Advice for beginners

[mynews]

I started out by researching what to do on the web, got so confused that I just went with a few that I thought would work for me. And so far, I haven't been disappointed.

[judecreek2]

What is DS

Thanks
Ellen

[Irish1970]

DS is Demand Studios.

[moneymaker1008]

Thanks, I've been wondering that too but was too shy to ask. It just seemed like common knowledge in this section of the forums. I will definitely have to check it out.

-Danielle

[Irish1970]

No problem ladies, I was the same way when I first started. You may want to search the threads for Demand Studios because there was a pretty informative one a couple of weeks ago about tips to applying. Good Luck!

[melle]

Originally Posted by Barry_Walls

Hi all

I have experience in this area from many angles. I have written myself (I'm pretty poor at it), I coach others in the business end of writing online for a living and I have spent a A LOT of money on sites like elance and guru.com for my web business, so I know what bidders need to do to get work.

Here is my advice to newbie writers.

1. Realize that getting work is a numbers game.
2. If you take longer than 20 minutes to write an article, you are costing yourself money. Either you aren't as efficient as you could be or your research time is costing you money.
3. If you bid at $5 per article, thats what you will get paid.
4. If you bid at $10 per article, you will win less bids, but you will win some.
5. when you see someone trying to hire a writer for $2 an article, look at their history. Either they are new or they have a low rate of awarding work.
6. Getting enough work is easy with the right strategies.
7. There are multiple sweet spots in writing. These can be leveraged so that you can concentrate on where you earn the most money to ramp up your earning rate.
8. Specialists get paid more than generalists. Rather than bidding for jobs outside your circle of competence, you will earn much more in the long run by casting your net wider.
9. Your standard writing rate should be $2 per 100 words....which is equal to $60 per hour once you get established, experienced and efficient.
10. You can earn $1,000 per day from writing.


Hope this helps.

All the best

Barry

I agree with Barry - I have done some work on oDesk - and the experience is similar to guru and elance. I got some good advice which is bid what you want to get paid, what you think you are worth. I write in a specific area (medicine/health) so I generally can get paid at least 3 cents per word - sometimes up to 8 cents. I do not bid on projects where they obviously are looking to lowball - it isn't worth my time. Don't be afraid to bid what you are worth and don't even consider applying for jobs where they want 500words for $2 or something stupid. There are people overseas that are willling to do that but I have found that many buyers get burned doing this and I have been hired after that at an appropriate rate.

I use oDesk to get jobs that I want to write and then fill in extra time with other sites such as Demand Studios, Associated Content, textbroker, bright hub and such. I am signed up on both elance and guru but haven't needed to check it out thoroughly yet since I was busy this summer with my kids.

My personal advice for a beginner is to start with Associated Content and Textbroker - the pay is low but you get a chance to learn to follow style guidelines, improve your writing, and develop a portfolio before moving on to something else. Write on topics that you know about and don't require a lot of research. For example - I would never try to write an article on tech stuff - I just don't know enough about it.

After a month or so of working on this, reading the forum streams here at WAHM, reading blogs from other writers and checking out the forum at Associated Content, you will be ready to move on to a better paying gig. I still check out every new opportunity that I hear about.

I am certainly not an expert but I hope this helps someone who wants to try out writing.

[ashley34]

Hi everybody! This question seems a litlle silly but I need to ask it anyway.

For those of you that have broken off into freelance writing (for odesk, AC, textbroker, e-How, etc), are you professional writers with a degreee? Did you take on-line writing courses? Did you just learn by trial and error?

I'm looking to beginning a freelance writing career and I'm not sure if I should take some courses or not. Thanks in advance for your help.

[melle]

I don't think it's silly at all - I can't speak for everyone but most people I run across on forums and such who write for "article" sites, do not have any specific writing training. Most of them are probably college educated so have some writing experience in college and such but no professional training - that is not the case with everyone but a lot. I would be wary of writing courses personally because most people offering them are making a lot of money doing it but it may be worth a try if it is not too expensive - I believe that Barry - above - offers a course but I have no idea how much he charges and would not want to speak badly about anyone in particular just be wary of general internet courses which are geared to churn profits for the site owner.

I personally am a stay at home mom with a degree in health care. I started writing because I heard that I could make some money. I started on AC - my first article was rejected for not following submission guidelines but I was easily able to correct it and got started. AC helped me learn to follow style/writing guidelines. I then joined textbroker which basically has no guidelines except the buyers instructions but learned about keywords and how to write something that you don't really care about - such as a proprietary HGH supplement or colonic cleanse program (I don't care about either of these things but I did a few articles for them). Now I have been able to go onto higher paying sites such as Demand Studios, Bright Hub and Constant Content as well as obtaining some direct clients through sites such as oDesk or Guru which are very confusing to use but have been profitable for me.

I recommend that a person start with AC and textbroker because they are easy to use and navigate. The drawback is that they do not pay well at all but you can make a little money while you learn and get your feet wet. Think of it as doing a low paid internship. Alternatively, you could take a course - check Barry's out...it may be great - I just haven't needed it.

For writing articles, you should concentrate on an area that you know a good deal about - for me it is health care topics of all types. Occasionally I write craft articles and such but mostly I still stick to the medicine niche.....

I am still certainly not making it rich but it is good enough to pay some bills and keep me from having to go back to full time outside work - I am confident that if I put more concentration into it I could make a decent salary - since the kids are back in school for the fall I am doing a lot more than I was this summer!

Hope this helps!

melle

[ashley34]

Melle;
Thank you for the info. It was definetly very helpful. I think I will try AC and Textbroker, to get my feet wet. I have never written anything that has been published, but I'll give it a shot and see what kind of feedback I get. If they tell me I'm horrible, then maybe I'll look into the courses, LOL! Thanks again!

[melle]

One IMPORTANT thing - do not get depressed or upset if you get a rejection - writing for anyone requires a thick skin - I have gotten my feelings hurt for comments that editor's made and it is easier said than done but try not to take rejection personally!

Check this forum for AC and textbroker streams - good info there and AC has a good forum as well once you join. I have learned so much that I am rarely using AC to post because I make more money elsewhere but it has been a great learning experience! - you can read the little bit I have posted under Melissa Lind's Contributor Profile - Associated Content and see how my writing improved (hopefully).

Anyway - just follow the guidelines and revise as requested.....case in point, I am currently so irritated with an editor at DS that I may just NOT revise the article, let it expire and not get paid! In the end it will only hurt me because I won't make the $15 but I am irritated - I have until tonight to decide!