ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

6 Don'ts for Writing Professionally on HubPages

Updated on July 17, 2017

Writing on HubPages

HubPages offers an awesome platform that allows freelance writers from across the globe to showcase their writing no matter the subject (minus certain adult topics). With an appealing environment where authors decide when and what to write about, newcomers flock by the dozen to test their literature skills.

Nevertheless, many fresh faces (and even seasoned veterans) fall prey to several traps and hazards that inhibit their writing. Here are six writing traps to avoid, as well as suggestions for acceptable alternatives!

You wanna meet this guy? Browse the Politics and Religion sections of HubPages.
You wanna meet this guy? Browse the Politics and Religion sections of HubPages.

1. Don't Use Profanity

Don't: Use profanity. Just don't. Different inappropriate words are various levels of taboo, but even the "lesser" swear words often cause articles to become unfeatured.

That said, not all Hubs with cussing are automatically removed. If a lower-end swear word really, really improves your article, or is part of a famous quote (perhaps the one about condemned and unkempt apes) you can take the plunge and put it in. Just know you're gambling. And bleeping out letters (#@$%) isn't a solution either.

Do: Find ways to employ your unique writing style without profanity. Your chances of success on HubPages drastically improve without swearing, and you'll appear far more professional.

Think before you Caps
Think before you Caps

2. Don't Write in All Caps

Don't: Write anything in all caps. All too often people use capitalized letters to show emphasis or emotion (often anger) LIKE THIS. It's annoying and degrades the value of your writing. People want to read informative, quality Hubs, not YouTube-comment level rants. Similarly, don't brandish "text talk": leave out the lols and omgs.

Do: Use other means of emphasis. Italicize the word, bold it, or use the em dash—shown here. These are good tools, but access them sparingly lest they lose value.

3. Don't Assume a Negative Tone

Don't: Assume someone intends insult with their ambiguous statement. Hubbers and reader interact in a variety of ways: comments, questions, forums, etc. Sometimes during these exchanges, a comment may be made that could be taken as derogatory or sarcastic; it's difficult to decipher tone through non-vocal language.

For instance, I write many countdowns, and in the comments I sometimes hear "Where is ___?" The brief and questioning format of this phrase could be construed as offensive, but at heart the comment is simply asking why I haven't included someone or something in the countdown. Instead of answering bitterly, I politely explain my rationale, a superior approach that sometimes ignites a healthy debate.


Do: Utilize patience and restraint. Even if, without a shadow of a doubt, a negative comment is made towards you, furiously responding will only fuel the fire. Your options when this occurs? You can simply ignore it, or delete the comment itself if it's on one of your Hubs. You can also delete spammy or nonsensical posts, and if a certain user continuously posts negative comments, you can report their account to the HubPages team.

4. Don't Include Unnecessary Links/Products

Don't: Speaking of spammy writing, don't surrender to the urge of promoting all your Hubs in an article. Similarly, don't add Amazon capsules that are only loosely connected to your writing. You may think a link selling paint relates to an article about Vincent Van Gogh, but the connection doesn't hold water. When you do this, your writing comes across as a sales pitch more than a professional Hub, and your viewers will likely click away.

Sure, we're discussing improvements to your writing, but to HubPages specifically, making the above Amazon capsule on Ryan Higa's book irrelevant and spammy. Avoid this pitfall.

Do: Ask yourself "Does this really fit?" before using backlinks or Amazon capsules. Talk about the product and its value in your text. Also, it's okay (and recommended) to backlink to your past work—but only articles closely related to your current subject. Your links have to fit naturally into the flow of your writing, or readers will become disinterested, and HubPages will penalize your article's score.

Active and Passive Voice
Active and Passive Voice

5. Don't Use the Passive Voice

Don't: Say something in the passive voice when the active could be used instead. For example, talking like this is boring. No action verbs are happening here. Similarly, avoid "I think" and "I feel"; these phrases are already implied with any statement you make and degrade your words.

Do: Write in the active voice. Engage your readers and seize their interest with dynamic and exciting sentences. Double-check your spelling and replace words used too frequently with synonyms (online thesauruses are great resources for this).

6. Don't Give Up

Don't: Abandon your writing when things take a turn for the worse. No matter how polite and exceptional your work, you will occasionally encounter mean comments and even Hubbers. Ignore them and continue to follow your passion.

Do: Enjoy writing and producing quality content. Not everything you create will be loved by everyone, but with time and effort you'll build a reputation as an experienced and professional Hubber. Note that even successful Hubbers don't make enough to earn a living with HubPages—cast off your fantasies of getting rich via internet writing. But the more you write and accumulate views, the more extra cash you'll obtain each month.

Adsense

Also, don't give up when applying for Adsense, the program that lets you begin earning on HubPages. Once accepted, you receive revenue per view for each article, but getting in takes time. The standard recommendation is first having 20-30 quality articles, but it can take more.

Heck, it did for me: My initial writing was featured, but left room for improvement. Additionally, I craft several entertainment-categorized Hubs, a division viewed as prone to low-quality writing. As a result, I applied three times and amassed nearly 50 featured articles before being accepted, but I made it in, and you will too—if you don't give up.

At the end of the day, if you enjoy writing, HubPages is an awesome and deadline-free venue for expressing yourself, minutely supplementing your income, and leaving your mark on the world. Take these tips into account to maximize your experience here, and you'll go far.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)