There are many different ways to make money as a freelance writer. While some people think that “writing is writing†nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that writing keyword articles is not the same as copywriting. With that being said, most people feel that being a copywriter is much more glamorous, as well as profitable. Are they right? To a certain extent, yes. But of course, you can make good money with any type of freelance writing.
Generally speaking, copywriting is much more difficult than putting together simple keyword articles. This entails strategically placing words and sentences in hopes of eliciting a reaction from the reader. Copywriting is a way of promoting a business, person, idea, service, etc.
As you probably know, copywriting is popular both online and off. Remember that credit card offer that you received in the mail last week? The letter that you read was composed by a copywriter. Their job was to make the offer look as good as possible so that you and many others sign up for the card.
If you are interested in online copywriting, you have probably heard the phrase “SEO copywriting.†This is the art of writing copy that not only suits the needs of readers, but will also rank high with popular search engines. When it comes down to it, SEO copywriting is an area that is becoming very popular. If you can put together compelling copy, while also including well placed keywords, you should be able to find work.
Just like anything else within the freelance writing industry, finding copywriting jobs can be difficult. If you are serious about becoming a copywriter, take the time to contact companies within your industry of expertise. When doing so, explain who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. You may be surprised to find out just how many companies hire freelance copywriters from time to time.
After leaving my 9-5 job, I contacted several of my clients to ask them if they needed the service of a good copywriter. Since I already had relationships with them, they were more than happy to help me out. From there, I took these jobs and turned them into more opportunities. Once you successfully complete a couple of copywriting jobs, you will definitely have a better feel for this type of freelance writing.
As a freelance writer, you may want to specialize in the area of copywriting. If so, begin to tweak your skills in this area and market yourself in this manner.
I have been reading a lot lately on how long blog posts should be. Some bloggers say that more words are better, whereas others are of the thinking that fewer words help to get to the point sooner. Personally, I am a bit divided on this subject. For this reason, I tend to mix in both long and short posts, and really never think about this when I am writing.
When I am composing content for this blog, I do not constantly think about the word count Instead, I concentrate on the overall quality. But even then, having an idea on the average length of each blog post is very important.
As you may have noticed, I began to post more than one time per day as of late. In fact, some days I have posted as many as five times. And if everything stays on track, I plan on continuing at a rate of two or more posts per day for the foreseeable future. Obviously, with posting so many times per day, the length of each one is something that I want to get right.
The majority of my blog posts as of late range from 350 to 700 words. Of course, sometimes I only hit a couple hundred words, but other times I close in on 1,000. I have come up with several pros and cons for both long and short posts.
First off, let’s take a close look at shorter blog posts. The main advantage is that your readers will not have to sift through information that they do not want to read. In other words, you can get right to the point without rambling on. But at the same time, can you really say what you need to in only 200 words or so? In some cases, the answer may be yes. Just make sure that you do not end your post without telling readers what they want to hear. Leaving them unfulfilled is never a good idea. This is something that I am working on with each post that I make.
On the other side of things, longer blog posts have pros and cons as well. To combat what was said above, a longer post allows you to include more information. But again, this information is only useful if it is fact filled as opposed to fluff or filler. A big downside of long blog posts is that they take longer to write. In turn, you may not be able to produce as much content as you would like. This is why you will see that some blogs only post twice a week, but they are in excess of 1,000 words each time.
All in all, I do not think that quality and length are directly tied together at all times. Many bloggers will tell you that shorter posts are not of high quality, but I do not feel this way. As long as you are offering useful information that is interesting to your readers, you should feel as if you are achieving a high level of quality.Â
By the way, this post came in at right around 500 words.
Starting a freelance writing career can be full of fun and optimism. But unfortunately, a lot of people who start a career in freelance writing give it up sooner rather than later. While some people are not cut out for this industry from the start, others make too many bad decisions to stay on track until they reach success.
Here are three of the most common reasons for freelance writing failure. Avoid these situations, and you will better your chance of making it with this career.
1. Not knowing what you are getting into is a huge mistake. Guess what? There is more to freelance writing than actually producing content. Many aspiring writers think that they will simply secure some clients at national publications, write a few feature articles a month, and live the work at home dream. Could this happen? Yes, but only after you put time into building your career. When these goals do not come to fruition within a month or so, these misguided freelance writers often times hang up their boots.
2. They forget that marketing is a huge part of success for any business. You may have great writing skills, but to use them you need to let others know that you are available. Just as you will have a plan for starting your writing career, have a marketing plan in place as well.
3. Simply put, giving up too early will lead to failure every time. If you are going to be a full-time freelance writer you need to stick with your dreams through the rough times. I have said time after time that I only made $50-some my first month. Giving up would have been easy, but heading back to a 9-5 corporate job would have been a nightmare. If you truly want a career in freelance writing, do not give up. Continue to work at your writing and marketing until you breakthrough to the other side.
Do you have what it takes to avoid these common reasons for freelance writing failure?
