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Getting Started with Freelance Writing

by Sour
8 replies
I'm looking to get into freelance writing, but I'm not sure where to start. I have some experience writing for EZA (115 articles published), with the average CTR being about 25-30%, back when I was doing some marketing for Clickbank products. If anyone is interested, they can view a few of my articles here: Jordan Robert - EzineArticles.com Expert Author

But I've recently ran into a bad financial situation, and I need to raise another $500 within two weeks. This is mostly my last hope, so I'm hoping I can get writing to work.

So, where would someone like me begin? I've heard that sites like eLance pay pennies, and I honestly can't even afford the $20 to post in the Warriors for Hire section.

Thanks a lot Warriors!
#freelance #started #writing
  • Profile picture of the author johnmags
    Elance pay pennies if you allow yourself to be paid in pennies.

    There is great opportunities in Elance if you know how to create excellent cover letter. Sometimes my bids in Elance were lost to even higher bidders; as much as 3 to 4 times higher than the amount of my bid. That only shows that winning depends on how you communicate with project providers.

    Anyway, you can check other high paying sites like the ones below:
    Associated Content
    Constant Content
    Helium
    Suite 101
    Textbroker

    Good luck
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    Are you looking for a Professional Content Writer
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  • Profile picture of the author Kezz
    Sour - with a clickthrough rate like that I'll happily pay for your Warriors for Hire listing if you can hook me up with a couple of quality articles.

    I can also give you some tips on how to get up & running and stablized in there if you'd like.

    PM me if you want to take me up on the offer.
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    • Profile picture of the author WritingMadwoman
      You can also create a signature here on the forum - offer to write articles for a very reasonable rate just to get some satisfied clients. You need $500 within 2 weeks, figure out how many articles you can reasonably complete each day, then put a price on them that you can live with and still reach your goal. (100 articles at $5 each, 72 articles at $7 each, etc.)

      You don't have to write for pennies, but at least consider charging fairly low rates to begin with just because a lot of people will take advantage of a good deal, especially if you write well - then you can start raising your rates later once people see what you can do for them.

      Once you've met your initial needs, you can think about creating a website with writing samples, testimonials, and placing ads in Warriors for Hire, or even running a WSO now and then.

      It doesn't have to take a long time to build up a satisfied client base, especially if you do everything you can to overdeliver - people will find you, trust me! Word gets around!

      Wendy
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      • Profile picture of the author Sour
        Originally Posted by johnmags View Post

        Elance pay pennies if you allow yourself to be paid in pennies.

        There is great opportunities in Elance if you know how to create excellent cover letter. Sometimes my bids in Elance were lost to even higher bidders; as much as 3 to 4 times higher than the amount of my bid. That only shows that winning depends on how you communicate with project providers.

        Anyway, you can check other high paying sites like the ones below:
        Associated Content
        Constant Content
        Helium
        Suite 101
        Textbroker

        Good luck
        I'm going to try out writing for Warriors first, and once I have my bearings on freelance writing, I'll take a look at some websites to get me more clients if I need them. Thanks .

        Originally Posted by WritingMadwoman View Post

        You can also create a signature here on the forum - offer to write articles for a very reasonable rate just to get some satisfied clients. You need $500 within 2 weeks, figure out how many articles you can reasonably complete each day, then put a price on them that you can live with and still reach your goal. (100 articles at $5 each, 72 articles at $7 each, etc.)

        You don't have to write for pennies, but at least consider charging fairly low rates to begin with just because a lot of people will take advantage of a good deal, especially if you write well - then you can start raising your rates later once people see what you can do for them.

        Once you've met your initial needs, you can think about creating a website with writing samples, testimonials, and placing ads in Warriors for Hire, or even running a WSO now and then.

        It doesn't have to take a long time to build up a satisfied client base, especially if you do everything you can to overdeliver - people will find you, trust me! Word gets around!

        Wendy
        Thanks, Wendy! Kezz was nice enough to offer to pay for my thread in exchange for a few articles and a testimonial, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that to get myself started in the right direction.

        On a related note, how much should I be charging initially? I read how $5 is a good starting point, but I'm afraid of being over-flooded with so much work that I won't be able keep up. Would $10 be too much to ask for starting out? I honestly have no idea how many bites I'll get.

        Thanks again, guys.
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        • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
          Originally Posted by Sour View Post

          I read how $5 is a good starting point, but I'm afraid of being over-flooded with so much work that I won't be able keep up. Would $10 be too much to ask for starting out? I honestly have no idea how many bites I'll get.
          As far as I'm concerned, if you're charging less than $10 for a 500 word article, you must be a bad writer. Most decent writers - and with 115 articles on EZA, you're decent - start out at $10. Some never move on from there. It's low enough that the orders keep coming in, and high enough that you don't burn yourself out.
          Signature
          "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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          • Profile picture of the author Sour
            Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

            As far as I'm concerned, if you're charging less than $10 for a 500 word article, you must be a bad writer. Most decent writers - and with 115 articles on EZA, you're decent - start out at $10. Some never move on from there. It's low enough that the orders keep coming in, and high enough that you don't burn yourself out.
            You answered my question perfectly; thank you!

            When I said $10/article, I was saying more along the lines 250 words, not 500, haha. So, I take it $20/500 words would be too much to ask for in the beginning, not to mention it probably won't get me a whole lot of clients?
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            • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
              Originally Posted by Sour View Post

              When I said $10/article, I was saying more along the lines 250 words, not 500, haha. So, I take it $20/500 words would be too much to ask for in the beginning, not to mention it probably won't get me a whole lot of clients?
              I started at $25 and had almost a hundred clients in my first six months. If you're good enough, they'll pay it.

              Most of what makes an article worth $20 instead of $10 isn't about grammar and spelling, it's about hooking the reader, generating CTR, developing a good headline... and an ability to get interested in subjects that bore most people to tears. If you can do most of those things (the CTR looks like a thumbs up), go ahead and charge $20 an article.
              Signature
              "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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