1. Advertising
    y u no do it?

    Advertising (learn more)

    Advertise virtually anything here, with CPM banner ads, CPM email ads and CPC contextual links. You can target relevant areas of the site and show ads based on geographical location of the user if you wish.

    Starts at just $1 per CPM or $0.10 per CPC.

Where/how to find clients paying $50+ per article?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by HenryHH, Jan 3, 2010.

  1. #1
    I'm a freelance writer and will graduate with a bachelor's degree (B.S. in Biology) this May. I have experience writing scholarly scientific and medical material (e.g., research papers) as well as articles on general topics. I've been looking to write more articles for extra income, but I feel that my writing skills are worth more than the $2 - 8$ per 500-word article fee that most freelancers appear to be charging these days. I'm aware of several freelance writers who charge (and are paid) $50 or more to write articles of that length. My question is... unless these particular writers are individually sought-out by their clients, how and where are they finding these well-paying jobs? Is there some "underground" job board I haven't stumbled upon?

    Any guidance would be appreciated...
     
    HenryHH, Jan 3, 2010 IP
  2. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

    Messages:
    1,077
    Likes Received:
    41
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #2
    Hi Henry

    You're in a similar position to where I was a couple of years ago (I'm currently in the last year of my degree, though not writing a lot for others at the moment - by choice. I started by re-writing/writing dissertations for foreign students, then some articles for article marketers, which made me realise I'd be better writing them for myself, and I moved into affiliate marketing. I still do some writing for others, but won't now work for less than $55/$60 per hour. I never actually promoted myself as an online writer at all - people just contacted me, having read my forum posts, and asked if I could write a couple of articles for them.)

    I can make two suggestions which are a little time-consuming and "hit-and-miss" (because the content isn't all relevant to what you want), but immensely valuable and beneficial (and actually very enjoyable anyway), in your situation.

    1. Read as many of Jennifer Mattern's posts here as you can. You can find them from this link.

    2. Read as many of Bev Clement's posts at the Warrior Forum as you can. You can find them here.

    Both are highly paid, very successful writers who also have products/services available that teach people the answer to exactly what you're asking, I think.

    This will "direct" you and, at the very least, give you some ideas and help you to know where to find more.

    The problem with "learning through forums", in general, is that half the people who sound as if they know what they're talking about actually don't know what they're talking about at all. For me, the difficult part was learning whom to listen to and whose advice to take. I hope this post will save you much of that effort, anyway. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2010
    alexa_s, Jan 4, 2010 IP
    waxingpoetic likes this.
  3. dpmaster72

    dpmaster72 Peon

    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #3
    It looks like both the links do not seem to work. Can you take some time to write down some salient points here. That will help a lot of people here.
     
    dpmaster72, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  4. Live2Write

    Live2Write Active Member

    Messages:
    822
    Likes Received:
    16
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    60
    #4
    The links don't seem to work, nevermind an enthusiastic reader and one who's determined to learn something will not crib at that ;).

    He/she will take time to digg the gems. And yes, they are worth all your time!
     
    Live2Write, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  5. scheng1

    scheng1 Peon

    Messages:
    1,255
    Likes Received:
    5
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #5
    Sell at Constant-Content. The clients are reputable newspapers and magazines looking for high quality articles. You can sell exclusive rights for $80 per article of 500 words.
    Constant-Content requires perfection. If you get three rejections, they will kick you out. Make sure all the commas and full stops are there.
     
    scheng1, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  6. HenryHH

    HenryHH Peon

    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #6
    Thanks for the advice, Alexa and Scheng. :)

    Alexa: when you say you charge $55-$60/hour to write for others, do you mean that you bill per hour or that you charge $27.50-$30.00 to write a page (with a page taking you about half an hour to write)? Also, do you tend to make more money writing for others or by writing articles intended to market affiliate products? If the bulk of your income is commissions earned from the latter, could you share some information on how you do this? Do you just write general information articles, plug the affiliate product with an included link, and submit the articles to directories? Do you follow any certain style?

    And thanks for those links... I'll be sure to check them out.

    I'll also be sure to check out Constant Content; $80 for 500 words is what I'm talkin' about. :)

    I would like to start writing scientific articles which I hear pay well, but breaking into this market seems notoriously difficult (most potential employers want writers to hold at least a Masters degree; I'll have a B.S. in Biology this May). If anyone would like to read and critique an introduction I wrote to a research project I'll be doing next month involving the testing of streams for levels of fecal coliform bacteria (icky subject matter), I copied and pasted it to the page below (for some reason, my indentions aren't showing up and the tab key won't create them):

    article1.weebly.com/scientific-document.html

    Thanks...
     
    HenryHH, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  7. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

    Messages:
    1,077
    Likes Received:
    41
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #7
    Sorry about the links. They both work for me - I tested them before posting. I suspect the problem is that you need to be logged in for them to work, or something?

    You can find them without links, though.

    In this forum, find any post by Jennifer Mattern (she's a moderator - it's not difficult!) and click on her name, and then on "see other posts by jhmattern".

    At the other forum, find a post by Bev Clement (or even her profile), and do the same thing. ;)
     
    alexa_s, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  8. Kunalbhatia

    Kunalbhatia Active Member

    Messages:
    296
    Likes Received:
    7
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    60
    #8
    Your degree might not sound impressive in the face of clients requiring Masters or a PhD, but you can impress prospective clients by making a list of topics you've made a project on during your course. You could also mention any research groups you've been a part of and/or any publications you were a part of (not necessarily be an author in them). All looks very impressive.
     
    Kunalbhatia, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  9. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

    Messages:
    1,077
    Likes Received:
    41
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #9
    I have a minimum order-size of 3 articles, because I write very different articles from other article-writers, aiming not just for "quick sales" but for the longer-term mass re-publication of the article by other webmasters looking in article directories for content for their sites. This way, the articles' owners get their work widely re-published in front of targeted audiences and get other people effectively doing some of their off-page SEO and backlinking for them, as well as getting additional future traffic. But there's no guarantee that a new client will quickly see the benefits of this from one article, so I insist on doing three to maximise the chances of really impressing the client and demonstrating to them that the way they've previously used article directories has (like 95%+ of article marketers) been a misguided and inferior one. ;)

    In short, I'm writing for re-publication. That way, you get backlinks and traffic that slowly multiplies, instead of one quick surge of a few sales and then nothing.

    When taking on work, I find out as much as possible and then estimate the time it will take me to do it, being generous to the client, at about $55/$60 per hour. Occasionally (with a new subject) I screw up, but that's my problem, not the client's, because I don't try to charge them more when that happens. :eek:

    So, I don't have a "page-rate", I have an "hourly rate". And I do the same for copywriting (sales pages) too.

    (By the way, just in case anyone thinks I'm trying to "promote myself" here, I should mention that I'm not taking on any new clients at all for the foreseeable future!).

    Over what time-scale? If I write articles for a client, I get paid in full on the spot. When I do articles for myself (I promote 12 different products in 7 different niches at the moment) I end up earning a lot more, but more slowly.

    I write keyword-based information. I write long articles (forget all this nonsense about "getting your resource-box above the fold"!) that I think webmasters will re-publish. I use the normal range of article-writing techniques which you can learn from forum posts written by people like the two people I've mentioned, and others who really know what they're talking about (there's a real learning-curve in judging that!). I try to surprise people, and to entertain them. (The people who tell you that humour has no place in the sales process don't know what they're talking about.)

    I use the links to attract traffic to a simple pre-selling site (I use easy blogging software for those). And on those little sites, I review and link to Clickbank products using a masked hoplink.

    I never try to sell in an article.

    I never try to sell on a pre-selling page/site/blog (I let the vendor's sales page do that, when they get there. I choose only products with good sales pages that can successfully do the selling).

    I never link directly from an article to a vendor's sales-page.

    Yes, they do pay very well. But this is often different work from "article marketing". Both Jennifer Mattern's and Bev Clement's information will help you with "approaching new, better-paid markets".

    I'll pass, on the fecal coliform bacteria, if you'll excuse me. :eek:
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2010
    alexa_s, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  10. AVDEN

    AVDEN Member

    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    #10
    First, find writers who are worth your $50. Then try to write better. By that time clients should have to appear.
     
    AVDEN, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  11. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

    Messages:
    1,077
    Likes Received:
    41
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #11
    Wow, thanks for mentioning that. Of course. That solves everything! :)
     
    alexa_s, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  12. avonlee1983

    avonlee1983 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    609
    Likes Received:
    8
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    110
    #12
    I agree about Constant Content. You can sell articles for $50+ there. The only problem is that they sometimes take awhile to sell, but if they are really good, they'll sell eventually.
     
    avonlee1983, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  13. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

    Messages:
    8,909
    Likes Received:
    794
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    455
    #13
    It's far easier than many new writers think it is:

    1. Choose a specialty.
    2. Research and properly target your market.
    3. Determine your USP (unique selling proposition -- the value you offer to clients).
    4. Build visibility within that target market in a way that demonstrates that value.

    Work comes to you. You don't have to go out looking for it. I have some featured articles near the top of the sidebar at my freelance writing blog, and another entire blog about query-free freelancing (making work come to you instead of vice versa). There you'll find much more detailed information about each step I've listed below.
     
    jhmattern, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  14. Perry Rose

    Perry Rose Peon

    Messages:
    3,799
    Likes Received:
    94
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #14
    HenryHH (and all due respect to jhmattern), the bottom line is you are going to have to get out there to beat the bushes to find them if you want to do this on a consistent basis for the same person(s).

    Or maybe you just want to make $50 here and there?

    Regardless, keep in mind that it can take hours to find someone. So, for example, it could take you, say, 10 hours to find someone. You made only $5 an hour!

    Keep that in mind!

    There's more to being a writer and making good money than mets the eye.

    Find sites and offline magazines and newspapers to submit your material to.

    Do a keyword search for a list of all the newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

    You could submit articles to them for both their off and online papers. Send one to their site address, and one to their brick and mortar address.

    Also, do keyword searches for the kind of sites in general you want to write for, and go from there.

    Askmen, for example, buys articles for $50. At one time, I believe.

    But if you want to be a writer for them on a consistent basis, say, weekly, I do not think they pay this out every time. You have to put your link in your articles for future compensation.

    I know of no webmaster who pays out that kind of money on a consistent basis.

    That's the catch, right there.

    There are writers and information everywhere, so it is hard to find any source, both off and online to write for on a consistent basis and get paid for it.

    I'm sorry, but I don't think you want me to sugarcoat this.

    You could try doing a keyword search where writers hang out at, and where potential customers go looking for articles, and then put your ad(s) in there, but you will then have too much competition.

    It's a thought, though.

    Find sites that potential customers may go to and place your ad(s) in there.

    You could also tell the editors of magaznes and newspapers, both off and online, that you would like to be a columnist for them, and you would be willing to write for them for free for a short period of time.

    Or, cut a deal with them where they charge you, say, $100 for ad space, put your article in there every week, and maybe you can see a profit from the readers who go to your site.

    It could be a win win situation: The newspaper gets more info for their paper, you are paying a tenth of the ad space, and you are getting visitors.

    They may pick you up after awhile to be a columnist for them.

    Plus, you can show your weekly articles to other newspapers and magazines, both off and online.

    But make damn sure your stuff is good!

    Do NOT tell them that you will do this for X amont of money. They tell you how much they will pay.

    Again, the bottom line is, just like the rest of 'em who are now doing this, you have to get out there to beat the bushes.

    Sorry, but that's it.

    I would shoot for $25 an article to better your odds.

    Many newspaper columnists only get that much anyway. They msake the big bucks through volume, and the editors know this, so....

    That is still good money because if you can write for, say, 50 papers, that is $1,250.


    If you haven't already, start a page in your site where you can put in the same material you would send to sites and offline newspapers and magazines if you were writing for them on a consistent basis.

    Editors, and webmasters looking for more info. for their sites can look at this to get more of a feel for you.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2010
    Perry Rose, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  15. meameajones

    meameajones Peon

    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #15
    google of course!
     
    meameajones, Jan 4, 2010 IP
  16. lightless

    lightless Notable Member

    Messages:
    3,850
    Likes Received:
    334
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    230
    #16
    I know what I am talking about, but often don't DO what I am talking about. That's another kind to be wary about. :D
     
    lightless, Jan 5, 2010 IP
  17. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

    Messages:
    8,909
    Likes Received:
    794
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    455
    #17
    You can definitely make $50 per article consistently and not just "here and there," and without having to beat the bushes. While most writers I know on the low end of the pay spectrum and those earning middle of the road incomes do that, most I know (and I know plenty) who are earning very well as freelance writers do not. They focus on platform and visibility, and work finds them instead. It generally leads to more consistent demand for your work, not less.

    If anything, I'd say $50 is very much on the low side for medical writing from a specialist (although not a bad starting rate since the OP doesn't yet have their degree or much post-schooling experience from how it sounds).

    Accepting too little up front sets a negative tone for your entire career as a freelancer, and it's impossible to significantly raise rates later without literally starting over (those paying $25 an article are not going to be the same actual market as those paying $50 per article or $100 per article, etc.).

    So taking less just because there are more visible markets paying less is a mistake, and one a lot of new writers make. The OP needs to sit down, look at their credentials, experience, value they offer, expenses, taxes, etc. and figure out the bare minimum rate they would need to earn as a freelance writer. Then they need to figure out whether or not what they're offering is worth that much. Settling for less is a recipe for failure. Asking for more than you're worth is equally so.

    So another tip for the OP? Don't pull out an arbitrary per-article number when setting goals up front. Do some market research and planning, and then build a platform that attracts members of the specific market you're targeting (meaning people who want what you offer and who can afford your rates).
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2010
    jhmattern, Jan 5, 2010 IP
  18. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

    Messages:
    1,077
    Likes Received:
    41
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #18
    My own feeling, from learning from people I trust and to a lesser extent from my own experience is that this is an absolutely essential point, the significance of which perhaps the overwhelming majority of "new writers" really don't appreciate at all.

    Even among less qualified, less specialist writers who are producing work for people's Clickbank/EZA article marketing (say), people imagine that the way to get started is by working for really cheap rates, and getting some clients in, and then increasing their prices later.

    It doesn't work.

    What attracts people to writers who will churn out 400-word articles for 2 cents per word (or even less!) is the fact that they're charging 2 cents per word, and when they eventually put the price up to a more viable 4 or 5 cents per word, they very typically lose all their clients and are back to square one.

    One has to decide in which market to compete for work.

    This is great advice.
     
    alexa_s, Jan 5, 2010 IP
  19. lightless

    lightless Notable Member

    Messages:
    3,850
    Likes Received:
    334
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    230
    #19
    That's why it's often better to have clients (With work ready at hand) find you (By way of blog, word of mouth advertising from satisfied clients, built up reputation, networking with others and so on) than going around finding jobs or clients.

    Half the work is in finding the right client and getting the job, the rest is easy.
     
    lightless, Jan 5, 2010 IP
  20. josuehabana

    josuehabana Peon

    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #20
    In my experience, the pay you can expect to receive for freelancing increases as your portfolio does. Do some guest posting (for nothing) on GOOD blogs in a related niche. The blogger benefits from your content and your benefit from exposure. Plus, if you choose a blog with a good community around it, you can expect to achieve an awesome number of comments, retweets etc and such an article can prove a great link to provide when approaching someone about your capabilities.
     
    josuehabana, Jan 5, 2010 IP