Home Business Idea - Freelance Writer
Thursday September 13, 2007
If you've always wanted to be a writer but thought you'd end up poor and starving, think again. Writing can be a part-teim or full-time business if you can write and find good paying outlets for your work. While becoming established as an independent writer is not especially easy, it may not be as hard as you might think, especially due to the demand for writers who can write Web content, search engine optimization (SEO) articles, pieces for use in article marketing and well-written posts that can be used for blog marketing and Web site promotion within social networks, like Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo and others.
The nature of the writing profession is such that it's great both as a home business idea and it offers a better than average work from home job opportunity. Whether you want to be your own boss, get the first-hand lowdown on being a freelance or work from home writer.
The nature of the writing profession is such that it's great both as a home business idea and it offers a better than average work from home job opportunity. Whether you want to be your own boss, get the first-hand lowdown on being a freelance or work from home writer.
Comments
You are recommending freelance writing as a great home biz in the atmosphere of Craigs–free ads run by people who never even heard of freelance writing 6 mos ago and who now try to convince writers their hard-won and self-supported skills are worth next to nothing? How can you recommend so-called SEO work, which pays about $5 for a so-called story?
In response to Star’s comment, it’s easy for me to recommend freelance writing as it’s part of what I’ve been doing successfully for the past several years.
While it’s true that there are people out there who expect freelance writers to work for peanuts, don’t take those jobs that pay a penny per word or nothing at all in hopes that “someday we’ll pay you”. Just because that’s all that some want to pay doesn’t mean you have to apply to or accept those offers.
Like any other ads on Craigs List, you need to be skeptical, but I’ve also picked up gigs from Craigs List that paid $45 per hour.
Guru is another potential outlet for freelance writers to showcase their work and bid on projects. It’s a very competitive marketplace with offshore freelancers providing articles for next to nothing, but there are still a few employers who are willing to pay decent amounts for quality.
As far as SEO copywriting goes, I know of some subcontrators who have no problem with charging $5 to $10 per articles. I know of one in particular who was able to quit her day job at those rates - she’s very fast and very good and in high demand. I’ve also been paid 5 to 10 times more than that per piece working as a subcontractor for search marketing firms and directly for small businesses, and I’ve seen other SEO copywriters who charge even more.
Like anything else, it’s how you go about it, how you sell yourself, how good you are and how good your services are. I’ve also had clients start me at a very low rate who have since increased their rates as they feel my work is worth the extra cost.
Randy D.