I got started doing some freelance writing here on DP last week. I wrote a couple of articles linking to an affiliate for myself as a test. I think I am OK at this writing thing. All of my customers are happy and I made $40 off some affiliate sales from the three articles I wrote for myself. I want to build a website and market my writing services. I have several samples for a portfolio, so I am good there. My problem is marketing. IS there a demand off DP for article writing? If so, how do I get business? I only want to make $200-$400 a week but I want it to be steady. I know I can get .02 cents per word off DP so I can write fewer articles. This $3 per 400 word article here on DP is killing me. Any suggestions?
U must shoould have a website to show your artiles. If you have some good articles on your site..than sure U can get good offer here.
Just by looking at your post, I can tell marketing isn't your strong point. I can't understand why you're so enthusiastic about selling your services on DP... maybe there IS a demand around the BST forums for article writers but most buyers on there aren't willing to shell out any real money; all they want is a few keyword-crammed articles for whatever purpose. So I suggest that after you build a website for yourself, you branch out and not stay hooked to DP alone. Look at my website (the one in my sig)... don't copy my style though The website hasn't been advertised at all except for the link in the signature and I'm already receiving 4-5 buyer queries a day (good ones). So if you want to market yourself on forums like this one, the best way to do it is to make good, informative posts, and have your site's URL in your sig. This way, real buyers that read your posts will know you got the skills and won't hesitate to contact you.
It sounds like freelance writing is just something you just recently stumbled on and decided to give a try. I wouldn't say that a week's worth of satisfied customers and $40 is enough to decide to start a business. If you're serious about being a writer, you should do a little more planning before. First, figure out what writing services you will offer. What kind of writing are you going to do? What will your rates be? Who's your target customer? Next, you can build a website (if that's the medium you choose) and link to some of your best samples of work. Your website should also include your services. Some writers include their rates and some don't. I don't include rates on my website. Instead, I link to my contact form so interested buyers can easily inquire about my rates. There's really no right/wrong way to do it. If you're only planning to market on DP, you don't really have to create a website. You can create a thread in the BST Content forum advertising your services. If you can include links to samples, that makes it easier on buyers. If not, you can simply say "Samples available upon request." Or, you can just respond to ads for writers, with no website or thread. That's what I did when I first started out. I'd PM the buyer and say, "Hi, I'm a great writer. You should hire me. Here are my samples. These are my rates. When would you like me to get started?" Of course, that's the simplified version. Ultimately, you need to be able to sell your writing services. There are far too many writers on DP for your services to sell themselves, so to speak. That said, a link to a website in your signature isn't enough. You have to be able to get your name out there and convince buyers that they should choose you.
Although bidding sites pay are often low, its a great place to start and find clients. You can start by creating a blog and go on from there. Blog everday because it will get you in the habit and improve your writing skills. You can create a blog in your niche or one for your writing service...or both! Look into different job boards for writing gigs and that can get your name out there as well. Freelance writing success does not happen over night, it takes time to get noticed and make a name for yourself. Good luck to you!
A website is a good idea and I agree with others who suggest that you branch out from DP. It is hard to make much on writing here unless you are willing to compete with the low fees. I have been freelance writing for a while and if you are as good as you say, you will get jobs by word of mouth. When I am slow, I do some posting but most of my jobs come from other places not DP. Start the website and place your samples and search the Internet for writing sites. Once you build a good reputation, people will come looking for you. I have found that most people and companies who need good writers also have friends and colleagues who also need good writers. The worse thing you can do, if you are as good as you say, is to sell your services too cheap. You will get lots of jobs but you will also have the stigma of being a cheap writer. If someone wants quality, they ignore the cheap writers. Good Luck!
Website is definitely a good option to showcase all your work and services under one roof, but in the end quality speaks for itself. The most important thing is to look for direct clients and not people who are outsourcing work from clients. You can never grow under them!! And secondly, branch out from DP. People here are just willing to take anything that is cheap but NOT quality. All they want is articles that are copyscape clear. I am myself into freelancing long time now, but as you can see I have joined DP very recently. Always try and network with fellow writers and develop a specialized niche for your services and just do not go about writing anything and everything.
That is definitely a true story. Only once have I outsourced under .02/wd... Never since, never again. Far better to have fewer work orders that pay you well, than come off as an article wh*re. The two keys to getting steady, consistent work: Build a repeat clientèle base, and straight-up (politely) request a testimonial.... THOSE are what will make you long-term $$$.
Hello, welcome to the writer club You'll be seeing a lot of $3/400 offers all over the Internet btw, not just on DP. My suggestion: Start low until you get some experience and build a portfolio for yourself. There's no shame in doing $3/400 articles if it's for experience purposes, but don't stay at that level for too long. Just make sure they're well done and you get a testimonial from your client in the end
There's a demand all over the Web for article writing. 2 cents a word seems like a decent rate if you're just starting out. Don't stick to that rate forever, though. And don't stop looking for jobs. The job hunting never ends for us freelancers.
shkad14, There IS a HUGE market out there for writers, you just need to look at the right places. Apart from what others suggested above, you must also find out about other internet marketing forums out there. You can market your services there and build a sound client base. If you can provide the quality they are looking for, you can get the price you want All the best, Sagar
Another option would be to work for a company that does the marketing and finding clients for you. Then you accept assignments and do the work without dealing with the end client.
If you really want to start a writing career you should hit some writing blogs. www.freelancewritinggigs.com www.webwritinginfo.com www.workingwriterhappywriter.com www.hopewrites.com There are two more one by Tiffany Dow and the other by Anne Wayman. Freelance writing gigs and Anne Wayman list free writing ads.
Anne Wayman's is www.TheGoldenPencil.com. I also post writing gigs on my my freelance writing blog - www.AllFreelanceWriting.com and am launching a writers' guidelines / writers' markets directory (should be up in a week or two at Writers-Guidelines.com).
I tried to get most of the categories set up yesterday, and installed the directory. I still have to do the logo, sidebar, etc., and the long part is going to be finding the writers' guidelines and writing up the blurbs for each (I don't want to have tons of categories for all niches, because a lot would overlap and cause problems, so I'm trying to make everything keyword-rich so niches can be found easily through search). There are a handful of markets up in the consumer magazine area, just because I needed to test somewhere to see how the links laid out. If anyone has suggestions on something they think is missing (whether category-wise or in how I'm writing the descriptions for links), please let me know before I get too far into it. Jenn
Hi There - A couple of more sites I didn't see listed above: The Copywriter Underground - a winner of the "Top 10 Ten Blogs for Writers" by WritingWhitePapers.com We're starting a "Copy Writing Techniques" series at WebHelperMagazine.com in a couple of days. Regarding advertising/marketing, you might like to take a look at the articles in our "Social Media-Marketing" section (it has its own RSS feed) My advice is that this point in your career learn the fundamentals, principles, and techniques of both writing, and marketing. And, learn them well. Best of success to you - Scott Scott Frangos, Managing Editor WebHelperMagazine.com BLOG: OpenSourceWebMaster.com
We are always looking for someone who can write about flat fee mortgage and real estate listings for the state of Georgia or even Atlanta. Anyone that can learn about this or has knowledge in the real estate mls market then we are looking for writers. And we are looking ot add lingerie content as well.