Selling pre-written articles

11 years ago

I doubt you will get 3 cents per word easily unless you deal with people who already know you. Maybe half of that, less if you want to just sell them in bulk. Virtually every online freelancer marketplace is over-saturated with people who claim to be professional writers. That drives prices severely down.

Another problem is that you need to actually find person interested in specific niche, weight loss, which just complicates things.

You might do better making a weight loss website, using your articles as content, and promoting few weight loss products.

Thanks
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alasdairsim

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Viktor Vedmak

I doubt you will get 3 cents per word easily unless you deal with people who already know you. Maybe half of that, less if you want to just sell them in bulk. Virtually every online freelancer marketplace is over-saturated with people who claim to be professional writers. That drives prices severely down.

Another problem is that you need to actually find person interested in specific niche, weight loss, which just complicates things.

You might do better making a weight loss website, using your articles as content, and promoting few weight loss products.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Yeah, I thought I would make a loss on it.

It half crossed my mind to use it as content for affiliate sales but to be honest I haven't really done much in that market - my online activity has been writing content for the past 4 years. Also, the work isn't really pushing a product per se although I suppose I could edit it to do that.

I know what you mean about the market - I was on oDesk earlier and the amount of projects looking for perfect A grade content for $0.60 per 500 words was astounding!

Thanks again for your feedback and suggestion.

Thanks

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2 HIGH QUALITY & Unique Weight Loss PLR Article Packs! Also selling 10 unique Weight Loss articles for $65, one time sale! PM me for details.

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Vanilla Gorilla

11 years ago

Take a look at Constant Content. You can sell pre written stuff there for a great price! I just tested the waters and made a quick $20 for an old article I had lying around recently. The only downside is that they only pay monthly, but chances are, if your content is solid, you'll sell a lot of them by the end of the month.

Thanks

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laurencewins

11 years ago

Maybe find a forum related to that niche and see if anybody wants to buy those articles.
OR you could advertise for sale in here and see if anybody is interested.
Somebody may just be...never know until you ask.

Thanks

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Alexa Smith

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by alasdairsim

Anyway, I have 30 high quality articles on weight loss that I wrote for a client who hasn't paid and has since deleted me off Skype. Thankfully I didn't send the articles to them before all this happened.

Sell them as limited edition PLR? (You can probably do that right here - there are enough people in the weight-loss niche? A sig-file link to a page with the offer, or a classified ad with a sig-file link to it, or whatever?). You can perhaps sell multiple copies of the whole package for about $15. Or divide them into three packs of 10 articles and offer each of the three for $7 each (limited to 25 customers? Even that comes to $535.)

Or, of course, you could go into the weight-loss products business yourself, and become your own client. I'm not joking - that's effectively what I did, in 2008 (not in that niche), and made a full-time living from it within 6 months: it's much better than being a service-provider. It gives you the chance to build an asset-based business, rather than trading your time for money.

Originally Posted by alasdairsim

Any help would be most appreciated!

Always let the client pay before you start work.

Everything I've ever bought online, I've had to pay for in advance. People expect this. It's normal, and professional. If $450 is too much for someone to pay in advance then let them order 3 articles first and pay $45 in advance, and then write 3 articles, rather than 30? And proceed like that - no private client for unique content really needs 30 articles on the same day?

Thanks
1 reply

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alasdairsim

11 years ago

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies!

Originally Posted by Vanilla Gorilla

Take a look at Constant Content. You can sell pre written stuff there for a great price! I just tested the waters and made a quick $20 for an old article I had lying around recently. The only downside is that they only pay monthly, but chances are, if your content is solid, you'll sell a lot of them by the end of the month.

Never thought about Constant Content actually. Never really used it myself. Will check it out though. Thanks!

Originally Posted by laurencewins

Maybe find a forum related to that niche and see if anybody wants to buy those articles.
OR you could advertise for sale in here and see if anybody is interested.
Somebody may just be...never know until you ask.

Thanks, the last part is very true!

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Sell them as limited edition PLR? (You can probably do that right here - there are enough people in the weight-loss niche? A sig-file link to a page with the offer, or a classified ad with a sig-file link to it, or whatever?). You can perhaps sell multiple copies of the whole package for about $15. Or divide them into three packs of 10 articles and offer each of the three for $7 each (limited to 25 customers? Even that comes to $535.)

Or, of course, you could go into the weight-loss products business yourself, and become your own client. I'm not joking - that's effectively what I did, in 2008 (not in that niche), and made a full-time living from it within 6 months: it's much better than being a service-provider. It gives you the chance to build an asset-based business, rather than trading your time for money.

Always let the client pay before you start work.

Everything I've ever bought online, I've had to pay for in advance. People expect this. It's normal, and professional. If $450 is too much for someone to pay in advance then let them order 3 articles first and pay $45 in advance, and then write 3 articles, rather than 30? And proceed like that - no private client for unique content really needs 30 articles on the same day?

Thanks for the detailed comments, much appreciated! Might actually do your PLR suggestion, makes a lot of sense.

I've always had ideas about selling products online. I have the skills to write good content and design a page etc... Just never really had the time to focus on it (I've recently just went full time with my freelance career). Any links or suggestions of where to start? I know the basics (I think) but could do with some direction.

Finally, yeah, I generally charge 50% upfront if it is work like this - no idea why this case was different. Think they caught me out before my second morning coffee, haha. Thanks for the reply again!

Thanks
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Alexa Smith

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by alasdairsim

I've always had ideas about selling products online. I have the skills to write good content and design a page etc... Just never really had the time to focus on it (I've recently just went full time with my freelance career). Any links or suggestions of where to start? I know the basics (I think) but could do with some direction.

I went into affiliate marketing, myself.

I was writing articles for marketers and they were really expensive ones, but the clients were coming back for more, so I naturally wondered how they were using them to earn more than they were paying me for them, and started investigating how they were using them (it was easy enough to discover the syndicated copies etc., through Google), so I decided I could do the same, myself, and become my own only client, instead of being the service-provider.

I still did lots and lots of things wrong at the start, mostly because I believed forum information as well, not yet having worked out that most of what people then wrote here about (what they mistakenly called) "article marketing" was actually about "article directory marketing" and was already more or less out of date even in 2009, even before all those Panda updates which people (mistakenly) say "killed it off". But eventually I "got there".

Affiliate marketing, using article marketing to generate the traffic, is "a natural fit" for a writer.

You might even be able to start it up as a sideline while still writing some content for others? (I wasn't able to do that, because I was a college student at the time and just didn't have enough time to do everything at once).

If it helps, most of what I do is explained in the links inside this post: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5721774

Thanks
1 reply

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alasdairsim

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

I went into affiliate marketing, myself.

I was writing articles for marketers and they were really expensive ones, but the clients were coming back for more, so I naturally wondered how they were using them to earn more than they were paying me for them, and started investigating how they were using them (it was easy enough to discover the syndicated copies etc., through Google), so I decided I could do the same, myself, and become my own only client, instead of being the service-provider.

I still did lots and lots of things wrong at the start, mostly because I believed forum information as well, not yet having worked out that most of what people then wrote here about (what they mistakenly called) "article marketing" was actually about "article directory marketing" and was already more or less out of date even in 2009, even before all those Panda updates which people (mistakenly) say "killed it off". But eventually I "got there".

Affiliate marketing, using article marketing to generate the traffic, is "a natural fit" for a writer.

You might even be able to start it up as a sideline while still writing some content for others? (I wasn't able to do that, because I was a college student at the time and just didn't have enough time to do everything at once).

If it helps, most of what I do is explained in the links inside this post: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5721774

Thanks again for the reply!

Doing it as a 'side' to my normal writing work is what I will be aiming for I reckon. I know what you mean about writing content for people then wondering how they can pay me x amount while still making profits.

Yeah, I noticed a massive change in my clients when the Google updates hit. Back then I was really doing this as a side to either University or my normal job so I didn't mind so much in regards to the content I was writing but since then I have noticed a bigger market for better quality content. Something, as a writer, is most welcomed. I mean, I like to think that all my work has been good content but there is much more incentive to write 5 properly researched articles for a good price than 20 generic ones with some keywords put in for pittance.

Thanks for the link, a lot of useful information in there. Going to have a read through it all and more.

You've been most helpful!

[ 1 ] Thanks

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2 HIGH QUALITY & Unique Weight Loss PLR Article Packs! Also selling 10 unique Weight Loss articles for $65, one time sale! PM me for details.

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DeborahDera

11 years ago

I recommend at least trying to list some of them on Constant Content.

Originally Posted by alasdairsim

Hey

Apologies if this isn't the right place: I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Copywriting forum.

Anyway, I have 30 high quality articles on weight loss that I wrote for a client who hasn't paid and has since deleted me off Skype. Thankfully I didn't send the articles to them before all this happened.

I haven't really sold pre-written content before as all my work has been tailored to the clients specifications so I wasn't sure where to start.

What is the market for this kind of thing? Originally I was being paid $450 for the work (3 cents per word and each one is 500 words).

I'm a full time writer from the UK and spent a considerable amount of time on writing these so the quality for the articles is high as is all my work hence why I didn't want to put an ad on DP or somewhere and end up with $20 for the lot.

Any help would be most appreciated!

Alasdair

Thanks
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Steve B

11 years ago

Here's another alternative to consider . . .

Since you're a writer of high quality articles, why not add some more value to the mix and mold your 30 articles into a book or e-course?

Use your 30 already written articles as the outline for 15 chapters combining articles that seem to go together well.

Create a compelling chapter heading for each set of articles, add some transition text around all the articles, an introduction, a conclusion, and a table of contents.

I would also create an angle or a way to make your product less generic and way more focused than "weight loss." Dig deep and do a little research on Amazon for sub-sub-categories within weight loss. Be very specific. I don't know, something like "Retiree Guide to Losing Weight While Traveling and Eating Out Every Night" or some such thing.

What many product creators don't realize is that with a little bit of creativity in writing copy, any work can be focused on a particular audience to make it seem like relevant targeted information written for that audience alone . . . even though the great bulk of the information is generic. There is no deception involved in doing this. If you have a great weight loss article, it should apply to retirees as well as other groups, shouldn't it? You just need to be a little creative and write specifically with your target audience in mind.

Format your finished product like a book, add a very enticing and compelling professional cover and you're in business.

If you can't make as a bare minimum $450, then something is very wrong with your marketing. I would expect such a product to pay you way, way more than selling your articles in packs or by themselves.

The best to you,

Steve

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alasdairsim

11 years ago

Originally Posted by DeborahDera

I recommend at least trying to list some of them on Constant Content.

Thanks Deborah. Might try and get some of them listed on CC to test the water so to speak.

Originally Posted by Steve B

Here's another alternative to consider . . .

Since you're a writer of high quality articles, why not add some more value to the mix and mold your 30 articles into a book or e-course?

Use your 30 already written articles as the outline for 15 chapters combining articles that seem to go together well.

Create a compelling chapter heading for each set of articles, add some transition text around all the articles, an introduction, a conclusion, and a table of contents.

I would also create an angle or a way to make your product less generic and way more focused than "weight loss." Dig deep and do a little research on Amazon for sub-sub-categories within weight loss. Be very specific. I don't know, something like "Retiree Guide to Losing Weight While Traveling and Eating Out Every Night" or some such thing.

What many product creators don't realize is that with a little bit of creativity in writing copy, any work can be focused on a particular audience to make it seem like relevant targeted information written for that audience alone . . . even though the great bulk of the information is generic. There is no deception involved in doing this. If you have a great weight loss article, it should apply to retirees as well as other groups, shouldn't it? You just need to be a little creative and write specifically with your target audience in mind.

Format your finished product like a book, add a very enticing and compelling professional cover and you're in business.

If you can't make as a bare minimum $450, then something is very wrong with your marketing. I would expect such a product to pay you way, way more than selling your articles in packs or by themselves.

The best to you,

Steve

Steve, interesting, thanks for the reply!

Never thought about taking that route although I reckon some of the articles can be edited to work in a book like format as they focus on different aspects of losing weight but could be combined.

Thanks

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2 HIGH QUALITY & Unique Weight Loss PLR Article Packs! Also selling 10 unique Weight Loss articles for $65, one time sale! PM me for details.

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DezertDawg

11 years ago

You are very lucky and obviously talented.

You do what most IMers don't like to do and that is produce valuable content.

So you have these articles that you have written in the health and fitness niche; this happens to be one of the best niches to go after, because folks in this niche are looking for solutions to their problems that are effecting their lives.

The best thing you can do with your articles is to offer then for free to people who could benefit in exchange for their email address. In short you want to build a list of people who need help and are willing to pay.

You then find or create other products that will benefit them and make them available to your list.

The best thing you can do to start out is to find a great mentor. If you check out my signature below, click on that link, get a free email book on what I am talking about and then go meet my mentor. He will show you the way.

Hope this helps

Thanks

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Selling pre-written articles

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