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Question for article/content writers

by ShayB
21 replies
Okay. After reading this forum trying to figure out what to do to make money, it dawned on me. (Yeah, I am a little slow, sometimes. )

I had no idea how many people need articles and content written. I know it's no way to get rich, but I love to write and I could make money to invest in my other business venture(s) by writing. (In theory, anyway. )

My question is this: How do you get started writing articles for pay if you have never done any paid writing assignments before? :confused: I have no reputation as a writer or paid writing experience. (I have a lot of writing experience, however.)

Anyone willing to share their advice? Pleeeeeeease???
#article or content #question #writers
  • Profile picture of the author ShayB
    And how do you come up with a fair price for articles and/or content? :confused:
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    "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Hi Shay

      A couple of ideas.

      1) Set up a blog with some samples of your writing (pick a popular niche or two) and put a link to it in your sig. Put your rates and/or contact details on the blog.

      2) Offer to write the first article free so that clients can assess the quality.

      You may have to start off at the lower end of the pay scale (around $5 - $7 per 350 word article) but if your clients are happy with your work, you'll gradually be able to raise your price.

      Good luck.

      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffrey Louis
    Use this forum to your advantage...
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    • Profile picture of the author TorontoCarol
      You will often find posts from warriors looking for a writer. Some may be willing to give you a try, although as mentioned, you may have to start by charging a little less. If you are asked to write a large number of articles on a topic, my advice is to limit the order to ten or so until you determine if writing content for others is something you want to continue.

      You don't want to agree to write a large number of articles and then have to force yourself to finish them. That's a quick way to burnout and can leave you not wanting to write again for a long time. No matter how much you love to write, after the upteenth article on a subject you have no interest in, there will be times when you wish you hadn't agreed to do them. That's when showing yourself as a professional simply means doing what you said you would. And still doing it well, no matter how you feel.
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      Carol
      Non-Techie Online Marketing Specialist

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      • Profile picture of the author Ricter
        Originally Posted by TorontoCarol View Post

        You will often find posts from warriors looking for a writer. Some may be willing to give you a try, although as mentioned, you may have to start by charging a little less. If you are asked to write a large number of articles on a topic, my advice is to limit the order to ten or so until you determine if writing content for others is something you want to continue.

        You don't want to agree to write a large number of articles and then have to force yourself to finish them. That's a quick way to burnout and can leave you not wanting to write again for a long time. No matter how much you love to write, after the upteenth article on a subject you have no interest in, there will be times when you wish you hadn't agreed to do them. That's when showing yourself as a professional simply means doing what you said you would. And still doing it well, no matter how you feel.
        Excellent advice. Who was it who said, "writing is easy. Sit down at a typewriter and open a vein"? : )

        (Oh, on "Thinking of Coming to Canada?" I say, "Don't, we're full!")
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Hi Shay,

    You might check out constant-contentDOTcom, too. They take a pretty big chunk in fees, but I've sold articles for as much as $100 there (1,000 words). That's rare, to be sure, but you set the price and you'd be surprised how much more you can get than you're likely to find at the bargain basement sites like Elance. In the past I've also developed long-term, higher paying clients through Constant Content.

    And seriously, if you don't have an urgent need for the extra income right now, my advice is post some killer samples on a blog or web site you own, and charge a good rate. It's nearly impossible to raise your rates, even if you prove yourself. I'd hold out for the occasional higher paying client. You'll be that much more motivated to write well and you won't burn out from doing 100 articles on bird watching for $5 a pop.

    Good luck,
    John
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      Thanks for all of the great advice!

      I have started working on a blog with samples of my work on it. I hope to be done by next week.

      I am excited about this, but I think the advice to limit the number of articles at first is a good idea. I will certainly take it to heart.

      Thanks, everyone!
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      "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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  • Profile picture of the author TheVCF
    Dear Shay,

    All of these recommendations from your Fellow Warriors above are Great! and should Help you a lot!

    We would Love! to have you do some writing for us!
    iff your are willing to trade their Writing Services for other products and/or services we have to offer and/or may acquire, ok?

    And we are More than Willing to Offer Fair Market Value in exchange for Your Writing Services!

    And you can get Credit for your writing, build your reputation, name recognition and portfolio! and ...

    We will Recommend /Refer you to Many Others, if you do Good Work for us!

    Please Contact Us if you (and/or anyone else) are (even remotely) interested, ok?!

    Thank you for your help and participation and Have a Great Day!

    - Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author ChocolateBiz
    I recommend that you post your services on a number of the Free Lancer boards.
    An example is: FREELANCE BID BOARDS FREELANCERS FIND WORK - CreatingOnline.com"

    Starting out, you will have to "buy" some of the business by providing your services at a very competitive price. However, once you have built your resume, then you can raise your prices to reflect your experience.

    Warmly,
    Jeff and Sandi
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  • Profile picture of the author angela99
    Originally Posted by Shay60654 View Post

    I know it's no way to get rich, but I love to write and I could make money to invest in my other business venture(s) by writing. (In theory, anyway. )
    Shay, I hate to say it, but you're WRONG.

    In fact, you couldn't be more wrong. You can get as rich as you please from writing. In fact, writing skill is all you need.

    Start where you are now.

    Here's how:

    1. Write ten articles on the popular topic of your choice. By popular, I mean people are making money in the niche - look for magazines in the niche. Niches include: weight loss, arthritis, acne in the health field.

    2. Offer your ten articles as low-price PLR in the WSO forum. Include a text file in the package stating you'll write articles for $10 a pop. This is inexpensive, and you'll get people willing to try you out - your PLR pack acts as your writing sample.

    3. Over time, increase your rates, AND start creating your own niche sites. Monetize the sites with affiliate products.

    4. Write your own products, and sell them.

    You should be making a very nice income within six months, and from then on the sky's the limit.

    [Giggle] "I know it's no way to get rich" .... Shay, many people are getting quite rich at writing, and you can too.

    Write away. :-)

    I wish you much success.

    And BTW, if you offer a weight loss PLR pack, you've got one buyer right here...
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob D
      I get my writing clients from:

      1. rentacoder.com - go bid on some work - articles tend to go cheap but longer works(reports/ebooks) get a decent rate.
      2. My website - which contains samples(that I haven't updated in a while...hmmm....)
      3. Right here in the warrior forum. From my sig, from WSO and from keeping an eye out for people asking where they can get a writer.

      Good Luck.
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      I'm just a magpie in a world full of shiny things....

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      • Profile picture of the author Dana_W
        Decide in advance how much you are going to charge, so you'll be ready to offer a quote when someone asks you about your services. I have not had a problem getting people to pay me 5 cents a word.

        Don't necessarily limit yourself to just articles. Offer to write ebooks, autoresponder series, or short reports if you know how.
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      Originally Posted by angela99 View Post

      Shay, I hate to say it, but you're WRONG.

      In fact, you couldn't be more wrong. You can get as rich as you please from writing. In fact, writing skill is all you need.

      Start where you are now.

      Here's how:

      1. Write ten articles on the popular topic of your choice. By popular, I mean people are making money in the niche - look for magazines in the niche. Niches include: weight loss, arthritis, acne in the health field.

      2. Offer your ten articles as low-price PLR in the WSO forum. Include a text file in the package stating you'll write articles for $10 a pop. This is inexpensive, and you'll get people willing to try you out - your PLR pack acts as your writing sample.

      3. Over time, increase your rates, AND start creating your own niche sites. Monetize the sites with affiliate products.

      4. Write your own products, and sell them.

      You should be making a very nice income within six months, and from then on the sky's the limit.

      [Giggle] "I know it's no way to get rich" .... Shay, many people are getting quite rich at writing, and you can too.

      Write away. :-)

      I wish you much success.

      And BTW, if you offer a weight loss PLR pack, you've got one buyer right here...
      Thank you so much! You are very encouraging!

      At the risk of sounding stupid, can I ask you to clarify? What you are saying is that I write 10 articles on one subject and offer to sell those same 10 articles to multiple people? Is that what you mean by "PLR"?

      Thank you!

      -------Shay
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      "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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      • Profile picture of the author RobinSkeen
        Originally Posted by Shay60654 View Post

        Thank you so much! You are very encouraging!

        At the risk of sounding stupid, can I ask you to clarify? What you are saying is that I write 10 articles on one subject and offer to sell those same 10 articles to multiple people? Is that what you mean by "PLR"?

        Thank you!

        -------Shay
        Shay, I just did exactly that with my first WSO. It is a great way to start if you have real writing skills. PLR = Private Label Rights. That means you sell it to people to do with what they will (depending on the rights you grant) and most will rewrite, slap their name on it and off it goes around the web. But you've been paid by 50 people at $10 a pop and that's a pretty good payday. Then repeat. I'm going to. Good luck!!
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        • Profile picture of the author ShayB
          Originally Posted by RobinSkeen View Post

          But you've been paid by 50 people at $10 a pop and that's a pretty good payday. Then repeat. I'm going to. Good luck!!
          Wow! That is awesome!

          Thank you!!!
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          "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships called Enterprise." ~Commander Riker
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