One of my most requested services has to do with making money online. I happily spew any valuable information I can offer because I believe that people should be able to use their talents to create something. Everyone has talents and things they like to write, so the information I give individually is tailored to the person who gets it.
Since I get this question regularly, I thought I would compile as much information as I could so everyone can get a good head start.
My previous blog (http://daeedreamz.com/2019/01/04/100-pages-that-pay-you-to-write/ has several resources of places to start. However, it may be overwhelming at first. Where do you start? What if you have no experience? No matter! You can be a freelancer with no knowledge. I started somewhere and you can too. All you need is dedication.
Before I go on to give recommendations, I want everyone to know that I have been freelancing for a decade before I collected myself and created my business.
The money I make online is from years of reaching out, getting rejected, rewriting, and getting rejected again. You will have to develop a tough skin. There are so many unfortunate surprises in the writing community, and everyone is an “expert” if you ask them. I don’t have a 5-tier system to slick riches. I don’t have an overnight success plan. What I have is the tried-and-true experienced truth, and what you will have to accomplish to make it. I don’t doubt that most people have the capability to make much more than I do actively.
So, if you are dedicated and interested I have a fail-proof checklist to get at least one job down for the resume.
First and foremost – Start a blog that gives minute fractions from ads to you. Blogger, Hubpages, ect. This will give you the space to free your writing mind. It can be uniquely you. It can be what you use when you later get bigger jobs. It is a resume builder and it will have nothing but positive effect on your future freelancing. I have several that I use as sort of a private diary, so it can be as public or as private as you want. Blogs or personal articles are just a good way to get practice too. If you aren’t feeling up-to-snuff with your writing, start there too.
Second – Take into consideration why you are doing what you do and pursue that. It is easy but also incredibly hard.
Are you interested only to make money? Great! Marketing & sales will be perfect for you. Think you’re not good at sales? (me either) However, I am good at marketing because it’s a creative way to advertise. Marketing and sales IS NOT just pressuring someone into buying a thing. It can be as simple as rewording web content, so it hits google more and gets more visits. It can also be someone asking you to make their business sound interesting. There are so many different ways to market without talking to another person besides the client.
Want to learn more about marketing and sales? Here are some resources to check out (and get a nifty certificate for future resumes – writing or non).
Digital marketing by google with a fancy certificate for free. It was pretty simple – https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/course/digital-marketing
Hubspot inbound sales certification, they also have marketing certification as well – https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/inbound-sales
Do you write because you’re passionate about a certain subject? Perfect! Find everything you can related to that; magazines, websites, fan sites, blogs and whatever has an email attached to it. Then, email every single one of them asking if you can write for them. Check for submission pages and write in. Even if you get rejected, you will have been in their face. Most specialty ideas have an abundance of magazines that may go across a couple genres, so do your research and you’ll be there in no time.
If you have specific interests that you have questions about, feel free to email or contact me and I can find them for you.
Third Step – a very important but lengthy step to learn. Know your worth! – Charge what you are worth. In order to know and charge what you are worth, you have to undercharge, and make mistakes.
When you start out there will be mountains of people who will pay you $1 per article. There are also mountains of people who want to charge you to see their “exclusive” blog/membership with false marketing saying you’ll make a ton. What the pay sites offer is the same thing you can find through google. I know because I have written for a few and I had my own job blog which may show up here eventually.
Now, if you don’t want to search and you’d rather pay, that is fine. The running average for the pay freelance sites is about $35 monthly and despite their great marketing, you’ll just have quicker access to the stuff google already has.
Once you get that information you need, all you have left is to write. Writing is a craft so it is always growing and improving. Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t give up!
It is really simple but incredibly hard at the same time.
It seems like a dream come true. People romanticize freelancing. You get to be your own boss and be creative. However, it is a lot of work, and people are going to make outrageous demands. Sometimes you will do the work and people won’t pay you. A lot of times you will get rejected.
My main advice during this time is to keep going.
A ship never feels the unstable waters if it never leaves the dock, but ships weren’t meant to sit at the dock.
As always, if I can be of any service don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to help point you in a good direction
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