...and Mikey's about to Show You Why They're so Dumb!
I felt compelled to write this quick post in regards to a particularly irritating and utterly useless piece of advice many freelance writing experts use to answer a very important question. And you'd almost be convinced the experts actually helped struggling writers if the too often uttered phrase wasn't the most worthless, confusing and potentially damaging combination of 4 words a freelance writer trying to make money online could ever have the unfortunate luck to read and believe.
Countless marketing studies have shown that buyers build their initial opinion
about a service or product based on cost. When asked which item is better between two that are identical, consumers almost always prefer the higher-priced item. Even when they are exactly the same.
In one case study I saw recently, regular people from the street were asked to try a free sample from two cakes. Although the tasters were unaware, the cakes were absolutely identical except for price. One cake was $15 and the other was $55. Every single taster said that the $15 cake was too dry and the frosting was bland and tasteless. However, when they tried the $55 cake, they expounded about its superiority over the $15 variety. The icing was delicious and creamy, the cake had the perfect texture and was anything but dry. Even once they were told that the cakes were made in exactly the same way using exactly the same ingredients, they chose the $55 cake over it's lower-priced variety.
This goes to show you the power of pricing. Make sure to price yourself right, and your services will get the respect they deserve. This freelance writing rate calculator will help you determine what you should be charging for the work that you produce.
Recently, an editor for a freelance writing site critiqued some articles I submitted. He explained that I'm confused about proper comma usage. This didn't surprise me considering I don't exactly have a college degree. But it did get me thinking. No matter how skillful of a writer you are, there's always more to learn.
After his comments, I began Googling proper comma usage. I even asked for help on Facebook. I realized that besides commas, I'm confused about many things grammatical. However, this is easily fixed with an old-school study hall.
Now, I work in an hour of studying into my daily routine. I usually do this in the morning while I check emails. Finding help on grammar is as easy as a Google search.
Even if it's just a refresher, studying and understanding proper grammar is invaluable as a freelance writer. Committing time to this endeavor will help open doors to more lucrative and demanding clients.
A website can take time to establish, so it's best to start early in your freelance writing career. Using a blogging site like Blogger, Wordpress or BlogJob can make it easier to begin. Be sure to write about topics that
interest you or in which your educational background lies. However, also use the site to present yourself and your freelance writing work to potential clients.
Include About Me, Portfolio and Hire Me pages. While you're writing on whatever topic you choose,
be sure to advertise your services. Create pages that inform potential clients where your interests and education lie. Show examples of your work on a Portfolio page, and make it easy for employers to contact you on a Hire Me page.
Remember, the blog is a way for you to display your talents as a freelance writer while writing on subjects you're passionate about. Feel free to make work samples and information available to potential clients in a simple to use format.
Social networking is a great way to promote your content. With each new post or article be sure to share across all your networks. But Facebook, Twitter, etc. aren't a one-way street. Set some time aside from your routine to cultivate your connections. Read posts and like, comment. Follow people with like minded ideas. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say and more often than not they'll return the favor.
Also, always look out for new networks or old ones that you're not a part of yet. Connecting with people doesn't have to be about getting them to read your content. It can be a great way to get new ideas and meet other freelance writers. Keep that in mind the next time your cruising the social networking scene.
If you're serious about writing for a living, then you must dedicate you're time to the endeavor. This means at least an 8 hour workday, 5 days a week. If not more. Think of freelance writing as a small business with one employee, yourself.
Plan a routine and follow it everyday. The great thing about freelance writing is that this can be done at any time, any where. If you're an early riser, start you're morning with a cup of coffee and a glance at the daily to-do. Then move on to social networking, emails, knowledge and new income growth. Finally, end the day concentrating on paying projects, blogging and content creation. The point is, whether day or night, at home or in an office, what you get out of freelance writing is what you put in.
Freelance writing for the web is all about diversification. One personally proven method that I use as much as possible is to include links that route through affiliates in content I produce. For example, I write for Examiner about all types of PC games. Whenever it's natural I'll link the name of the game through an affiliate site using my unique id. Then if any interested reader decides to click through and buy the game, I get credit for the sale at whatever percentage that particular affiliate pays out and also paid by Examiner for the pageview. If your associated with pay-per-click or pay-per-form providers, I'm quite sure this could be used as well. Easy, efficient and quickly implemented in all your past, present and future works.
I've been away for a few months, life and all, but have decided to fire this old blog back up and see who I can help. Since I've been looking into the state of the freelance world only briefly upon my return, I have found two interesting ideas on how to expand our income sources. They're both websites but they work completely different.
Just did a video review of Examiner.com; a freelance writing site. Take a look at it and see what you think. If you're interested the go here and see what they have to offer. Again, be sure to vote on my poll and comment with any questions, comments or ideas.
I finished a really fun and, hopefully, helpful video and written review of ContentSpree; a new freelance site strictly for writers. But now I am lost as to what to write about next. I need your help here. It's really simple though.
Just vote on the poll below and let me know what you want to learn more about. Once I get a few votes on a certain topic, I'll write a post covering it.
Or, leave a comment. Ask a question or tell me one of your ideas. I am always learning new things from other freelance writers. In this way we can help each other and, hopefully less experienced writers will pick-up a thing or two along the way.
In this world of internet entrepreneurship, the freelance writers in the mix need to stick together and help each other as much as possible. That is my sincere goal and I want to jump-start that community cohesiveness here.
So let's do it. Let me know what your thinking, where your concerns lie and I will do everything I can to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
So I finally found the time to write this review of the buyers side of ContentSpree. If you read or watched any of my previous posts then you are familiar with the basics of this new freelance writing site. I spoke with Andrew, the webmaster of CS, about his goals and future plans for this writers-only-website. His excitement and energy about the direction of CS and his genuine desire to provide a better, securer atmosphere for buyer and seller piqued my interest. Over the course of this series of freelance video reviews I have seen Andrew's ideas begin to take shape. This review is going to cover the buyer's side, so I will start with those changes.
Already, over the course of a week, the amount of quality writers available has risen tremendously. When I say quality I mean the exact definition of the word. I have used many other sites to hire proofreaders and editors for my work, as I do not have the best grammar (I am sure some of you have noticed), with typically the same results: digging through dozens of useless bids to, hopefully, find that one person who can actually meet your needs. Then, if your lucky, that one person might complete the project to your liking. That's if your lucky. Andrew and I agreed about the lack of writing specific freelancers on the other websites. It seems CS is on it's way to becoming a hub for talent in an internet field that is rapidly growing.
And I really think that is what Andrew is trying to provide on the buyer's end of CS. A place where the growing masses of internet businessmen and women can find skilled and professional individuals to provide them with intelligently built content.
As I browsed the different categories of writers and read their profiles, I found legitimate credentials in their resumes and flawlessly written articles in their samples. I inspected a few written by a person who claimed to be skilled in SEO and keyword placement. I know a thing or two about these tactics as well, so I figured I would put his content through the Freelance Mike Inspection for Quality Assurance (actually, I just made that up but I did go over his work thoroughly). I found them to not only have proper keyword density and placement, but to read naturally and flow perfectly. His grammar (as far as I could tell) was impeccable and the point of each article was clearly and concisely made. All in all, ContentSpree does not lack for talent.
One of the main points Andrew made as we spoke was ease-of-use. He certainly achieves that with this Beta version of CS. The site is simple to navigate and easy to traverse. He provides multiple ways to access various areas and it's ridiculously easy to post projects. Want to invite a writer to a job? Simply jump to their profile page and click invite, a box pops up to confirm and they're encouraged to bid through a message sent to their inbox. With notifications, the writer will receive an email as well. If there are a few writers that have worked well in the past or just ones that meet your requirements simply add them to a watch list and they're easily accessible anytime you post a new project.
ContentSpree is still in Beta testing so I'm sure a lot of Andrew's other ideas will be implemented over the coming months. As it is right now, I think CS has the potential to be one of the better freelance writing sites available. And the fact that it is strictly for writers and the buyers that need their work is what I like the best. I believe that the growing market for internet content will help propel CS and Andrew's past experiences and future goals will make it a profitable venue for individuals to ply their written web wares.
Here is the buyers side video that I put together. Take a look at it and decide for yourself whether this Freelance Writing Site can be beneficial for you.
Countless marketing studies have shown that buyers build their initial opinion 
A website can take time to establish, so it's best to start early in your freelance writing career. Using a blogging site like Blogger, Wordpress or BlogJob can make it easier to begin. Be sure to write about topics that 
Social networking is a great way to promote your content. With each new post or article be sure to share across all your networks. But Facebook, Twitter, etc. aren't a one-way street. Set some time aside from your routine to cultivate your connections. Read posts and like, comment. Follow people with like minded ideas. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say and more often than not they'll return the favor.
Freelance writing for the web is all about diversification. One personally proven method that I use as much as possible is to include links that route through affiliates in content I produce. For example, I write for Examiner about all types of PC games. Whenever it's natural I'll link the name of the game through an affiliate site using my unique id. Then if any interested reader decides to click through and buy the game, I get credit for the sale at whatever percentage that particular affiliate pays out and also paid by Examiner for the pageview. If your associated with pay-per-click or pay-per-form providers, I'm quite sure this could be used as well. Easy, efficient and quickly implemented in all your past, present and future works.