Question - what is the internet full of?
Okay, there could be several answers to that, but the main one (the sensible one) is content.
Without content, the internet simply wouldn't exist. So it follows that for the savvy writer there are lots of opportunities to sell articles, blog entries and reviews to webmasters the world over.
The journey towards earning that cash begins with knowing where to look.
Broadly speaking, there are several main ways to earn income by writing online. These are:
- Writing and selling individual articles to individual websites.
- Posting your work on a site which takes a percentage of any sales you make to editors.
- Writing for sites which earn you a percentage of advertising revenue, accruing over time.
- Joining a site which allows you to bid on projects posted by businesses and webmasters.
The easiest route to successfully earning a decent income online is to use a combination of all the above methods. Earning a reasonable amount of income from sites which share advertising revenue with you is a method which certainly does work, but you should expect it to be a long term effort. It will be of the most benefit when you have dozens of articles working for you simultaneously, each earning a few cents every day. Once you have built up a good stock of articles, this method of earning from your writing can provide a steady monthly income with little extra effort.
Bidding on work offered through websites such as Get A Freelancer can be a daunting experience, and it's best to start by offering highly competitive bids on projects you know you can complete quickly. This is by far the best way to start building up a portfolio of completed projects and gain good feedback from clients.
There are plenty of sites who accept single submissions from freelancers; simply do a search for sites on your favourite subjects and look for submission guidelines. Or simply email the webmaster and ask if they publish (and pay for) articles sent in by freelancers. Ideally you should look at building up at least half a dozen sites you can contribute to on a regular basis.
Sites which sell work for you - like
Constant Content
- are a valuable resource to have in your freelance writing career. I have sold over 90 articles through this site alone, and I currently have over a hundred articles for sale there. It means I have a constant shop window of my work on display to webmasters and editors the world over.
The main rule to remember is to persevere and keep searching for potential new markets. Subscribe to as many free ezines as you can, and check job sites with writing listings every day.
It could make the difference between a part time income, and a full time freelance career.
