When working as a freelance writer, it’s not uncommon to get tasked writing informational features about a variety of topics.  Sometimes, these articles will be terribly simple.  Other times, though, the topic can prove a lot more daunting.

There are many instances when this could happen.  You can be tasked to write about heavy equipment that performs complicated operations; a new product that exposes you to strange and unfamiliar terminology; or an activity that doesn’t quite make sense to you.

Faced with this problem, your first step should be to demystify the process for yourself.  Otherwise, you won’t be able to help the reader make sense of it either.  Here are some tips to help on that end:

Read the 101.  Find the basic instructional for the topic and learn that first.  Diving into the detailed stuff isn’t likely to get you anywhere — you have to start with the children’s books before graduating to the young adult section.

Speak to someone that sells the product or service. Marketing people, especially rank-and-file sales personnel, tend to have their heads wrapped tightly around the 101-type of information for anything they’re selling.

Look for previous press coverage.  Previous coverage of the topic, especially those geared for a mass audience, can be very helpful to getting educated on the basic points.

Get the glossary.  For every conceivable field, there’s almost always a specialized glossary or dictionary available.  Chances are, you can find them free to use online.

Write down questions.  While getting around the basic information, write down questions you come up with regarding the subject.  You can call up your sources later to clarify the questions.

These days, investing in informational content has evolved as a regular part of many businesses’ online marketing campaigns.  As such, it isn’t uncommon to find may e-commerce and product websites to have sections dedicated to materials that don’t directly sell to the reader, like blogs, articles, and more.

Having informational articles does many things for your website’s products and services.   For one, it tends to attract traffic.  People who wouldn’t otherwise find your site can end up discovering it through your informational content.  Additionally, good content can help enhance your credibility as an authority in the field, as well as help your existing customers learn more about your products.

Informational content is tricky, though.  On one hand, you want it to be a tool that helps ease readers into your products or services.  On the other, too overt a marketing message can end up turning off the reader.  The trick is to find a balance.

Turning down the volume on your marketing message is necessary for these types of articles.  However, you should never forget that you’ll still have to sell, however mildly.  At the least, make sure you mention your product (with a link to the homepage) twice in every article: once in the body (as close to a paragraph’s topic sentence as possible) and another in the last paragraph.

When writing informational material for a specific audience, it’s highly-recommended that you take into account your readers’ particular habits and attitudes.  For North American readers, this usually entails endowing your material with very specific characteristics.

State your main subject directly. Ever read a piece of writing that kept you guessing what it’s about till the third paragraph?  Most US audiences hate that.  In fact, I think most people from any country do so, as well.  That’s why you’re encouraged to state your point directly right in the first paragraph.  Even better, if you can let the reader know what it’s about from the title, you’re golden.

Be direct. Informational pieces are meant to impart facts, not flowery prose.  As such, it’s best to be direct when presenting details to your audience.  While it’s fine to take some creative liberties, watch out not to make it difficult to wrap one’s head around.

Be conversational. Conversational tone works very well for imparting information.  That’s because it lends your writing an approachable feel when you treat your audience as equals, rather than as students.  It’s not that difficult – if you keep a friendly tone, you should do fine.

Work towards clarity. To successfully impart information, you have to write clearly.  As such, you’ll need to focus on achieving clear and pointed text.  Use the usual English constructs that help promote this, from using active verbs to stating the subject at the start of each sentence.  In the same vein, employ a grammar software to clean out potential problems in spelling, word use and statement construction.

When writing informational pieces, there are few things more important than being clear.  When your copy is ambiguous and vague, after all, it defeats the whole purpose of reading an informative piece.   Some English grammar software can help catch ill-constructed portions of your copy and point them out as candidates for rewriting so make sure you take advantage of it.

Apart from employing software help, here are a few things you can do to help make your writing clearer.

1. Accommodate the uninitiated

Always assume that your reader is getting their first experience with your topic through your piece.  While some of them will probably have some inkling about it, it’s still best to accommodate those who wouldn’t.  As such, avoid assuming past knowledge.  At the least, include possible references (such as hyperlinks for online work) when introducing a topic that you don’t intend to clarify in your copy.

2.  Avoid long phrases

If a phrase can be expressed with one or two words, use the alternative.  A lead in like “In view of the aforementioned results,” can usually be written more succinctly as just a “therefore” without losing any of the statement’s essence.

3. Avoid tautology

Putting together words that just say the same thing is often employed in informal writing and may even be accepted by most grammar softwares.  That, however, doesn’t make them a good idea when you’re writing for clarity.   Saying an “exact copy” in the context of a work, for instance, is often no different than saying “copy.”  Omit the unnecessary words whenever you can.

4.  Be accurate

Informational copy that fails to report on details correctly tend to fail on the edifying part, which is why most of us would read such kinds of materials anyway.  To ensure accuracy, your writing should include all appropriate data, apart from being consistent with all its assertions.  Make sure your conclusions are supported with sound reasoning and real-world results.