Starting out as a writer

Hey everyone,

At the moment I am working as a freelance programmer, however I am finding that I need time away from coding to do something else. After looking around DP a bit more, I am intrigued by doing some writing in these times.

What is a typical job for a writer in the BST section? Is it simply a case of the buyer gives you a topic and a word count and then you write about the topic? Should I just offer a few sample articles to get started to see what it is like?

Sorry for all the questions, just I'm not very knowledgeable about this. Thanks

 

Welcome to the fabulous world of freelance writing.

What is a typical job for a writer in the BST section?

It's whatever you advertise. If you advertise a press release writing service...people will ask you for press releases. If you just advertise writing services, you'll pretty much get a range of jobs from PRs to blog posts to descriptions to ebooks.


Is it simply a case of the buyer gives you a topic and a word count and then you write about the topic?

Mostly. However, if you get nice clients they will also provide you with a "working title" or some kind of mini-outline. This makes research and writing MUCH faster so always ask.

Should I just offer a few sample articles to get started to see what it is like?

If by "sample" you mean "free" then...no. Even if you're building your portfolio I highly recommend charging your first client. In fact, if you want to generate some samples - start a blog.

My blog posts ARE my samples, and I get paid for every job I do.

Questions are good. Always ask questions! Good luck on your freelance writing journey!

 

Thanks a lot for the advice, that answers all of my questions. I have a domain registered for a blog, so its time to get writing. Thanks again Sneakyheathen for the help.

 

And don't charge a crappy rate. Charge what you are worth. Do what I did-use discounts and sales to procure those first clients.

 

I agree with the things sneakyheathen said, especially regarding setting your price and sticking with it.

 

article writing is the best field to work in if you get a hang of it....

 

Man, article writing is just too cool...a pure addiction I must say

There's so much to learn, and you get paid for learning new things and putting them in your own words...

What could be better?

I think it's only fair to do a few samples for well-reputed clients...the positive reviews help you in making more and more clients.

 

Yes. But make sure you provide top notch writing service, so you can make millions here as most of made/making.

All the best

 

Well i cannot say much as i am new to it also. But one advice i can give is don't go for topics which are highly paid or sought in the start only go for topics that you know alot about and you are comfortable with so that your inner writer comes out. Best of luck

 

I would advice to move on and learn Copywriting too so that you can earn more and provide a way to the product owner to monetize and sell his product by reaching a vast audience.

 

Agree with Nisar and others. The more you know about a topic, the easier and more enjoyable it will be for you.

Concerning what clients will ask of you. Serious clients are very specific about what they want. They may ask you to write with a specific style, say whether formal or casual. They may provide you with keywords and titles or just leave it up to you. Sometimes a client will want to work closely with you, other times no.

Blogs are a great way to get noticed. You can also try writing articles for article directories and "how to" sites. Anything you do that gets published can be used to build your portfolio. But like Sneakyheathen says, it's better if you always get paid for your articles.

 

you should write about what the owner or for whom you are working for but should be according to post

 

The questions were most relevant for a beginner like me. Thaks.


I do appreciate the prompt answer by Sneaky...... You guys are making DP alive and active. Thanks....

 

You should study the sales copy of what is out there and doing well. Ah, but how do you know what sales pages are doing well? There is so much sales copy out on the Internet there is just no way to tell what sales pages are selling and what pages aren't doing squat. Well, here's a shortcut that you can take. Go to the Clickbank marketplace and do a search in each of the categories for the top selling products. Regardless of whether the products are good or bad, the reason they're selling is because of the copy. Study each sales page and make a note of how they're constructed. You'll save yourself six months of study right there.

 

How much in linking and publicising are you doing? What do your traffic stats say?