Sunday, November 28, 2010

Top Articles & Content Writing on Internet

Top Articles & Content Writing on Internet

The Best Novels You’ve Never Read - Book Hunt 2007 -- New York Magazine

Posted: 27 Nov 2010 03:02 PM PST

At Ehow 20,000 Hits Yielded $150.00 Profit

Posted: 27 Nov 2010 05:50 AM PST

At Ehow 20,000 Hits Yielded $150.00 Profit,Making money off article writing,writing on the internet for money

Article Writing Tips For A Conversion Boost

Posted: 27 Nov 2010 03:37 AM PST

Writing profit pulling articles is a skill, but it's something that can be learned. Internet marketers have been effectively used articles and article marketing with outstanding results in their businesses.Perhaps the single most important skill in this method is knowing how to write articles that keep the reader interested.

Plagiarism Checker

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:01 PM PST

Freelance Writing 101: What I Learned the Hard Way So You (Hopefully) Don't Have To

Posted: 27 Nov 2010 07:11 AM PST

Freelancing is an art. Just as the artist, musician or novelist has a vision, so does the freelancer. But just like being an artist, musician or novelist, being a freelance worker is not as easy as it might seem at first.

I, myself, have taken on the role of a freelance writer, proofreader, editor and re-writer. In a sudden moment of inspiration, I gave up my hourly jobs and sat down with a mission: to become my own boss, to network and sustain myself off of my words. So far, it has worked out pretty nicely for me. Granted, I’m not yet at the level where I’m making thousands of dollars a month, but converting to an entirely independent lifestyle isn’t a walk in the park.

Although I’ve had the good fortune of making my way as a freelance writer, there are a few lessons I had to learn on my own that I could have easily avoided with some in-depth research before embarking on my journey. I’m here to start off this wordpress to outline a few of the key things any beginning freelancer should know.

Review Your Elementary Grammar Books

This is perhaps one of the most important things any freelance writer must do before attempting to contribute work. Even the best writers need help with grammar, sentence structure and readability. Review all aspects of the English language and make sure you know the rules inside and out. Websites like English Grammar 101 provide free exercises, tests, printable lessons and premium services for people of all ages. Keeping your grammatical skills in top shape will help you catch the attention of clients, websites and larger audiences for your work.

Find the Right Company

For freelancers who want to work online, finding the right company might seem impossible. There are so many to choose from that it’s almost scary to jump right in without knowing what you’re getting into. I’ve made up my own list of the best freelance writing sites (in my humble opinion) for you to research and potentially write for when you’re ready to start writing.

  • TextBroker.com. When you sign up for text broker, you are asked to provide a writing example. This writing example allows the company to rate your quality level. The higher your quality level, the more money you make per assignment. Once accepted, you will have the chance to look through assignments, claim them and write them within the given time frame. The only problem with this website is that the prices paid are usually pretty low, ranging from $1.00 to $5.00 for a 450 word article, roughly. This is a good place to start, but unless you start getting requests and contracts from clients, the earnings are pretty sparse.
  • DemandStudios.com. To be accepted to Demand Studios, you must first apply and provide a resume and writing example. Upon acceptance (and not everyone gets accepted) you will have to successfully write three quality articles that meet Demand Studios guidelines. These articles are reviewed by a senior copy editor, who will give you tips and feedback about your writing. Take note of this feedback, as it is crucial to your success at this website. After completing the 3-article probationary period, you will then be able to claim up to 10 assignments at a time. Demand Studios pays upfront, and payment is usually between $7.50 and $15.00 per article. Writer scorecards are available as a reference point, and each article you write will be reviewed and rated by the overseeing editor for research quality and grammar quality. Remember when I said that having perfect grammar is important?
  • Suite101.com. Similar to Demand Studios, writers must send in an application and writing example for the company to review. Once accepted, you have to opportunity to write on any topic that tickles your fancy. Payment comes from page views, so earning money right away isn’t usually possible unless you’re ready to sit down for several hours a day writing non-stop on popular topics. Adding photos, keywords and SEO-friendly content to your articles will significantly increase the number of pages views you recieve per article, as will writing on popular and evergreen subjects (evergreen topics being the topics that will be relevant today and ten years from now).
  • Elance.com. Elance is a website where providers can bid on projects to prospective clients. This aspect makes landing a gig a bit more competitive, and writing a stellar proposal is important in obtaining the jobs you want. Because clients are looking for experienced writers, this may be something you’ll want to hold off on until you have that substantial portfolio built up. Lucky for you, the aforementioned websites can help you do just that. Once you’ve built that portfolio and a list of satisfied clients (which I’ll touch on later), you will seem much more attractive to clients. This is also where the big money can be made. In my time on the website, I’ve seen projects with budgets between $15,000 and $25,000 dollars. Of course, those projects would take significant time and dedication and a strict adherence to deadlines, but if you manage to score one of those jobs, you might consider yourself made.
  • Constant-Content.com. Constant-content writers provide content for clients to purchase. Payment is determined by the writer, so you will literally be able to state what you expect customers to pay for your original content. This is another website for writers who have already had a significant amount of experience writing for other companies. Writers at this website are expected to meet high standards for grammar, and may be prohibited from contributing if poor performance or multiple rejections are given. Once again, brush up on your grammar and make sure you’ve gotten a handle on professional-style writing before attempting to contribute to this site.

Market Yourself, Market Yourself, Market Yourself

This point is especially important for writers who expect to make most of their money from revenue-share websites like Suite101. While filling your articles and blog posts with SEO content, it may not be enough to bring in the readership you need to make it work. Using social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter will help you gain an audience. It’s not enough to ask people to read your articles, though; in order to network and gain readership, you’ll have to spend some time reading other people’s work and making sure they know that you appreciate what they’ve done. This may seem counter-intuitive at first, but showing people that you’re interested in what they’re doing is a good way to get them interested in what you’re doing. This is an important aspect of networking.

Work Locally

In the same vein as networking, it’s a good idea to make contact with people in your area. Socializing at parties, bars, bookstores and arts centers can deliver you to the crowd you need most. Find small local businesses that would benefit from your writing services. Offer to write brochures, pamphlets, website content or blog postings to help them increase their visibility. Even if the company can’t or won’t pay you for your services, writing for them is a good way to build a customer base and expand your portfolio.

Also, you should never be ashamed to market yourself. Passing out fliers or posting on websites like Craigslist.org is a good way to bring attention to yourself and your services. Always be wary, though, for potential scammers and fraudulent companies. Research the company that asks for services from you, and always, ALWAYS keep documentation of every detail of your project. This includes writing out a project proposal, a signed contract between yourself and your client and a detailed list of deadlines, budgets, payment methods and expected content. These things will safeguard you against being taken advantage of, and signed documents can save you if you end up having to bring a client to court (but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point!).

Take the Criticism

Even if you think you’re the best writer in the tri-state area, clients and companies that you work for are bound to ask for re-writes, clarifications and edits, and some may even reject your work completely. The important thing to keep in mind is that you’re working to provide the highest quality content for your clients, and lashing out or taking their criticisms personally will only damage your progress. Unless the client seems completely delusional, or their revision requests require more time and energy than the project itself is worth, you have to keep in mind that you’re writing content to help another business improve, and if they want something different, it’s your job as the provider to give them what they want. So, when you come up against your first stickler of a client, just bite your tongue and do the best you can to bring the content to the standards they’re looking for.

While it may seem overwhelming to keep these things in mind, they’re actually quite simple. The hardest part of being a freelance writer is, well, the writing itself. Even if you were able to breeze through college essays or your own personal blog posts, writing for pay has its own daunting quality that takes a while to get used to.

And if, for some reason, you try and find that freelance writing is not for you, no need to fret: at least you didn’t quit your day job, right?
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