How to Get Paid to Write Online
Do you want to know how to get paid to write online? It's not only possible but it is something you could use to earn a full time income. But there are some aspects of it that you need to be aware so that you don't get frustrated. That's what this article is about.
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The truth is the demand for content is much greater than the supply of people able to satisfy that demand. This is indeed a good position to be in if you are considering freelance writing.
But before you go searching for the term "freelance writing jobs", be aware that most newbies start out wrong. This is why freelancing has gotten such a bad rap. Simply accepting jobs that are returned from the above phrase is likely to get you the lowest paying jobs out there. Oddly enough, there is more competition for those low paying jobs than the higher paying ones.
The Market for Content
The market for content is exploding. There is simply no other way to describe it. It makes sense when you think about it. Thousands of blogs are created on a daily basis. People are becoming authors on Kindle at an alarming rate. Magazine publications on sites like Amazon and iTunes has taken off like gangbusters.
Text based content isn't the only avenue that people are looking to fill content for. Audio, video as well as slideshows are taking off at an alarming rate.
Won't People Simply Create their Own Content?
Suppose you are a business owner that sells plumbing supplies as an example. You know your business really well. But you also heard that in order to increase sales, you need to create a blog. You also have heard that you need constantly update your blog with frequent updates two or three times a week or more.
After about two or three updates, you realize you are neglecting your plumbing supplies business so you put the content creation on hold. You know you'll get to it eventually but you never actually do.
You still understand that you need frequent updates to your blog and this hangs over your head because you are unable to maintain the aggressive schedule needed create content for your website. This is the reason why people hire others to create their content for them.
It's not just for blogs either. There are plenty of people that want to author their own books either to sell the book outright or they want to use the books as a way of generating leads (they write a book about their business services and then give out copies at local Chamber of Commerce meetings). But time constraints exist for these people as well. Unless you are a full time author/writer, you probably won't have the time to create this book on your own.
As you can see from the examples above, demand for content creation is spectacular.
What Kind of Pay Can Be Expected?
The pay is going to depend largely on how good of a writer you are, how deep you can go with research and what kind of angle you can provide that others aren't. It's also going to depend largely on what type of content you are creating. You should expect a lot more money for a 50 page eBook than you would get for a 350 word blog post.
Another major factor is the perception that you are giving to your potential clients. If you set your rate at $5 per article, you are going to be seen as someone cheap. You'll get a lot of requests for writing but you are going to be spending several hours a day for peanuts. And oddly enough, these clients will also be your most demanding. They figure if you are unwilling to meet their demands, they can easily pay someone else at that low rate to do it. So expect many revisions at this price level.
How Do You Find the Higher Paying Gigs?
Due to the large demand for paid content, when you know where to look, you will be able to pick and choose which clients you want to deal with. Clients worth their weight in salt, will know that it's better to pay higher rates. They know that all things being equal, the lower the rate, the lower the quality.
In the resource section, below, I will point you to a resource showing you exactly how to pick the right clients that are willing to pay great rates.
Why Competition is Actually Lower for Those Higher Paying Gigs
Think of it this way, anyone can write but most people cannot write well. Anyone who can write well will eventually figure out that the demand for them is even greater.
As stated in the previous section, there are many clients who are smart enough to know they get what they pay for. So if you are a great writer and they recognize this, you will easily get more repeat work from these high paying clients. It's always better to have a few great high paying clients than to have several low paying ones. You don't have to produce as much (in terms of word count) and you will get a decent pay rate.
One word of caution: these higher paying clients are going to expect much better quality than what they would get at say, the $5 level. But if you are a good writer, that shouldn't be an issue.
What if You Have No Experience?
It's typical when seeking freelance writing jobs, to be asked for examples of your writing, a.k.a., your portfolio. But it is kind of the chicken vs. egg argument. How do you show a portfolio if you've never written anything before?
You start by writing. Use article sites like EzineAricles.com, HubPages.com, WordPress.com, Blogger.com, and any others that may come up through an online search. Also, consider creating your own blog and start creating content on that. This is after all, what you are trying to get a job doing so it's not a terrible idea to have your own blog.
What else can be done to build up your portfolio? You could:
- Write posts for other bloggers (this is a concept known as guest blogging). You won't make any money initially but it will give you some exposure and help with your portfolio building.
- Offer to write a few articles for some clients for free in exchange for good references. If you go this route, make it clear that only the first one or two articles are free and be sure to spread this out over several potential clients so that it shows you have more experience than just one client. This also a good way to find clients as well. Again, the key is properly communicating exactly what you are providing.
- Use the low paying gigs to build up your portfolio. Endure the heavy demanding clients for a few gigs in exchange for getting work built for your portfolio.
Avoid These Common Pitfalls
Knowing about the following pitfalls can help you steer clear of them:
- Thinking everything has to be perfect before actually taking the plunge and look for freelance jobs. Don't wait. Learn as you go and read up on it.
- Thinking that you have to accept low paying jobs just to get in the door. As I explained before, there are times when taking a few low paying gigs (or even free) can make sense. But this should be used sparingly.
- Not perfecting your craft. If you want to get from an okay writer to a great writer you should always be increasing your abilities and skills.
- Not paying attention to the style that your client is looking for. It's always a good idea to read through work already created (if available).
- No clearly spelled out definition of what kind of work items are going to delivered. Are you only going to allow two revisions before charging extra or are you going to let the client ask for unlimited revisions? A good paying job can easily turn into man more hours spent (and hence less in terms of hours per dollar) if revisions are unlimited.
What Kinds of Content Should
You Write About?
I am certain I won't cover every kind of content that exists in the world today. In fact, for a much more comprehensive list, take a look at the following:
http://allindiewriters.com/ways-to-make-a-living-writing/
The following are some of the major types of writing avenues that can help you narrow your focus:
- Writing for blogs
- Articles
- Copywriting
- Email Follow Ups
- Product Reviews
- Landing Pages
- Company Pages
- Scripts for Videos
- Whitepapers
- Books and/or Ebooks
- Newsletters and Magazines
Obviously, there can be overlap in several of these. For instance, if you are contracted out to create a magazine, you will need to either create the articles yourself or find them from somewhere else. Also, with video scripts you may also be asked to create the actual video itself if you advertised that as one of the skills you can do.
What Are the Next Steps?
If you are new to the field of freelance writing and want a way to learn how to go about it properly, I can help you with that. I have resources that can show you how to do things correctly, right from the beginning. Specifically I can show you:
- How to bypass low paying gigs and jump right into high paying ones
- How to avoid demanding clients that have no concept of quality
- How to Overcome Your Fears That Many People Experience when Starting a Freelance Business. Once this happens it becomes easier to get better paying jobs
- How to Quickly and Easily Gain Experience in Writing Before you Even Get Your First Writing Gig. This will help shore up any doubts clients may have.
- How to Become an Established Writer so that High Quality, High Paying Clients Will Keep Coming Back For More. You won't have to constantly work to gain new clients (this one alone is golden!)
- How to Make Your Writing Career a Reality!
"Who Else Wants to Learn How to Get Paid to Write Online
the Right Way?"
By clicking on the button below, you are about to access a life changing resource. It will mean the difference between you struggling with lousy clients and grabbing the great clients. I wish I had known about this before I got started in freelance writing. Don't make the same mistake I made. Learn how to get started the right way by clicking the button below!
