I'm gonna make this short and sweet. Well that was my intention when starting this little project. Unfortunately, as I began to outline the different aspects of what I wanted to cover in this article the prospect of it being short pretty much flew out the window. Honestly,after a few rough drafts and copy writing decisions, I foresee this being more an ongoing discussion covering all types of income opportunities based on exploiting your skills as a writer. The money, as everyone knows is the sweet part and that is totally up to you. Your success will depend on the path you take, your dedication, your skills, and too many other factors to name. Besides, this will be explored in depth as we move forward with this discussion.
Now you don't have to be an English major or have a creative writing degree, in fact, a simple enjoyment of writing can go much further than any such titles when creating content in exchange for payment. The dilemma that many new writers face is that regardless of your skills, many potential clients are satisfied with mediocre content that can be acquired at the cheapest rate. Now this is where you as a writer must make a decision on your part. Do you want to provide premium content at a premium price or would you prefer to bang out substandard content as quickly as possible for a cheap rate? This decision is yours as there is money in both. All of that aside I guess the most daunting task for new writers looking to earn money is how to get started. Well, I would say that the majority look to freelancing sites to earn money for their work.
While I will admit that freelancing sites can be a decent place to get started, I would not rely on them to be a long term source of income. Especially if you want to earn a full time income with your writing. The simple truth is that the competition for writing jobs at freelancing sites can be fierce and many buyers take advantage of this by asking you to bid on their jobs instead of offering a fixed rate. Unfortunately, this can make it difficult to secure jobs because some people are content to work for rates much lower than what you may be willing or able to. Also when first starting out, your lack of reputation and feedback on a particular site could put you at a disadvantage when applying for certain jobs. Only time and experience will allow you to become better known so that procuring assignments will get easier.
I am a bit reluctant to name any freelancing sites because I could in no way endorse or recommend them. But for the sake of my readers I will name two that I only know of as being rather popular among some freelance writers that I know. These sites are Elance.com and Freelancer.com. Just be aware that your due diligence is required if you decide to join either of the sites I listed. Be sure that you fully understand the terms and conditions as well as how everything works before applying for any jobs. Even a slight misunderstanding could damage your reputation or even get you banned. So do your homework first. Speaking of reputation, it is imperative to maintain a professional attitude and treat this like a real job. A single negative feedback remark can easily overshadow five or ten positive remarks. Communication with the customer is very important along with the ability to deliver projects on time. Proper grammar and spelling are also a must when writing articles for others. Remember this: "Spell check is your friend!"
Another reason to maintain a good relationship with the customer besides the fact that your reputation may depend on it, is that it may lead to repeat business. Many people will hire you on a trial basis and if you deliver an excellent service, it could lead to a long term business opportunity. In fact many online entrepreneurs use freelance sites to find full time writers for their business. If you are interested in using freelancing sites Legitwritingjobs.com is a paid membership site that conveniently categorizes many of the writing jobs from the more popular sites. This will make it easier to find your areas of interest instead of sifting through page after page of job listings to find what suits you the best. Of course I had to throw that out there because if you join the program I get a commission from the sale and that is how I make my money online.
A couple of other sites that I think are worth mentioning are Textbroker.com and Constant-Content.com. I guess these could be considered freelancing sites but they are a little different in how they work. If interested you will have to check them out and see for yourself. They are a little more stringent in the application process but are rather popular among my writer friends.
Since your main goal as a freelance writer should be to provide professional content at a premium price, these types of sites should be used only as a stepping stone to launch your career. This is where having an online portfolio can do wonders for your business. Most potential employers will expect you to provide examples of your work. Therefore, the advantage in having an online portfolio can be huge when selling your services as a freelance writer. Not only does it allow you to simply send your potential client the URL of your website which will show high quality examples of your work, it will also display your level of professionalism. Lets face it, any business today that does not have an online presence with a website has little chance of making it. Especially when marketing to customers seeking content that they intend to post to the web. Click Here to learn more about how to create an online portfolio.
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