Article Marketing for Real Writers: Launch Your Freelance Career! – Writing-Articles
Article Marketing for Real Writers: Launch Your Freelance Career!
Looking to build your freelance writing career but don't know where to begin? Maybe I can help.Let's start with a perspective on web exposure and your business. You know you're a wonderful writer. You know you can provide flawless copy for any number of industries!But does anyone else on the World Wide Web know?Let's talk about page rank. If you have a website, how many visitors do you get per day? Have you ever typed your web link into the Alexa.com Page Rank calculator? If so, what came up? Was it 9,547,893, or something equally upsetting?As you may know, the higher your page rank number, the LESS visitors you're receiving.Example: Alexa pagerank of 1 is usually either Google, Hotmail or Yahoo (this vascillates daily). That means that these three websites alternately swap the title of Most Visited Website in the World. Think you can get your website up there, or even close?Umm... no.FACT: Not many writers with websites are getting much in the way of web visitors. Most are getting buried by the big dogs, or lost in Blogger land.Recently, I tripped over a solution to significantly raise the amount of visitors to my site. Then after I tripped over it, it took me four entire months to fully grasp the concept.Article Marketing can seriously improve your website rank, put your name out there in Internet Guru Land, and lure customers your way with scintillating copy that you include in your article!For those who remain in the dark, article marketing is like exalted link distribution. It's a way to pass your link on to thousands of websites - but in this case, you're not just another anonymous link. Attached to your link will be a free sample of your work, and a way to contact you directly.The Article M.O.: Write an article, attach your website link and a short bio, and then submit to an article distribution website. Publishers will then come along and add your work to their website content. Interested readers will click it, and then they're back on YOUR website, learning about You and What You Do.Articles can MAKE YOU FAMOUS in your niche! How do you think the Adam Urbanskis, Ali Browns, Michel Fortins and Yanik Silvers of the web got where they are today?The thing is: even if some of us writers have great-looking websites, they're ranking pretty low on the search engines. And if you don't even HAVE a website... well, you're nearly invisible.But now turn this over in your mind:
As a group, we could actively and significantly improve the situation.The jist of it is: the more hits you get to ONE WEBSITE, the more each person's name gets out there to the right people and that means MORE PAID CONTRACTED JOBS.So: if I have one website that features a tech writer, a psychology writer, a marketing writer, a children's writer, a novelist, etc...And each of those writers is doing their part, writing articles to get exposure for their original work...
That means that the hits will all come to the same place, the search engine rank will rocket skyward, and the contract work WILL FOLLOW.I've been doing a ton of research on this web marketing thing for over 2 years now. I'm more than thrilled to offer web marketing guidance to the writing community; gentle, misunderstood souls that we are. But it won't be easy. If you want to make it happen, you have to work your hiney off, like I do. But once we catch fire... whew! Well, then we will be a force to be reckoned with!Please join me in my quest for success. 
Please visit Wordbrains.com to find out more about how article marketing can kick your freelance business into high gear!Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.Dina Giolitto creates core-driven copy for small business owners seeking guidance on matters of grammar, punctuation, word choice, structural organization, Search Engine Optimization - and above all, Guerilla Marketing Tactics for their websites and print materials. Add your name to her roster of talented writers. Visit http://www.wordbrains.com
Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)
Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)
Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of late; "Just do it!" runs through my mind like a mantra. Although my dreams have nothing to do with athletic shoes and little to do with athletics (unless you count the long list of ideas I have developed which revolve around my sons and their activities), I have spent a long time avoiding the one thing I've always wanted to do - write.Writing has actually been a part of my work life for a very long time. I've written and edited in the business world. I've taught writing to high school students. I've written countless lesson plans, activities, etc. I have never tried to get any of my work published, until now.Making the decision to write for a living was actually one of the most difficult obstacles I needed to overcome. ("Overcome" is probably too strong. I am still scared to death that I won't be able to pay my mortgage.) I never doubted my ability to write, but I did doubt my ability to write for a living. My former employer helped me make the decision by firing me. (They actually called it a reduction in force, or RIF for short.) After avoiding the application process for weeks, then staring at an online application for close to an hour, I finally had to come to terms with myself and my goals for the future.While I love teaching, I am tired of the politics that accompany teaching. I can't face it any more. I need to pay my bills and be financially responsible, but part of raising my children involves being a role model. I don't want them to be afraid to take a risk that could help them realize their dreams because they watched their mother play it safe.Having said that, I must admit that my new found bravery faltered when I wrote two checks totaling $1100.00 for two children to play travel soccer next year. Nevertheless, I developed a game face and hid my fears from everyone. I even fooled myself for a while. As the school year ended, my colleagues began asking me about my plans for the fall. I answered - with confidence that I only partially felt - that I planned to write. After repeating this statement to the tenth person, I began to feel somewhat guilty. After all, I was making it sound as if it were a done deal, when I really had barely started. I had a bunch of "how to" articles stacked in my home office that were conflicting and sometimes confusing. I had not even read some of the articles yet.Many of my well wishers countered with questions that unintentionally poked holes in my game face. "Write what?" they asked. "For whom?" they asked. The answers to their questions involved explaining the vast quantities of research through which I had only recently begun to sift. I felt my courage failing because I could not adequately explain the process I was only beginning to understand myself. That insidious self-doubt began to erode my courage.But I persevered. As I plodded through articles about query letters, marketing skills, and copyright I began to see opportunity in the mountains of material.That opportunity belongs to the writer who can stick it out. As I delve into some of the markets listed online and read about their requirements, I now think: "I can do that!" A torrent of ideas spouts out of me as I work, as I sleep, as I drive car pool. I have several pieces started, a myriad of sticky notes hanging from shelves in my office, and a legal pad with several pages of notes. My game face is back and for the first time it is supported with real confidence.Looking back on the those first weeks and months, I realize what I have accomplished. I have taken the first step - I made the decision to write for a living. I have learned that writing query letters is the standard and expected practice for pitching ideas to potential markets. I have learned what information should be included in a query letter. I have learned that Writer's Market is the best place to find those markets.I am now taking the next step: I'm looking for appropriate markets and writing query letters to pitch my ideas. We'll see...Michele R. Acosta is a writer, a former English teacher, and the mother of three boys. She spends her time writing and teaching others to write. Visit articles.TheWritingTutor.biz for more articles, writingeditingservice.TheWritingTutor.biz for professional writing and editing services, or TheWritingTutor.biz for other writing and educational resources for young authors, teachers, and parents.Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Writing Tutor & Michele R. Acosta. All rights reserved.
How To Build A Successful Freelance Editorial Career
How To Build A Successful Freelance Editorial Career
In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned to freelance work as a matter of survival. I receive many queries from applicants regarding this part of the market. Addressed here are the key building blocks necessary for a successful freelance career.EXPERIENCE: You need a minimum of three years (five is ideal), preferably as a full-time employee. Clients will feel more comfortable in your knowledge and abilities if you can demonstrate that you've performed your duties in the past, full-time, at an established institution.Each industry has its own "lingo". Experience in an industry allows you to understand it and communicate effectively with your clients. As a proofreader, a potential client [eg, a reference book publisher] might say:"I have 300 pages that need to be proofed. The footnotes and illos will be sent separately. Please make sure there's a hole for each illo and that all footnotes run consecutive, beginning anew with each new chapter. The chapter title is the right running head, there is no left running head. How long do you think it will take to complete this job?"With no experience in publishing, it would be difficult to begin to assess the job. Before giving an estimate, some questions you would ask are:Is this typed or handwritten copy?Are there inserts to the existing copy that need to be proofed?What style of proofreading do you use?Are changes to be made on disk or hard copy?There may be four or five more questions that need to be asked before you can realistically assess how long it will take you to complete this job.Experience in the industry allows you to have the necessary knowledge to ask the right questions to judge each project.Knowledge of your industry will also enable you to decide how to charge for the job. Some jobs are billed on an hourly basis, others are billed on a project basis, and still others are billed as a page rate.Again, if you know your industry, you will be able to effectively calculate how much time the job will take and what billing method to use.EQUIPMENT: Working from home means you must to have all the necessary equipment. Minimally, a phone, computer and fax machine. Ideally, a [color] copier, modem, fast Internet access, scanner (if your field requires it) and separate work room in your home would complete the picture.CONTACTS/REFERENCES: The most obvious place to start building your customer base is previous employers. Remember the saying, "Don't burn your bridges." It has never been more true than when trying to build a freelance career.As companies cut back, employers like to use former employees because they already know the work, routines, and systems of the company. Therefore, very little, if any training is needed.These same industry contacts also make great references as you continue to expand your customer base. There is no better assurance to a potential new client than an ex-employer who says: "I'd hire her back if I could. She does great work for us as a freelancer. One of the reasons we use her as a freelancer is because she did such excellent work as an employee."Wouldn't you feel confident if you were a potential client?SAVINGS: In utopia, six months expenses (rent, food, cleaners, credit card bills, student loans, travel expenses, etc.) will be in the bank before you embark on your freelance career. In our experience, it takes about two years to build a solid base of clients that will (hopefully) keep you busy.If this is not possible, try to plan as much in advance as you can. The "fear of the first blues" [when rent is due] can be frightening if you have no income and no prospects on the horizon.PART-TIME JOB: I suggest that instead of going from a full-time job into a freelance career, get a steady, part-time job for a while. This will allow you to: 1) transition between the two without taking the financial hit (especially if you haven't planned); and 2) get a feel for how to organize as a freelancer.Freelancing usually means intense periods of work, eg, four 12-hour days, and then maybe a week with "nothing" going on. Nothing is in quotation marks because as a freelancer, just because there's no client project on your desk, does not mean that you should be idle.During these down times is when you should be organizing your books, re-stocking supplies, prospecting for new clients, tracking advertising - in short, running your business. If you think of freelancing as a business and organize yourself accordingly from the beginning, it will make this existence infinitely easier (especially at tax time).PERSONALITY: Freelancing is an enjoyable experience for some, a painful existence for others. Do a personality check to see if you can ride the roller coaster of this up-and-down existence. Do you like working alone; can you handle economic uncertainty; are you naturally motivated; are you organized - all of these, plus other elements are key traits in successful freelancers.If you don't take one other thing from this article, remember this: No matter how talented you are, what your background is, or how well connected you are, there will come a time when work just seems to dry up. At this point you may start to question your abilities, seriously consider a full-time jobs, and/or wonder if freelancing is for you.If this is the existence you've decided you want, stick with it. Continue to advertise, even when it seems that no one is interested. The average consumer has to see your advertisement at least 7-28 times (depending on what article you read) before they will act on it. So, be confident that if you advertise consistently, when they need a service/product that you offer, you will be at the forefront, rather than the hit-and-run advertisers.After all, the quickest way not to succeed is to quit.Good luck!Original, copyrighted material. May be reprinted only if the following is included in full: Parts of this article are excerpted from the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer, by Yuwanda Black. It is available for immediate download at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/bizguides.html.About The AuthorYuwanda Black owns Inkwell Editorial, an editorial temporary staffing agency in New York City. She is an entrepreneur, author and syndicated small business columnist. Yuwanda has been an entrepreneur for 11 years and has over 16 years experience in the editorial industry. Contact her at info@InkwellEditorial.com for interviews and/or a link to the book for review.