Writing With Purpose

For me, one of the hardest parts of freelance writing is pounding the virtual pavement looking for work. I do not like to have to bid for jobs. I like having nice, steady, faithful customers. Lately, bidding for jobs in freelance writing has even been more discouraging, because buyers can get someone from Asia to do an hour’s worth of work for a dollar! For those of us that do this for a full-time living, it is simply not feasible to work for those prices.

Today, while doing research for another project I came across and article with advice for bidding on freelance jobs:

Research the Client

As with any job you might be considering, find out who you might be working for first. Do they have favourable comments against their ID? Do they have a substantial profile? Do they have a company website? If a posted job doesn’t feel right when you read it, the chances are you should steer clear.
There are several giveaways you should watch out for when thinking of bidding for a writing gig:
- the poster seems confused about what it is they actually want
- they are a new poster offering a high budget
- they are a new poster with no references
- the poster has little or no information in their profile or job description
- the poster is reluctant to give up much information about himself or the job
- they are looking for work on a trial basis first
All of these instances should set alarm bells ringing in your head, telling you the job you might be about to bid for is not all that it seems.

Don’t Bid Low

Not only is it an affront to hard working writers the world over, but bidding low for projects reduces your professionalism as well as your chances of moving forward in the industry.
Too many jobs appear on these websites advertising work for a pittance but disguised as something fantastic. For example: “$500 for easy article writing” sounds like a good deal, but when you read the small print, very often you’ll find the client is looking for 500 articles a week at $1 a piece. You would be a fool to go for it, because not only is it demeaning, it also propagates the misunderstanding that writers will work for next to nothing under ridiculous demands. The Writer’s Strike in America should have warned people about this sort of thing, but while there are writers who do it, the problem will always exist. Don’t be one of them.
If you are serious about freelance writing, then do your research and stick to the going rate. Not only will people take you more seriously, but you’ll avoid getting involved with cowboys looking for a cheap deal. Remember: people will get what they pay for – $1 per article will rightly get them garbage, compared to a quality article researched and written for $100.
By all means bid strategically: if the average bid for a $100-$250 gig is sitting at $150 and this is within decent market rates for that type of work, then be competitive, but don’t lose your self-respect over it.

Watch Out For Pirates

Suppose a client accepts your bid and the ball is set rolling on a project. You await the full remit but when it arrives you discover it is for something a little bit more than previously agreed. It would be easy to return with a volley of abuse, and it might be even easier to take the work as it is and hope to impress. But don’t. A chancer is at work and he will take you for all you have. If you were to get involved in this type of situation, what’s to say you will even get paid at the end of it?
Should you find this happens, a short but polite email to the client explaining the new remit was not what you agreed, but you would be happy to discuss new terms as part of another project over and above the currently agreed one.
Do not let yourself be bowled over by slick sales talk or threats of breach of contract –stand your ground and be strong. If you lose the gig then you have lost nothing but a lot of hassle, so thank yourself for having the savvy to get out while you could.
If the client is genuinely confused then negotiate a deal for the new work, and who knows, a continuing working relationship may develop to be very fruitful for both parties.
Another popular scam is to sign up a writer, only for the client to say they would prefer you to write an amount of the project and submit it in advance, just to see if you are both compatible. Challenge them to put their money up first, stating you don’t work for free, or simply prepare to walk away. The chances are if you undertake this work you can wave goodbye to any form of payment and will never hear from them again.
Be Prudent With Payments
The main rule when handling payments is safety first. Escrow systems are normally in place to which it is recommended clients place the agreed amount of money first. This money is then held in this third party account until the job is completed and can be released; a system designed to protect both parties from intellectual and monetary theft.
Using Escrow means you are also able to leave comments for each other after a project’s completion in order to boost your profile within the community. A downside to this though, is you will normally be charged to withdraw your money to an external account, which if this is PayPal or WorldPay for example, may also take its own percentage depending on the amount.
One way around this is to bypass Escrow and simply agree with the client to take payment straight into PayPal/WorldPay. This eliminates any extra charges, but loses the protection afforded from Escrow. In this instance, ask the client to deposit a percentage of the agreed fee into PayPal (unless you have worked with him before), to ensure confidence on either side that the work will be done, and that payment is safe.

Don’t Entertain Anything Illegal

From time to time seemingly well-paid gigs arise which may be illegal in some countries. Very often jobs are posted that ask the writer to plagiarise other articles or content, write unethical reports with “guidelines” that consist merely of lies, or offer payment to provide false names or testimonials in articles for people and products that do not exist. Many of these scams are used to gain money from people over the internet under false pretences, which in most countries is an illegal practice called fraud.
It goes without saying that jobs like these should be avoided at all costs. Although you may be ghost writing the work, if the cops came looking there will always be a trail back to your computer.
All this aside, there are some very good opportunities for work in the form of one-off gigs on bidding sites. They afford the writer a chance to dip their toes into new territory without too much being at stake, and it can be a good way of filling the gaps when things get quiet.

I found this article on Daily Writing Tips. The writer has some very good advice. To deviate from these 5 tips will only come back to harm your business and your ability to become a successful copywriter in the long run.

So, what do you think? Do you have any more freelance writing tips that have served you well?

Popularity: 93% [?]

More and more people are turning to the Internet in order to make a living or earn a little extra money in the evenings. But, freelance writing is not for everyone.

Yes, you can basically pick your own hours and work in your PJ’s. But, like any other job, it is not all fun. When I tell some people I work at home by writing, they think I have it made. But, give them one of the simplest assignments copywriters do on a daily basis, and they are stumped. Writing for a living is not for everyone.

For example, you may get a big order to write 20 or more articles for a client. But, they are all on the same topic, just a different set of keywords. After the 2nd or 3rd article on a subject as mundane as blowing your nose, what do you write about next. You have to be creative and quick. The longer it takes you to write an article, the less you make per hour.
You have to know how to say the same thing in a hundred different ways.

You also need to know how to run a business. Especially this time of year, with income tax day looming, I am even more aware of why it is vital to keep good books. Keep all of your receipts, especially if you are purchasing an item for your business.

Also, if you want to expand you ability to make money as a freelancer, check into other things besides writing articles. If you can do technical writing or write eBooks, you will probably make a lot more money than the article writer. However, you can also learn how to build websites, how to make money through affiliate marketing and more. If you want to make more money as a freelance writer, you need to think about other sources of income other than writing.

It sounds easy as I am writing this, but I have been freelancing for 4 years and I am just learning how I can make a better living working from home. So, I hope you will share how you have become successful writing and any offshoots from article writing that have made you more profitable in the last year.

Popularity: 62% [?]

If you are serious about becoming a freelance writer, you need to garner some clients and start establishing your reputation. You need to build a portfolio.

Some new freelancers are under the impression that you have to tell your clients that you are a beginner, even if you write exceptionally well. Not so! You do not necessarily need clients to build a portfolio. Potential buyers do not care who bought your work, if anyone. They simply want to see examples of your work.

So, to create your portfolio begin by writing about a subject that you are really interested in, and know something about. Your writing will flow better, if it is a topic that you know a lot about.

Next, pick another topic of interest. Build up a variety of different subjects in your portfolio. Do not worry about subjects that will require research or make you uncomfortable. You need to start your portfolio with ideas that are close to your heart. It will show in your writing, and you are liable to do you best work.

After clients start hiring you, then you can expand your portfolio and research other topics for more jobs and to pad your writing portfolio.

I will give you a piece of advice I got this year, from a successful home business entrepreneur: remember, this is not a race, it is a marathon. If you need more information, please contact me.

Popularity: 42% [?]

Last week, my mother had surgery on her wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome. A lot of people have this problem, especially if they are on the computer and typing a lot. It got me to thinking about a great tool for busy freelance writers.

Voice Activation Software

With all of the advancements in technology, you might want to consider investing in voice activation software. I personal like, and use, Dragon Naturally Speaking. I have had several versions throughout my freelancing years. But, unless you specialize in technical or medical writing, the cheapest version is adequate. The pricier versions are better equipped to handle specialized vocabulary and documents.

How Voice Activation Software Works

Initially, the program can be frustrating, because you have to train it to recognize your voice and the manner in which you speak. However, the more you use the software, the more accurate it will become.

All you need is a headset with a microphone, so you can speak what you want to type. However, unlike regular speech, you will have to tell the computer when to insert a comma, period, or other type of punctuation. So, the program comes with a guide to help you learn how to speak certain commands, so the computer knows what to do.

If you get really good at it, voice activation software does a lot more than simply type documents hands free. It can be used to search the Internet, open programs, answer emails and more.

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Lately, I have been trying to check around to see what other people are writing about freelance writing. Sometimes, I read something interesting and it gives me an idea for an article. Other times, a reader will pose a question that may not even be answered yet.

For example, today I visited Fast Cash Freelance and found this question:

I wonder if there are websites which can pay me to write articles for them. I have a blog, but I’m awful at SEO, so I don’t earn enough. Any suggestions?

Although I do not claim to have all the answers, I do have a couple of suggestions that might help this individual, and you, if you have clients that want articles that are search engine optimized.

First of all, try this link: http://www.global-icon.com/tools/WordSEOSetup.exe It is a program that will let you check the SEO content of your keywords in your word document, before sending it back to your customer.

Second, Google has a great program for looking up SEO content words and possible variations, so searching for keywords is not so difficult: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Both of these tools are excellent, if you need search engine optimization tools. They are both free and easy to use. I can recommend them, because I use them myself.

I am going to pass along this information to the individual with the question. But, I hope it helps you too.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Are you becoming one of those freelance writers inundated with spam? No, not the kind you eat- the kind that comes to your inbox by the hour. If it were snail mail, you would be buried in it? When I started writing on a lot of different topics for different clients, I started getting a ton of spam. If I had to look up something about skin infections, I would get a ton of emails regarding skin care, within the next couple of days. If I was away from the computer for even a day, I might have 100 emails to sift through.

Good and Bad Spam

Now, if you are like my father-in-law who lives in Hawaii, you might really like the kind of Spam that you eat. But, I do not know of anyone that appreciates the spam that makes it’s way into your email account!

Personally, I do not know why people use spam anyway. It just makes potential customers mad. I certainly do not want to purchase anything from somebody that has been spamming me!

The Spam Solution

Today, I wrote an article for a client about a spam solution. Since I had to check it out to write the article, I watched their little video of how it works, without causing you to lose the emails you really want. It looks like a good deal. You might want to check it out.

Believe me! The more you write, the more you will receive spam. If you have a website that allows comments, and it becomes popular, you spam load will increase respectively. In fact, you may get more spam than real email.

Of course, this solution for freelance writers inundated with spam is just an idea, based upon the research I had to do today. You may take a look and disagree. If so, shoot me a comment back and tell me how you handle your spam problem. Maybe you have a better solution.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Although you may start out copywriting via sites like Elance.com, where you pay for the privilege to bid on jobs and make connections with potential buyers, you will want to start advertising as a freelance writer. Then, you will eventually establish a faithful client base, and you can keep more of your profits for yourself.

Time vs. Money

How you let potential clients know that you are available for their writing needs is up to you. Personally, why pay money, if you can spend a little of your time and get the job done for free. Especially if you are just starting out, or you only plan on writing part-time in the evenings, you do not want to eat up all of your profits paying someone else to promote your writing skills. In essence, you will be doing for yourself what other people are paying for you to do for them.

Here are 4 free ways you can advertise your freelance writing:

• Article Marketing
• Blogs
• Free Press Releases
• Social Networking Sites

Don’t limit yourself to one freelance advertising resource. Use all 4. In fact, if you know of more free opportunities that I have not mentioned here, use them too! The more you make the effort to get the word out, the better your business will thrive.

Article Marketing

Article marketing is not difficult. After all, you are writing articles for clients. The only difference is that you are taking time to write for yourself. One of my favorite places to get the word out by writing a short article is ezinearticles.com.l

Although you cannot directly advertise yourself, you can write informative articles on subjects related to your business. Then, you embed a couple of well-placed links, so readers will come to you for more information. For example, I have another website, Living with Cerebral Palsy, and I want to let readers know about it. So, I wrote an article and posted it free on Ezinearticles.com called Conversation on Living with Cerebral Palsy. With a link in the body and a link in the bio box, I have just let readers know that I have a site dedicated to CP.

Blogs

Okay. Look at the section about article marketing that I just completed. Do you see those links? Each one of those links directs you to a site related to the information discussed. In addition, they are all related to work I have done. Normally, you probably will not have quite so many links in your blog. After all, you do not want to wear out your readers by making them hop all over the Internet.

However, for the purposes of this article, it definitely illustrates why blogs are such a great tool for advertising yourself. You give the reader good, informative content. Google and other search engines love that idea. They are more likely to pick you up. But, it also directs the reader to a place they can learn more and hire you, if needed.

Free Press Releases

Sending out a press release is much the same as article marketing. However, the format of the writing is more streamlined and to the point. It is more like an informative announcement of the services you provide and how individuals can avail themselves of your talents.

Thankfully, if you have not done so before, most of the free sites will offer examples. See how a good press release is written, and simply follow the same format. After checking out about 20 different sites, my 4 favorites are:

1. PRLog.org
2. Free-Press-Release.com
3. Press-Base.com
4. ClickPress.com

Social Networking Sites

Finally, use social networking sites for more than just chatting with your long lost friends. You can plug-in a social networking tool on your blog. Then, it is really simple. For instance, after I finish this blog entry, I am going to the social networking icons at the end of my post. I am going to click on them and post a link back to this very article, if readers want to know more about the subject, me, or what I can do for them.

Now you have 4 good advertising resources to think about. If you have any questions, or you have some other great free advertising resources that I have not mentioned, please pass along a comment, and let the other readers know how they can better advertise themselves as freelance writers.

Popularity: 4% [?]