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If You Earn $50 And Above Per Article Written As A Content Writer, Come In!

by jideofor
56 replies
Greetings to you.
A few days back, I made a thread and asking if there were many clients that pay $50/ article and I got un-expected debates from people who truely worth the pounds.

To these set of elites, I have a few questions.

What makes your articles worth that much of an amount and different from what other 'cheap' writers?

As stated clearly by Alexa Smith and John Scoutt and as well as other highly dignified content writers, it has been repeatedly said that great quality content should be the core service provided to clients. My second question is can you share a sample or two of a great quality article that is worth the amount you charge, if not exactly yours but one you know is up to what you can write or even providing half of an article? I AM not trying to be nosy here but would like to learn how this kind of articles are punctuated and structured. As it is widely said , Seeing Is Believing.

Thirdly, do you research the topic which you write for your clients or it's usually something you know ,so you don't need any research and how long do you spend on an article?

From a knowledge-seeking-heart.
Thanks.
#$50 #article #content #earn #writer #written
  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    I don't write for clients anymore, but I can answer most of these questions.

    The people who used to pay me bigger dollars to write their articles used my services, because I told stories that people wanted to read, stories people enjoyed reading, and the articles I wrote naturally led a reader to want to know more about the client's offer and visit the client's website.

    The content was also of a caliber that led major publishers to publish the content in mailing lists that had large audiences. Publishers with larger audiences are often more selective about the content they reproduce.

    This is an example of an article that made a boatload of money for me and my client:
    A Hard Look at PPC, Click Fraud and the Alternatives

    I wouldn't say it was among my best articles, but in the number of dollars generated, for my client and myself, this article was a grand slam.

    This client paid me $125 to write the article, then asked me to put the article in MY name, not his. So I got paid twice -- once to write the article and the second time in my resource box.

    Yes, 80% of all articles written required advanced research, before sitting down to write.



    p.s. Yes, I know I misspelled a word in the first sentence. :p

    p.p.s. This article generated sales in the plus 5-figures for my client AND for me!!
    Signature
    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author AndreasJacobsen
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      I don't write for clients anymore, but I can answer most of these questions.

      The people who used to pay me bigger dollars to write their articles used my services, because I told stories that people wanted to read, stories people enjoyed reading, and the articles I wrote naturally led a reader to want to know more about the client's offer and visit the client's website.

      The content was also of a caliber that led major publishers to publish the content in mailing lists that had large audiences. Publishers with larger audiences are often more selective about the content they reproduce.

      This is an example of an article that made a boatload of money for me and my client:
      A Hard Look at PPC, Click Fraud and the Alternatives

      I wouldn't say it was among my best articles, but in the number of dollars generated, for my client and myself, this article was a grand slam.

      This client paid me $125 to write the article, then asked me to put the article in MY name, not his. So I got paid twice -- once to write the article and the second time in my resource box.

      Yes, 80% of all articles written required advanced research, before sitting down to write.



      p.s. Yes, I know I misspelled a word in the first sentence. :p

      p.p.s. This article generated sales in the plus 5-figures for my client AND for me!!

      wow! that is crazy money for 1 article! impressed
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    • Profile picture of the author jeffreys
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      I don't write for clients anymore, but I can answer most of these questions.

      The people who used to pay me bigger dollars to write their articles used my services, because I told stories that people wanted to read, stories people enjoyed reading, and the articles I wrote naturally led a reader to want to know more about the client's offer and visit the client's website.

      The content was also of a caliber that led major publishers to publish the content in mailing lists that had large audiences. Publishers with larger audiences are often more selective about the content they reproduce.

      This is an example of an article that made a boatload of money for me and my client:
      A Hard Look at PPC, Click Fraud and the Alternatives

      I wouldn't say it was among my best articles, but in the number of dollars generated, for my client and myself, this article was a grand slam.

      This client paid me $125 to write the article, then asked me to put the article in MY name, not his. So I got paid twice -- once to write the article and the second time in my resource box.

      Yes, 80% of all articles written required advanced research, before sitting down to write.



      p.s. Yes, I know I misspelled a word in the first sentence. :p

      p.p.s. This article generated sales in the plus 5-figures for my client AND for me!!
      Hi,

      I see in you sig that you offer writing services to your customer but you say you don't write for your clients anymore. Am I missing something here.
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by jeffreys View Post

        Hi,

        I see in you sig that you offer writing services to your customer but you say you don't write for your clients anymore. Am I missing something here.

        I have a partner that takes care of the ghost writing service through my website.

        I don't write for clients anymore, but through my partner, we have more than two-dozen writers in our employment.
        Signature
        Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
        Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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        • Profile picture of the author abugah
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          I have a partner that takes care of the ghost writing service through my website.

          I don't write for clients anymore, but through my partner, we have more than two-dozen writers in our employment.
          Just wondering...what do you do?

          Would you mind if you share your top 3 sources of income-specifics not necessary.

          Perhaps also describe your typical day.
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          • Profile picture of the author tpw
            Originally Posted by abugah View Post

            Just wondering...what do you do?

            Would you mind if you share your top 3 sources of income-specifics not necessary.

            Perhaps also describe your typical day.

            LOL

            My immediate reaction was to ask you why it matters, and to tell you it is none of your damn business...

            Then I decided to go ahead and answer anyway...



            I still do plenty of writing, but now I write for me. I create products/ebooks that I sell, I write emails for my autoresponder sequences, and I still write articles to promote my websites, but mostly using pen names.

            The top 3 sources of my revenue are:

            1. Product Creation;
            2. Niche Websites that no one knows that I own;
            3. Affiliate sales from my mailings;
            4. My wife has a full-time job, as an over-the-road truck driver (she is gone 5-6 days a week), but she contributes a decent amount of money to the household.



            My day typically involves me getting up with the kids at 6am.

            From 6-8am, I look at overnight sales and look for products that may be of interest to my subscribers, while I am getting kids fed and dressed for school, then off to the bus stop. I will sometimes drop by the forums early in the morning.

            From 8am-noon, I am usually playing with the 4 year old, reading books to him, and generally making sure he has a great day.

            From noon to 12:30, me and little bit eat lunch.

            From 12:30 to 2pm, we play until he lays down for a nap.

            From 2pm-3:30pm, the house is quiet and I can work without distraction.

            Kids start coming home from school at 3:30, so I do whatever work I can do, in between stories from the kid's day in school and kids fighting.

            Between 5 and 6, we prepare dinner and eat.

            More chaos until 9pm, when the kids go to bed.

            I am most productive from 9pm until midnight when I go to sleep.



            Work when it gets done usually involves me researching and writing new products, writing articles, and syndicating articles. I also write blog posts, and post to forums.

            It also involves a lot of reading about the IM-industry looking for new knowledge and opportunities. I do a lot of research.

            I frequently analyze the existing traffic to my websites, and looking for opportunities to get more traffic/revenue for my websites.

            I generally do website programming and website modifications after the kids have gone to bed at 9pm, since those items require the most concentration.

            Before I go to bed each night, I decide what products if any that I will present to my subscribers the next day, and I set up the mailings. Most often, I only recommend products I have purchased and reviewed myself.

            I work also in Offline Marketing, but I have a local person that I hired to do sales for me. I spend most of my time building systems to streamline the processes necessary to fill those local job orders. I outsource the hard work to others.

            I communicate with a number of people via Skype for a variety of reasons that I feel are important to my business.

            On Tuesday evenings, I co-host a free training workshop with Sam England for two hours.

            On Saturday evenings, I host a Live Marketing Chat that is free to the public.

            I also do occasional consulting jobs with a variety of people.



            The only thing typical about my week is the comings and goings of the kids.

            Everything else is a matter of doing what I can, as often as I can do it.

            In a year-and-a-half, the youngest will be in school all day. That should help reduce a lot of the chaos in my life.
            Signature
            Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
            Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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            • Profile picture of the author jideofor
              A passionate loving father... I wish I had that while growing up.
              Originally Posted by tpw View Post

              LOL

              My immediate reaction was to ask you why it matters, and to tell you it is none of your damn business...

              Then I decided to go ahead and answer anyway...



              I still do plenty of writing, but now I write for me. I create products/ebooks that I sell, I write emails for my autoresponder sequences, and I still write articles to promote my websites, but mostly using pen names.

              The top 3 sources of my revenue are:

              1. Product Creation;
              2. Niche Websites that no one knows that I own;
              3. Affiliate sales from my mailings;
              4. My wife has a full-time job, as an over-the-road truck driver (she is gone 5-6 days a week), but she contributes a decent amount of money to the household.



              My day typically involves me getting up with the kids at 6am.

              From 6-8am, I look at overnight sales and look for products that may be of interest to my subscribers, while I am getting kids fed and dressed for school, then off to the bus stop. I will sometimes drop by the forums early in the morning.

              From 8am-noon, I am usually playing with the 4 year old, reading books to him, and generally making sure he has a great day.

              From noon to 12:30, me and little bit eat lunch.

              From 12:30 to 2pm, we play until he lays down for a nap.

              From 2pm-3:30pm, the house is quiet and I can work without distraction.

              Kids start coming home from school at 3:30, so I do whatever work I can do, in between stories from the kid's day in school and kids fighting.

              Between 5 and 6, we prepare dinner and eat.

              More chaos until 9pm, when the kids go to bed.

              I am most productive from 9pm until midnight when I go to sleep.



              Work when it gets done usually involves me researching and writing new products, writing articles, and syndicating articles. I also write blog posts, and post to forums.

              It also involves a lot of reading about the IM-industry looking for new knowledge and opportunities. I do a lot of research.

              I frequently analyze the existing traffic to my websites, and looking for opportunities to get more traffic/revenue for my websites.

              I generally do website programming and website modifications after the kids have gone to bed at 9pm, since those items require the most concentration.

              Before I go to bed each night, I decide what products if any that I will present to my subscribers the next day, and I set up the mailings. Most often, I only recommend products I have purchased and reviewed myself.

              I work also in Offline Marketing, but I have a local person that I hired to do sales for me. I spend most of my time building systems to streamline the processes necessary to fill those local job orders. I outsource the hard work to others.

              I communicate with a number of people via Skype for a variety of reasons that I feel are important to my business.

              On Tuesday evenings, I co-host a free training workshop with Sam England for two hours.

              On Saturday evenings, I host a Live Marketing Chat that is free to the public.

              I also do occasional consulting jobs with a variety of people.



              The only thing typical about my week is the comings and goings of the kids.

              Everything else is a matter of doing what I can, as often as I can do it.

              In a year-and-a-half, the youngest will be in school all day. That should help reduce a lot of the chaos in my life.
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            • Profile picture of the author abugah
              Originally Posted by tpw View Post

              LOL

              My immediate reaction was to ask you why it matters, and to tell you it is none of your damn business...

              Then I decided to go ahead and answer anyway...



              I still do plenty of writing, but now I write for me. I create products/ebooks that I sell, I write emails for my autoresponder sequences, and I still write articles to promote my websites, but mostly using pen names.

              The top 3 sources of my revenue are:

              1. Product Creation;
              2. Niche Websites that no one knows that I own;
              3. Affiliate sales from my mailings;
              4. My wife has a full-time job, as an over-the-road truck driver (she is gone 5-6 days a week), but she contributes a decent amount of money to the household.



              My day typically involves me getting up with the kids at 6am.

              From 6-8am, I look at overnight sales and look for products that may be of interest to my subscribers, while I am getting kids fed and dressed for school, then off to the bus stop. I will sometimes drop by the forums early in the morning.

              From 8am-noon, I am usually playing with the 4 year old, reading books to him, and generally making sure he has a great day.

              From noon to 12:30, me and little bit eat lunch.

              From 12:30 to 2pm, we play until he lays down for a nap.

              From 2pm-3:30pm, the house is quiet and I can work without distraction.

              Kids start coming home from school at 3:30, so I do whatever work I can do, in between stories from the kid's day in school and kids fighting.

              Between 5 and 6, we prepare dinner and eat.

              More chaos until 9pm, when the kids go to bed.

              I am most productive from 9pm until midnight when I go to sleep.



              Work when it gets done usually involves me researching and writing new products, writing articles, and syndicating articles. I also write blog posts, and post to forums.

              It also involves a lot of reading about the IM-industry looking for new knowledge and opportunities. I do a lot of research.

              I frequently analyze the existing traffic to my websites, and looking for opportunities to get more traffic/revenue for my websites.

              I generally do website programming and website modifications after the kids have gone to bed at 9pm, since those items require the most concentration.

              Before I go to bed each night, I decide what products if any that I will present to my subscribers the next day, and I set up the mailings. Most often, I only recommend products I have purchased and reviewed myself.

              I work also in Offline Marketing, but I have a local person that I hired to do sales for me. I spend most of my time building systems to streamline the processes necessary to fill those local job orders. I outsource the hard work to others.

              I communicate with a number of people via Skype for a variety of reasons that I feel are important to my business.

              On Tuesday evenings, I co-host a free training workshop with Sam England for two hours.

              On Saturday evenings, I host a Live Marketing Chat that is free to the public.

              I also do occasional consulting jobs with a variety of people.



              The only thing typical about my week is the comings and goings of the kids.

              Everything else is a matter of doing what I can, as often as I can do it.

              In a year-and-a-half, the youngest will be in school all day. That should help reduce a lot of the chaos in my life.


              Thanks Bill.

              You’ve given valuable insights for:

              Anyone with a young family (I guess there are many) who wonders how to run a business without hurting the loved ones;

              Anyone who desires moving from writing articles for $50 or more to residual income;

              Anyone who cares to know the work ethic of top writers;

              And of courses my curiosity is satisfied.

              Cheers.
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  • Profile picture of the author jideofor
    Thank you ,Bill. It's highly appreciated. Actually, I was just thinking if it's something that I can do myself and that's why I came up the questions.

    But as it is, I Believe I Can. Yes I can! But with a lot more practise.
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  • Profile picture of the author DavidTT
    ill be honest I'd like to see an example of what a 50$ article looks like as well lol. I do see quite a big difference in crappy articles, good articles and amazing one to but still 50$ is quite a lot of pennies.
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by DavidTT View Post

      ill be honest I'd like to see an example of what a 50$ article looks like as well lol. I do see quite a big difference in crappy articles, good articles and amazing one to but still 50$ is quite a lot of pennies.

      Which article is more valuable?

      One that you pay $10 to get written and makes you $100?

      Or one that you pay $500 to get written that makes you $5000?

      Both produce 10-times more than you paid to have them created...

      I am afraid that you are getting lost on the amount of money going in, rather than the amount of money coming out...

      A buddy of mine has one writer that he works with religiously. When he started working with her, she charged $75 an article. These days, she charges him $525 an article.

      And my buddy gladly pays her the amount she demands, because her work always creates far more money than he pays her to create the article!!

      Good writers aren't cheap!! They are not cheap, because they understand the value that you can create from their labor.

      If you fail to understand that great writing can produce great results, then your results will always be limited by your thinking.
      Signature
      Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
      Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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      • Profile picture of the author DavidTT
        Originally Posted by tpw View Post

        Which article is more valuable?

        One that you pay $10 to get written and makes you $100?

        Or one that you pay $500 to get written that makes you $5000?

        Both produce 10-times more than you paid to have them created...

        I am afraid that you are getting lost on the amount of money going in, rather than the amount of money coming out...

        A buddy of mine has one writer that he works with religiously. When he started working with her, she charged $75 an article. These days, she charges him $525 an article.

        And my buddy gladly pays her the amount she demands, because her work always creates far more money than he pays her to create the article!!

        Good writers aren't cheap!! They are not cheap, because they understand the value that you can create from their labor.

        If you fail to understand that great writing can produce great results, then your results will always be limited by your thinking.
        im not saying it aint worth it but just wondering if he actually can get a good ROI which you just pointed it out for me. obviously its something that should and will be down my list because if it does make all the difference, then theres no reason why I shouldnt. Also, I am aware that new things can be quite beneficial sometimes.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by tpw View Post

        Which article is more valuable?

        One that you pay $10 to get written and makes you $100?

        Or one that you pay $500 to get written that makes you $5000?

        Both produce 10-times more than you paid to have them created...

        I am afraid that you are getting lost on the amount of money going in, rather than the amount of money coming out...
        To put this in a grander perspective, it's not uncommon for me to dish out upwards of $500+ for an article that one of my specialty niche writers spent days of research to produce. The ROI goes on and on for years.
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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    People, if you want to know how an article can be worth $500, think beyond terms of what most internet marketers think of as article marketing.

    Imagine for a second that you hired a kick ass writer/researcher write an article for you that engages your readers, builds trust and authority, and helps them solve their problems.

    Now, imagine if you sent this awesome article off to big name magazines like Readers Digest, Times, Business Weekly, etc. Do you think that by having an article with your website listed in the author byline on just one of these publications could generate tons of traffic for you?

    What would you be able to do with that kind of traffic and the implied endorsement of the publication?
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by jideofor View Post

    What makes your articles worth that much of an amount and different from what other 'cheap' writers?

    From a knowledge-seeking-heart.
    Thanks.
    In general, a GREAT article is not just about correct grammar, spelling
    and punctuation. That's what a GOOD article is.

    Writing, in a technical sense, involves sentence structure, spelling,
    grammar.

    Writing, in an aesthetic sense, involves flow, appeal, emotion.

    Words, strung together the right way, can make a grown man cry, a sad
    woman burst out laughing, a deadbeat 'loser' get inspiration to
    succeed.

    Backed by stellar research and deep, hard-earned experience and
    knowledge about a field, that kind of writer is unmatched.

    That's when she can command a fee for writing that leaves others
    gaping in awe and wonder

    All success
    Dr.Mani

    P.S. - Want a sample of this kind of writing? Read this
    (my own, written for my mission, is representative of what I mean)
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author Mary Wilhite
      Originally Posted by drmani View Post

      In general, a GREAT article is not just about correct grammar, spelling
      and punctuation. That's what a GOOD article is.

      Writing, in a technical sense, involves sentence structure, spelling,
      grammar.

      Writing, in an aesthetic sense, involves flow, appeal, emotion.

      Words, strung together the right way, can make a grown man cry, a sad
      woman burst out laughing, a deadbeat 'loser' get inspiration to
      succeed.

      Backed by stellar research and deep, hard-earned experience and
      knowledge about a field, that kind of writer is unmatched.

      That's when she can command a fee for writing that leaves others
      gaping in awe and wonder

      All success
      Dr.Mani

      P.S. - Want a sample of this kind of writing? Read this
      (my own, written for my mission, is representative of what I mean)


      That's great.

      Perhaps these quotes could compliment that...

      The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin


      Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

      Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne



      Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Traditionally, fine writers always did make a decent amount on their work. It wasn't until recently that writers have been degenerated to the level of hamburger flippers or lower relative to pay scale.

    I believe the idea of peanuts as pay being normal for writers came about with the idea that the only way to get traffic was to load 10 new articles on your site or salt them around the net every day. The compulsion for masses and masses of information along with ideas about SE being the almighty important issue in website promotion made a need for cheap writing. People in countries that live high off the hog on 2 bucks an hour got on board and it's been a battle over slave wage writers ever since. The idea of fine writing completely vacated the majority of the IM arena so completely that people were willing to post garble that only a search engine could make enough sense out of to even notice. If word soup had keywords in it, it was seen as prime meat for posting somewhere.

    Well, that has fallen apart. Google got sick of the crap......and while some complain about Google, Google got sick of it only because consumers were getting fed up with reading garbage. Fed up consumers are going to go elsewhere. Period. Even a corporation the size of Google can be killed. All it takes is to have people decide it's not worth their time. So Google, being diligent and realizing that pages of crap research results were not doing them any favors, started to do some ecological management and started burying crap.

    It's my firm belief that there will always be tripe website owners who will go for cheap instead of quality. They are the type that sell inferior products and spam the bejeebers out of email addresses. They go from one black hat method to achieve traffic to the next, putting up salespages of claims that read enough like fiction that even the most naive of readers know they are announcing the same old tired scams.

    It is also my belief that we have been online long enough now, and gotten the hang of how to use this new type of marketing, that savvy business persons will prevail. They are the ones that know that a fine piece of writing will do more good than 20 pieces of inferior twaddle. They will recognize the need for a writer with experience and genuine knowledge of the field of writing.

    The clamor for cheap "writers", I believe, has about run its course. In the future, just as in the past, the ability to call yourself a writer will take a keen sense of grammar, upscale research and interviewing skills, and understanding of logical order and a sharpness of wit, all mixed with a tad of wisdom -- stuff that never was, and never will be, a low priced commodity.

    Words are power. As more website owners turn into real business owners and start demanding quality, and are willing to pay for it, you are also going to see a rapid decline in competitors who feature information from people only willing and able to make info legible for a couple bucks a throw.

    Just the way it goes.
    Signature

    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author godinu
    amen, HeySal. Writers -- REAL writers, not just people trying to make a buck by learning to write content -- have always had opportunity to higher paying gigs. Some magazines pay $1 and up PER WORD, even for lengthy articles. That's not to say it's easy to get those kinds of gigs, but they have existed for a long, long time. It hasn't been until the advent of content mills that writers have been sought for what amounts to even LESS than a burger flipper's wage. It's appalling, really.
    Just think about a well-respected ad agency, magazine, or business that is known for quality. These entities would certainly pay top dollar for quality work and not ever look to paying $1 for a 500-word article. I realize that many people in the IM world can't afford to pay big bucks, but if your business is growing and if you can't write well yourself, pay an actual writer to write something good for you.
    At the end of the day, you want to provide VALUE to your site's visitors. No value = no return visits and no residual revenue. Value should be the goal we all aim to provide no matter what line of work we are in.
    Signature
    You have exactly as much potential as you believe you do

    * 60+ sold! * Business method EVERYONE can implement, no expertise needed: offline perpetual profit machine (WSO)

    Simple Secret TeeSpring Cash Cow: easy enough for beginners
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    The problem is that everyone seems to think they can write. Watching them produce is like watching the first couple of episodes of American Idol when people who think they can sing get on there squallering in pitches that can turn life forms to stone. People with keyboards think they can write and are so desperate to do so that they will accept any amount of money to be able to point to a live screen with their scribbling on it. I've seen people call putting up an article on a page that all they get is residual pennies for clicks "paid writing". It's silliness. It got the Panda let out of his cage, and people are now ready to get serious again. It's time for anyone who is not actually trained in the art to stand back because real writing is coming back into fashion.
    Signature

    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    This thread begs the question: how do you actually learn to write well enough to demand these rates?

    This is an avenue I'm looking into myself and I know I am a competent writer but I'm not sure I'm good enough to ask for more than about $100, which would probably be for an article closer to 1000 words than 500.

    Does anyone have any feedback on this?
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    • Profile picture of the author drmani
      Originally Posted by danr62 View Post

      This thread begs the question: how do you actually learn to write well enough to demand these rates?

      This is an avenue I'm looking into myself and I know I am a competent writer but I'm not sure I'm good enough to ask for more than about $100, which would probably be for an article closer to 1000 words than 500.

      Does anyone have any feedback on this?
      imho, it boils down to the right 'positioning' - and then letting the market decide.

      When enough clients feel you're delivering value, they'll keep paying you the fee
      you charge.

      When they don't, you probably didn't deliver enough to justify the price - or have
      tapped into the wrong client base.

      There are two sides to 'profitable article marketing' - the writer who creates good
      articles, and the client who puts them to good and profitable use.

      Beyond the point of positioning and client satisfaction, it's an issue of documenting
      your achievements, showcasing the benefits you provide, educating a prospect
      about the advantage you can give them - in other words, just marketing

      Hope this helps

      All success
      Dr.Mani

      P.S. - I shared a short report about positioning for article writers in another thread.
      It goes deeper into the subject.
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      • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
        Originally Posted by drmani View Post

        There are two sides to 'profitable article marketing' - the writer who creates good articles, and the client who puts them to good and profitable use.
        Originally Posted by Martin .Avis View Post

        You seem to be asking for the perfect article formula so that you can bypass the learning curve, but I am sorry to tell you that unless you have been born with the super power of communication skill, there is no short cut.

        But being a writer and being a communicator are two very different things. Anyone, with a bit of effort, can put a couple of thousand words together and call it an article, but crafting an article that people will enjoy reading, will make them feel motivated to take action afterwards and will leave them wanting to read more by you - that is not writing: it is communicating.

        Learn to write and you'll make $10 a pop. Learn to communicate and you'll make whatever you ask for.
        Read the two quotes above. That pretty much sums things up. ^^^^^

        For those asking to see an example of a $50 article (or any price really), I don't think it would make all that much sense in isolation. You need to see the overall context of how the article was used and put to use by the client.

        How do I know I'm worth $50 an article? I don't know, really, but when I wrote for $10 per 500 words, I received a lot of praise from my clients, which got me thinking maybe I was worth more. One day I decided to test things, so I charged $25 and was paid it easily. Then I pushed it again and got $50. Then one day I was paid $200.

        However, if a client pays me that kind of money for an article, then publishes it on a made for AdSense blog, or something equally mundane, he or she will probably say that high priced articles are not worth paying for, as it's likely the article won't manage to perform to anywhere near its full potential.

        Another client could take the same article and make 10 times the asking price, simply because he or she knows how to use good content. These days I only seek out clients who know how to use the content they buy.

        These clients rarely mention things like Copyscape, duplicate content, or any of the other things that cheap clients like to quibble about.

        Life is easier.

        John.
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        Write System - superior web content
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by danr62 View Post

      This thread begs the question: how do you actually learn to write well enough to demand these rates?

      This is an avenue I'm looking into myself and I know I am a competent writer but I'm not sure I'm good enough to ask for more than about $100, which would probably be for an article closer to 1000 words than 500.

      Does anyone have any feedback on this?

      I started out by writing articles for me, then syndicating them.

      In the resource box, I said something to the effect of:

      If you like my writing style and the level of exposure my articles are getting, then Click Here to hire me as your personal ghost writer. Perhaps I can do for you, what I do for others.
      The effectiveness of this strategy was directly influenced by the quality of my articles and the quality of the publications that syndicated my articles.



      As far as charging $100 for an article, that is a matter of your personal level of confidence to ask that price, then hold your ground.

      No one can tell you how much you can charge, only what they are willing to pay.

      At one time, I had a price for a single article and a price for 10 or more articles. Some guy tried to game me and pay for 2 articles at the 10+ price. He was shocked when I refunded him his money.

      He told me that if I would do 2 at that price, he would be back for more if they worked out for him.

      I told him no.

      Finally, when he decided to pay my advertised price, I refunded again. LOL

      He was blown away, and he asked me why.

      I told him it is because I set my prices. I don't allow my customers to set them for me.

      I told him that if he was still wanting to hire me, he would have to pay a +25% premium, since he tried to define my prices for me.

      I thought he would tell me to screw off. Instead, he paid me the premium.

      He made $4000 on the first article and $400 on the second, and only paid $125 each to have the articles written.

      What it comes down to is when you see that your work produces results, then you will gain the confidence to charge people what you are worth to others. It is your confidence level that determines how much you can charge for your labor.
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      Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
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    • Profile picture of the author mrdomains
      Originally Posted by danr62 View Post

      This thread begs the question: how do you actually learn to write well enough to demand these rates?

      This is an avenue I'm looking into myself and I know I am a competent writer but I'm not sure I'm good enough to ask for more than about $100, which would probably be for an article closer to 1000 words than 500.

      Does anyone have any feedback on this?
      Everyday articles are like balsa wood. Looks good, mostly air.
      Great articles are like oak. Mature, solid.

      What defines great writing is research. Meat and bones. Style is less important than the meat. Length of the piece is of less importance than the impact. Just look at some of the best articles being published in national magazines. Some of them really are fantastic reads even though the style and even grammar sometimes falls behind. Who cares. The read was like a slap of beef over your head. Meat and bones is what it takes.
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    • Profile picture of the author jideofor
      Originally Posted by Marianne Gonne View Post

      Great question. Of course, the easiest way to command higher prices is through proven results. But how do writers get on the first rung of the higher-earning ladder?

      Writing well is essential. I learned these "write better" tips from my English Language professor at NYU, and 25 years later () they continue to serve me well...

      - Write daily. Writing is a craft and if you practice regularly, you will improve.
      - Read creatively. Take note of powerful words and sentences. Stop and consider why they're powerful.
      - Don't go anywhere without a notebook. You never know when the muse will take you.
      - Line-edit. Be merciless in eliminating every unnecessary word. (This is especially important for Internet writing - where shorter is almost always better.)
      - Ditch the passive voice. Seriously.

      As for translating great writing skills into cash, I agree that marketing and positioning are all-important. Consider targeting a lucrative writing market (B2B, web copywriting, press releases), writing as an authority for a specific niche (we always tend to write better when we write about things we love/know), and/or creating a Unique Selling Proposition.
      Thanks...It just what I wanted and you laid it out here for all to see. There is nothing like seeing what really make a good writer. It is not enough to just point out to some people that they should write quality content. Let them know how they , too, can be a better writer is the best way to say the word.
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      • Profile picture of the author Oosha
        When I brought my writing online, it did not take me long to land myself more clients than I could keep straight. But the money part came much later.

        My desire for increased fee was so that I could have fewer clients, give better quality and not feel like I’m slogging for nothing. I soon found that finding clients at the fee you desire is not a problem as long as you “deserve.”

        Look around and all you see is hundreds of writers producing low-quality and hastily done superficial work. They write for clients who don’t mind compromising on quality, as long as writers accept peanuts as compensation. But high-paying clients are not inclined to accept incorrect or substandard content. They are willing to pay higher to ensure the confidence of their readers is not impaired.

        To get into the league of better-paid writers, write what you know and are passionate about – content that follows this rule speaks to the heart. You will soon attract the right kind of clients.

        The sine qua non of success is to give content the necessary “human interest.” This comes naturally for some but it can be acquired through practice. Readers are not an indefinite mass. “Will the reader like this?” is the question you should be asking yourself.

        I cannot stress enough on the need for originality if your content is to have distinction.

        Finally, never ever worry about what to say. Connect to your potential clients with all sincerity and you will have them waiting in line for you, no matter how high your price.

        Here's something you may find interesting: Andrae Aciman: A Literary Pilgrim Progresses to the Past
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        I believe in taking the time to do something right, the first time. Need Content? Get in touch.

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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Ken Russell
    To earn that much you better have a reputable portfolio
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  • Profile picture of the author pbrite
    I believe it's all about the results. I've never charged $50 for an article but I've made $50 or more on articles I've written for myself. I've made that much in residuals off of one article that I was paid $15 upfront for. It's like everyone else said. If you can justify the price and what it will bring the customer, then $50 is a great price. A $50 should be like that $5 milkshake in Pulp Fiction. There should be some stellar research, excellent grammar and some attention-getting language that makes it stand out without cheesing out.

    Nowadays I prefer to do smaller projects of individual articles at smaller rates. I'd rather edit content. I'll charge higher if its based on subjects that require proper vetting that I can attribute to. For instance, I am a 10-year military vet so my military projects come with authority. I'm also almost done with a masters in psychology so I can back my statements with research and .edu links. I have higher rates for that work.
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  • Profile picture of the author jideofor
    Hmmm. . . This is really getting interesting. Thank you all for coming in. I am a Nigerian and I made up this thread for a purpose.

    I will like to know, at this stage, what do you use to make your researches, Google or other resources? Kindly name them please.

    Also, how can one learn to be better writer as you and where does he start from? How does on learn how to write articles that produces results? What are those words that keep the reader glued to the screen? What channels are used for the article distribution, article directories like ezinearticles.com or where, offline publication? Can someone from Africa in Africa distribute his content to Readers Digest,Which is in the States?

    I don't have much vocabulary under my belt and this may seem to affect me a bit.

    Hope my questions are not too much or out of line? Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Avis
      Originally Posted by jideofor View Post

      Hope my questions are not too much or out of line? Thanks.
      They are not out of line, but they are somewhat pointless.

      Yes, I can command $1200 for a single article and have the buyer come back on a regular basis and that sounds wonderful. But what that simplistic statement hides is the fact that I was writing articles for over ten years before that contract came along. I learned my craft the hard way by cranking out literally millions of words. The writing part was easy - but what you'll see in a moment is that it takes a lot more than just knowing how to write if you want to command decent rates.

      You seem to be asking for the perfect article formula so that you can bypass the learning curve, but I am sorry to tell you that unless you have been born with the super power of communication skill, there is no short cut.

      To learn to write in a way that will command top dollar you have to write and write and write. A lot. Until sentences, paragraphs and memes start popping into your head wherever you are and whatever you are doing. A notebook helps - you have to capture them because they'll disappear as fleetingly as they arrived. Good ideas don't come into your mind, they pass through it.

      But being a writer and being a communicator are two very different things. Anyone, with a bit of effort, can put a couple of thousand words together and call it an article, but crafting an article that people will enjoy reading, will make them feel motivated to take action afterwards and will leave them wanting to read more by you - that is not writing: it is communicating.

      Learn to write and you'll make $10 a pop. Learn to communicate and you'll make whatever you ask for.

      Martin
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      Martin Avis publishes Kickstart Newsletter - Subscribe free at http://kickstartnewsletter.com
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      • Profile picture of the author drmani
        Originally Posted by Martin.Avis View Post

        ... there is no short cut.

        To learn to write in a way that will command top dollar you have to write and write and write. A lot.
        Yeppers!

        And I'll go a step further and say that "intentional practice" is
        where it's at!

        Yaro Starak manages "Entrepreneurs' Journey", a blog with over
        100,000 subscribers. I write a guest column for it. In one, I explain the
        concept of becoming an expert - at anything.

        How To Become An Expert

        Learn to write and you'll make $10 a pop. Learn to communicate and you'll make whatever you ask for.
        Martin
        I *love* that snippet, Martin

        All success
        Dr.Mani
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          Essentially, your writing style needs to meet the expectations of your readers. Writers who understand this and learn to write accordingly are in such high demand they can command the higher rates. As alluded to earlier, it's really much more than just being able to string some words together with proper grammar, sentence structure and correct spelling, although these areas are actually where most writers experience their failure to launch. Mastery of the basics must be met with niche-dependent nuances of syntax, style, imagery, idioms, terminology, and often even jargon or humor to make a connection with the reader. And when a reader comes away with a feeling of experiencing the topic, rather than having merely read it, you have achieved liftoff. Tha's how top writers make them big bux.
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      • Profile picture of the author jideofor
        Originally Posted by Martin.Avis View Post

        They are not out of line, but they are somewhat pointless.

        Yes, I can command $1200 for a single article and have the buyer come back on a regular basis and that sounds wonderful. But what that simplistic statement hides is the fact that I was writing articles for over ten years before that contract came along. I learned my craft the hard way by cranking out literally millions of words. The writing part was easy - but what you'll see in a moment is that it takes a lot more than just knowing how to write if you want to command decent rates.

        You seem to be asking for the perfect article formula so that you can bypass the learning curve        , but I am sorry to tell you that unless you have been born with the super power of communication skill, there is no short cut.

        To learn to write in a way that will command top dollar you have to write and write and write. A lot. Until sentences, paragraphs and memes start popping into your head wherever you are and whatever you are doing. A notebook helps - you have to capture them because they'll disappear as fleetingly as they arrived. Good ideas don't come into your mind, they pass through it.

        But being a writer and being a communicator are two very different things. Anyone, with a bit of effort, can put a couple of thousand words together and call it an article, but crafting an article that people will enjoy reading, will make them feel motivated to take action afterwards and will leave them wanting to read more by you - that is not writing: it is communicating.

        Learn to write and you'll make $10 a pop. Learn to communicate and you'll make whatever you ask for.

        Martin

        At the bolded, not really. I was only trying to know what EXACTLY most people did to get there and command the kind of income they want, more like seeing the "behind the scene". It has been justified so far.

        So that means that one will have to work really hard to get there. Write, write ,write, write and write... the same thing my English lecturer told me.

        Thank you for the insight, Martin.
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        • Profile picture of the author Scott Burton
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          Which article is more valuable?

          One that you pay $10 to get written and makes you $100?

          Or one that you pay $500 to get written that makes you $5000?

          Both produce 10-times more than you paid to have them created...
          Since the original question is about how to write $50 articles, and how to tell a $50 worthy article from a $5, the which article is more valuable question kind of drills at the original question, but I don't think it really answers it.

          On the surface both articles seem to be the same as far as cost to value, but the $500 article that makes $5000 probably has life left in it after the $5000, and will generate some level of interest long after the $10 article has faded away.

          Also, if they are both being used the same way (i.e. same time/effort involved on the part of the client) then $500 for $5000 makes a lot more sense, because time is a resource you can't replace. You can earn money, but as you use time, it keeps going and you don't get more of it.

          Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

          The problem is that everyone seems to think they can write. Watching them produce is like watching the first couple of episodes of American Idol when people who think they can sing get on there squallering in pitches that can turn life forms to stone. People with keyboards think they can write and are so desperate to do so that they will accept any amount of money to be able to point to a live screen with their scribbling on it. I've seen people call putting up an article on a page that all they get is residual pennies for clicks "paid writing". It's silliness. It got the Panda let out of his cage, and people are now ready to get serious again. It's time for anyone who is not actually trained in the art to stand back because real writing is coming back into fashion.
          I don't think I can write. I know what kind of writing I can and can't do, and what kinds I do well. I don't generally write for clients. I write for myself, and not all of it is for publication to make money. Some of it I write out of my own interests.

          When I do write for clients, I do not write 'cheap' My work is generally in the $5 (rare) - $25 (uncommon) per article range (typically $12-18), and I do limit what subject matters I will write on, because I realize there are many subjects I do not feel confident and comfortable writing on, and I'd rather pass on the work than to hurt my reputation as a writer.

          Am I a "great" article writer? I don't consider myself great in the context of article writing. In certain fields, yes. But as a generalist article writer, no.
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          • Profile picture of the author danr62
            Originally Posted by Scott Burton View Post

            Since the original question is about how to write $50 articles, and how to tell a $50 worthy article from a $5, the which article is more valuable question kind of drills at the original question, but I don't think it really answers it.

            On the surface both articles seem to be the same as far as cost to value, but the $500 article that makes $5000 probably has life left in it after the $5000, and will generate some level of interest long after the $10 article has faded away.

            Also, if they are both being used the same way (i.e. same time/effort involved on the part of the client) then $500 for $5000 makes a lot more sense, because time is a resource you can't replace. You can earn money, but as you use time, it keeps going and you don't get more of it.



            I don't think I can write. I know what kind of writing I can and can't do, and what kinds I do well. I don't generally write for clients. I write for myself, and not all of it is for publication to make money. Some of it I write out of my own interests.

            When I do write for clients, I do not write 'cheap' My work is generally in the $5 (rare) - $25 (uncommon) per article range (typically $12-18), and I do limit what subject matters I will write on, because I realize there are many subjects I do not feel confident and comfortable writing on, and I'd rather pass on the work than to hurt my reputation as a writer.

            Am I a "great" article writer? I don't consider myself great in the context of article writing. In certain fields, yes. But as a generalist article writer, no.
            After reading your post, I think you could easily charge more than that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    I think that the internet has damaged the meaning of "article".

    Writers in general have suffered terribly because the field is
    so easy to enter "thanks" to the internet.

    Search engine fodder has been termed "article" and so the
    real articles have their reputations damaged as a result.

    I read an article in Writer's Digest some years ago which
    addressed this very issue of writers now taken for granted
    because of the internet. Many writers sell themselves
    short because they don't know their real worth and they
    usually suffer burnout sooner or later.

    It's sad to see how the writing profession has been abused
    by the glut of $5 "article writers" on the market but except
    $5 can pay your bills in your part of the world this practice
    brings little reward. It's a stressful way to make a living.

    We need another word for "article" these days. One with
    the pre-internet meaning.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Scott - I seldom write for clients now, either. It just pays better to write for yourself in certain circumstances, especially online.

    What I am finding is that the cheaper the pay for the writing, the more intense the restrictions of style seem to be. I wrote 15 dollar articles for demand for awhile, and they crucified my will to write at all - they also crucified anything I sent to them. The style restrictions did nothing other than force me to write such substandard garbage that I am embarrassed by anything I turned in to them. Sometimes writing in an active voice is just unrealistic and silly - yet even when I was writing very scientific information (information I'd not have been willing to spend the time needed to dig up for 15 if I'd not have had to do the research for other purposes) if I didn't use active voice for EVERY sentence, the work was rejected. If I did use it, the piece looked ridiculous. The referencing was tedious and often also just extreme to silliness. Can you imagine having to reference the fact that there are bears, mountain lions, and wolves in the mountains of Washington? It was the most heinous experience I've ever had as a writer, but I learned not to bother with chump assignments and services even when it seems convenient. Keyword stuffing also ruins writing, but a lot of those paying peanuts want that. The only way to really become a successful writer is to stay away from those who are so clueless about what good writing is that they have rules in place that will ruin anyone's attempt to write well.

    I agree with you, too - write what you are interested in and know about. If you are writing about things that bore you or you have only remedial knowledge about, you just lose your natural flair. It's that flair that will set you apart from all the mediocre writers in the long run. Anyone can learn grammar - it takes personality and wit to write with flair.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author Scott Burton
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      Scott - I seldom write for clients now, either. It just pays better to write for yourself in certain circumstances, especially online.
      Definitely more rewarding for me. Most of my articles I would have put in my $25 range (which I write more of for myself anyway), usually pull pretty good results for months, some of them last for 9 months before the 'shine' starts to wear off of them. Occasionally I see one of my writings from 04 to 06 still producing a little trickle of traffic (and rarely a commission). I think my record for articles I tracked in depth generated about $1400 over it's online life of 12 months. (I'm glad I didn't sell that one for $25!)

      I agree with you, too - write what you are interested in and know about. If you are writing about things that bore you or you have only remedial knowledge about, you just lose your natural flair. It's that flair that will set you apart from all the mediocre writers in the long run. Anyone can learn grammar - it takes personality and wit to write with flair.
      When I write for myself, I am the editor who gets to say whether it's acceptable or not, and so I seldom disappoint my customer (me), nor my visitors.

      It's been suggested that my insistence on sticking to my choice of subject matters could be a selling point for higher paying work, but I'm not sure I'm willing to venture much back into that minefield of writing for hire.

      So everyone watch for my next article writing offer. I pick the subject, keywords, everything. You get one article for $500 :p (Hm... Maybe I'll WSO for $300 per article?)
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  • Profile picture of the author jideofor
    andreasdk, that's right! some of this heavy weights know their stuff. That's why we all ought to listen to them when they speak.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    One of the problems with getting higher fees is many people don't believe they're worth it. The Internet is largely responsible for that but I still get paid my rate when I write or I don't write.

    During the last election I held myself out to write for the candidates. Either side. Since I feel they're all whores anyway I have no trouble painting any of them the way they really are. I was getting $250 - $300 for articles that were posted on some of the biggest political sites and Blogs around. I used a pen name to avoid being threatened and all the rest.

    How did I get these gigs? I found a couple of them on Craigslist and I applied. I have a resume that goes back 20+ years. I've published four physical books. A couple of them actually sold pretty well. I have a couple of sites with literally hundreds of excellent articles I've written. I don't know, maybe writing is a genetic thing. I have an uncle who wrote for and edited a major industrial trade journal.


    I have a half-brother who, at the age of 23 got a full page article published in Time. I'm considered the "writer retard" in the family but still manage to do okay. I'd much rather be writing fiction but that's a topic for another time.

    My first "real money" writing gig was for a financial magazine published quarterly in the mid 90s. I'd written for pay before that but this was the big time. I got 10 cents a word and 12 cents if I turned in a piece the editor didn't have to fix. Guess what?

    That made me infinitely better at writing. I wrote for a crusty old babe who used to set type for Gutenberg and she straightened me out on a lot of things. She helped nurture my natural ability. Before long I was getting the feature article for almost every issue. I never looked back and absolutely refuse (short of starving) to ever accept substandard rates.

    As for linking to one of these articles, there's no need. What I've written here would be a condensed version and not much different than what I'd turn in for the big money. It's all in your head. First you've got to believe you're good enough. If you are the market will recognize you. If not, keep at it until you are.

    One other thing I might add. If you ever want to get paid what you're really worth, avoid fiverr and other sites like them. They're "low pay" traps and once you get your hoof stuck in such a trap it can be near-impossible to get free.
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  • Profile picture of the author lancewan
    This is a really interesting thread. I like all of info that has come back, especially about how articles have been devalued with AM marketing and spinning and just pumping small devalued articles out.

    Good quality articles - att Raydal
    I think a distinction has to be made re articles and content - articles can be anything and written by anyone. The difference as posted by a lot of people is a well written article makes you pay attention and this helps when you know what your are talking about and write with focus. People will see that.

    That is why a good article writer will probably layout the structure of the article and have the content designed with a specific message they want to communicate from start to finish. By the end of the article you have no doubts as to what information is provided to you and what you need to do next.

    Content for syndication is another ball park and this is more in depth and takes time and very few people will want to do this badly as the effort is too much to get wrong. Why change the word article - its the meaning and vlaue which has changed by association. For example nobody really saw value in mobile phones, they had more functionality and capacity than before until Apple came in with the iPhone and sold a soluton and a lifestyle. At the end of the day it was a phone, it was how it was used which revolutinised the industry. This is how articles and any industry should be.


    Writing skill
    As with any skill there are people who are good and then there are people who are very good, the difference between the 2 is practice and someone who cares about what they do and the quality the deliver. People who just pump out articles will go for the cheapest option and with just a result and they will just get a result not a response of a targeted reader.

    Keyword stuffing and density is penalised
    As for keyword stuffing, google is now penalising pages and sites that do that and they dont use keyword density as a indicator of site relevance. They are paying attentin to relevant content which relates to the keyword of that article and this is how they provide more improved ranking with Panda change.
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    • Profile picture of the author Raydal
      Originally Posted by lancewan View Post

      Good quality articles - att Raydal
      ...
      Why change the word article - its the meaning and vlaue which has changed by association. For example nobody really saw value in mobile phones, they had more functionality and capacity than before until Apple came in with the iPhone and sold a soluton and a lifestyle. At the end of the day it was a phone, it was how it was used which revolutinised the industry. This is how articles and any industry should be.
      Well, I think that your illustration proves my point.
      The iPhone is not just a mobile phone but a smart
      phone.

      We need a word for "article" and "smart article".
      You know, like a "blackberry" and an "iPhone".

      Because if you don't have an iPhone, you don't
      have an iPhone.

      -Ray Edwards
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      The most powerful and concentrated copywriting training online today bar none! Autoresponder Writing Email SECRETS
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  • Profile picture of the author lion72
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author AnniePot
      Originally Posted by lion72 View Post

      ill be honest I'd like to see an example of what a 50$ article looks like as well lol. I do see quite a big difference in crappy articles, good articles and amazing one to but still 50$ is quite a lot of pennies.
      You consider a $50 article to be expensive? It's been many a year since I wrote content (I never refer to anything I produce as 'articles'), for $50

      Over the past two or three years I've scaled back on the writing I accept, but I have a core base of a few, long-term clients for whom I write. They are happy to pay between $125 and $225 per piece, depending upon the research involved and length.

      Beyond them, I now devote my spare time to writing content for my own websites. Additionally, I'm also writing material I'm publishing on Amazon's Kindle
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by lion72 View Post

      ill be honest I'd like to see an example of what a 50$ article looks like as well lol. I do see quite a big difference in crappy articles, good articles and amazing one to but still 50$ is quite a lot of pennies.
      LOL

      Hi AutoBot!


      Originally Posted by Scott Burton View Post

      Which article is more valuable?

      One that you pay $10 to get written and makes you $100?

      Or one that you pay $500 to get written that makes you $5000?

      Both produce 10-times more than you paid to have them created...

      Since the original question is about how to write $50 articles, and how to tell a $50 worthy article from a $5, the which article is more valuable question kind of drills at the original question, but I don't think it really answers it.

      Technically, I answered the original question in a previous post.

      Then someone questioned whether any article could be worth $50. That was the nature of the post you quoted.
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      Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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      • Profile picture of the author drmani
        Originally Posted by Scott Burton

        I do limit what subject matters I will write on, because I realize there are many subjects I do not feel confident and comfortable writing on, and I'd rather pass on the work than to hurt my reputation as a writer.
        That's one of the keys to killer positioning. Specialists are always
        higher paid and respected than generalists. A tip for all writers.

        Originally Posted by Scott Burton View Post

        So everyone watch for my next article writing offer. I pick the subject, keywords, everything. You get one article for $500 (Hm... Maybe I'll WSO for $300 per article?)
        Believe it or not, I was planning to throw $40 behind a test with exactly
        the same offer! Maybe we could split it $20-$20 - and you write one of
        the articles, I'll write the other

        Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

        First you've got to believe you're good enough. If you are the market will recognize you. If not, keep at it until you are.
        Absolutely. Here's the report on 'Positioning' for article writers,
        a free download, no opt-in required.

        Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

        If you ever want to get paid what you're really worth, avoid fiverr and other sites like them. They're "low pay" traps and once you get your hoof stuck in such a trap it can be near-impossible to get free.
        Online, if you are determined to do that work too, then at least
        make sure it's under a pen name that can't be traced/linked back
        to your higher-end paid writing work.

        Originally Posted by danr62 View Post

        Constant content is a site where you can upload your articles, set your own price, and wait for people to come around and buy them.
        My new short report is about how to leverage CC into lucrative
        writing contracts. It's a service I've had some success with.

        Thanks, @jideofor, for kicking off what has become a VERY nice
        discussion!

        All success
        Dr.Mani
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        • Profile picture of the author danr62
          Originally Posted by drmani View Post


          My new short report is about how to leverage CC into lucrative
          writing contracts. It's a service I've had some success with.
          Are you referring to the free WSO in your sig or another report?
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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    If you want to see articles that sell for around $50 take a look at this:

    Freelance Writer Profile Celeste Stewart | Articles For Sale | Page 2 (not an affiliate link)

    Constant content is a site where you can upload your articles, set your own price, and wait for people to come around and buy them. Celeste Stewart is one of the top writers there and it looks like she normally charges $50 for a 500 word article (I think she charges more for private requests) and sells more than 90% of the articles she uploads.

    Sounds like a great place to get started to me and I am certainly trying it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    >>
    What makes your articles worth that much of an amount and different from what other 'cheap' writers?
    >>

    It's a difference whether you produce an "article" which goes to ezine or serves simply as content for SEO purposes - or whether you do copywriting like a sales letter or review which will go on a web site.

    Then of course the other, main criteria is the knowledge required eg. if i write an ebook which might very well serve as a WSO or might make it into a product.

    (Like writing an ebook about about advanced SEO strategies etc.)

    >>
    Thirdly, do you research the topic which you write for your clients or it's usually something you know ,so you don't need any research and how long do you spend on an article?
    >>

    I have written about some stuff where i didn't have any clue beforehand, so yes this requires "some" research - but usually there is already content out there where you can get an idea how and what to write. Even if it's something i don't know about, it's rare that it's SO new that there is not a piece of content out there already to give you a rough idea about what to write.
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  • Profile picture of the author abugah
    Perhaps it would be appropriate to add my voice to this debate.

    To start with, I am not in article writing and so I cannot tell how much I have been paid before. In addition, I am not in a position to point you to the places one can get high paying gigs.

    However, I can with confidence, speak about pricing.

    I will start with what some people may think is a bizarre comparison.

    Where I live, a bottle of a coke soda has a recommend price of $0.28 at today’s exchange rates. However, five start hotels charge up to $2 for the same coke.

    What is the relevance of this to article pricing?

    Plenty.

    1. A person who pays $.28 for a soda cannot imagine paying double the price. Therefore, as a writer who makes $ 5 an article, the moment you increase your prices to $10 your clients will back off. To make more money move away from low paying markets.

    2. The person who regularly pays $2 for a soda will be uncomfortable paying $0.28 for the same soda. That is how the human brain works-likes consistency. That means that if you offer your writing services to an airline magazines ( I am told they pay top dollars) and quote $15. Chances are they will decline-perhaps they will imagine this is of poor quality.

    3. The five star hotel that charges $2 for a soda does so for a reason. The location, facilities, brand name, ambiance are all great and factored in the price. So, if you what to make more in your writing, become good and target politicians (it is campaign time in the US). Look for fortune 500 companies. Approach top marketers -those that make six figures and above. It will take hard work of course, but it is worth the effort.

    4. To become a good writer, one needs to write a lot and read a lot. So what is reading a lot? And what is writing a lot? Well, perhaps this may shed some light…

    Anthony Trollope, the man who wrote 47 novels while working full time at the British Post Office, wrote from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with his watch in front of him. He had a target of two hundred and fifty words every quarter of an hour.

    And Stephen King, the celebrated author, puts it more bluntly…
    “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

    5. Lastly, to make more money from your articles, your mindset must change. Some writers cannot imagine that they can quote $1 per word for their articles. Remember everything starts from the mind. The computer you are using to read this; the clothes you are wearing (hopefully you are not naked in your bedroom); the house you live in all started by someone imagining -and the person went ahead to bring the dreams to reality.

    Finally thought…

    Start looking for markets that pay $0.5, $1 or even $2 per word for your work. Surprised? They are there, just take your time. Resolve to progressively eject your low paying clients/markets in favor of higher pay markets or clients.

    What do you think Obama will pay you to write his acceptance speech? ( take no offense here) If you quoted $2,000 he will probably reject your offer solely on the basis of price regardless of how good you are. We have a tendency to associate price with quality.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danielle Lynn
    I'll throw in some of my thoughts here as well:

    Yep, like Sal, Bill, and others have stated here - making $50, $500, or more per article that you write has to do with targeting clients that appreciate your writing and know how to use your article to gain a huge ROI for themselves.

    I do freelance work for a nearby company (offline) and they've gladly shelled out anywhere from $500 to 1k for a piece that they could use at a trade show.

    To them, paying a writer to research and put together an authority paper that they can tote around and show to prospects is a no-brainer. It will likely make them thousands more in sales - plus it will boost their company's reputation.

    On the flip side, many starting-out internet marketers have it in their heads that the 'easiest cash' is made by filling worthless blogs up with quick articles, rehashed spam, and keywords. Quality isn't on their mind, so of course they don't want to pay more than $5-$15 per article.

    If you have true writing talent, don't work for pennies. If you don't have any samples, start a blog, write guests posts for other popular blogs and go full-out. Write on forums, share your insights, comments on others blogs, get noticed, and make sure you have a link where people can contact you for writing services.

    When they come to YOU because they were blown away by that kick-ass article they saw you write on copyblogger last week, they're less likely to blink when you quote them in the triple digits.
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  • Profile picture of the author goindeep
    How much do you think old school city newspaper journalists got paid per article? And these poor dudes are now out of work.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Andrei Rotariu View Post

      How much do you think old school city newspaper journalists got paid per article? And these poor dudes are now out of work.
      Those poor dudes didn't know how to leverage their talents, or evolve with the times.
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  • Profile picture of the author PhilippaWrites
    There are some very good articles written by people paid a pittance, just as there are some less impressive articles written by those that get big bucks.

    But one important factor to best in mind is that if you are paid, say £50 for an article, and the hourly wage you want is £10, then you can spend 3 hours researching, 1 hour writing and your final hour proofreading and editing. 5 hours on 500 words can produce a fantastically good article. If you then spend £10 of the earnings on a great book about article writing. your next articles can be even better as a result.

    If, on the other hand, you get paid €5 per article, and want a similar wage then you need to write 3 of those articles each and every hour. 10 minutes research, 10 minutes writing, no time to proofread. Feeling like you're being exploited you lose your passion for writing so.you care less how good your writing is. and after writing 26 articles every day for a week, the last thing you want to do is read about article marketing on the weekend.

    It's not the whole story, but looking at it in context explains some of the advantages / disadvantages that people face and how that can facilitate passionate and interesting writing vs repetitive guesswork filled with waffle.


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    • Profile picture of the author msufan
      Here's a different approach: I began a blog that focused on a topic about which I'm an expert and which I care about immensely. On an "About the Author" page, I noted that I also would be interested in freelance writing. I now have a couple of different clients and have written over 60 articles this year for them at $0.20 per word (usually about $70-$160 per article).

      So there's another approach you might try...
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