Entries Tagged 'Make Money Freelancing' ↓

I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who was fully content with their current wage. Be honest with yourself–you aren’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. And quite frankly, neither am I.

That’s why I started freelance writing a few years back.

After thoroughly researching ways to generate additional income, and trying a few that didn’t turn out so hot (get paid to take surveys, anyone?), I finally came across the online writing world. It all started with SEO article writing.  After spitting out a few keyword centered articles, I just couldn’t believe I was getting paid REAL MONEY to write. Sure it was only a few bucks an article, but that few bucks each time was slowly but surely starting to fill up my PayPal account.

It sounded too good to be true, but it wasn’t.

In fact, after my first 6 months of writing, I put aside enough money to take my wife on one last trip before our baby was born (incidentally, I took here to this Texas Hill Country Bed and Breakfast. It was fabulous!).

All by supplementing my income with my new freelance writing career.

Although at that point, I didn’t really see it as a career. It was more of a side job. Something I enjoyed. Something to help me escape the reality of my day job. But shortly after, that mentality changed and I began seeing freelance writing as a legitimate career option.

But guess what? Here I am, 2-3 years later (I’ve lost count!) and I’m still working my day job. Saying I write part time is a bit of a stretch (I put in nearly as many hours writing as I do working my day job), but I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever go full time.

A few things to consider:

• By keeping my day job, I get a stable salary. No worries if a client fails to pay or even fires me.
• Insurance through my employer is waaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than if I had to get it on my own. And going uninsured isn’t even an option with my family.
• I’m doubling my income (almost). Could I make that much if I dropped the day job and went full time freelancing? Maybe…

Whether I end up saying bye-bye to the 9-5 or not, one thing is for certain: There is very real money to be made in freelance writing. No tricks. No schemes. Find the right clients and you’ll be supplementing your money in no time!

I’d like to think that at this point, people have seen enough scams to know that the majority of the work from home stuff is a bunch of crap. No you’re not going to make a living off of online surveys, stuffing envelopes, or some stupid pyramid scheme.

Having said that, now that people are so skeptical, they fail to see the legitimate areas where you can really make money working at home. Hell, I’m doing it right now. And so are thousands of people. It’s called freelance writing.

How does it work? Well, at the entry level, your best bet is to get into SEO article writing. It works like this:

1. A client needs to climb the search rankings, so they send you keywords they want articles written around.
2. You do a little research about the topic and you write articles on it.
3. You use the keyword in the intro, conclusion, and a few times throughout the sentence.
4. Generally you shoot for 500-600 words in length.
5. You send it to the client and they deposit money into your PayPal account.

No it’s not going to win you any Pulitzer Prizes, but is that really what you want? Or do you want to make some money without leaving the house? If you’re looking to be a famous novelist, well good luck with that. Just know that your chances are about as good as winning the lottery. On the other hand, if you’re looking to create a steady income stream on the side, or even to begin a full-fledged work at home career, then lay your pride aside and become a freelance writer.

I look at Craigslist like this– it’s a whole sea of junk leads with a few good opportunities mixed in. So is it worth your while to try and find gigs on Craigslist? Sometimes. Honestly, I scored one of my best gigs on Craigslist. My first print magazine job. It’s legit, consistent, and pays well. And I’ve picked up a few other decent clients along the way.

However, for every good job I’ve picked up on Craigslist, I’ve applied for at least 20 bogus ones. Some I never hear back from. Others send me sketchy emails requesting sketchy actions. I’ve even been fooled by a few along the way and regretted it later.

In retrospect, the writing was on the wall. If I had just paid attention to a few key phrases, I would have known not to mess with them. Here are some phrases that indicate bogus gigs on Craigslist.

1. “Great for those looking to build their portfolios”

Translation: “Since you have to build your portfolio anyway, can you give it to us?”

Honestly, I’ve never taken a job I didn’t get paid for. Not even to build my portfolio in the beginning. I would much rather take a low paying job to start building my portfolio because:

Little money > no money.

And if I couldn’t find any low paying jobs that would take me with no experience, I’d just create my own samples for myself. Why should some undeserving company reap the benefits of my hard work?

2. “Ideal for students”

Translation: We’ll treat you like a kid, not a professional.

You know why it’s ideal for students? Because kids are used to being bossed around by middle-aged, power-hungry, pseudo-successful managers at crappy jobs like McDonalds. So if you take this job, expect it to be a complete pain in the butt.

3. “No experience required”

Translation: “I need a writer but can’t afford to hire a good one.”

Now, if you’re just starting out, this might not be a bad setup. But if you’ve been writing for awhile, then you have experience and you don’t need to take jobs like these. The pay will be low.

4. “Intern position”

Translation: “We need your work, but can’t afford to pay you.”

You are not an intern. You don’t want to be an intern. You don’t need to be an intern. Interns don’t get paid. You’re trying to build a business. And if you aren’t seeing something go into your bank account, you’re not building anything. Advertising firms looking for interns will want good work for nothing.

5. “No pay for now, but will likely change as we grow”

Translation: “We’re a startup company looking to make money out of thin air.”

Guess how many startup companies fail? Most of them. So if you’re writing on good faith that one day you’ll make your millions… well, you’re just wasting your time. Don’t get me wrong, they probably have the best of intentions. But do you really want to put your blood, sweat, and tears into a gamble?

6. “For someone who wants to work their way into journalism”

Translation: “You want glamour? You’ll get it after you work for us.”

People who promise to give you the experience you need to obtain a job in a certain field try to make you think they’re doing you a favor. If you fall for it—the joke’s on you. And they’re likely laughing at you as they cash the checks they’ve made off the free work you’re giving them.

7. “Write a sample on [insert topic here]. If we like it, we’ll use you.”

Translation: “Write us a sample so we can use it and never speak to you again.”

I hate to admit it, but I fell for this one when I started out. I saw an ad for a guy who wanted a news post summarized/rewritten in about 200 words. He said if he liked it, he would use it and pay. I completed it, emailed it, and never heard from him again. Even after I tried to get in touch a few times.

If you choose to freelance job hunt on Craigslist, be wary. There are lots of people looking to take advantage of you. It’s not a case of “a few bad apples spoil the bunch.” It’s more like “lots of rotten apples hide a couple of good ones.”

What other wording have you seen in posts that signify sketchy jobs?

Mad Men is pretty much the best show on TV right now, hands down. There’s the 60’s setting, the cool ad-guy persona, the boozing and the philandering. But there’s more to it than just the “cool factor.” As a freelance writer striving to build our own successful business, there are quite a few lessons we can glean from this groundbreaking show. Here they are… oh and by the way, spoiler alert!

1. Start small and work your way up to the top

Even the mighty Don Draper had to start somewhere. For him it was a retail store and a used car lot where he gained valuable sales experience. For me it was Demand Media Studios, where I first learned how to write SEO formatted articles. Where’d you start? Wherever we begin, it’s important not to be ashamed. Everyone has to get experience somewhere. The key is using the newly acquired knowledge to climb to the next rung of the ladder.

2. Don’t be afraid to think big

Mad Men is full of big thinkers. Don wanted more out of his career than to just work for a little retail store, so he pounced on the opportunity to talk to Roger Sterling. Pete knew he was as good, so he whined and sniveled his way to the top to become junior partner. Peggy refused to play the traditional secretarial woman’s role and she became one of Don’s best copywriters. How about you? What’s your dream? Surely it’s not to stay writing for some content mill. Set big goals for yourself. My first goal was to hit a certain dollar amount per month writing part time. I hit it. Then I upped it and I hit it again. So now it’s time for me to think bigger. Join me!

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Am I the only one who has noticed that the job boards have sucked lately? Seriously, if you’re a part time freelance writer who only hits up Craigslist and similar job boards, then you’re income is in serious danger of drying up. But never fear, there are other ways to find work. Here are a few that I use:

• Direct mail—As Eric posted the other day, mail outs can pull in some good work.  As a matter of fact, I happen to know that some of his best clients have resulted directly from his direct mail campaigns. So instead of spending your morning sifting through the boards, work on a targeted list of prospects.
• Cold Call—I don’t know one single person who really enjoys cold calling. However, I know plenty who enjoy the benefits of cold calling. I’m a prime example. When we started HELP! Copy and Design, I was toying around with the idea of cold calling. Although I’d never actually tried it before, I had recently read The Well-Fed Writer in which the author raved about his cold calling success. So one day I was sitting in the car while my wife was in the grocery store, when I glanced over to my left and saw a truck with and advertisement for a small business on its door. I’m not sure what exactly came over me, but I instinctively picked up my phone and called them. The next thing I knew, I had my first client.
• Local magazines— Regardless of where you live, chances are you have a handful of locally published magazines in your area. Contact them to see if they need writers. Just make sure you have some article pitches ready. I found one of my best clients this way.

Where are you finding your freelance writing work?

Content mill [kon-tent mil]- noun- a company that provides clients with cheap website content by paying low rates to writers; thereby maximizing their own profits.

Often people ask me what I think about content mills. Can you make money writing for one? Is it beneath a professional writer to even consider? Are they even ethical?

Well, my answer may surprise you. Believe it or not, I currently work for a few content mills. I’ve written for one, in particular, for quite a while now. So if I still work for them, obviously I must be okay with them, right? Well, yes and no.

Per Article Rates

The truth is, if you find the right content mill, you can make money freelance writing for them. Case in point, Demand Media Studios. Once they accept you as a writer, you get access to a database of thousands of articles. You choose what you want and write it. Pay ranges from 3- 15 dollars per article. The 15 dollar articles take the average writer about 30-45 minutes to churn out. The lower paying ones can sometimes be completed in 5-10 minutes. So you stand to make between 15-30 dollars an hour. More if you write faster.

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by Eric Brantner

Freelance article writing is the perfect foundation for any part time writer looking to earn some extra coin on the side. Article writing jobs are always in abundance online, and these gigs tend to offer a high volume of work, giving you a nice workflow that can really help you build a nice supplemental income.

Of course, freelance article writing does have its limits. There are only so many articles you can write in your spare time, and the rates for online articles tend to be on the lower end of things. However, with the right approach and a few smart choices, you easily can multiply your earnings with freelance article writing.

1. Learn basic SEO writing skills—Many of the article writing jobs you can easily find online are for SEO article writing. This is a specialized type of writing aimed at earning high placement in search engine results for certain keywords and building links back to a specific website. SEO article writing involves knowing how to seamlessly implement the chosen keywords into the content to get the best results, without making the article look weird. It’s part art and part science.
2. Hire out your own freelance writers—As one person, there are only so many articles you can write. But if you can build up a team of writers and contract some of your work out to them at a lower rate, you can produce way more content and earn a little money off each article your writers create. This is the perfect way to land those assignments that require hundreds of articles be written.

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