As a Copywriter, you will focus on writing SEO-driven content that brings traffic to the website. You’ll need to invest time in learning about SEO and keywords/phrases. Read at least chapters one through five of this handy SEO guide. Take a look at this graphic as well.
[hr_invisible] [dropcap3]1[/dropcap3]Internship Tracker: This document outlines your weekly assignments and expectations. Download it today and save it to your computer as “your last name.Tracker.” Begin working on Week 1 assignments today. We recommend that you look through the document and plan your weeks accordingly. Some weeks are more time-intensive than others.
[button link=”http://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Writer-Weekly-Tracker-Summer-2015.doc” size=”large” text=”light” window=”yes” color=”blue”]Weekly Tracker [/button] [hr_invisible]
Cross out each assignment (example below) as you complete it and email the entire Weekly Tracker document to [email protected] by Friday 11 PM PDT of each week. That way, we can view your entire internship progress each week.
[hr_invisible] [dropcap3]2[/dropcap3]Internship Requirements: We don’t require you to keep track of hours, but you are expected to meet the weekly requirements in order to get credit for the internship. Not completing the weekly assignments is the equivalent of not showing up to work. The following is the minimum required for the successful completion of the internship.
- Create 34 high-quality, SEO-oriented articles during the course of your internship.
- Complete a personal fundraising campaign and raise a minimum of $500.
- Meet weekly requirements on the Tracker.
- Attend the national conference call the first Monday evening of each month at 5 PM PDT.
- Contact your 3 congressional offices each week in support of poverty-reduction programs and legislation.
- Turn in weekly reports on time (Due Friday at 11PM PDT of each week) to [email protected].
[dropcap3]3[/dropcap3]The Writers’ Guide Book– Read this thoroughly and keep it by you as you write. It contains everything you need to create great posts and wow your editors. With telecommuting roles, we can’t train you in person, so it’s important to read the directions closely. The Writers’ Guide Book and training videos are your key to success here! Email your completed articles to: [email protected]. [hr_invisible]
[dropcap3]4[/dropcap3] Watch the Assignment Desk Video. The quick video below will give you an overview of the News Team & Assignment Desk Portal that you will use daily. Note: changes have been made to the document since the creation of this video.
[hr_invisible] [dropcap3]5[/dropcap3]Submitting Articles:Before writing, you’ll need to get your article topics approved. Put your topic ideas into the “(Current Month’s) Articles” tab as early as possible. Once approved, you can begin researching and writing. When you are ready to submit your article, you will embed your completed articles into individual emails and send them to [email protected]. Be sure to include the title and links to sources in your email. Do not send articles as Word documents. View the correct format for submitting articles. [hr] NOTE: Thick skin is required. Since the beginning of the written word, Writers have been annoyed with Editors… And likewise, Editors get annoyed when they see the same mistakes over and over (mistakes that could have been avoided by reading the Writers’ Guide Book in more detail). By nature of the editing process, your articles are going to be corrected more often than they will be praised. To be sure, you won’t agree with every edit… Sometimes they even miss-edit and add mistakes… So annoying. We get it. In many newsrooms, the nature of the roles can create lots of friction. We are a drama-free newsroom. If you see an error in one of your published articles, please notify [email protected].
[hr] [dropcap3]6[/dropcap3]Writer Tricks and Tips: This document will teach you how to succeed at writing for The Borgen Project. It provides do’s and don’t’s and some helpful ideas for researching and writing. We cannot recommend reading it enough. If you want to do well, we suggest printing this guide out and sleeping with it beneath your pillow.
[hr_invisible] [dropcap3]7[/dropcap3]Topics to Cover: You will start out covering SEO topics on the tab “topics needing covered” of News Team & Assignment Desk document. You can pick and choose one subject at a time from the list.
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Things to Know
1. The Monthly Conference Call: The national conference call is attended by everyone involved with The Borgen Project and gives the team an opportunity to hear the latest news. What to expect? Just dial in and learn! Register here. The first Monday of every month at… 5PM PDT 6PM MDT 7PM CDT 8PM EDT [hr_invisible]
2. Pick a Weekly Schedule: Telecommuting offers tremendous freedom, however without a set schedule, it will be very difficult to complete this internship successfully. It becomes very easy to wait until the end of the week and find yourself speed typing poor-quality articles or missing weekly targets. Either scenario can result in losing your internship. Decide on a schedule and email it to your manager at [email protected]. [hr_invisible]
3. News Team & Assignment Desk: This document covers who’s writing what, topics for articles, key research links and it contains lots of helpful info. It would be a good idea to start out covering SEO topics listed on the “Topics Needing Covered” tab. 
- News Team: This list everyone involved with the News Team and their roles.
- (Current Month’s)Articles: List the articles you are working on under this tab. Double-check that no one else is already covering the topic.
- Topics Needing Covered: Check this regularly for article ideas. Please help yourself to any articles that haven’t been taken. Enter your name in the “Selected by” column.
- Links & Categories: This is hugely helpful for finding good sites to monitor for story ideas. Make sure you read the Magazine categories carefully! It’s very important that writers covering a magazine category find articles that fit the criteria.
[hr_invisible] 4. Congressional Outreach: Everyone volunteering for The Borgen Project participates in basic advocacy and contacts their congressional leaders weekly. Congressional offices tally how many times they are contacted about each issue, so your emails and calls matter! You should get in the habit of emailing your congressional leaders from here. It is very simple and remembers your information so each week you’ll only have to choose a new piece of legislation and the site will fill in your letter for you. We notice if you don’t email your congressional leaders, so please do.
[hr_invisible] 5. Fundraising: Our funding levels determine our impact levels. It’s that simple. Like weekly calls to congress, everyone who is part of the team steps up and participates in fundraising. Bookmark the fundraising ideas page and start planning your campaign. You’ll want to hit the $500 minimum raise within the first 6 weeks of your internship.
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Q&A
Can I fast forward ahead on the weekly targets? Yes. As you finish the current weeks assignments, you are more than welcome to skip ahead.
Can I miss a week? If needed, you may take one week off during the course of your internship. Notify your supervisor beforehand and make note of it in your Weekly Tracker. Missing a week pauses where you are on the Weekly Tracker, so simply pickup where you left off.
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