So You Want To Make Money Writing Articles?
Well who doesnt? Writing articles wont make you into a millionaire overnight, or at all for that matter, but its a good way to put a little extra cash into your pocket at the end of the month. One word of caution though; there are tons of other people who are thinking just like you, and why not? Anyone can make money writing articles regardless of their academic background, once they have the skill and the writing talent. Thats not to say that its an easy market to break into. One of the biggest mistakes many people make is assuming that just because they want something it means that theyre going to get it. As with any endeavour, youre not going to make money writing articles unless youre willing to put in the work.
Would you hire someone who has no credentials and who can offer no proof of the talents they claim to have? I dont know about you but I certainly wouldnt, and neither will the legitimate buyers who actually have the higher paying jobs. If you want to make money writing articles then youre going to have to make something of a name for yourself first. Dont worry; you can do this without spending a cent. The key is to generate as many high quality samples of your writing as you possibly can.
One thing that youll read about in a lot of article marketing e-books is the importance of keywords and micro-niches. If youre looking to spend your career writing about herbal supplements then by all means stick to producing only health related sample articles. Otherwise, try to be a bit broad with your range of topics. You dont want potential buyers to think that you can only write about one thing. What about keywords? Are they important? Definitely, because many buyers will have a particular keyword density that they require and theyre more likely to hire someone who is familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) principles. Dont be scared. This simply means that you:
Keep paragraphs short
Use keywords in the title, first line and last line (if possible)
Include sub-headings
Break up blocks of text with bullet points where possible
Dont stuff keywords (they should ideally not appear more than twice per hundred words)
The next step is getting your articles seen, and thats what article directories are for. You do need to be careful about this though. Lets say you have ten really great articles. Do you use submission software to automatically submit to hundreds of directories, or do you pick a few high quality article directories and manually submit? Link builders typically choose the first method, but thats not what youre about. Youre out to prove your mettle, and its better to do so by submitting your articles to a few high quality article directories where human editors go through each body of work to determine whether its suitable for inclusion. That way youll have a URL with multiple samples to point prospective buyers towards.
Where are those elusive prospective buyers though? Theyre everywhere, but if youre just now starting out, chances are the ones who are willing to pay a premium price wont be interested in you as yet. A good way for novices to make money writing articles is through bidding sites such as Freelancer.com. Be warned, as with most things, theres both a good and a bad side to these. Lets take a closer look, starting with the not-so-good stuff.
Foreign Competition: The foreign exchange rate in many countries, especially Asian regions, makes it possible for these bidders to quote very low prices. While some buyers are more interested in quality, many with bulk jobs will be tempted by what appears to be an inexpensive service.
Limited Clients: Big budget magazines dont use bidding sites. Youll more often than not end up working for someone who is outsourcing a job theyve been awarded off the site. As such, its rare to come across anyone willing to pay more than $0.01 per word.
Time Consuming: Some bidding sites are huge and can have a couple hundred jobs open at a time. Only a tiny fraction of these might be worth your while, and it takes time to wade through all the unsuitable options.
Cost: Some bidding sites, such as the aforementioned Freelancer.com, are free to join. Others may have a free option but you will have to pay in order to enjoy the full functionality of the site. In most cases, a commission of between 5 to 10% is deducted from any bids won.
Thats a lot of negatives. If all of these things are true then why bother to use bidding sites at all? Well some people dont, and you dont have to either. You could post your portfolio online, market yourself on social networking sites and apply for writing gigs on sites such as Craigslist. You should probably do all of those things anyway, but you cant overlook the fact that bidding sites do have some advantages.
Good Starting Point: Many bidding sites will have specific trial jobs designed for newcomers. The buyers who post these tend to be more interested in price than credentials so its fairly easy to land that first job if you have some quality samples, and youre willing to accept very low fees initially.
Escrow: Its a sad fact that there are many unscrupulous people out there who are more than willing to let you do the hard work and then disappear without paying you a cent. With an escrow service, the buyer must load the funds into an account before the job begins. This can only be released by the buyer, but it cannot be returned to him unless the writer gives the okay.
Dispute Resolution: In most cases, the only contact youll have with a buyer is through emails, and occasionally through instant messaging programs. This can make it very easy for misunderstandings to arise. Bidding sites will often step in, if a request is made, in order to sort out the dispute.
Feedback: A lot of people put great emphasis on testimonials. The problem is that anyone can write one and attach a fake name to it. Bidding sites allow both the buyer and the writer to post feedback about each other once the job has been completed. Both must be legitimate users of the site so viewers know that any comments written are valid. Having a lot of good feedback can be the best recommendation you can get.
It can be hard to make money writing articles if you cant find a way to stand out from the crowd, and there can be quite a crowd looking to get their foot in the door. Whether you elect to start off on a bidding site, or youd rather peruse job boards, there are a few things that may seem obvious but you still need to keep them in mind.
Each client is different and, as such, has different needs. Read through the job posting carefully so you can determine exactly what the buyer is looking for and whether you can actually provide it.
You may be bidding on a lot of jobs at the same time. It might seem easier to cut and paste your response than generate a new one each time, but that would be a huge mistake. Buyers on bidding sites can often go to your profile and see what youve bid on, so theyll know if youve been paying attention or just going after everything that seems even vaguely interesting.
Buyers will request a sample before they even consider hiring you. Dont submit just one sample. Instead, send the link to your article page in a sought-after directory such as EzineArticles. Even so, expect to be asked to write a sample paragraph, especially if you dont already have any pieces on that particular topic.
Be honest about your capabilities. Dont chase after the job by saying you can do something that you know fully well youre not going to have the time for. Youll either end up not completing the project or submitting sub-standard work, neither of which is likely to get you good reviews.
Its up to you to decide how much youre worth, but please be reasonable. No one is asking you to accept $0.50 per article. Youre free to do that if your aim in the beginning is to accumulate feedback, but its not a necessity. On the other hand, no one is going to pay a novice $20 for a 500 word article. If your credentials and samples are excellent, you may be able to start off in the $2 to $5 range.
One step you should consider is setting up your own site. Not only does having your own website do wonders when it comes to projecting a professional image but, if done well, can also highlight your skills at content creation. This will expand the types of jobs that you can bid on, and act as a hub for any resources that youd like to link to. It is possible to have a fully functional site set up for only the cost of a domain name, so it can be done before landing any article writing jobs. Or you could use the earnings from that first project to buy your domain.
It takes time and patience to really make money writing articles. Its something that you need to stick with, in spite of the ever present frustration. You will get that first job and thats the key to a successful career. How far you go depends on whether youre looking to set up your own article writing service or just boost your pocket change at the end of the month. In the end, its all up to you.
Would you hire someone who has no credentials and who can offer no proof of the talents they claim to have? I dont know about you but I certainly wouldnt, and neither will the legitimate buyers who actually have the higher paying jobs. If you want to make money writing articles then youre going to have to make something of a name for yourself first. Dont worry; you can do this without spending a cent. The key is to generate as many high quality samples of your writing as you possibly can.
One thing that youll read about in a lot of article marketing e-books is the importance of keywords and micro-niches. If youre looking to spend your career writing about herbal supplements then by all means stick to producing only health related sample articles. Otherwise, try to be a bit broad with your range of topics. You dont want potential buyers to think that you can only write about one thing. What about keywords? Are they important? Definitely, because many buyers will have a particular keyword density that they require and theyre more likely to hire someone who is familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) principles. Dont be scared. This simply means that you:
Keep paragraphs short
Use keywords in the title, first line and last line (if possible)
Include sub-headings
Break up blocks of text with bullet points where possible
Dont stuff keywords (they should ideally not appear more than twice per hundred words)
The next step is getting your articles seen, and thats what article directories are for. You do need to be careful about this though. Lets say you have ten really great articles. Do you use submission software to automatically submit to hundreds of directories, or do you pick a few high quality article directories and manually submit? Link builders typically choose the first method, but thats not what youre about. Youre out to prove your mettle, and its better to do so by submitting your articles to a few high quality article directories where human editors go through each body of work to determine whether its suitable for inclusion. That way youll have a URL with multiple samples to point prospective buyers towards.
Where are those elusive prospective buyers though? Theyre everywhere, but if youre just now starting out, chances are the ones who are willing to pay a premium price wont be interested in you as yet. A good way for novices to make money writing articles is through bidding sites such as Freelancer.com. Be warned, as with most things, theres both a good and a bad side to these. Lets take a closer look, starting with the not-so-good stuff.
Foreign Competition: The foreign exchange rate in many countries, especially Asian regions, makes it possible for these bidders to quote very low prices. While some buyers are more interested in quality, many with bulk jobs will be tempted by what appears to be an inexpensive service.
Limited Clients: Big budget magazines dont use bidding sites. Youll more often than not end up working for someone who is outsourcing a job theyve been awarded off the site. As such, its rare to come across anyone willing to pay more than $0.01 per word.
Time Consuming: Some bidding sites are huge and can have a couple hundred jobs open at a time. Only a tiny fraction of these might be worth your while, and it takes time to wade through all the unsuitable options.
Cost: Some bidding sites, such as the aforementioned Freelancer.com, are free to join. Others may have a free option but you will have to pay in order to enjoy the full functionality of the site. In most cases, a commission of between 5 to 10% is deducted from any bids won.
Thats a lot of negatives. If all of these things are true then why bother to use bidding sites at all? Well some people dont, and you dont have to either. You could post your portfolio online, market yourself on social networking sites and apply for writing gigs on sites such as Craigslist. You should probably do all of those things anyway, but you cant overlook the fact that bidding sites do have some advantages.
Good Starting Point: Many bidding sites will have specific trial jobs designed for newcomers. The buyers who post these tend to be more interested in price than credentials so its fairly easy to land that first job if you have some quality samples, and youre willing to accept very low fees initially.
Escrow: Its a sad fact that there are many unscrupulous people out there who are more than willing to let you do the hard work and then disappear without paying you a cent. With an escrow service, the buyer must load the funds into an account before the job begins. This can only be released by the buyer, but it cannot be returned to him unless the writer gives the okay.
Dispute Resolution: In most cases, the only contact youll have with a buyer is through emails, and occasionally through instant messaging programs. This can make it very easy for misunderstandings to arise. Bidding sites will often step in, if a request is made, in order to sort out the dispute.
Feedback: A lot of people put great emphasis on testimonials. The problem is that anyone can write one and attach a fake name to it. Bidding sites allow both the buyer and the writer to post feedback about each other once the job has been completed. Both must be legitimate users of the site so viewers know that any comments written are valid. Having a lot of good feedback can be the best recommendation you can get.
It can be hard to make money writing articles if you cant find a way to stand out from the crowd, and there can be quite a crowd looking to get their foot in the door. Whether you elect to start off on a bidding site, or youd rather peruse job boards, there are a few things that may seem obvious but you still need to keep them in mind.
Each client is different and, as such, has different needs. Read through the job posting carefully so you can determine exactly what the buyer is looking for and whether you can actually provide it.
You may be bidding on a lot of jobs at the same time. It might seem easier to cut and paste your response than generate a new one each time, but that would be a huge mistake. Buyers on bidding sites can often go to your profile and see what youve bid on, so theyll know if youve been paying attention or just going after everything that seems even vaguely interesting.
Buyers will request a sample before they even consider hiring you. Dont submit just one sample. Instead, send the link to your article page in a sought-after directory such as EzineArticles. Even so, expect to be asked to write a sample paragraph, especially if you dont already have any pieces on that particular topic.
Be honest about your capabilities. Dont chase after the job by saying you can do something that you know fully well youre not going to have the time for. Youll either end up not completing the project or submitting sub-standard work, neither of which is likely to get you good reviews.
Its up to you to decide how much youre worth, but please be reasonable. No one is asking you to accept $0.50 per article. Youre free to do that if your aim in the beginning is to accumulate feedback, but its not a necessity. On the other hand, no one is going to pay a novice $20 for a 500 word article. If your credentials and samples are excellent, you may be able to start off in the $2 to $5 range.
One step you should consider is setting up your own site. Not only does having your own website do wonders when it comes to projecting a professional image but, if done well, can also highlight your skills at content creation. This will expand the types of jobs that you can bid on, and act as a hub for any resources that youd like to link to. It is possible to have a fully functional site set up for only the cost of a domain name, so it can be done before landing any article writing jobs. Or you could use the earnings from that first project to buy your domain.
It takes time and patience to really make money writing articles. Its something that you need to stick with, in spite of the ever present frustration. You will get that first job and thats the key to a successful career. How far you go depends on whether youre looking to set up your own article writing service or just boost your pocket change at the end of the month. In the end, its all up to you.
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