Freelance Writers: How Submitting Content for FREE to Write-for-Pay Sites Can Make You Money — for Years

May 31, 2011

As a freelance writer, I stopped submitting content “for pay” to write-for-pay sites like eHow (aka Demand Media Studios), AssociatedContent.com, Helium, et al a couple of years ago. I still submit – but for no upfront payment. And, this is something I think every freelance writer should do if they choose to use these sites – once they reach a certain point in their career.

Seems counterintuitive? It’s not.

Following is why I submit free content all the time to sites deemed content farms — and how it has helped to keep my online earnings secure and stable over the last few years (and for many more).

This month, I received emails from two write-for-pay sites I regularly submit content to – eHow and HubPages. Both were alerting me to changes going on at their sites, which affected my content. Following is what happened at each site.

How Changes at eHow.com Caused One Freelancer to Lose Over $16,000 Per Year in Residual Income

eHow ended their Writers Compensation Program (FYI, today is the last day to accept/deny offers, so check your inbox for their email and respond). The post in the link explains what this was all about. A lot of freelance writers lost a lot of residual income. One freelancer wrote:

eHow closing down the compensation program and paying us out does have a serious effect on my residual earnings. Instead of earning $90 a day, my daily earnings have dropped to $45 a day. That’s a major drop.

That’s over $16,000 per year if you’re calculating ($16,425 to be exact ($45/day x 365 days/year)).

Ouch!
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Imagine if you’d built your whole (or a good portion of) your freelance writing income around writing for eHow; which, apparently, a lot of freelance writers did if you read the comments section of this last linked-to post.

I lost residual income too, but just a small monthly payout because I only had 20 articles there.

How Changes at HubPages.com Caused Many Freelance Writers to Lose Money and Website Rankings

HubPages has made changes too. I received the following notice from them in early May. The email stated, in part:

Dear Yuwanda Black,

Thank you for being a part of the HubPages writing community. We are trying to improve your writing and earning experience on the site, and would like to ask you to make a few changes. Please address the following issues that we have identified with your Hubs at your earliest convenience (in order to help you prioritize, we have listed Hubs with the most traffic first).

Too Many Promotional Links

The following published Hub has too many promotional links. You are allowed up to 2 links per domain, per hub. Hubs with too many promotional links may be unbpublished [sic] at any time.

Links To Prohibited Affiliate or Commerce Sites

The following published Hubs include links to affiliate or commerce sites which are prohibited under the updated HubPages rules. The most common cause of this is the use of the ClickBank affiliate program. Please review these Hubs and remove any violating links; uncorrected Hubs will begin to be unpublished starting in about 2 weeks.

Why I’m Removing Most of My Content from HubPages

Over 70 of the almost 170 hubs I had on HubPages were affected in some way. Instead of “fixing” them to comply with HubPages’ new rules, I started migrating them over to some of my other sites.

Why not just fix them and leave them there?

Because the reason I wrote all of these hubs was to drive traffic to my sites and/or to promote affiliate products – many of which come from Clickbank. So not being able to have links in the hubs does me no good. And, I don’t write to give away free content (at least not unique content).

Many of these hubs are unique content that I wrote specifically for HubPages. Hence, when I remove them from the site, it is once again unique content that I can post to my niche websites (I have several).

There are freelance writers on HubPages who have a few THOUSAND hubs with affiliate links. Can you imagine if you never developed your own website and submitted content just to HubPages — counting on the income from your affiliate links?

This is why many freelancers have seen their income drop to practically nothing overnight.

Why Many Write-for-Pay Sites are Making Changes – And Why It’s a Good Thing for Freelance Writers

In short, it’s Google. Specifically the Google Panda Update.

When the search engine giant made this algorithm change, it sunk the rankings of some sites like stones in water. So, now they’re scrambling to change their guidelines to get back in favor with the Big “G” (ie, see the post SEO Copywriting Tips: 23 Questions Google Says SEO Copywriters Should Keep in Mind When Creating Content for more clarification on what Google is looking for in content nowadays).

While it’s a pain in the butt if you’ve built your freelance writing income model around these sites, it’s a good thing overall for content providers. Following is why.

A lot of the crap content and crap sites will go away. Not all, but a lot. It’s getting harder to rank well (or at all) with crap content, so many of the schemers, scammers and content thieves will disappear. This means those of us who are in this “make money online” thing by creating insightful, unique websites with good content will have an easier time ranking well (not easy, easier) – and making money.

Why Now’s Never Been a Better Time to Give Content Away

The reason I submit content for free to many sites is just for backlinks to my own sites. I call these websites my “backlink builders.” Sites like eHow, et al get great search engine juice – so if one of my articles appear on them, in many cases, it has a better chance of getting found than if it was just on my site.

So I still post to sites like these, but not unique content. I will submit the same article to article directories, and to sites like AssociatedContent.com (my favorite backlink builder site). I very rarely have in the past two years – and will never submit unique content to any site again — unless . . .

Freelance Writers: How to Get Around the Duplicate Content Penalty When You Submit Content to Write-for-Pay Sites

If sites like AssociatedContent.com stop accepting previously published content (and I see this coming down the pike in a few years), then I already have a contingency plan in place.

I will rewrite unique content that appears on my own sites. For example, most of the original content I post to my own sites tends to be long – anywhere from 800-2,500 words or more.

I can easily craft a 400 or 500-word unique article from these longer posts to publish on my backlink builder sites. I do this from time to time already as a matter of fact.

Freelance Writers: How to Use Sites Like eHow to Make Money from Your Own Website(s)

The point I want to make is, if you’re a freelance writer and want to make your living online, stop giving your unique content away for a few pennies. Use sites like eHow, et al to advance YOUR sites. This means taking the long-range view. As in:

Start developing your own products and services to sell from your site: Write ebooks and/or create seminars and workshops. I started doing this a couple of years ago. To date, I’ve written almost 25 ebooks and have developed and teach several e-workshops and e-seminars/classes.

And, I promote all of this via article marketing, ie, submitting free content to sites like AssociatedContent.com, EzineArticles, etc. to get backlinks to my own sites.

Build an authority site: Do this by creating in-depth content that can only be found on your site. Then, monetize it with Google AdSense, or private ads, or by promoting affiliate products, etc.

This is the way to make REAL money online because you never have to worry that if a site changes its policies, your income will be affected.

One Very Important Thing Every Freelance Writer Should Do Immediately to Start Making Money Online

Collect site visitor information. This means starting a subscriber list. The reason is, your subscribers are your bread and butter.

Think about it, if someone likes your site/content enough to part with their contact information (eg, an email address), then they’re “investing” in you, which makes them more likely to buy from you. And, once someone purchases from you once, they are much more likely to do so again.

I’ll be writing a more in-depth post on why building a subscriber list is so important to making money online soon. FYI, I use AWeber to build my subscriber list. It’s only $1 (yes, one little buck) to get started.

How to Make Money Online as a Freelance Writer Nowadays: Diversify and Start Your Own Blog/Website

And these, my fellow freelance writing friend, are the lessons I take away from the recent happenings at eHow and HubPages. They’re ones I think every freelance writer should heed.

This brings to mind the great Billie Holiday song, “God bless the child (that has his own).” Never have truer words been spoken as it relates to freelancing writers and making money online these days.

Best,
Yuwanda

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P.P.S.: Want to start a successful career where you have the mobility to live and work where you please? Visit our freelance writing bookstore for a ton of opportunities (freelance writing and internet marketing) to get you started.

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A Sad Reality: Why So Many of Our Youth Don’t Know What Memorial Day Is

May 30, 2011

Memorial Day is an American holiday that celebrates men and women who’ve lost their lives serving in the military. It is celebrated on the last Monday in May every year, and marks the unofficial start of summer.

How Americans Celebrate Memorial Day

Many Americans visit military cemeteries and memorial sites, then usually attend a town parade and fireworks celebration. Most celebrate with cookouts where friends and families gather, ie, backyard barbeques complete with music, decorations and even games.

How Memorial Day Differs from Veteran’s Day

Veteran’s Day is another American federal holiday set aside to honor the nation’s military service men and women. It is celebrated on November 11^th every year, and it differs from Memorial Day because it honors all veterans – the living and the dead.

Little-Known Memorial Day Fact

Did you know that every year on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time, a national moment of remembrance takes place?

A Sad Reality: Why So Many of Our Youth Don’t Know What Memorial Day Is

It almost made me cry when I read this story on the Chattanoogan.com about Memorial Day. A military wife describes why so many teens don’t know what this holiday is all about.

As a freelance writer, the story particularly saddened me because I thought, “Where would we be in this country without freedom of the press?”

Who ensures freedom of the press and other civil liberties? Our military. They die for us to be able to say, write, yell and scream almost anything we want. It’s a freedom so many of us take for granted, and too many don’t have in the world.

I have several uncles who served in the Army in Vietnam, many friends in the Navy and my ex-fiance was a Marine, so the military is a part of my life. But more than that, with the current wars we’re in, the dangers our troops face daily and with July 4^th looming just ahead (we wouldn’t be “independent” without the service of our troops), it unnerved and saddened me that so many of our youth don’t know what this day is really about.

So if you have a child in your life (your own, a niece, nephew, stepchild, godchild, neighbor child, etc.), while you’re enjoying that beer, wondering what to throw on the grill and looking forward to hanging out with friends and family, be sure to pull them aside and ask if they know what Memorial Day is.

If they say yes, ask them to tell you. If they don’t, be sure that you tell them what this day is REALLY about. It only takes a couple of minutes, but imparts a lifetime of knowledge and hopefully gratitude.

The last paragraph of that story in the Chattanoogan summed it up brilliantly. It stated:

“So while you’re enjoying that cold beer, a good burger, hotdog, or some old fashioned bbq, while you’re enjoying spending time with your friends and family, take time to remember some of our troops who currently aren’t enjoying any of that, because they’re deployed.

Take time to remember some of our troops will never enjoy those things again, because they gave up their lives for our country, and for our freedom. And remember the families that will be celebrating without their brave Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine.”

Contact the Vets in Your Life

If you know a veteran — even distantly — contact them today. Send them an email, a shoutout on Facebook, a tweet on Twitter, a thank you voice mail, etc. – to let them know how much you appreciate their service.

It doesn’t matter if they served in Vietnam decades ago, or are currently deployed in Afghanistan or some other foreign land, let them know that you’re thinking about their sacrifice and appreciate all they’ve done to ensure your freedoms.

Then, enjoy your family and friends today – and be safe.

3 Ways to Start/Grow a Freelance Writing Business On Holiday Weekends

May 27, 2011

Americans have a long holiday weekend coming up; this coming Monday, May 30^th, is Memorial Day. As a freelance writer/internet marketer, I have a love/hate relationship with holidays.

My love for holidays have nothing to do with the obvious reasons, eg, no work, hanging with friends and family; sleeping late, etc. I love long holiday weekends because they give me time to work on my business; time I usually don’t have.

I received the following email from a fellow tweeter highlighting just how precious time is. After reading Inkwell’s latest ebook on when it’s time to quit to freelance fulltime, she wrote me, saying:

Hello Yuwanda!

I wanted to say Thank You again for this e-book! It has strengthened my resolve and especially in that you say- freelancing is not rocket science. Don’t over think it. I tend to be a risk taker and would have no troubles jumping right in but I am married to a non-risk taker. Which is a good balance mostly. My problem is that my FT job leaves me little energy to do much else. (emphasis added) But, I must and will get over that. Additionally, you have given me encouragement about the articles not having to be published. I just need to write them … oh, I feel like a complainer and not a doer on too many days. Today is the best day to start.

Thanks for your encouragement. I look forward to learning so much more from you!

I responded, writing:

I’ve been where you are, so know exactly what you’re going through. That’s why I used to work a lot on the weekends. For a while (almost two years), I literally didn’t have a life, but that’s what it took for me to get where I wanted to be.

I found that having a “life plan” (eg, where you want to be in 3, 5 or 7 years) helps to really give you a kick in the pants, because you can see month by month, week by week and day by day what you need to be doing to get where you want to be. “Some day” becomes a bad word when you working with a life plan.

Most of us have to work when everyone else is playing to be successful because there will never be a “perfect” time to start and/or get to all the things you want to do. This means putting in hours at night, on the weekends, during holidays, etc. With this in mind, following are . . .

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3 Things You Can Do to Start and/or Grow Your Freelance Writing Business This Memorial Day Weekend

1) Create a Life Plan: It’s hard to get where you’re going without a map. And, just having one in your head won’t work. It just doesn’t. Trust me. Write out where you want to be in a year, 3 years, 5 years – and put it where you can see it every day.

This way, you won’t get off track and will be constantly reminded of your dreams. Accomplishing any dream in life starts with a plan. Then, you have to constantly work the plan.

So if you don’t have a life plan, this Memorial Day weekend is an excellent time to carve out a couple of hours and put one together.

2) Do Admin Work: What I mean by this is, if you’ve been meaning to sign up to PayPal; open a Twitter account; set up a blog; finally get those writing samples done and uploaded – whatever it is – this holiday weekend is an ideal time to do so.

You’ll still have time for fun. But, you owe it to your dream — to the life you want to have – to always take some of your “play time” and put in some work.

Because, believe me, the real fun in life starts when you’re living the life you really want to live.

In the Words of John Lennon, “Imagine”

Imagine the day you get to turn in your notice at your job;

Imagine waking up and going to your office – right down the hall in your fuzzy pink slippers;

Imagine being able to go on that 10-day vacation without worrying about if you have enough “vacation days; etc.

Imagine – being free to live the life you want to live.

Use “imagining” to inspire you.

But, imagining is not enough. You gotta put in the work and that means using time wisely. If you’re a regular reader of this site/blog, then you’ve read where I’ve written at least a million times, “Time is your greatest asset as a freelance writer; don’t waste it.”

3) Create a “Get to the Next Level” List: If you’re on track with all the above, create a to-do list. This is a list of things you need to do to get your business to the next level. Let me explain.

The tendency is to relax a bit when you’re a fulltime freelancer, especially if you can pay all of your bills. But, you’re not in this to just pay bills – you need to create financial security. And for most of us, this means getting out of our comfort zone and pushing ourselves to get to the next level.

This may mean creating new streams of income, adding more services, changing prices, updating your website, updating your skills, repositioning your business so you can create your own products and services, etc.

It could be one or a few of the above. But, you first need to see in black and white what your options are. So, write them down, then choose one or a couple to get started on.

I subscribe to one freelancer writer’s feed and she illustrated this point perfectly in a post recently, writing:

It’s been…a month?…since I last posted something new. And you know – it isn’t because I didn’t want to. . . . But you can’t do everything at once and I’ve had two projects that I’ve been working on that has put some of my other things on the back burner. . . .

I’ve been [experimenting] with residual income. . . . the reason is because I want you to understand that most people who work online these days have more than one source of income. Most people do a few different things that work for them. And to me, that is one of the greatest things about working online.

Read her full post, entitled, “Where the hell has she been?”

I’m not just telling you to work this holiday weekend, I will be too. Yeah, I’ll relax some, for sure. In fact, I’m getting ready to clean my house and run some errands now so I can relax more this weekend. But, you can bet your patootie that I’ll be logging some hours on the business end too. To that end . . .

What Will I Be Working on This Memorial Day Weekend?

I’m writing a new ebook to put on my site as a free giveaway to (hopefully) increase my newsletter subscriber count. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. And, while I could have chosen one of my existing ebooks as a free giveaway, I didn’t because I want to give potential subscribers what they’ve asked me for.

New FREE Ebook: How I Make All of My Money Online

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is how I make my money online. So, the new ebook will detail all of my income streams, why/how I got into them, and how they’ve allowed me to support myself 100% online since 2007. And, it’s going to be free to subscribers!

I’ll sell it on Amazon too for 99 cents (and only because you can’t post free ebooks to Amazon anymore; 99 cents is the lowest price for which you can sell something there).

I’m gonna try to finish it this weekend, but if not, I’ll get a great deal of it done and it’ll be uploaded to the site by the end of next week.

Share Your Thoughts

So, what are you going to work on this holiday weekend to grow your freelance writing business? Has this post inspired any ideas? Do you think you should work on holiday weekends? I’d appreciate it if you’d share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And please, have a fun holiday weekend. But, do be safe. Drunk driving is really prevalent on long holiday weekends (especially in the warm weather). So be careful.

Best,
Yuwanda

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Freelance Writers: Does eHow (aka Demand Studios) Owe You Money? They May and You Have Only 7 More Days to Collect

May 24, 2011

Recently, I received an email from eHow. I’d written some articles for them back in 2008, and was still receiving monthly residuals for them. It wasn’t a lot but for 20 articles that only took me on average of 20 minutes to write, I was amazed that every month, I was still receiving money from them.

Note (Post continued below): Subscribe to the newsletter (see sign-up box to right on every page of the site) to get the special “Memorial Day Deal” on all of our products.

So, when I received the email from eHow, I opened it, but immediately trashed it because I thought they were asking ME to pay THEM for content. Let me explain.

eHow Earnings: Why eHow May Owe You Money

As of May 5, 2011, eHow is removing what they call “WCP articles” from their site. WCP stands for Writers Compensation Program. Articles submitted by freelance writers under this program paid residuals. But again, as of May 5^th, no longer.

I’ll miss the payments; they were great “Margarita Wednesdays” money.

How I Almost Threw Away My eHow Freelance Writing Earnings

I received the following email from eHow:

As you may recall, we sent an email on May 5 letting you know eHow has decided to close the Writer’s Compensation Program (WCP) and remove a number of user-generated articles from the site.

Since we’re extending attractive offers to a select group of great writers (like you) to purchase the articles they’ve written for eHow, we want to ensure you are able to view your offer right away. The final deadline for accepting the offer is May 31, 2011.

If you are unsure as to how you access the new WCP console here is the link for your convenience (link was given). You can sign into the console using your original eHow username and password.

Best,

Thank you for taking time to read this important message. We look forward to helping you through this transition in any way we can. For additional information, please email us at [email address was given].

The eHow Team
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I get a lot of email, and I skim read a lot of it just to clear my inbox. So, when I read this message the first time, I misread the part that said: “. . . we’re extending attractive offers to a select group of great writers (like you) to purchase the articles they’ve written for eHow . . .”

Then, a few days later, I ran across an article discussing the eHow payout to freelance writers. So, I dug back through my emails and found the email from eHow and re-read it. I was like, “Oh, THEY want to pay ME for content.”

Making Money Online Writing: 20 Easy eHow I Wrote in 2008 Continue to Pay Dividends Every Month

And I was shocked at how much for just 20 articles I wrote back in 2008. And don’t forget, I’d received residual payouts for these articles every month, in addition to an initial upfront payment of $15 for each one. In essence, this content that only took me a few hours to write had MORE than paid for itself over the years.

So, like the freelance writer in the linked-to article just above, did, I took the money and ran.

Writing for eHow: How to Collect Your Money if eHow (aka Demand Studios) Owes You

Bottom line: if you’ve ever written for eHow, check your inbox for the email above. Then, follow the instructions within. The subject line will be something like, “Important eHow Deadline Approaching – Have you reviewed your offer?‏”

If you can’t locate this email and/or didn’t receive one, log into your writer’s control panel with eHow (this link came in the above email: https://myarticles.ehow.com/SignIn.aspx). Once you log in from this link, you’ll have info on your offer, and can decide whether to accept the payout, or deny it, as well as other info on how to proceed, no matter which decision you make.

The deadline to respond to eHow’s offer is May 31, so don’t delay.

Wish I’d spent more time writing for eHow while this program was around. You’d be amazed just how much those articles wound up being worth. Some writers received thousands of dollars in payouts from eHow, as discussed in the comments section of this linked-to post.

Related Post Coming Real Soon

Within the next couple of weeks, I’m going to write a post detailing why I no longer write for sites like eHow (Demand Studios), and why I don’t think any freelance writer should – once they reach a certain point in their career.

Stay tuned!

Tell Us Your eHow Story: Did you see this change coming? Have your freelance writing earnings been affected as a result of eHow dismantling the WCP program? Will you continue to write for sites like eHow/Demand Studios? Let us know in the comments section below. And, don’t forget to subscribe to get the special “Memorial Day Deal.

P.S.: Want to write and sell ebooks online for a living? You can! Get the guide that shows you how to start a successful self-publishing career — start immediately.

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Freelance Writers: The Easiest Way to Bill and Get Paid – Quickly!

May 23, 2011

The following is a guest post by freelance writer Debbie Dragon.

When I started my journey as a freelance writer about eight years ago, I didn’t have a clue about how to find clients or accept payment for the services I provided. I figured I would just give out my mailing address and ask clients to send checks. But, after landing my first client who wanted to pay with his credit card, I realized I would need a way to accept credit cards as payment.

Clients expected to pay for their writing services online with their credit card, so I set out to learn how I could process a credit card payment from my home office. I knew I would rarely, if ever, have the client’s credit card in my possession and for the most part, I just needed a method of sending an invoice that the client could pay online with his or her credit card. This meant I wouldn’t need any fancy credit card processing equipment readers.

ProPay: The First Credit Card Processing Company I Used as a Freelance Writer

I discovered a company called ProPay first. The ProPay Merchant Account was quick and easy to set up and designed for a small business.

I didn’t understand the tiered pricing structure that banks were quoting for their merchant accounts and credit card processing services, had no idea what they meant when they were talking about needing a “gateway” provider, and couldn’t figure out how to accept credit cards online without paying a web developer to set up a shopping cart on a website!

What I Liked about ProPay for My Freelance Writing Business

When I found the ProPay website, it was simply a matter of choosing which plan I wanted, paying the annual fee of $50 to $130 depending on the plan chosen, and using a website to process credit card payments or send invoices to clients so they could enter their own credit card details and pay for my freelance writing services online.

I chose the Premium Plan with ProPay, because it accepted all credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Discover and American Express) – and the plan below it didn’t accept Discover or American Express.

The fees were easy to understand; costing about 3.25% of each transaction processed, plus 35 cents.

What I Didn’t Like about ProPay as a Freelance Writer

What I didn’t like was paying another 30 cents to move money from my ProPay account to my checking account, where I could actually use it. I had a habit of transferring money from ProPay as soon as it was available, which meant I was paying multiple 30 cent fees to move payments.

Perhaps, if I’d been a little more patient, I could have paid one fee per week, or even per month, by moving money from ProPay to my checking account less frequently. But let’s face it – as a freelance writer (ie, small business owner), I was waiting on every dime to clear in the account so I could pay my bills!

As my freelance writing business grew, I started reaching the maximum limit of credit card processing transactions allowed per month. I can’t remember exactly what that maximum was at the time, but I see on the website now it is listed as between $0 and $3,000 depending on your business.

When the annual fee hit my account, I wondered if there were other options for processing credit cards that wouldn’t cost about $80 a year — on top of the transaction fees already being paid on each card processed. I started looking for other options to accept credit cards from my freelance writing clients.

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PayPal: The Ideal Way for Freelance Writing Business Owners to Process Payments

About two years into operating my freelance writing business, I discovered PayPal.

What I Liked about PayPal from the Beginning

Right away I figured it had an advantage over ProPay because it didn’t charge an annual fee. The transaction rates would be 2.9% of each card processed, plus 30 cents. They did not charge an additional fee to move money from the PayPal account to my checking account. I was sold!

I set up my account and connected it to my regular bank so I could transfer money back and forth as needed.

In addition to being less expensive than ProPay, using PayPal offered me the additional benefit of accepting other PayPal accounts for payment.

Millions of people have PayPal, and many preferred to pay for their freelance writing services with money in their PayPal account, instead of using a credit card. By setting up a PayPal account, I actually opened the door to getting more customers since there were quite a few people out there looking for freelance writers who needed to pay with their PayPal accounts!

It was easy to request money from my clients, whether it’s just a simple money request that is sent to their PayPal account with a “Pay Now” option; or a complete and professional looking invoice they can print and file for their records, in addition to paying online.

A Handy Feature PayPal Offers That’s Useful for Freelance Writers

Another feature of PayPal that I didn’t know I was missing when I was using ProPay is the ability to set up recurring or subscription payments. Many of my freelance writing clients need articles every single week – instead of having to create invoices manually each week, send to the client, and wait for them to make payment – PayPal allows me to create a recurring subscription.

I simply enter the amount they owe me, the frequency the client should pay, and when the client accepts they will automatically be billed according to how the subscription is set up. This eliminated a lot of time and effort spent on bookkeeping for me, and my clients loved it too.

They could set it up and know their order was being placed week after week for writing content, and they didn’t have to take time out of their own busy schedules to review and pay for invoices.

Access Money Instantly with a PayPal Debit Card

I signed up for a PayPal debit card, which allowed me to access money in my account instantly through any ATM or swiping my card to pay for purchases.

PayPal: The Perfect Way to Bill and Get Paid Quickly If You’re a Freelance Writer

I have used my PayPal account to accept payments from my writing clients for over six years. It’s been the perfect solution for accepting credit card and online payments for my freelance writing business.

About the Author: Debbie Dragon has been a freelance writer for more than 8 years and specializes in personal finance and credit card processing topics.

FYI, Inkwell Editorial’s Latest Ebook Is Available: It’s How to Know When You’re Ready to Quit Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: 6 Signs It’s Time and How to Go About It.

P.S.: Ready to Write a Book? FINALLY get that ebook you’ve been wanting to write done in Inkwell Editorial’s “How to Write an Ebook in 3 Days Market It & Start Getting Sales within a Week.” Ebook Writing & Publishing Tournament

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What Is the Best Web Hosting Provider for Freelance Writers?

May 21, 2011

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, because I get questions from freelancers all the time about the tools I use to run my freelance writing/self-publishing/internet marketing business (eg, who’s your newsletter provider, what wordpress themes do you use, who does your ebook covers, etc.). Today, I’m going to tell you why HostGator is my preferred provider when it comes to web hosting.

Note: I’ll do posts like this every so often . . . until I’ve covered all the tools I use. That way, you can decide if they’re right for you.

Using Free Web Hosting Like Blogger, WordPress, Etc.? STOP Now

First let me start by saying, if you’re using free sites for your web hosting (eg, wordpress, blogger, etc.), GET OFF OF THEM NOW. Spend the few bucks it costs to get your own name and web hosting for your freelance business. That way, you won”t log on one day and find all of your posts gone, which happened to a friend of mine recently. Over 200 posts — poof . . . gone with the wind, literally.

Luckily she had them on her hard drive, but months later, she still hasn’t re-uploaded all of them.

This is just one reason not to use free hosting. Others are professionalism, having clients take you seriously, control over design, etc. With that being said, following is . . .

Why I Use HostGator: Review of a Web Hosting Company

I think HostGator is the perfect web hosting company for freelance writers (and other content providers) because of the protection it offers against copyright infringement.

HostGator: How I Came to Be a Customer

If you’ve been a reader/subscriber of this site since at least October of 2010, you know the problem I had with someone falsely accusing me of copyright infringement, and having my site taken offline. Until this point, I had no idea how very easy it is (really, really easy) for someone to have your site taken offline.

I make my living completely online. So when my sites are down, I’m not making any money.

When Bluehost took my sites offline – without even notifying me first that someone had filed what was a false copyright infringement notice against me – I was furious. And, since I had almost all of my sites hosted under one account, when the main account went down, all the other ones hosted under it did too.

What Happened to My Income When Bluehost Took My Sites Down

There went ebook income, Google AdSense income, affiliate marketing income – everything! Oh and one other thing you should know, when your sites are taken offline, you won’t get your emails either if you’ve set up your emails via your web hosting provider (which most of us do).

At first when I discovered my site was down, I thought it was a simple technology glitch. It didn’t take me too long to discover that that wasn’t the problem.

You see, Bluehost didn’t notify me – before or after my site was down. I had to notify THEM. So, not only did they take me offline without notifying me FIRST, they didn’t even send a courtesy email to let me know that my site had been taken down AFTER it was done.

I’m not lying y’all. This is true.

Once I finally found out what the problem was, I was like, “But I can explain, this is a false report and I can prove it.” Bluehost was not having it. They would not reinstate my sites.

Why Most Host Companies Won’t Help You, Even When You’ve Done Nothing Wrong

I understand their point, to a degree. I mean, they’re not a court so they don’t litigate complaints.

As an aside, host companies don’t take sides (ie, litigate disputes). That’s what courts of law are for. So, even though someone unjustly filed a copyright infringement notice against me, it wasn’t Bluehost’s job to decide who was right and who was wrong. But, this wasn’t my issue with them.

Note: Copyright infringement/violation wasn’t even the right charge for my accuser to level against me to begin with; it should have been slander/character defamation. But a web hosting company would never take a site offline for that because it’s free speech, hence protected by the First Amendment.

But, back to my issue with Bluehost . . .

My problem with them was that they didn’t give me a chance to respond BEFORE taking my sites offline. All the person who filed the false copyright infringement notice against me had to do was send a simple email saying that I’d violated their copyright – and voila – down my websites went.

Imagine if I’d been off in the rain forest on a two-week hike with no internet access (I travel a lot). I wouldn’t have known about this at all.

How to Get Your Site Back Online Quickly If You’re Accused of Copyright Infringement

One thing it’s important to point out is that I could have gotten my sites back online almost immediately if I’d agreed to remove the content in dispute. As it was NOT copyright violation (if you’ll remember from this link above, which points you to the disputed content, it was a disagreement I had with another webmaster about his business practices), I flatly refused.

To me, it was a matter of standing up for my rights. No one can subvert the First Amendment (right to free speech), so I said, “No, I will not remove this content.”

So Bluehost told me that I’d either have to remove the content, or go to court and prove that this wasn’t copyright violation and then my sites would be made live again (if the courts agreed with me and I presented documentation to that effect).

I was incredulous!

This is How Easy It Is to Have Your Site Taken Offline If You Use the Wrong Web Hosting Company

Someone tells a lie about me (ie, files a false copyright violation notice) and I’M THE ONE who has to go to court to prove my innocence? I told Bluehost, “In effect, you’re punishing me.” This means that anyone who has a grudge against you can just file a copyright infringement notice and have your site taken offline. It’s that simple.

So, I sent out a tweet and a notice to my newsletter subscribers asking for recommendations on choosing a new web hosting provider. I described what had happened to me, and hands down, HostGator was the number one recommend site.

One respondent emailed me back, simply stating: “HostGator. Period.”

The following email is the one that really convinced me to sign up with them. It’s from Ruth Barringham of Writeaholics.net, who I wound up writing a copyright infringement ebook with because of this debacle. She said:

I was so sorry to hear about your problem with your host company. That really stinks and the stress of the situation must have been unbearable.

I don’t know if this will help you but a few months ago I had a real bad problem with someone lying and bad-mouthing me all over their website.

It all started when I filed a copyright infringement notice against them. They had published 3 of my articles and signed their own name to them. I left a comment on their blog twice to ask them to take my articles down but they deleted my comments. So I contacted their hosting company who notified them to either take the articles down or file a counter claim. They chose to take the articles down but then decided to slander me.

I complained to the hosting company but they said they were not responsible for the site’s content. I even rang them and argued my case but they kept quoting the 5th? 4th? 3rd? amendment (or whatever it is) and kept saying that their client had a right to freedom of speech and that if what I said was true, and it was slanderous, then I would still need a court subpoena before they would remove the offending pages.

So I had to employ an attorney in America (at great cost) to go to court on my behalf and get a subpoena. Before the court case the attorney went and met face to face with the hosting company to ask them to take the pages down, but they still refused and insisted that without a court order, they could not violate their clients right to free speech otherwise their client could sue them. Blah, blah, blah.

The name of the hosting company is HostGator. No doubt you’ve heard of them. I am thinking of using them myself next time I want to host a new website. They are definitely on their customer’s side, if my experience was anything to go by. But for now I’m still so angry with them.

Ruth Barringham

You see, it’s not easy to file a copyright violation notice with HostGator, but it’s not so difficult that if you’re truly the victim, you wouldn’t take action. While this can be a pain if someone really is stealing your content, it protects you because it means that someone with a grudge can’t just send an email willy nilly and have your sites taken offline.

HostGator also makes clear the penalties for filing a false copyright infringement notice, writing:

Please note that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys’ fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyrights.

And, because the documentation required by HostGator is written and signed by the accusor, if you’re falsely accused, it’s documentation you can use in court to prove that the other person lied. So you can not only sue them for lost sales, wages, etc., you can sue them for slander and a whole bunch of other crap a good attorney can come up with.

And this is exactly why scammers and unethical people who resort to this type of behavior won’t go this route.

Bluehost requires none of this.

Copyright Infringement Ebook

As I stated above, after all of this happened, I co-authored a book with Ruth about this whole copyright infringement debacle. She had been on the other side of the equation – someone stole her content and she petitioned the host company to have it removed. They refused.

Guest who that web hosting company was? You guessed it . . . HostGator.

So, I immediately transferred most of my sites over. Note: I still have a few minisites with Bluehost, because I now know the importance of not having all of your sites with one provider. But, I don’t like them and don’t recommend them. And, when I find time, I’m going to move them to another provider.

After I moved my sites, the person who falsely accused me of copyright infringement filed another false complaint with HostGator. His goal was obviously to get my sites taken offline again. But, what did HostGator do?

Nothing.

They notified me that the notice had been filed (already going one step further than Bluehost did) and that they wouldn’t be taking any action because the notice wasn’t filed properly.

What to Do If Someone Accuses You of Copyright Infringement and/or If You Want to File a Complaint Against Someone for Stealing Your Content

Note: In the ebook, Ruth and I detail the exact steps to take – whether someone steals your content and you want to file a report against them for copyright infringement; or if someone unjustly accuses you of copyright infringement just to get your site taken offline.

FYI, many unethical people online are quick to file these types of notices because they know that it will result in your site being taken down. That’s why having a host company like HostGator is so important. You at least want a chance to defend yourself before this type of drastic action is taken.

Why Your Content Is In More Danger Than Ever of Being Stolen

Throughout this post is my HostGator affiliate link. Even if you don’t purchase via this link, still give them a try. I believe that copyright infringement is only going to get worse – especially in light of Google’s recent Panda update.

Content truly does rule on the web now – more than ever. And, those of us who produce it (eg, freelance writers, videographers, podcasters, illustrators, cartoonists, bloggers, graphic designers, etc.) are in more danger than ever of having their content stolen. This is because many are just too lazy to do so.

Many people who do business on the web are out for a quick buck. So, they won’t spend two hours on a Saturday morning to research, write and upload a blog post (which I did for this post).

They won’t take a half hour to create a graphic that perfectly complements a blog post (which I do all the time).

They won’t spend time filming and uploading video to YouTube (which I need to do more of).

Why do all of this when your perfectly good content is just sitting there, waiting to be stolen?

Happy Days are Here Again: Why I’ll Never Leave HostGator

As I produce a lot of content, and have my content stolen all the time (a lot of it stuff that I give away for free anyway), I couldn’t be happier with HostGator.

I know I have real solutions if I’m the victim of copyright infringement, while at the same time I’m protected if someone falsely accuses me.

HostGator’s Customer Service — Excellent

One final thing . . . HostGator has been very responsive. I told them why I was switching from Bluehost. They answered all my questions and even transferred my main site (this one) over for FREE. This was huge as this site has hundreds of pages and I had no clue how to do it.

In short, if you’re looking for a reliabe, cheap web hosting company with excellent customer service, in my opinion, you can’t do better than HostGator.

Yuwanda

The Book that Could Open Doors: 5 Reasons Writing a Book Can Bring You Freelance Writing Success

May 17, 2011

The following is a guest post by Aaron Goldfarb of AaronGoldfarb.com.

I could have been lame and started this piece with a knock-knock joke. Something like:

-Knock-knock.

-Who’s there?

-A book I wrote.

-A book you wrote?

Well come on in! Write something for us!

It’s amazing how many freelance doors you can open and how easily too when you have a book.

For the bulk of the last decade I was a marginally successful freelance writer. I hustled and every so often would get pieces published, usually online, but usually for free. (Free freelancing is an oxymoron I suppose.) I rarely got my cold calls to publications answered. Projects certainly would never be offered and long-term partnerships never formed. It was disheartening.

How the Frustration of Building a Freelance Writing Career Led to Being a Published Author

Disillusioned with my unfruitful attempts at freelancing, I decided to take a stab at a book in 2008. That book would eventually become my satirical novel How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide the world’s first self-hurt guide, the opposite of a self-help guide, my comedic yet deeply personal thoughts on life, love, family, friends, work and ultimately, what it means to be a success in America.

Now everyone answers my cold calls!

And cold e-mails, cold letters, cold whatevers. People are actually excited to talk to me. To do things with me! To have Aaron Goldfarb write something for them! And, for pay no less! Often, quite a bit of pay.

It’s not like my writing got any better from those pre-book days. I’m still writing the same off-beat, slightly subversive, comedic things I’ve always written. Nor is it like How to Fail was a massive best seller. Or, an anointed critic’s darling. I doubt you’d even heard of it before today. It was an indie release from a non-ballyhooed publisher that sold very well, I suppose, considering the obstacles an indie book has to overcome. But, it certainly never burned up any bestseller lists and has never been reviewed by any famous critics.

How Writing a Book Brought Me Freelance Writing Success

So why did How to Fail open freelance doors in a way I’d never been able to do previously in my professional life?

5 Reasons Writing a Book Works!

I suppose it’s simply that I have a tangible work in my possession. Twelve ounces of 372 pages slapped between two covers, my name on the front, my picture on the back.

(i) It’s really the ultimate business card (reason #1);

(ii) The ultimate resume; (reason #2);

(iii) The ultimate writing “sample” (reason #3);

(iv) And, the ultimate personal “acolyte” sent out into the world to spread my ideas, talent, and name; (reason #4); and

(v) It offers me a certain kind of “authority” in a way I could never offer before. It makes people want to at least talk to me (reason #5).

Do You Have an Unfinished Book Somewhere (In Your Head; On Your Hard Drive)?

Everyone seems to have an unfinished manuscript in their desk drawer or on their hard-drive, but few people put in the effort to get the book finished and actually out there. This is silly. Getting your work out there is a must and so much easier than you think.

It likewise makes it so much easier for people you want to do freelance writing for to assess you and hire you. They need only thumb through these 372 pages to understand you, need only hand someone these 372 pages to recommend you.

Why Who Publishes Your Book Doesn’t Matter: You Can Still Land Freelance Writing Jobs Just by Writing One

It doesn’t even matter who publishes your book. Large or small publishing house. Respected or ill-reputed. Or even if it’s self-published. Or merely an ebook.

Even those people that truly know the publishing game don’t really care who published your book. It’s so easy to open doors by simply mentioning, “Hey, man, I have a book.”

Publishing a Book (of Any Kind, eg, an Ebook) Makes You “ Worth” Talking To

Stupidly or not, you’re immediately given a certain cache, a certain authority on the subjects you write about. (In my case: comedy, satire, novels, writing, self-help, living unconventionally, marketing, high concept ideas, drinking, sex, and so many more.)

People now want to talk to me. I’ve made myself a professional worth talking to. All because I synthesized my ideas into 372 pages you can buy on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble.

I highly suggest you do likewise. It will make it so much easier for you to open those freelance doors you’ve never been able to open.

Of course, now you’ll have to figure out what doors you actually want to open.

About the Author: Aaron Goldfarb lives in New York and writes whatever people will pay him to write. How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide is his first novel. He has written freelance pieces for countless publications since his book was published. He blogs at aarongoldfarb.com/blog.

FYI, Inkwell Editorial’s Latest Ebook Is Available: It’s How to Know When You’re Ready to Quit Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: 6 Signs It’s Time and How to Go About It.

how-to-write-an-ebook-sm P.S.: Ready to Write a Book? FINALLY get that ebook you’ve been wanting to write done in Inkwell Editorial’s “How to Write an Ebook in 3 Days Market It & Start Getting Sales within a Week” Ebook Writing & Publishing Tournament.

Find this information informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

How to Know When You’re Ready to Quit Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: 6 Signs It’s Time and How to Go About It

May 12, 2011

Only $14.97.

inkwell-editorial-ebooks-for-kindle Click to get the Kindle edition of this ebook.

INTRODUCTION

Many of my ebook ideas come from visitors to InkwellEditorial.com, my freelance writing website. This one is no different. I like to tell readers why I write a particular title, so they can gain further insight and relate better to the material. Following is how this ebook came to fruition. But first, an unsolicited testimonial . . .

TESTIMONIAL

I just got to the e-book Yuwanda! Thank you so much. I already recognize myself in Part I. I’m looking forward to this!

(Same reader emailed again after reading more, saying . . . )

Hello Yuwanda!

I wanted to say Thank You again for this e-book! It has strengthened my resolve and especially in that you say- freelancing is not rocket science. Don’t over think it. I tend to be a risk taker and would have no troubles jumping right in but I am married to a non-risk taker. Which is a good balance mostly. My problem is that my FT job leaves me little energy to do much else. But, I must and will get over that. Additionally, you have given me encouragement about the articles not having to be published. I just need to write them … oh, I feel like a complainer and not a doer on too many days. Today is the best day to start.

Thanks for your encouragement. I look forward to learning so much more from you!
###

How the Idea for This Ebook Came About

One spring Sunday morning, I was sitting at my computer doing some research for a blog post. I don’t usually send out newsletters on Sundays but as I was conducting my research, the idea for an article came to me. I ran with it, and sent out the following newsletter, which can be found online at http://bit.ly/jt6QRa.

Sunday Musings

I’ve been a freelance writer since 1993. I’ve been out of the “traditional workforce” for so long that I don’t even know what the current styles are in workplace fashion these days.

When I used to work full-time, I lived for Fridays and hated Sundays because it meant the dawn of another work week.

I enjoyed some of the jobs I had and made some great friends I still have to this day. FYI, for me, this was the best part about working in corporate America.

What I’ve hated about most of my jobs is that they ran my life. Let me explain.

Smart, Efficient Workers Suffer the Most on FT Jobs

I tend to be a pretty quick learner and a hard worker. I excelled on almost every job I had. So when I’d finish a project before deadline, for example, I’d wonder, why do I have to come to the office?

I finished the project, the other one is not going to hit my desk for another two weeks, so why can’t I just take that time off and do what I want?

Face Time: The Bane of My Existence as a FT Employee

But no, you gotta show “face time” at the office. Many times when I worked for the legal publishing firm in New York for example, I’d be sitting at my desk with literally NOTHING to do for a week or two at a time. But, BECAUSE I was a full-time employee, if I didn’t show up, I didn’t get paid. And this is why I knew that working for someone else was never going to work for me.

Hating Sundays: Ditching the Cubicle Life

And this is why I hated Sundays. I wanted to go to Florida with my boyfriend for the weekend, or visit my girlfriend in Charleston for a few days, or just chill out at home and watch Law & Order reruns until my eyeballs fell out.

This is why I could never go back to working full-time. While I put in many more hours as a freelancer than I ever did as a FT employee, I get to decide the where and when’s of my life.

I don’t ask someone when I want to go on vacation (I can’t imagine waiting to get permission to go on 2, 3 or 4 weeks of vacation a year — when you think about it, it’s almost cruel);

I don’t worry about using up all my sick days and not getting paid;

I don’t stress if I don’t feel like starting to work until noon (I’m not a morning person at all).

When’s the Best Time to Start a Freelance Writing Career?

If any of this has resonated with you and you’re serious about starting a freelance writing career, NOW is always the best time. Why?

Because NOW is always the best time to start living the life you want — plain and simple.

That very same afternoon, I received the following email from a subscriber. She wrote:

Yuwanda,

I so resonate with this article! My business is in the start-up phase, which will entail doing lots of article marketing, and it’s my goal to leave cubicle nation in a few years.

Would it be reasonable for you to write an article about the steps it takes to prepare to leave cubicle nation, and how to know when you’re ready to go solo full-time? (emphasis added)

One concern I have is getting adequate health insurance. I’m 40-years-old, unmarried and have no children. Could you shed some light on this? Thanks so much.

K-

After receiving K’s email, I thought, “What a great idea for an ebook.”

As I’d been through this myself (years ago), the Table of Contents formed itself in my head almost immediately.

As an aside, all of my ebooks on freelance writing, internet marketing and general small business issues are written from first-hand experience. You can find the entire library here on InkwellEditorial.com (click on “Shop” from the navigation bar that’s on every page).

Following is the Complete Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Page 3

INTRODUCTION: Page 9

PREFACE: Page 12

Vacillating between a Job and Freelancing: My Story: Page 12

My Professional History: A Brief Overview: Page 12

Why I Took a Full-time Job Even Though I Had a Thriving Freelance Writing Career: Page 12

Downsized Out of a Job: “Full-time Entrepreneurship Forever” Ushered In: Page 13

Hard Work and Perseverance Pays Off: Page 13

PART I: 6 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job and Embrace Freelancing Fulltime: Page 14

Sign #1 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 14

Leaving a Job She Truly Hated – Even When She Was the Main Breadwinner of Her Family: Page 15

Are You So Unhappy that You’re Physically Manifesting Symptoms? Page 15

Sign #2 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 16

No Way Out: Page 16

Sign #3 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 17

Signs Your Freelance Job IS Your Primary Job but You Just Haven’t Recognized It Yet: Page 18

Embarrassing / Frustrating Situations Caused by Being a Busy Freelancer: Page 18

Sign #4 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 19

Why You Shouldn’t Count a Client as a “Steady Client” Until They’ve Been with You for at Least Six Months: Page 19

3 Ways to Land Steady Freelance Writing Clients So You Can Leave Your Job That Much Sooner: Page 20

Freelance Writers: Why Your Skill is Worth Thousands of Dollars & How to Capitalize On It: Page 20

Freelance Writers: Tips for Packaging Services to Make Clients Want to “Buy Now”: Page 20

How to Effectively Offer Discounts to Gain Steady Clients: Page 22

Sign #5 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 23

Your Freelance Office: What You Need to be Fully Operational: Page 23

Why I Recommend Twitter for Freelance Writers As Opposed to Facebook (and Other Social Media Sites): Page 24

Why You Shouldn’t Spend a Lot of Time on Social Media Initially: Page 25

Why I Advise Freelancers Not to Ever “Officially” Register Their Freelance Writing Business: Page 25

Sign #6 It’s Time to Leave Your Job to Freelance Fulltime: Page 29

Money’s Tight, Bills Are Due, What I Did: How I Got Through Lean Times as a Freelance Writer: Page 29

About Freelance Writing Rates and How I Set Mine: Page 31

How to Determine How Much Money You’ll Need When You First Start to Freelance Fulltime: 5 Steps: Page 31

What are “Emotional Savings” & Why They’re Important to Making the Leap to Freelancing Fulltime: Page 34

Why Growing Up Poor Can be One of Your Greatest Assets as a Full-time Freelance Writer: Page 35

PART II: How to Make the Leap without a Stash of Cash: Page 36

Get Set Up: Page 36

How to Start a Freelance Writing Career in One Day for $0: Page 36

3 Steps to Take to Start Your Freelance Writing Career — TODAY: Page 36

PART III: What to Do Before You Quit Your FT Job — 5 Things Page 40

The Freelance Health Insurance Conundrum: Several Ways to Get It: Page 41

What is COBRA? Page 41

Other Ways to Get Health Insurance When You Freelance Fulltime: Page 41

2 Freelance Organizations To Consult to Find Less Expensive Health Insurance: Page 42

Get More Information on Health Insurance for Freelancers: Page 43

Why You Need Life Insurance – Even if You’re Single with No Children: Page 43

Disability Insurance: Page 43

11 Questions to Ask (and Get Answers To) before You Purchase Disability Insurance: Page 44

PART IV: What to Do After You Quit Your Job: The First Week & Beyond — 5 Things Page 45

3 Reasons to Track Your Earnings: Page 47

Why Tracking Your Income is Important to Achieving Success as a Full-time Freelancer: Page 48

PART V: The 4 Keys to Achieving Success as a Full-time Freelancer: Page 49

Conclusion: My Brain Dump Is Complete: Page 52

VISIT ME ONLINE: Page 52

Interact With Me via Social Media about the Info You Read Here: Page 52

ENDMATTER: Page 53

Only $14.97. Get your copy today!

Tips on Blogging for Freelance Writers: 33 Traffic-Generating Things I’ve Learned Since I Started Blogging in 2005 That Allow Me to Make My Living Completely Online

May 10, 2011

I started blogging on February 18, 2005. It was on blogspot, and my first post was entitled, Do You Make More Money as an Editorial Freelancer When You Specialize? Oh my, the lessons I’ve learned since then. If I knew even half of what I know now, I would probably be earning three times what I earn now from blogging. But, it’s all good.

33 Traffic-Generating Blogging Tips for Freelance Writers (and Anyone Else Who Wants to Succeed at Blogging)

Following are 33 things I’ve learned since I started blogging over six years ago. Whether you’re new to blogging or are more experienced but still aren’t where you want to be, the following blogging tips will help you get more traffic (which leads to more leads and sales).

1. Get a professionally designed blog using up-to-date web design technology.

For years, this site (my blog) was designed using FrontPage, a now-obselete software. Today, the online blogging software of choice is WordPress. In three years, who knows what it could be. The bottom line is, you need to stay abreast of technology and move with it.

2. Get your own domain name; don’t blog on free domains like Blogger and WordPress.

Why? As I recount in the post, 7 Things You Must Know Before Moving Your Blog, you could one day log on to find all of your content – and your hard work – gone. This creates a slew of actions you have to take – most of the time consuming, and some of them expensive.

If you continue to blog on free platforms, you run the risk of being suckered out of a helluva lot of time and/or money. Just trust me and register your own domain name and have it hosted independently with your own host company. You’ll be so happy you did.

3. Blog on a schedule.

Much like brick-and-mortar businesses have regular business hours, your blog is an online business. Hence, keeping “regular business hours” (ie, blogging on a schedule) will help build readership/a blog audience faster.

4. Gather subscribers.

To do this, sign up with a newsletter distributor like AWeber. One reason you want to do this is you rely less on traffic from sources you can’t control (eg, search engines) to traffic you can control, ie, those who’ve freely given you their information and WANT you to contact them.

I learned how valuable a lesson this could be when I was falsely accused of copyright infringement and had my sites taken offline for almost two weeks. As I make my living completely online, I was able to get notices out to my subscribers about how to contact me, how to continue to purchase Inkwell’s products and much more.

I would have been royally screwed if I didn’t have this “backup measure of traffic generation” in place.

5. Create original content.

I used to post my content on places like AssociatedContent and EzineArticles. I stopped doing this a while ago. And boy am I glad I did. In light of Google’s recent algorithm search change (ie, the Google Panda Update), all content on your blog/website should be original (and in depth, and useful and a whole bunch of other stuff).

Learn more about SEO writing guidelines according to Google in the Web Pro News article subtitled, 23 questions to ask yourself about your content quality.

6. Create more in-depth posts.

Short, regurgitated articles won’t cut it anymore. As stated in tomorrow’s blog post (5/11/2011) on SeoWritingJobs.com entitled, SEO Copywriting Tips: 23 Questions Google Says SEO Copywriters Should Keep in Mind When Creating Content:

While length is not the sole indicator of quality content, it is one – one that Google is paying attention to. In fact, some blogs/websites require short posts by the very nature of their subject matter (eg, a blog that posts stock updates) . . .

BUT, in general, it is hard to give “helpful specific” in 50 or 100 words. This is why some internet marketing experts state that blog posts should be at least 400 words, with 500 or more becoming more the norm for many.

If you comb through this site, you’ll see that many of the posts run to 1,000 words or more. A rule of thumb to follow is solve a problem for the reader; don’t just rewrite stuff that can be found on a zillion other sites on the web.

7. Quantify what you say in your blog posts by citing noted industry sources.

One of the SEO writing guidelines outlined in the Web Pro News post cited in #5 here goes to the heart of this. It states, “Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research (emphasis added), or original analysis?

Don’t just state something – back it up with quantifiable research. This gives readers value because they don’t have to just take your word for it. They can dig deeper if they choose to.

8. Monetize where you can – but don’t overdo it.

Readers are accustomed to being advertised to on the web. But, they don’t take too kindly to having the ads shoved down their throats. Your ads should not distract the reader from what they came to your blog for – to get information.

Always remember this.

9. Realize that blogging is part of your job as a freelance writer.

I had an epiphany a couple of weeks ago – and I’m embarrassed to admit that it just occurred to me because I’ve been blogging since 2005. What was it? Quite simply that blogging is an important part of my job. Why was this such a realization for me?

Because for the longest time, I thought of blogging as something “I’ll get to if I have time.” But, particularly as I’m a product producer (ebooks/seminars/workshops) and promoter (affiliate marketing) – the dispensing of information is a critical part of the internet marketing sales cycle for me.

In fact, one could argue that web marketing begins and ends with content creation. And when I say content, I don’t just mean the written word; I mean video marketing, podcasts, newsletters, special reports, etc.

And I see it in my sales – if I don’t constantly create useful content, my sales reflect it.

So as a freelance writer, when you sit down to blog, don’t think of it as a side activity. Think of it as giving current and future customers the information they need to make critical decisions about your product/service.

10. Don’t be afraid to go “off topic.”

What I mean by this is, yeah, you may be a freelance writer and your blog may talk about freelance writing, but, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about other stuff sometimes.

It keeps life (and your blog) interesting. It gives current and future clients more insight into the person behind the blog. And you just never know, one of those quirky posts that have nothing to do with freelance writing can be just the thing that lands you a new client/customer.

Note: Be careful not to go off topic too often. Keep the primary goal/niche/target market of your blog front and center.

11. Put YOU in your posts.

What I mean by this is, give a tone to your blog. I touch on this in a guest post I did for Copyblogger entitled, 3 Things to Consider When Deciding How Long Your Blog Posts Should Be, writing:

Bloggers usually blog for a while before they think about an intangibles like setting a tone for their blog. However, if you’re serious about making money from blogging, then you are going to have to eventually turn your attention to this.

Tone is important to how long your blog posts will be because they determine how you talk to your audience, not just what you talk about.

More important than this when it comes to tone though may be more aptly referred to as “setting a tone” for your blog. I tend to write like I talk and also from personal experience. This makes my posts wordy, usually no nonsense, sometimes quirky and sometimes with a potty mouth.

See what I mean?

12. Don’t strive for perfection.

If you’re pumping out blog posts on a regular basis – AND writing for clients AND perhaps writing and self-publishing your own ebooks AND responding to comments AND engaging in social media (see what I’m getting at here) – you’re going to have errors.

I ran across a post ([Why] Writing Without Typos is Totally Outdated) on the uber popular blog BrazenCareerist.com by Penelope Trunk that put it best. She wrote:

Will everyone please shut up about the typos on blogs? Show me someone who is blogging every day and also complains about someone’s typos. Just try. See? You can’t. Because anyone who is trying to come up with fresh ideas, and convey them in an intelligent, organized way, on a daily basis, has way too many things on their plate to complain about other peoples’ typos.

Some people take pleasure in pointing out the mistakes of others; it happens to me a lot. So when I read the post by Penelope, I thought, “Thank goodness someone said this.”

I mean really, if you’re writing 3,000 to 10,000 words a day (which I do on a regular basis), you’re bound to make mistakes. Every blog post is not going to be perfect, so don’t kill yourself trying to make them so.

13. Ignore the “rules of blogging” – there are no set ones anyway.

If you’re a freelance writer, you’re already somewhat of a rebel because you’re defying the “traditional” routes of employment. Don’t be afraid to continue that “life theme” when blogging. When you blog, YOU set the rules.

‘Nuff said.

14. Read the blogs of other freelance writers – especially those you tend to disagree with.

Again, it keeps life interesting and is great fodder for inspiring posts for your own blog – eg, I respectfully disagree with what [insert blogger name] said because of the of the following.

Some great blogs to start with (and you’ll probably agree with almost everything they have to say) are GetPaidtoWriteOnline.com, CopyBlogger.com, FreelanceWritingGigs.com and FreelanceSwitch.com.

15. Keep an idea file – you never know when you’ll be hit by a brilliant idea for a post.

Ideally a tape recorder you carry with you everywhere; keep it by your bed at night, in your purse during the day; and/or in your car at all times.

16. Write down ideas for blog posts as soon as you can.

Piggybacking on #15, I don’t care how much you tell yourself you’re going to remember, you just won’t – especially if you’re over 35 (sorry my generation; you know it’s true).

*************************************

17. Don’t be afraid to take a break; but let your readers know why and for how long.

Sometimes, life dictates that you be away from your blog – birth of a child, honeymoon, vacation, etc. It’s okay. Your readers don’t mind. But, respect them enough to let them know you’re going to be away for a while.

This is particularly important if you take the suggestion in #3, which is to blog on a schedule. Even if you don’t want to give a formal explanation, just let them know you won’t be posting for a while and an approximate date of when you will start posting again.

Just because blogging is a new medium doesn’t mean you shouldn’t employ old-school manners, no?

18. Link to other quality blogs as often as possible.

This can not only help your search engine rankings, it’s just good blogging technique. The reason is, you can’t possibly cover every scenario/topic/nuance of your niche – I don’t care how qualified you are, how great your team is and/or how popular your blog is.

Practically no topic under the sun is new; hence, there’s going to be some blog post by some other blogger in your niche who can add value to a post you create – if you have the foresight to link to it.

19. Use social media to promote your posts – it’s no longer an option y’all.

It took me forever to get into the swing of social media. I was blogging three years before I opened a social media account (Twitter). Now, I can’t imagine NOT engaging in this medium.

Like quality content creation, social media is a vital part of blogging. And it all boils down to content distribution, as in, it’s another way to distribute your blog’s content – and it’s free, quick and easy. For example, I have over 3,000 followers on Twitter.

Would you miss a chance to have 3,000 or more prospects be exposed to your blog if it took you less than 10 seconds to reach out to them? Of course not.

Well, this is how easy interacting on social media is. Of course, it’s a bit more involved on an ongoing basis, but this is how easy it is to get the word out about a new post when you engage in social media.

20. Know your audience.

The first rule of knowing your audience is that your audience is not “everyone.” Decide who you’re talking to before you begin your blog (if you’re starting a new blog); it’ll make it that much easier to write content.

A Note about Your Target Audience: If you’ve already started your blog and can’t answer right off the top of your head who your target audience is, then it’s time to put some thought into it and start crafting content that speaks to this base. Otherwise, your content is likely scattered, which means it’s probably not getting read a lot (and you’re not generating leads and making sales — or at least not as much as you could).

Let me give you an example from personal experience.

When I first started my minisite, ForeclosureBusinessNews.com, it was just to promote an affiliate line of products. But when I decided to expand the content beyond this product line, I had a hard time figuring out who to talk to, eg who the blog’s audience was going to be beyond foreclosure cleaning business owners.

Then one day a slogan hit me, “Foreclosure News the Average Joe Can Use!” THIS was my target audience – homeowners who were going through or facing foreclosure. Once I honed in on exactly who I was talking to, it was easy to figure out what to say.

21. Solicit guest posts.

It’ll cut down on the writing you have to do, and give your blog some much-needed variety.

FYI, this site accepts guest posts. I look forward to reading yours.

22. Don’t be afraid to turn down guest blog posts if they’re not up to par or are off topic.

Following up on the last point, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been approached by those who want to submit a guest post that has nothing to do with freelance writing. This is especially true since the recent Google algorithm change, which has forced webmasters to focus on creating unique, quality content like never before.

It’s like writers have come out of the woodworks offering to “write for free;” all they want is a link back to their site to be included. And of course, this is fine. But I’m always wary when I get one of these “form letter” requests to write for free for my site. Why?

In the last two months or so, I’ve turned down way more guests posts than I’ve accepted because the quality of writing is poor and they are so off-topic that I wonder if they even read Inkwell Editorial’s guest post submission guidelines – which are pretty straightforward.

One of the Best Guest Post Submission Tips I’ve Ever Run Across

Submit your best stuff; don’t hold on to it for your blog. As James from MenwithPens.ca explains in Guest Posting: Finding the Motivation to Write:

It isn’t as much fun to write guest posts. It creates pressure. It can be a chore. Many writers feel they shouldn’t give away something that good, either – a truly great post should benefit their blog, not someone else’s. . . . [but] Aim for that fulfilling moment that occurs when you sit back, look at your work and realize, “Wow. This is good. Damned good.” That’s your guest post. [emphasis added] Give that work away.

23. Keep reader interests front and center.

If you know your audience – and keep their needs front and center – it’ll be easy to discern what and what not to publish.

When I publish content on Inkwell Editorial, it’s my (and my site’s) reputation on the line. My readers have entrusted me to keep their best interests at heart. So if the content can’t help them and/or is not relevant to their lives, then it doesn’t get published – period.

It’s also why the site doesn’t accept just any type of ad and won’t just publish just anything submitted by a guest blogger, no matter how well written it is.

24. Don’t be afraid to blog about your failures.

As I say in our guest blogging guidelines, your failures are usually a heck of a lot more interesting than your successes; for, they allow readers to learn from your mistakes. They also “humanize” you and make you more approachable – one of the first steps to building a community on your blog.

25. Ask for reader feedback when you blog.

Just in the last month or so, I’ve started to get more comments on my posts. And, you know what — it’s exciting! As Marcus Sheridan from the TheSalesLion.com says (his posts receive tons of comments) in the comments section of his post, 10 Ways to Get Tons of Massive Comments on Your Blog Every Time:

Don’t See Comments as a One-Way Street: Many bloggers see comments as a simple exclamation point, confirming their article’s greatness. This makes no sense to me at all. Personally, I don’t think the ‘learning’, in most cases, starts until the comment section. The comment section is the place where the community converges and a synergy of diverse thought mixes.

26. Recycle old blog posts.

Don’t be afraid to go back and tweak old blog posts. As I talk about in a post I wrote for BloggingTips.com entitled, Blogging: How to Get New Life Out of Old Posts, it’s a great way to save time while breathing new life into old content.

Some reasons to recycle old blog posts:

Update them with new information, eg, software updates, recent legislation; ideas that no longer work;

A change of heart you had about something (don’t ever be afraid to say you changed your mind, but be prepared to explain why);

Put a different slant on them because of something another blogger said;

Etc.

This not only revives old blog posts, it’s good from an SEO perspective as well because it encourages deep linking (eg, intrasite linking) on your site.

Learn more about how to recycle blog posts effectively.

27. Write guest posts for other blogs.

Refocusing on guest posting, this is one of the easiest, free ways to grow your own blog’s traffic. I’ve been fortunate to be featured on some high-traffic blogs in my niche, eg, Copyblogger, FreelanceSwitch and FreelanceWritingGigs to name a few.

This lends credibility to my blog, and also brings new readers.

28. Have seamless site navigation.

When I had my blog redesigned a few years ago, one of the first things I did was create site categories. This makes it easy for visitors to find info.

See more on this in Blogging Tip #30.

29. Always have a miscellaneous category.

I don’t care how hard you try to make all of your blog posts fit into pre-defined categories, there’s always going to be a few that don’t, especially if you follow the advice dispenses in #10 here, which is don’t be afraid to go off topic.

So, when doing your site navigation chart and creating your content strategy, remember “Miscellaneous” is just a synonym for living – fitting in the stuff that happens that makes life . . . well . . . life.

29. Keep your site categories up to date with fresh content.

One of the reasons I wrote this blog post is because I clicked on the “Blogging” category of InkwellEditorial.com and realized that I hadn’t written anything on this topic in a long time. I’m embarrassed by it, but hey, it happens.

But when I did my site categories, I obviously created this category because it was a topic I know my readers want to know about. Note: If I thought it was no longer relevant I might have posted a notice saying I wouldn’t be creating posts for this category any longer.

But, blogging is a huge topic of conversation in freelance writing, my niche. So I said to myself, “Tsk, tsk young lady – time to sit your bootie down and create a post for the blogging category.”

Hence, this monster post. Hope I’ve made up for the neglect to some degree.

30. Have a blog content creation strategy.

FYI, many web design experts state that if a visitor has to click more than twice to find info they’re looking for, then the site is considered to have poor design. I know site design/navigation is one factor search engines like Google use to rank a site.

So, it pays to pay attention to this. And really, when you think about it, it makes sense because it goes to foundation of your business (ie, the niche you’re in, knowing your audience, what content appeals to them, what to write about, etc.).

I submitted a “site plan” to my web designer when I had my site redone, and figuring out the categories was one of the most tedious parts of the process for me. But, it forced me to focus on what I should be writing about, why, why my audience needs/wants to know about it, etc.

In short, it’s a critical part of your blog’s content creation strategy.

31. Create timeless content.

As in, evergreen content. This will drive traffic for years to come. An example of this is the post entitled, The Work-Flow Cycle of the Editorial Industry. At the end of the post, you’ll see that the post was first published in 2001; it was republished in 2009.

It’s still relevant today, a full 10 years later.

32. Create time-sensitive content.

While this may seem to contradict the above, it doesn’t. An informative, in-depth blog will have both types of content. Life is not one or the other. And, blogs are a reflection of life – no matter what your niche is. Hence, your blog’s content should reflect this.

33. Learn at least the basics of search engine optimization (SEO).

This will help you not only land more clients as a freelance writer (as many companies are pouring more money into web marketing and seek to hire SEO content writers), it will help you get more traffic to your blog.

SEO involves knowing about concepts like keyword research, anchor text, web content strategy, etc. If you don’t know SEO, it’s like blogging in a vacuum. You may be putting out great content, but if the search engines can’t find and categorize it, you’ll find it harder to rank in search engines.

Note: SEO is only a part of getting blog traffic. It’s not the be all and end all. In fact, some successful bloggers don’t care for SEO (and SEO “experts”) in particular. But if you’re starting a new blog (or a newbie to online marketing), learning the basics of SEO is critically important – in my opinion.

Blogging Tips: What Have You Learned?

When I came up with the idea for this post, it was 7 tips. Then, I kept adding to it as ideas popped in my head. I know there are tons more, but I figured I’ve gabbed enough.

Which tips on blogging did I NOT mention that you’ve learned? Share them in the comments section below.

P.S.: Want to write and sell ebooks online for a living? You can! Get the guide that shows you how to start a successful self-publishing career — start immediately.

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Freelance and Creative Writing Ideas: How to Discover Fresh, Insightful Topics on Which to Write

May 9, 2011

The following is a guest post by Margaret Keely.

The simple truth is, most topics on the web are no longer original; many articles are simply rehashed versions of already published works. So as a freelance writer, you need to be innovative and creative in order to produce ideas that are timely, practical, stimulating and useful.

This requires resourcefulness. Why? Because it’s not only a question of coming up with a writing idea, but it’s also a matter of crafting topics that will be useful and interesting to readers.

You don’t have to limit yourself to rehashed topics. There are a veritable wealth of freelance and creative writing ideas – if you know where and how to look.

How an Angry Professor Taught Me to Write Anything about Anything —Literally . . . Anything

I had this professor in creative writing in college who left an indelible impression on me. One time he got so frustrated with what students submitted that he challenged us to write an on-the-spot essay.

The topic?

Well, he threw a piece of chalk to the farthest end of the classroom and said:

Write a kick-ass essay on that!

We were all dumbfounded.

Years later, in my future job as a freelance writer, I would realize my professor was right. A good writer can write anything about anything and can actually develop a worthwhile-reading article — even about chalk thrown across a room.

The “Chalk Thrown across the Room Lesson”

The lesson I learned from this is that as a freelance writer, you need to be observant and imaginative. Even a dry leaf lying on the pavement can be green and fresh again if you know how to apply words that will make it so.

Freelance and Creative Writing Prompts: The Benefits of Joining & Participating in Writing Forums

Some of the best writing ideas can be found through sharing with fellow writers.

Surf the net for writing sites (especially those that have forums). Read some articles and chime in; leave comments and join the threads. By exchanging views with others, you can gather a lot of fresh topics on any subject under the sun (because no idea under the sun is new, you know).

More Freelance and Creative Writing Prompts: The Benefits of Reading Daily News Feeds, Blogs & Other Sites on the Web

“Reading makes a full man,” so said Francis Bacon, a famous English author.

By reading, you enrich your mind with knowledge and ideas and concepts on the events that take place everyday. It also develops your skill in forming opinions and becoming a critical thinker.

Why Opinion Matters Every Bit as Much as Fact

Opinions are good sources of writing ideas too, although (in my opinion) you need to be prudent at times so as not to be too opinionated. Articles that delve into ideas many perceive as too critical may elicit negative responses from readers.

Don’t be Afraid to Argue, Fuss and Fight!

Of course, argumentative writing is a healthy manner of expressing oneself. Remember, however, that a freelance writer — especially for certain websites — is most of the time hired to provide information, not dispute issues.

Freelance and Creative Writing Ideas: The Advantage of Generating a List of Ideas

You can’t come up with excellent writing ideas if you keep on running about. The best way to let the ideas flow is by dragging your feet to a corner and actually sitting down.

In short, “Bestill thyself.”

Then, write down topics that cross your mind. Don’t edit; let the topics flow freely. After finishing your list, sift through them until you arrive at a final list of outstanding themes.

This list can then then serve as your reference (a kind of “jumping off” point) each time you sit down to write.

About the Author: Margaret Keely handles nursing courses and is a writing guru who writes on wide ranging topics including convenient nursing education which is her foremost advocacy in life.

Have any Freelance and/or Creative Writing Tips You’d Like to Share?

Everyone has their own unique way of coming up with topics on which to write, especially if you blog a lot. How have you come up with some of your best ideas for topics? Please share them in the comments section below.

P.S.: Want to write and sell ebooks online for a living? You can! Get the guide that shows you how to start a successful self-publishing career – start immediately.

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