Being Successful With Content Sites

Writing for content sites is by far the easiest way to make some quick cash as a freelance writer, especially when you are first starting out. There are plenty of content sites out there that writers can apply to and most of them have a fairly steady amount of work. However, many people wonder just how successful you can be as a content writer.

Most content sites pay per article. The pay varies with the site and is normally anywhere between $5 and $15 per article. Technically, if you can land a position making $15 per article, you can write 10 articles a day, 5 days a week and make $750 per week. However, it doesn't always happen like that. The more the article is worth, the harder it is to write. Therefore, the $15 articles may take you a lot longer than an article you would be throwing together for $5.

Being a content writer is a numbers game. In order to be successful, you need to know how much money you would like to make each week. Then simply divide that amount by the amount you are paid per article. This will tell you how many articles need completed each week, in order to make your goal. Divide that amount by the number of days you want to work each week and you'll know how many articles will need completed each day. If your number turns out to be feasible, then you shouldn't have a problem being a successful content writer. In order to succeed, you simply need to set a goal and a schedule, then stick with it!

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It's That Time of Year Again!

Okay, so nobody ever told me that working at home would be easy. There are aspects of it that I really love and some things I could do without. The one thing I have had to face recently though, is the girls being home from school for summer vacation. One of the things I was looking forward to the most when I transitioned into working at home full time was the fact that the girls no longer had to be in daycare. What I didn't realize is that these two girls take up A LOT of time! Over the summer, I seem to have gotten nothing done!

Tomorrow morning this changes. As I put the girls on the school bus, I will once again be able to make an income we can live off of! I'm excited about this and look forward to the change in schedule. Next year, I know what to expect with them home all summer and can prepare accordingly. For now though, I'm excited! It's time for school to start, not just for them but for me too!

I decided to work towards my BA in English and am taking a freelance writing class this quarter. I'm excited to share everything I learn with you all. (Especially since I will now have time to blog again!) For those of you who don't know yet, I am also signing up to be a Scentsy consultant! I'm very excited about this new venture and will be having a HUGE online launch party full of discounts and prizes. (Follow me on Twitter to learn more!) I am also starting a new blog to help those who want to work at home. It will focus on various opportunities available online and offline. Hopefully, it will be a huge success and people will be able to work at home themselves!

What are you looking forward to this fall?

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Writing, a Full Time Income or a Hobby

As some of you know, I have decided to go back to school. Originally the plan was to go to nursing school so that I would have a back up plan in case I failed at writing. The more I thought about it though, I realized that I have been writing for over a year now! Granted there have been some rough patches, (and being a single mom they are super rough!) but we got through it. I still plan to go back to school, but I've changed to an English major and decided to take classes that will make me a better writer. (I need to work on my grammar, bad!) In light of this, I decided to list what I have found to be the pros and cons of a career as a freelance writer. Hopefully, it will help some other people decide whether writing is a career or a hobby for them.

Pros:

One of the biggest pros for me is the fact that I can work from home and not send the girls to daycare. I enjoy being there for them when they need me and love the fact that I'm not paying someone to raise my girls. I also like the fact that I can work whenever I want. I always hated having a set schedule and with freelance writing I can easily decide whether or not I feel like working that day. Granted if you NEVER feel like working, you will NEVER make any money, but I don't have to schedule appointments around a job, I can schedule my work around my appointments. I also love the fact that I pretty much control my income. If I need more money, I simply write more articles. It's way better than waiting for a yearly raise to come around.

Cons:

Just like with any other job, there are bad parts to freelance writing as well. For me probably the biggest problem is trying to work with the kids home. There are days that it just doesn't get done and this summer has been really hard on us. However, having them home outweighs my lack of current income, by far. Another problem with freelance writing is when you are looking for work. There are times I can spend a whole day just applying to work on projects. It can be time consuming and as a freelance writer, you are not getting paid unless you are writing. The last thing for me is health insurance. I miss being able to pay $25 when I took the girls to the doctor. While I have purchased health insurance for them, the health insurance I had from work was MUCH better! Luckily, they are past the age where they need a lot of shots so we aren't at the doctor nearly as much!

What about you? What are your pros and cons? Do you write full time or is it a hobby?

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Suite 101

I know we've talked about passive income and if it's worth it to write articles only for residuals before and I wanted to give you all an update on my experience with Suite 101. When I was in Florida, I told you all I would be posting my passive income earning each month so that we can get an idea of whether or not it's worth the time spent and I plan on adding that to my sidebar later today.

Suite 101 is a passive income site similar to sites like eHow. They pay their writers by ad revenue, meaning that when someone reads an article you write and then clicks on an ad on the page, you earn money. I personally have to say that I am seeing more income from Suite 101 than I ever have from eHow, Bukisa, or Associated Content. I currently have 10 articles posted (2 of which were just posted this week) and my July income is at $9.94. Not a lot, I know, but when you compare that to my income a eHow where I have 37 articles posted and a July earnings of $9.21, I'm thinking that Suite 101 will be more worth my time than eHow.

Plus, with Suite 101, you aren't limited to writing How-to articles, which I like. While How-to articles are fine, I find that I enjoy writing different styles of articles and I like having that option. I will continue to write for both sites however, so that we can get a good comparison and see how fast I can grow a decent passive income!

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Have You Tried Online Tutoring?

I'm not sure if I mentioned to you guys that I am going back to school! (I'm taking a freelance writing class that I can't wait to share with you guys!) In addition to me going back to school, it's almost time for the kids to start school. This will mean a lot of homework around our house! The one thing we can use is free Online algebra help!

The problem with homework is that I suck at math! I actually have to take two developmental math classes before I can begin my normal classes. For me, the fact that I have the option to use an Online algebra tutor is amazing. Believe me, I'm going to need it.

So, I recently found a company called Tutor Vista. They offer online tutoring for grades k-12 as well as college tutoring. I immediately found myself an algebra tutor and the great thing is they are able to give me the algebra help I need 24 hours a day 7 days a week! In addition to algebra tutoring, they also have algebra 2 help. Although, I don't know that I'll make it that far in my college math classes, since it's not required. I am very excited though, not only can I use a little online tutoring, but the girls will be able to excel academically because of it!

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Today is the Day for Demand Studios!

Awhile back Demand Studios promised to reveal the writer ratings to the writers and today is the day the rating will be unveiled. I have heard various opinions from writers about how they feel about being able to see their personal rating.

Some writers are nervous. They are concerned that they are doing worse than they thought and they will have a lot to work on. Others just don't care because it doesn't effect how much they are paid per article. Personally, I'm excited. Not only do we get to see how we score, but it will give us an idea of what things we, as writers, need to work on. It may not effect how much we are paid per article, but I think it's a good tool that we can use to help better ourselves. In the long run, the things we improve on may just be the skills we needed to land the higher paying jobs.

What's your opinion?

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Finding Private Clients

One of the biggest questions I hear writers ask is, "Where do you find private clients?" After all, content sites are great because there is always work to choose from, but private clients have a lot of benefits. While there are plenty of places online you can find private clients (craigslist, bidding sites, and writing job boards) one of the best places to look is in your local area.

Create a package to mail to places in your area like advertising agencies or graphic design companies offering your services. Advertising agencies and graphic design companies frequently use freelance writers for a variety of reasons and marketing your services to them can easily land you a client or two. Any business that needs sales materials or even brochures written can also use your services. Take some time to research how to write and effective sales letter and include a few samples or your work.

After you mail or email your packets, you should give a follow up call. Normally, a good rule of thumb is to wait a week or so before calling. You'll want to make sure the company received your packet and then simply discuss it with them. Let them know the reasons they need you as a writer. Highlight your strengths as you talk to them and make sure you tell them how your services can benefit their specific company.

Don't get discouraged by the "nos." Not every company will want your services, but don't be scared of rejection. All they can say is, "no" and if they do, it will be politely. As long as you are determined and have a little patience, you should be able to land your first private client in no time!

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