Writing With Purpose

A couple of weeks ago, Tina asked if any of us were making a living writing online and, if so, would we mind discussing it. I raised my hand. I’m not alone in providing words for the Web. After all, according to DomainTools.com, there are currently over 117 billion active domains on the Internet with over 100,000 new domains registered each day. That’s a lot of content that needs to be written.

I primarily write Web content for Web sites. This includes general content such as Home and About Us pages as well as articles, blog posts, and even Twitter tweets. I also post the occasional article on revenue share sites like Associated Content. I find my clients three ways: Constant-Content.com where I submit articles for public requests; word of mouth where clients recommend me to their colleagues; and from one of my Web sites promoting my writing services.

For the most part, I work with the same clients week in, week out. I’m fortunate that these clients have an ongoing need for continuous content. I learned early on that it’s much easier to keep existing clients than to find new ones. As with any other business, it pays to prioritize customer service and be easy to work with.

My advice for online writers? Keep upgrading your skills and run your writing business as a business. Set regular hours and keep your clients informed. Remain accessible and honest – and be easy to work with. If a client wants revisions, make revisions. After all, you want the client to be completely satisfied, right?

It is possible to make a decent living writing online. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

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Recently, I received a comment on a post that was so long, I thought it deserved a post of its own. However, I must add a disclaimer. I have not checked out this site, or the opportunities it promotes. However, I am including it in the blog, so you can check it out and judge for yourself:

Hi, this is Nicole from Rent a Coder. Rentacoder provides access to programming, writing, illustration, even data entry jobs. (You can get a sense of the broad scope of work available here: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/SoftwareCoders/BrowseWork.asp).

While 1/3rd of projects on sites like ours and our competitors will be price conscious, the remaining 2/3rds are awarded based on ratings, certifications and expert guarantees. As a result, some of our workers make tens of thousands of dollars a year and more (see the worker list ranking list at https://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/misc/AllCoderCompleteList.asp for details). In order to maximize your earnings, it’s important to choose a service that protects you, and different sites vary widely in what they do for you.

That’s why I’d like to point out a few differences between our service and services like Elance since those differences could influence your satisfaction and earnings.

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Cost:
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The more a site charges you, the less you have to put in your own pocket at paycheck time. Unlike Elance, Rent A Coder does not charge you a monthly subscription fee for any bidding or certification privileges.

1) Free and unlimited bidding and certification privileges
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Workers on Elance cannot place more than 10 bids a month unless they pay a subscription fee ($10/month for 25, $20/month for 40 or $40/month for 60). They also cannot be certified in over 5 areas without paying the same fee. Rent A Coder does not charge any subscription fees.

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Working with a new buyer on Pay-for-Deliverables projects:
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The cheapest and easiest way to work with a buyer is to bill by the hour (called pay-for-time). However, a new buyer doesn’t know yet that you’re productive, and won’t run up a huge bill with fluff hours. To help you establish that trust, both Elance and Rent A Coder let you work with them safely by bidding a fixed price for the final deliverables (called pay-for-deliverables). However, Elance’s extra charges for arbitration may make it prohibitively expensive to exercise your rights.

2) Payment Guarantee
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If a buyer doesn’t pay you for work you’ve properly delivered, both sites will step in and give you the funds via arbitration. However Rent A Coder does this for free. If a buyer doesn’t pay you for work you’ve properly delivered, both sites will step in and give you the funds via arbitration. However Elance charges you $66-$133 to do this. This may also make it impractical to get paid on smaller projects. Rent A Coder, on the other hand, does this for free.

3) Arbitration
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On Rent A Coder you can start arbitration immediately. A buyer intent on abusing the system can stall the start of arbitration on Elance for 21 business days and during this period your money is not available to you. During the first phase (dispute assistance), the buyer has up to 3 business days to respond, and can make this phase last up to 12 additional business days (15 business days total). After this, the arbitration phase ‘begins’, but does actually start because the buyer is given 3 business days to acknowledge the notice of arbitration, and the another 3 business days if they did not acknowledge the first notice. Only at this point is arbitration actually started. See the Elance contract for more information.

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Working with a buyer you know on Pay-for-Time projects:
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Once a buyer trusts that you won’t bill them for unproductive hours, you can bill them by the hour (called pay-for-time). This has many advantages over pay-for-deliverables including cheaper fees, flexibility (you don’t have to define all the requirements in advance to start working) and less risk (under-estimates are no longer your responsibility to bear). However Rent A Coder guarantees payment, while Elance does not.

4) Guraranteed Payment
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Rent A Coder guarantees payment for every hour you properly record in the AccuTimeCard. It also requires the buyer to escrow the funds for the week in advance to make sure they are good for the money. If they try to withhold payment unfairly, Rent A Coder will award you the funds. Elance does not force the buyer to escrow funds on pay-for-time projects. As a result, it does not guarantee payment, and you may do the work and receive less than you agree (or nothing at all). Rent A Coder does guarantee payment.

There are other differences as well. I invite everyone to compare the 7 major services through this link to learn even more: http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorInformation/WhyRentACoder_ForSellers.aspx

If you have any questions, please let me know. You can also call in to talk to a facilitator 7 days a week, or email us (see http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/misc/Feedback.asp).

As you can see, the freelance job opportunity very “salesy”, with excessive links. Normally, I tend to shy away from such opportunities. However, it doesn’t hurt to check into it.

Then, tell me if you have worked with them or what you think. Your opinion is valuable.

Popularity: 19% [?]

One of the biggest problems I have in freelancing is deciding what to charge. I sign a contract for a specific number of articles, but then I find out there is going to be a lot of research involved. Basically, I am stuck doing a lot of work for free.

In addition, I have no idea what others are charging and I want to remain competitive. If I go by the project bids on Elance, I am going to have to work 16 hours, 6 days a week, just to pay my bills and keep my business afloat. Thus, the price of our services are going down, while the cost of everything else is going up.

Or is it just Me?

This year, I decided that after 4 years of freelancing it was time to give myself a raise. Unfortunately, my best client didn’t think so. Ouch! Now what?

I have had other freelancers tell me that I am too nice. I am too concerned about making my services more affordable to the clients; and, I should be looking out for my own career and pocketbook.

When in Doubt, Look it UP

Today, in the course of doing my job, I came across a site that I found very interesting. The Editorial Freelancers Association has a lot of helpful information for me and you. But, the part I was most interested in checking out today were the going rates for all of the jobs I do:

So, are you Charging Enough?

Herein lies the rub. If a writer from China will write a page for $1 though Elance, how can you expect your client to pay $15-$30 per page.

Plus, a lot depends on the type of writing you do. Is it a very basic informative article, or is a lot of research required? Is it technical writing? It takes experience that a lot of freelancers do not possess.

Wish I had the Answer

Unfortunately, there is no real answer. You simply have to decide what your clients are willing to pay, and whether you can afford to lose them, if you raise your prices and they decide not to follow. You have to use your business sense and feel out the market.

Recently, I heard of a man that had been a freelancer for a number of years, but he was sadly lacking in clientèle. He decided to hire the services of a coach, to help him get up to speed and back in the market. During the conversation, the coach offered him the job of writing a one page article for $25. He promptly turned down the offer, because it was not enough money.

Excuse me! He had no clients. He was desperate for help. But, he couldn’t write for approximately 30 minutes and earn $25? Hire me! Hire me! I’ll take it! How many people do you know that are freelancers and consistently make $50 an hour?

If you do, you need to write a guest post for this blog, and let us in on your secret!

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The stress of freelance writing is very real. Your friends and family, and even your clients, may think you have a cushy job working at home, but there are days you want to throw the computer in the trash and run away. You would do almost anything other than another article on a topic for which you have absolutely no interest; especially, if it is the 50th article on the same exact subject.

Do you ever have those days, when you feel like pouring the coffee directly into your veins, in order to save time and energy? I sure do!

So, what do you do about it?

Time management is the key. However, it is much easier said than done-I know. So, here are some clues:

1. Don’t assume ANYTHING!
I have taken jobs on topics close to my heart. It was going to be a cinch! I wouldn’t have to do a lot of research. I can whip out the articles in nothing flat and make a bigger profit. NOT! For instance, I may know a lot about Living with Cerebral Palsy, because I do it every day. But, I don’t know that much about the legalities of business as it relates. Thus, I am late completing the assignment.

2. DON’T believe everything you hear!
I can’t count the times a client has told me that the assignment will be very simple for a good freelance writer. Nine times out of ten, I end up thinking that if it was so easy and quick, why are they paying me to do the job? Recently, I did an article on reasonable accommodations for the disabled in a place of business. Since I am in a wheelchair, I should know-right? Wrong? Again, the assignment had to do with legal issues. The client thought it would be easy, because she already had a vision of the finished project. Unfortunately, my vision was totally different! REDO! OUCH!

3. Time is Illusive!
The clock keeps ticking away, no matter how fast you think and type. Even if you know a lot about the subject, realize that it generally takes you longer to finish a project than you anticipate. A good rule of thumb is to double the time you actually think it will take, so you don’t need that infusion of caffeine to pull and all-nighter to get a project done on time.

If you get done earlier, so much the better! Your client will be pleased, and you will have spare time to begin the next task early, or just get a decent night’s sleep. Both are good!

4. Give yourself a break!
I know quite a few freelance writers that seem to work 24/7. Granted, the pay isn’t always the best, and it takes a lot of work to get the projects done, and still have time for self-promotion, further education, and developing new ideas. But, if you work everyday until you drop, it WILL come back to haunt you, sooner or later.

You need to walk or, in my case, roll away from the computer. Get a life beyond the keyboard! Life is too short to be constantly looking at a computer screen. If you give yourself a break, chances are you will work faster and write better, when you do get back to the projects at hand.

Taking my Own Advice

So, why write about the stress of freelance writing? Well, for one thing, it is very real for us, at one time or another. Secondly, I need to take my own advice. Although I don’t have as much trouble with taking time for myself, I DEFINITELY have a lot of trouble with the other 3 on occasion.

This last week alone, I had programming issues with a site. It took 4 days, a lot of work, and numerous techs and programmers to discover the problem. Then, I took on a project that required an all-nighter. (I don’t pull them as easily, now that I am older.) To top it off, my car quit working to the tune of almost $600.

Yes, I know all about the stress of freelance writing; yes, I know how I can relieve it; no, I don’t always follow my own advice.

So, how about you? What do you do to relieve the stress of freelance writing?

Popularity: 61% [?]

Ladies and gentlemen,

Some people say that it is bad business to promote someone else, when you are trying to strengthen your own business. It makes sense. However, there are exceptions to the rule.

Maybe someday I will have a newsletter of my own that is informative and fun. Never say never. But, I must admit it would be very hard to top the one that I received in my inbox this week.

In most cases, I get a newsletter from some business that I once worked with or purchased something from in the past, and I just delete them without a second glance.

But, this particular newsletter has an eye-catching header. I couldn’t have deleted it without noticing. But, it is much more than a good header. It has good material.

In this case, I also know the creator and I actually helped her a little. She asked my opinion. Well here it is:

The newsletter is innovative, yet briefly makes its points. It includes color, pictures, and clever subheadings to garner interest. It is not something I wouldn’t have to read all at once. It contains valuable information, but also fun facts or weird stuff, just for the fun of it. It even has a puzzle. I don’t know what you think about puzzles, but I love them!

It is something I can save, set aside, and read in bits and pieces. She even showcases other writers. I have been honored to be showcased for my other blog Living with Cerebral Palsy

Below, is a link the first edition of this informative and fun newsletter for freelancers. (You can even right click and save link as to read it at your leisure) But, I would encourage you to sign up for future additions. You never know what you will read next!

Welcome to The Confident Copywriter Newsletter

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As freelance writers today, we are up against a lot of competition. When I started 4 years ago, there wasn’t that many of us out there, and it was a lot easier to find work. On the downside, help to get started was in short supply.

When I first started as a copywriter, my only claim to fame was the ability to write. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

I was fortunate in finding clients that were willing to let me learn, and they had a lot to teach me. But, I still felt all alone, sitting in my living room, with no co-workers or colleagues to share ideas with or ask questions.

Victoria Ipri

As a copywriter, she knows how difficult it can be to get help, get known, and really make it as a successful freelance writer. So, she has provided some amazing perks for becoming a member, and it is all FREE!

As a member, you can:

You really should see for yourself. Think of what it can do to help you grow your business. Talk to other copywriters and find out their secrets to success.

I am a member. Will you become one? All you have to do is click here.

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Wow! I have been so busy! Yet, I can’t believe I have neglected the blog for a week! I was so faithful about adding something every day. I must apologize. I need to get a calendar set up, so I don’t forget what is important.

But, during the past week, I have been working in the back end of freelance writing and learning how to change and add to a WordPress blog. It is something different. I think the knowledge will help me in the future. I’m even thinking about taking some programming classes.

Can you imagine being able to tell future clients: I can build your website; then, I can populate it with good, solid content, before I use my marketing skills to advertise it all over the Web?

Seriously, if you really want to make it in this business, you will need to diversify. I have said it before, and I will say it again: the competition is getting tougher out there, because more people are turning to the Internet as a source of income-you and me included!

So, now you know what has been keeping me busy. But you need to know about the great new advertising tools I have found. Of course, as usual, I am looking for the freebies.

I found a site that will help you create banners for FREE. In addition, it will give you the html code to plug it into your site, or wherever, so you can benefit from it immediately. http://www.snacktools.com/ It is great fun!

I made this banner for advertising on another site in just a matter of minutes. As you can see, you can also create banners for your own site, to make a point or catch the readers eye. Although the full size will not embed into this post, check out the right side of my blog and you will see a simple flash banner that will lead you to Living with Cerebral Palsy.

You can also make banners to insert into emails, to send a personalized greeting card to someone. You don’t necessarily need a website of your own.

So, forgive me for neglecting my blog, and have fun with this new tool I have found to ramp up your advertising campaign.

Do you have any cool advertising tools that you prefer?

Popularity: 79% [?]