from 2013 here. It is definitely worth browsing these archives if you have even a passing interest in how you can improve your web presence and search ranking.
There is a lot of tax-related information online--and with good reason, because there are so many tax-related questions that need answers. For example, because of last year's government shutdown, there was some delay in people receiving important tax information, and there were questions about even the most (seemingly!) straightforward topics like when people could begin filing their 2013 returns, such as this article discusses: http://www.examiner.com/article/when-can-i-file-my-2013-taxes.
Another site with a lot of articles on tax issues is http://www.express-tax-refund.com/. Recent articles on this site cover the basics of TurboTax software and how Obamacare affects tax credits and related issues.
The tax code changes from year to year, and there are a lot of places to look up info online. I find that I generally start by looking at irs.gov but then end up using Google to find more plain-language explanations of what I want to know!
In 2011, John Teevan founded SoshiTech from a small town in Minnesota. Focusing on quality blog content and social networking, the site received just under three million hits in 2013 and has appeared in such publications as Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee. John currently divides his time between California, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.
1. What inspired you to start SoshiTech--and how is it like (and unlike!) other blogs?
The technology, blogging, and internet industry in general inspired me to start SoshiTech. It is similar to other blogs in the way it covers certain areas of technology and startups. It is unlike other blogs in that SoshiTech covers a wide variety of topics such as social networking and search engine optimization.
2. Could you tell us a little more about the role that education plays in SoshiTech?
SoshiTech plans to educate people about what is happening in the technology and internet industry right now. Once you visit SoshiTech.com, you will have left the blog with more knowledge than when you first came in with. We try to provide resources that people will utilize in their everyday lives.
3. How do you find contributors for your site?
Contributors will usually contact us through an email with a few writing samples. Once their work is submitted, we will look it over for grammatical errors and publish it as soon as possible. Other contributors are already integrated into our system, and they publish their own posts as they please without having a member of our staff look over the original draft.
4. As a reader yourself, what topics do you personally find engaging?
Personally, I find some of these social networking websites to be pretty interesting. I also really enjoy reading business and finance sections as well. Search engine optimization is a topic which I am currently trying to learn more about.
5. What's your advice to bloggers who hope to learn from your example and expand their own readership?
My advice would be to focus on creating killer content, and everything else will fall into place. It is hard to be ignored when your content is good. Also, social media is a great way to increase your readership without having to spend a ton of money.
I rarely draw attention to my own work on this blog, but I thought I'd make a little exception to let you know about the article I just wrote for EzineArticles.com on "How to Effectively Handle Criticism." If you have a moment to check it out, I hope you'll enjoy reading it. As creative professionals, we all face criticism, and hopefully we can take it in stride more easily over time. In the article I share some strategies that have worked for me.
As the editor of this blog, I generally keep the spotlight on other people and their projects, which is as it should be for a blog which focuses mostly on sharing interviews! But I wanted to offer links to two articles which I hope you'll find useful.
The first is a first-person story by graphic designer Marissa Poppens on not being afraid to ask for help when you're pursuing your dream. In setting up her business, Marissa found that other people are more willing to help than she'd imagined. Read about her experiences here, on the Best Business Bytes blog.
The second link is for an article I wrote about utilizing some free promotional tools. I wrote this while thinking of the creative professionals I interview on this blog: I hope the article will prove useful in terms of generating free publicity for your interviews, should you wish to take a few easy steps to promote them. As an independent artist and/or businessperson, free PR can be critical in creating buzz about anything from your latest self-published book to an upcoming concert. Here's the link to the article, called "Make the Most of Your Post."
Thanks, as ever, for visiting this blog and meeting interesting artists and entrepreneurs from all over the world!
