Writing Articles - I'm Done

Why are you not syndicating your own content vs writing for hire?

You could have thousands of articles by now, generating traffic to your websites.

You take your writing skills, combine with a really good article spinner, you could make a lot of money off clients.

Unique Content + Web 2.0 sites + Article submission sites + forums + Blogs = Off Page SEO

Im not sure if you realize it but its worth a ton of money and it all stems from > Writing

Terrible advice. Unless you are trying to establish yourself as a scammer.

I'm the same way these days. I changed everything because like you said -- writing articles for pennies isn't working. The hours invested don't reflect the time it takes to research, write and proof read. It might be time for you to use those writing skills for yourself instead of for others. I've learned that product creation and kindle publishing provide the kind of money I need to make a true living and still allow me to use my writing skills. I highly recommend you do some research, find a niche that uses the skills you already know and go from there. The key is to not quit just because you have to deal with dumb and picky clients. Good luck and Keep moving forward!

Thanks for metioning the article syndication idea. I have also been writing for a long time (with glowing feedback) but the best job I have landed up to date paid $8 an article of 400 words.

Of course I'll also look on Google, but maybe someone can recommend a place where I can find more information on sydicating my own content?

I guess I'm lucky in the respect that the one of the sites that I write for pays me $12/article, and they're rarely longer than 600 words. A bonus for me is that I don't have to do much research (if any at all), since it's in the niche that I'm the most knowledgeable in (automotive). At most, it takes me 30 minutes to write an article, and that includes finding links to my other articles/other sites, and finding a photo to go with it.

It doesn't pay much for now(I do have a regular gig), but I enjoy doing it, and it looks great on my resume.

Isn't one of the problems here that you are trying to compete with the $5 and below article writers? If you've been writing since 2006 and are confident in your writing skills then work on increasing your value and work on your personal brand and charge more for your skills. There's no need to race to the bottom if you have the skills. Most people writing for $5 per article are doing so because they are terrible at writing.

If I ever planned to write articles for a living (and I don't) I certainly wouldn't be writing them for pennies.

I get writing work from regular and ad-hoc clients but I admit this thread has helped me to think about other options to add to my repertoire. Thanks to everyone who has contributed ideas, especially Alexa and all your links. I will read and digest them with a ravenous appetite.

I think the OP has had posts/threads similar to this in the past. He knows what the answers are. I believe I answered one a while back. I'll offer the same answer here.

Hook up with a few Web designers as their "in house" writer. That way they can offer more services (Websites that come complete with content) when they create a site for someone. Here's a hint: Offline clients usually aren't aware of the low, low prices writers get paid in the online world so try and hook up with designers who have a lot of offline business. OTO BONUS hint, hint: The offline forum nearby would be a good place to seek Web design partners.

I've offered this answer about a dozen times over the years when writers ask how they can get more work and better pay. One time I got a response from someone who asked how you find these Web designers. Ugh. Ya know what? If someone doesn't have enough imagination and initiative to figure that out they should probably get a job where a boss gives them specific instructions every few hours. Sorry, that's really how it goes...

You've listed the problems but also the solution! Stop chasing pennies
and you will see the "penny experiences" magically disappear.

-Ray Edwards

Once again, Alexa is giving truly great and applicable advice. Thank you Alexa!
The whole point of working in IM is being your own boss and not working to make other people rich. Being a writer for hire is not how serious marketers make the big money. Be your own boss! Grow your own empire! That's the whole point my friend. Here' to your success!

The reason people are able to pay such low rates is because people keep accepting the jobs. It's as simple as that.

Why not use your writing skills and start a blog or membership site? Writing isn't easy and if you have the talent, there's no reason why you shouldn't be wealthy. You know how the SEO game is played and can craft your articles accordingly. Have you tried adsense targeting for high paying keywords?

For top tier writers, you'd be much better off writing for yourself. Meaning, either create your own product and/or promote an affiliate product and use your writing skills to write an amazing salesletter/website/email sequence and make money while you sleep.

For a solution you can put into motion tomorrow:


Forget All-or-Nothing solutions. Try splitting your article output; here's an example:

1. Constant Content - write 3 articles a day for your inventory while you drink your morning coffee; in a month you'll have 100 articles and start seeing sales from stuff you like to write. If it gets rejected there try The Daily Article, Ghostbloggers, or Article Sale.com. Price a 500 word article at $25-$50. Earn it. If you'd rather keep this writing for your projects, have at it.

2. Textbroker - write 3 articles, take a break, write 3 more. (4 hours) $40-$50 bucks a day paid next week. Go for orders with 50 or less words of instruction. If they want more than a 10 minute revision, withdraw article and see Step 1. If TB clients expect an hour's work for $5 at Native Speaker quality but not Native cost of living - let their orders sit unwritten for months, as they do. Hint: use the TB search function for articles you like to write; and occasionally search by client numbers from decent orders you've filled.

3. Constant Content Public Requests - 2-3 articles a day for stuff you can write. A 500 word article, priced at $50 will possibly net you $20-30 Earnings Per Article over the pre-written article sales cycle (minus CC's 35% and roughly a 70% conversion rate). As you write more for CC, you can also access writer pools and direct orders. They also take other types of content like images and infographics.

4. Try to get private clients (CC COMPANY clients, not TB IM clients) by messaging them and thanking them and offering the opportunity. Query real world SEO/Web Des companies - by the dozen if nec. Charge $25-$35 per article minimum; otherwise you're better off writing at a penny a word in bulk from a Content Farm than erratic client bid-ness. If you get more orders than you can handle, no problem: hirewriters.com, faster than TB, similar standards. Hire a VA. Visit oDesk. WF too of course!

5. Do not cooperate with private clients who a) want you to write something on spec for them and b) promise you lots of work if you do. In the real world we call them thieves.

6. Follow the rest of the advice in this thread about your own IM development. Don't hold your breath, just make your cash-in-hand writing obsolete and phase it out.


Write for short, medium and long term channels daily.


I wouldn't try revshare, since those sites could keep the online rights to your writing forever, and Google could make them irrelevant overnight. Those limited rights - were just for print. Uh oh.

I would also suggest that if you don't want to hold your breath for writing books, that instead write useful reports that you can market faster. Guest blogging is good as has been mentioned; but building a blog entity can be a maddening amount of slow work at first - and lots and lots to learn. Before you get traffic, have somewhere to lead them.


Quantity and Quality

Textbroker is a very useful site. Don't be so quick to discount it. Passing editorial muster, adapting to client instructions, honing your quality output at faster paces - quantity writing leads to quality writing. Quality writing alone leads to hothouse flower syndrome: a severely limited and demanding skill set.


Respect the Web, See Ahead

However, just one more note: Constant Content editors will reject your article for ONE COMMA instead of earning their 35% and fixing it themselves. Textbroker is also notorious for what I call "The Comma of Damoclese." One errant comma and you're out. Mostly these rules are for excuses to weed out undesirables; so don't worry too much. Still, kind of hard to bank on these resources long-term, eh?

This focus on grammatical gatekeeping over Persuasiveness, Originality, Traffic-Attraction - are yet more reasons why the Web has decimated dead tree media and left thousands of journalists twisting in the wind. Grammar is good, yes; but the money is not in Search Engine Grammartization. These "Quality" content sites are primed for obsolescence by sharper, leaner firms that respect the digital Web, not literary cobwebs.

...hard to disagree with Alexa. ;-)

If you're writing articles to make some extra cash on the side I could see. If you got bills to pay like rent and a car note or if your writing articles because you desperately need money then that's a different story. There aren't a lot of people making a full time living writing articles for other people unless they're overseas. It makes more sense to have you're own web business and write your own content, it's more profitable in the long run.

You really shouldn't base your opinion on writing looking at the content mills, that pay a couple of bucks per article.

As many pointed out - don't choose to compete for those prices, because you're right - even if you figure out how to write an article in 10 minutes and have plenty of customers in the 5-10 dollar price range, you'll still be struggling to make a living.

And that's what it comes down to - how much time can you allow yourself to spend on a single article. That includes research, planning, "the hook" and so on. I mean, if you can write an article in 10 minutes, how much time will each of these steps have? 1-2 minutes? So if you have to write articles at this pace simply to write enough to make ends meet, you will 1) burn out very quickly and 2) will despise your own work because it will be crappy.

When you look at it this way, the key question in writing articles becomes - how much do you need to charge for an article in order to allow yourself to spend enough time on it, so you can make it as good as it can be, and also make a comfortable living doing it?

Some people need an hour to write an article, some need 3 hours or more, depending on the topic and length.

When you figure this out, then you can determine your price - let's say you can comfortably write two-three articles per day and want to have weekends off. Let's also say your goal per month is 3000$. You can calculate that if you write on average 2 articles per day priced at 50$, you will reach your goal.

After you determine this, you can start looking for clients that are willing to pay this much - and when you know that you can take the time to produce top quality work, you will find people who are willing to pay as much as you ask for your services.

Someone gave you all the advice you could need about 6 months ago, Corey. I remember it. It's called attitude.

Now, I don't pretend to be fantastic at having the best attitude but I have some regular clients, one of whom pays the instant I send him an invoice (up front, of course) and responds with regularity to any questions I have.

All because I felt damn good when I started working for him. It's all about attitude, you see.

You should look at some of the job listings on freelancer.com. Ridiculous.

I have been writing articles for 4 years now but I keep changing my rates because I thought, the lower the better, turns out that's not the case. I have not seen a increase/decrease in clients since lowering my rates. You would figure people want cheap articles but it really didn't make a difference for me when I lowered my rates.

It is easy to get caught up with the trend of trying to keep your prices lower than your competition. But then you end up lowering your prices so much that clients begin to wonder if your articles are really worth anything.

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but how much would you like to be earning per article?

I think you need a bit of luck as well, there is some much competition for article writing. But looking at my expenses ive paid 2 of my writers over $6000 (via elance) and that isnt a full time writing job maybe a few articles a week over the last few years. If you can find normal work from a few clients here and there and fill out 3-4 hours a day its not bad work. The problem is finding steady work.

I also recently started another site its based around content the idea popped in my head to sell it at a later date, then i thought no the money I will make will be much more then I could sell for $10 for a 800 word article.

much respect to people who write articles, i don't know if i could do it, too much time consuming and little returns !!

If you are a great writer, why not work for yourself and write some amazing high quality articles, and turn them into profit with your IM marketing knowledge? This way your articles can be earning you not $3/100 words, but $30/100 words or more.

That's what I'd do if I had this problem.

If you like writing so much, perhaps you should consider submitting articles to internet & computing news publications. You'd have a better shot of making more money that way, and, of course, you'd make a name for yourself.

Hey you have a great skill my friend.

Don't think that this is the end of the road.

If you love writing but you feel that you aren't getting what
you are worth that is fine.

This is what will MOVE YOU onto something that will reward
you greater for your efforts.

Sad to see the market go this way but you could easily set
up your own blog, start writing & posting great information
on there so that everyone can see YOU as a personality.

Once you start seeing good traffic you can begin to capture
email addresses & market your own products/affiliate products
to your list of subscribers.

I know a lot of people bang on about building a list but it is
true that your list is a MASSIVELY VALUABLE ASSET to
own once you know how build a relationship with that list first
& foremost.

You have a huge advantage of knowing how to write & your
passion for writing will show through once you know that your
subscribers are responding to what you have to say as a marketer.

Trust me when I say that your confidence will explode once you
know that people want to listen to what you have to say.

Choose a big market, get a blog set up and choose at least 3
big name marketers that have blogs who YOU like and ones that
you like who have great writing styles and are not afraid to voice
their opinions at their blogs etc.

You will be amazed at how many tips & tricks you can pick up
just by hanging around and listening to those who have been there
& done it before you.

Hope this helps!

Good luck.
Gavin

Love writing, I never wrote at those content mills. Always was a product creator !

Seriously I wouldn't bother with that type of cr**... You're much better than that!!! You need to move on do something bigger and better!!! If you thinking web development - go for it! Learn PHP, Mysql, Javascript, AJAX etc.... Great opportunities await!

A better idea than writing for others would be to publish PLR that sells. You can outsource the grahpics to someone else. Or, as you said, just focus on another passion that you like more.