How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer

Article writing makes a great job for stay-at-home moms as well as others who would like to work from home. If you are a decent article writer and learn where to try to find writing gigs, you could earn an insome from your writing. Listed here are some suggestions to help you get going.

Stay Away from Job Bidding Services

ODesk, Elance, Freelancer, and all the rest of the freelance websites that force you to bid against others to get assignments have one thing in common: these sites are flooded with foreign workers who are able to write articles for absurdly cheap prices. If you use freelancing sites, set your bid based on how much you believe you are really worthy of, and do not get caught up in a price war. If you find yourself working for $3 an hour, you'll just end up feeling stressed and get tired of it very quickly.

Content Sites

Nearly everybody goes through a situation where money is tight once in a while, and during those times, sites that specialize in article brokering are a good choice. The Content Authority pays weekly, and Textbroker pays twice per month. The amount of money these sites pay is not that great, but there's almost always work available and the money will prove useful until you can find jobs that pay more.

Online Marketers Often Need Content

There are a lot of sites on the net that need fresh articles. Some site owners write their own articles, but a great deal of these folks hire out the writing to article writers. If you've got great writing abilities, you can often get more money for the content you write by marketing the services you provide in forums where Internet marketers spend time.

Magazines and Newspapers

If writing articles for magazines seems to be unrealistic, let me reassure you that it might not be. You don't have to have a college degree to have your articles published in a magazine. All you need to have is enough talent to write query letters pitching ideas to editors in a persuasive way, and also the ability to conduct interviews and craft the articles on time. It is a lot easier to sell your writing once you have some publishing credits under your belt, but a lot of freelance writers have been able to sell magazine and newspaper articles without having any prior publications. Pick up the Writer's Market book or online membership for a list of publications that accept articles from freelance writers.