Where to sell pre-written content or advertise content writing?

Ah, got it now.

 

Like i said i would honestly start looking for webmasters who want content written, instead of webmasters looking to buy pre-written content, when you snag a couple of webmasters who want weekly, sometimes even daily orders you'll notice you don't have enough time to try and find new clients because you've got enough work from the clients who your already working with.
Having a website to sell your services will massively increase your sales/orders, plus it's a great way to show off your portfolio/writing skills.
PM me if you want some help with that & marketing

 

You are right. Even if you are able to find one webmaster, a really 'hungry-for-content' webmaster who needs a great amount of it on a regular basis, things can work out well for you.

Thanks for offering to help AlexBrooks. I will get in touch with you soon regarding this.

*** A BIG THANKS FOR THIS Conran. REALLY HELPFUL. Thanks again. ***

 

There's another point about the ineffectiveness of pre-written content I would like to bring up here.
Before you are hired, new clients often ask for samples of your previous work which is pre-written content. Sometimes, they are not satisfied with its quality and reject you. Now QUALITY IS SOMETHING WHICH IS LARGELY SUBJECTIVE. What one client finds good, the other rejects as a piece of crap. I have experienced this sometimes. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT THE PARTICULAR REQUIREMENT OR NEED IS. A good solution would be to create some fresh samples according to what the client is exactly looking for and then let him/her judge your quality.

 

The problem with this is that they can use this free content as they wish. This allows abuse of service, with people demanding "samples" from numerous sources about numerous subjects and running away with it - content for nothing.

We experienced this ourselves in the beginning, and it's why we now point to examples of our work out in the wild, showing potential customers what we have done for other clients. This way they don't get something for nothing, and we can still supply an example that more adequately suits what they are also seeking.

It's worth offering a few good sites free content, simply to "seed" your examples out there for other potential clients to check out for themselves. I would suggest picking a niche market that you know has the potential to bring you more clients, then seek out people who may enjoy some free content. Contact them and explain what you are doing, that you don't need payment and you don't need a link, you just want to get your content out there and in use for you to use as examples for future clients. Companies and individuals would be eager to take you up on this once they know that you're not trying to con them.

 

You are right actually. It's a big risk. Can be very frustrating for any writer if such a thing happens.

 

I used to tell writers, particularly if they had a bundle of similar-topic articles, to create a site around them. The investment is low and it provides a great portfolio piece. The advantage is when a prospect asks for samples, you can send them to the site. They could still steal your stuff but you would be able to shoot a DMCA to their host. Also, since the content is already published, it's not as valuable as a custom-written, unpublished sample.

It used to provide a bit of income via Adsense and could also show off your SEO prowess. With the new changes on Google, those two may not be as doable, but creating a portfolio site is always an option for attracting writing clients. My "hobby" sites have helped convince a few clients that I was the right writer for the job.

I've dabbled a bit with Constant Content and have not sold anything. It is a place to sell pre-written content or write to the requests. It generally attracts higher payers but the site takes a huge commission. Articles must be absolutely letter perfect to be accepted and they do kick out writers who rewrite content or don't get past their proofreaders.

 

Almost nowhere.

Just about everywhere. Forums, social media, web pages, classifieds, loads of other places.

The usual places: it's a buyer's market (in the sense of subjects), so pre-written content doesn't work well unless it's of phenomenally high quality and on popular topics.

People who want content are mostly one of two types: (a) spoon-feeders who post their job on a site or a bunch of sites (usually the bidding sites) and wait for offers or (b) people who see your posts/writing and contact you. The latter are much better, of course, but you need a site or very visible contact info to attract them.

Yes. I think the $5 set fee has changed, as well, so you can set whatever price. But don't do it, because the clientele on Fiverr is the ass-end of scumsville: they want everything for no cost.

iWriter is the capital of scumsville. Insultingly low prices and massively weighted to the client - they can steal your content and not pay you, the T&C is virtually non-existent and the rates are just... ugh.

If you're writing in the lower-price end of the market (up to $10 for 500 words), the place in my signature works fine: write, post and if they want it, they'll list it and sell it to their client list for you. It can take a while to sell, of course, or you can take the really low price and do a fast sale.

Personally, I don't do any marketing. I hate it. So I can't help you out much there (though there's a freebie here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/158905). I picked up my two main clients on the bidding sites and converted them into regular, direct clients who pay well. I've also had work arrive through blogging, which freaked me out completely - especially since one of the jobs was a (now published) book edit!

Definitely worth having your own site.

 

Every professional writer should have a site of their own, there really is no excuse not to. It's not just about having the content there to prove your worth as a writer, it also attracts a more professional client. If you're just attracting one-off customers from forums, Fiverr and other similar sites, you're not likely to gain the kind of long-term income from regular clients willing to do business with a more professional writer.

It costs pennies a month to have your own website, spend some time designing something appealing, and then work on promoting your services the right way. Give clients more than they expected and you'll soon see them recommending you to others. Recommendation is perhaps the best way to build your business.

 

I'm not talking about their business site; of course they should have a business site. I'm talking about an independent site. i.e., if you raise Dalmatians, have a site, myfavedalmatians.com and fill it with articles on all sorts of things related to dogs. Position the site to generate some income and you can also use it to show prospective clients different styles of writing. Most writers I know have a number of these sorts of sites - some use their real names, others hide behind psuedonyms.

 

Ah, of course, yes I agree that's a great way of presenting your own work in a different context to that of presenting it on your own business site.

 

Hi,

I used on sell my writing services on Freelancer.com. You can sell pre-written content or articles on their marketplace. However, they charge a commission, when an article gets sold but the listing is Free.

You can also list your content writing service on freelancer.com marketplace along with your best portfolio samples, and if someone is impressed by your profile, they will hire you.

 

Thanks for the info Mainak Halder.:
Can you share your experience about Freelancer.com and other freelancing sites which you have used, especially about how the clients were to deal with and what kind of rates they offered? Mostly, you do not get paid well-paid on freelancing sites IMO though you may come across a good client rarely.

 

Freelancing.com rates start low, sometimes as low as $1 but that's for the real starters. Actually, I started at $7.5 per 500 words and wouldn't compromise with my rates because I believed I had the quality (bagged my first project after around 2 months of bidding but that was the first deal break). And after such a long time of 5 years, where I already proved myself on the platform working with almost 200 clients, I am paid much much better now and have developed long-term relationships with many clients.

Coming to the point, most of the clients were really professional to deal with. You can understand if clients are not professional because they will not agree to work with milestones.

As you wanted to sell pre-written articles, the marketplace is good and there's no fear of payment scam because a client can only buy after payment, so there's no fear of loss, and the rates vary around $5 per 500 word article to around $30 per 500 word article on freelancer.com.

 

From what you say, I conclude that for freelancing sites to work effectively for you, a strong portfolio is needed. This is exactly what newbies lack and hence have to work for ridiculously lower rates like $1 for 500 words. It's good to hear that you were offered a comparatively better rate to start with and I also appreciate your confidence about your quality.
Thanks for the info and your input. Cheers.

 

I'm all for paying one's dues and building a reputation but you shouldn't have to allow people to take such blatant advantage of you to get there. I see it over and over again, "just build up your portfolio on the site and then you can ask for more." Why should a talented writer be expected to sell 10, 20 or more pieces for pennies on the dollar so they can later ask for nickels on the dollar?

 

It seems that clients on freelancing sites do not believe you are a talented writer unless your portfolio speaks so. That's probably why a lot of people advise to develop a strong portfolio first and then ask for better rates.
Sure enough there are other ways to prove your talent to potential clients. I am eagerly looking for some good suggestions on this one.

 

Building a portfolio and then you can ask for more - this isn't what I meant to say.

To get any job, we have to prove ourselves in the field. It works similarly online too.

When you don't have a portfolio to show and just shout out without any proof that you are a talented writer, who is going to give more than pennies? If you were the client buying, would you have hired someone with proof and experience or the one who is shouting out without proof?

On the other hand, if you have a personal blog, where you share stories or write on the niche you specialize in, you have proof to show that you are a talented writer. Even if you don't have a blog, guest posts (with your credit) on online magazines or other blogs work well as a portfolio. That way, you don't have to write 10 or 20 or 30 articles for pennies but can start charging what you feel you deserve.

 

No, it's for the people who think they have to compete on price.

This is exactly what everyone should do.

Over time, everyone's rates should increase, unless they're stubbonly refusing to get better at what they do.

There is no business in which (sensible) people will buy blind. Reputation counts for a little, but in a marketplace of millions of providers (literally), a portfolio of samples is the only way to show what clients can expect.

No, it isn't. They don't *have* to work at ridiculously low rates. Nobody does. These writers convince themselves they do, because they think they have to compete on price (instead of quality) and forget that the market is infinite. They're so afraid of not getting work that they price themselves into the stupid bracket, then whine about the pay being crap.

Or they're not writers at all, so they price low because all their clients get is word-vomit.

I've said it before (a thousand times) and I'll say it again: NO ONE has to pay their dues. There are no dues. This is a ridiculous concept. Why should you "have to" start at a low price if you have a quality product? Did Rolls Royce start building cheap-ass cars, then work up? No. They priced at their quality level.

It's a silly circle: you price low to get work, the work you get is cheap, the clients don't want to pay more; you try to charge more but everything in your history says you're cheap, so your potential clients don't trust the price rise, so they want to pay less, so you work for crap.

Start at the level you deserve and work up from there.

And as I mentioned elsewhere, if you're working in the low-price brackets and want to work at those prices (for whatever reason), there are easier ways to get paid than bidding, getting into price wars and struggling with awful cheap-ass clients. I'll point at my signature again, here.

Precisely. Google's updates are pushing towards quality, not cheap-ass content. If you can write quality content, price yourself as a writer, not as someone who spews crap.

My 2c.

 

In other words, we bring this misery upon ourselves and complain about it later.
I think the only solution is shifting your focus from the negativity to what is positive. E.g. instead of vying on prices and setting them very low to grab some work quickly and cut through the competition, you should focus on delivering the best quality you can. (Again a strong portfolio of samples will greatly help you to speed up.) Even if at the outset you lose some clients, there is no need to be disappointed. Keep on reminding yourself that the 'market is infinite' and a better opportunity will be ready to knock your door. Perseverance and patience play a very important role here.

How awful! Merely proves that working for lower rates is nothing more than a rat race and is going to get you nowhere ultimately.