If you’re here to find out how to get paid for writing online and you’ve already read a few posts, you may have discovered that I am not a fan of bidding sites.
A few reasons for this that I’ve mentioned before are the low rates typically on offer (you can easily be getting $25 for short SEO articles), the bad and unprofessional clients looking for cheap labour and the large fees that you are forced to pay for each and every project.
It’s not always a bad idea to use these sites when you are first trying to make money writing online. I used Elance as a way to practice for the real clients who I knew I would find later on, and it gave me the confidence I needed to move onto the next stage.
But what if you feel trapped by bidding sites and you can’t see another way to find clients?
Let’s look at it this way. Clients on bidding sites post jobs and they receive anywhere up to 20 or more proposals from content writers like you. Even if you are a great article writer, it can be hard to make your proposal stand out above all the others, irrespective of the work you’ve done in the past. A lot of clients look at the fee, the timeframe and not a lot else. The odds are stacked against you.
Even when you do manage to get some interest, quite often the client will reply to you saying that you are one of about four people they are looking at, and that in order to get the job would you mind putting your rates down even lower – that’s even lower than the rockbottom rates that you already feel under pressure to offer.
No thanks.
There is an alternative, and actually it’s not that much harder. In fact, in many respects it’s an easier way to find work and it pays a lot better.
Use What You Know Already
If you’ve been writing on Elance for any amount of time then you probably already know about SEO. If not, it’s time to brush up on your SEO content writing skills because this is where the money is.
You may be used to seeing SEO articles advertised on Elance for bids of $10, $5 or even $1 (I know, crazy right?) – but SEO content writing is hot and it is a skill you can offer to real-world clients far away from the bidding sites.
- NOTE: At the end of this post is a link to some great information on SEO content writing and how to turn this into a career from the same resource that got me started.
No More Competition
By contacting companies directly, you have a massive advantage in that you don’t face any direct competition. There are always people looking for content writers, but you want to get to them before they post on a bidding site, before they post an ad looking for work. That way when they do realise that they need a freelance writer they don’t have to go looking for one.
Believe me, loads of people are thinking about hiring freelance writers every day. They have it on their list of things to do but they never get around to doing it. By contacting them – with nothing more than a simple email if you want – you can give them a gentle reminder and win clients. It’s an excellent way to start to get paid for writing online from anywhere you want.
You Don’t Have to Practice Any More
If you can research and compose an SEO article then you don’t have to get any more practice on the bidding sites. You don’t have to pay any more fees. You don’t have to compete with hundreds of other article writers for stupidly low rates.
You’ve got all the practice you need and all you have to do is find the clients to sell it to. This is where so many people back out because they think it is difficult.
I won’t lie – it takes some guts to start sending out emails introducing yourself. But it really doesn’t need to be difficult. Just send a simple email saying who you are, what you do, how you can help and add a link to your website, then wait for the responses to come in – which I assure you they will.
Getting Started
You’ll need a few things to get started when you want to make money writing online. Although a website is not 100% necessary I’d say it’s almost essential and it will certainly help you to get a lot more work, at least enough to pay for the web hosting in even the most pessimistic projections.
A few samples won’t hurt, but I hardly ever get asked for any. Most people are happy to go by the standard of writing on your website. Some don’t even bother to look at that. But write a few sample articles out if you haven’t got some to hand just in case.
- TIP: It’s a really good idea to focus on one area or niche when you start out. Again this is not the only way, and I actually still work mainly as a generalist because that’s what suits me. But other freelance writers are always telling me how useful it can be to specialise in an area (like real estate, marketing, travel, etc) and I think that makes a lot of sense. That way when clients have a choice of writers, they are more likely to go to the one who specialises in their area. It also makes it easier to start targeting clients because you can pick an entire industry and work your way through them.
Sign up to PayPal. Lots of people will want to pay using this method, and because it’s instant it’s a great way to get a 50% downpayment.
After that you’re ready to go! You could have your first client in a week or even less if you make the decision to go for it. If you want to get paid for writing online – and start to earn real money – you just have to get out of the bidding site mentality which is holding you back and start to approach your own clients. It’s as simple as that!
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If you’re serious about making a go of it as a freelance online article writer then there is an excellent course available at Inkwell Editorial. The ebooks sold here (as well as the excellent free information on the website) are by far the most useful writing guides I have found, and that’s why I market them here. They helped me to start making a living online earning $150-$250 and up a day in just a few months and you can use them to do the same.
Whether you are looking for a complete SEO writing course or a quick guide to how to market for clients, visit the website, take a look at what’s on offer, and start your online writing career today!
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