How to create a clear and attractive task description
If you are engaged in advertising activities on the SEOSPRINT project, then you probably use such a form of promotion of your projects as tasks.
When creating a task, you need to keep in mind that implementers will see it in the general list, decide whether to open it or not, and when they open it, they will take up the task or refuse it. To avoid the desire to immediately close the task, it should be readable, easy to understand and logical. The description of the task should be clear to any performer, and should not allow any double interpretation of any conditions or requirements for its implementation.
In this article, we will not discuss in detail the preparation of the task and its design used when sending it to the manager for verification. Let's consider only one of the many important points — "Task description".
Make a plan for the task description
In order for the task to be desirable, easy to read and understandable to any implementer, we recommend that you start writing it by drawing up a plan. This will not take much time, but it will help make the task more competent, attractive, and it will make sure that you do not miss something important in the description. Make it concise, which will reduce the time it takes to read it, hence the performer will not miss important details.
Introduction to the task
At the beginning, write an introduction in which, in a few phrases, try to interest future implementers. In it, you advertise your task, tell them why you think it is worth for them to complete your task, and what benefits they will recieve upon completing it.
Step-by-step description
Next is the main part of the description. In it, you describe everything that the implementer needs to do. To make it easier to complete the task, write down all the actions in bullets points. It is better to describe each action in a separate sentence. The main goal is for the implementer immediately understands what is required of him, and, following your instructions, can complete everything step by step.
For example, if your task involves one to search for a site and to visit several pages on the site, the description may look something like this:
- Go to the Google search engine (or another one, if you need it for the task).
- Enter one of the search queries (specify which keywords to enter in the search engine).
- On a page with such and such, find a site (specify the site by replacing some letters with asterisks or other characters, or give a screen where the favicon (site icon) will be visible, or other signs that the performer can use to find the desired site).
- Describe the actions that the performer must perform on the site.
- Submit a report.
Report requirements
If you have any special requirements for the report that you did not specify in the "what the implementer should write in the report" column, then specify them after the step-by-step description of the task. This will help the implementer not get confused about what to write in the report.
For example, if you want to submit screenshots of visited pages in the report, then it is appropriate to specify what you would like to see on the screen, for example, the date and time, or the page address.
Additional Information
After describing the task and the requirements for the report, if necessary, you can express your wishes and give some additional information. You can add something else that is not part of any mandatory actions, but would be desirable for you. You can tell us that you have other similar tasks or any other information that you think is necessary.
At the end of the task description, you can also specify requirements for repeated execution if you make the task reusable. Here you should describe the conditions under which the performer can perform this task again. For example, you can re-run the task after one day, or you can run the task from a different IP address.
Recommendations
Here are some tips for writing and formatting a text that will help you compose it so that when you see it, the performer will want to read it, and when they read it, they will want to perform it.
Literacy
Write correctly and follow all the rules of the English language in terms of proper punctuation and grammer. Misspelled text reduces the level of trust and credibilty, which leads to the rejection of both this task and other tasks offered by you.
You don't need to type the entire description text in only uppercase or lowercase letters. This text is difficult to read and does not attract attention, but rather repels.
Short and Sweet
When writing a task description, try to keep a balance between the amount of text and the amount of information in it. Write short, clear phrases, including the essence of the task. Don't give extra information in the text that is not necessary for completing the task. Don't write too much. Most often, if the text is very large, it will not be read. It is even worse when the time spent reading the text for the task may be longer than it takes to complete it. It is better to write short but clear, trying to state everything you would like to get from the performer in a short and sweet text.
Visual formatting of the task
When creating a task, use the visual formatting features. Highlight keywords and phrases. Use lists, break the text into paragraphs – monotonous content causes irritation when reading. Insert screenshots if appropriate.
Conclusion
A clear, attractive-looking task not only has a better chance of being selected by potential performers, but also affects the time the manager takes to go over it. He/she, as well as the performer, will not have to understand the mazes of your thoughts, but will simply need to check the performance of the task and its compliance with the SEOSPRINT rules.
We hope that these tips will help you create clear, attractive tasks. Performers will be happy to perform such tasks, add reusable ones to favorites, and then definitely take upon your new tasks.
Attractive, clear, and beautifully designed tasks are your advertiser's business card. And if they are correctly and beautifully executed, it will attract more performers, will contribute to your credibility, and in the end will have a positive impact on your income.