I know everyone who starts is probably thinking it: "How can I move beyond a $5/500wd rate, to something more substantial?" Understandably, each niche topic pays slightly differently. I also assume your reputation, previous works, associations and business contacts help you gain notoriety by those who are willing to pay. However, there's one more factor: the quality of your work. That's the one I'm interested in at the moment, am I good enough? How do I calculate a ballpark figure someone might be willing to pay? As a newbie, should I: a) Post a sample article here and relinquish the hope of publishing it elsewhere? b) Post the same article as an image and ask the community to give feedback on quality and value? c) Ask very, very, very nicely if some of you pro writers would be happy to receive a sample article via PM and provide a little feedback (my preferred)?
yeap number 3 is a good one or you could post a sample of your work or a brief summary instead of the whole article. I guess the only way to recieve a higher price is to work with one company/site and just ask them to give you more as the company/site develops into a community.
d) Start your own site or blog and post an article (or post one to a reputable site in your niche for article marketing purposes), and simply give us the link to look at it. Then you'll still reap benefits from it, and we can still evaluate it (and you don't have to worry about trusting someone not to take it such as PMing it around). Or you can link us to a bylined piece done for a client if you happen to have any.
Back! (Wow that sounded like an IRC script...) Okay. To give you context, I've never sold an article before. Maybe that's already pretty obvious. Here are two examples. 1. How to Create a Professional Web Design Without Money or Skills http://css4free.com/why-css-templates/ - This is a site I'm still working on. I haven't really launched or promoted it yet, but I've placed an article up there to show you an example. Ignore the double title for now. This is my attempt at targeting a few keywords (how did I go?). 2. My web-design reseller business. http://zaowebservices.com/benefits.php - It's also a site I just finished and I haven't promoted it either. It's an example of an article I wrote a little while ago, but there's a little bit more on that site if you're looking for more to read. No pressure. All feedback is welcome. I'm particularly interested in knowing if I can sell articles, and what I could charge if I refined my skills a little more with your feedback. Thanks so much.
Proofread your work. It's all jammed in there use bullet points. Also, I don't think your title reflects your sub headings. your title How to Create a Professional Web Design Without Money or Skills your sub headings: CSS Website Templates Save You Time. CSS Website Templates Save You Money. CSS Website Templates Offer High Quality. Maybe something along the lines of - Advantages of Free CSS Templates - might be a bit more advantages to you in the search engines. You should put something like: Many people enjoy the advantages of Free CSS templates when they are building their new website. Creating a new website is exciting.......
You're right. The title was a last minute "before you go to bed" thing. Bad idea. I've changed it back. Thanks also for the feedback on the post content. After re-reading it, I can see how the sentences can stand on their own, and don't really flow together in the paragraph. What did you mean about the bullet points? This is really helpful. Has anyone else got feedback for me?
If I were you I would learn and practice how to write REAL sales copy. It will help you deliver with your message better, and just being able to do that will bring in more clients. REAL sales copy is salesmanship in print, not just writing for the heck of it. There are plenty of resources on learning how to write sales copy for free on the NET. Like on your web design offers I know what you are trying to say but it's not coming across right with your written word. Also do you know the real difference between benefits and features?
It's funny you should mention sales copies, because they weren't what I was trying to write. I've attempted a sales copy (see sig) but anything more begins to feel like hype. Nonetheless, I'll have a read up online on HOW to write a sales copy properly, and I'll keep it in mind for future reference. Anyway, I was more interested in how my article writing is coming along: particularly how much it might be worth for a client, and how I can improve. Has anyone else got .02c?
Thanks again ruffneck. I notice that technique also means I end up writing more words too! Is it hard to put a price on an article?