How to find freelance writing opportunities
At the outset, my apologies to all those following this course and those who have sent me gentle reminders. It’s all my fault. Mea culpa.
Since the last few weeks I’ve been stuck with a crazy, neurotic, 14-hours-a-day-at-my-computer daily schedule. And all because of some over-the top research-intensive assignments I’ve been working on lately.
But no more ridiculously long gaps from now onwards; that’s a promise.
OK. So you’ve been practising your craft like crazy. You’ve been squeezing in time for reading, and tried your hand at penning articles on topics that interest you the most. And now you need to know how to monetize those refined writing skills. So let me tell you how.
Find freelance writing opportunities in the print media
To find opportunities in the print media, visit your local library, big book stores or nearby newsstands. Check out the different newspapers and magazines and see which of them publish articles on the topics you’re keen on writing about.
Make a list of suitable local and major publications. And if some interesting article ideas strike you while browsing through the publications, note these down as well alongside their names.
After studying your prospective markets, the next step would be to send out query letters. (Learn about this in the next tutorial.)
Tap the internet for finding freelance writing jobs online
The internet is the gateway to endless entry markets for newbies. It’s teeming with e-zines, blogging sites, and websites – all hungry for fresh content. And guess who most of them turn to? Yes, freelancers.
An important point to remember: Online markets may pay less but they’re much easier to break into.
So, browse different websites and check out the type of articles they have accepted in the past. Bookmark the websites you intend to target.
You could also consider taking the job boards route to boost your earnings (and pad your portfolio). These are sites where clients looking for writers post their writing projects.
Just ‘google’ or ‘bing’ search words like “freelance writing jobs”, “freelance writing opportunities”, or, say, “freelance writing jobs India”. And bingo! You’ll have enough job boards to choose from. A few worth considering for freelance writing jobs online:
www.timesjobs.com/jobfunction/freelancing/Freelance+Writer
www.jobisjob.co.in/freelance+writer/jobs
www.worknhire.com/freelance_writer
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Being a freelancer means you could be working on a couple of assignments one week and then find absolutely nothing coming your way for the next two. No matter how versatile a writer you are, there will be times when your income stream will reduce to a trickle or maybe dry up altogether.
So in the early years it would be best to also diversify into other areas such as web content writing for different clients. You could set aside a few days each week for this kind of work even though the payment won’t be that great.
Finding such work is a breeze. Just do a ‘google’ or ‘bing’ search for “freelance content writing jobs” in the search box and… you get the picture.
On the lowest end of the scale are the “content mills” that expect you to re-write several 500 to 700-word articles for as little as $3 each. But such rewriting is super-easy and quick. Also, if you complete say 15-20 articles each week, it could add up to a tidy sum. Not jobs for honing your writing skills, but certainly a resource for easy money.
You might have heard of the ‘bid sites’ like ‘oDesk’ and ‘Elance’ where you have to bid for projects. The scenario here is like this. Clients looking for cheap labour find writers willing to work for peanuts. Tsk. So, you decide.
Then there are the revenue-sharing websites and those that pay you for writing articles on specific subjects.
Now here’s the good part about such content writing. You not only get writing experience, but the payment is upfront too. Unlike print magazines and newspapers that could take a couple of months to post your cheques, most of these sites make payments twice a month. While you won’t be exactly raking in the moolah, such work will earn you a decent extra income.
Content writing/re-writing: You only need to know basic English grammar for such writing. No byline. But this will put a few dollars more into your wallet.
A few sample sites:
www.wordplaycontent.com/freelance-content-writing-jobs
www.zyxware.com/articles/1602/part-time-full-time-job-openings-for-freelance-writers
Revenue-sharing websites: Here’s how it works. You choose from a list of topics to pen an article as per their guidelines. They’ll publish your article and place suitable google ads on your page. And then, whenever people reading your piece click on any of the ads, you earn a share (around 50% to 75%) of the google adsense revenue from these advertisements.
The key is to choose the right topics, and write lots of articles that are rich in quality and have great content.
Visit these sites to find out more:
www.rantrave.com (This site wants people to write articles that do just that – rant and rave! So one more plus point here for those who are itching to let off steam besides finding freelance writing opportunities.)
Article markets: You need to first research these sites to find which topics buyers seem to be hankering for.
Then write a content and quality-rich article and set your own price for it. You’re free to quote even $100!
Just remember, if you hook a buyer, around 30-35% of the revenue will go to the site. So you have to price your article accordingly. And secondly, most sites have stringent standards.
So, if you’re confident you have writing skills that can dazzle buyers, here’s your chance to demand top dollar for your work.
A link to one of the best article market places:
www.constant-content.com
Proactively promote yourself
To be a successful freelancer you have to zealously market yourself and your work. Wondering why? Consider this:
You’re at an art gallery. You’re trying to make sense of a painting that’s just a mad swirl of colours, when a lady with a Louis Vuitton handbag and a glittering Piaget wrist watch joins you. The lady smiles at you and says, “Hello. What do you do?” You say, “I’m a freelance writer.” And then she says, “Oh! That’s G-R-E-A-T! I urgently need a freelance writer for my international magazine.”
Think something like that can actually happen? Well, neither will freelance writing opportunities fall into your lap without any effort on your part.
So don’t shy away from self-promotion. You don’t have to do any shouting from the roof tops. Just use the free form of advertising – word of mouth. Pass the word around that you offer freelance writing services. Tell your friends, relatives, neighbours, your contacts on Facebook, the restaurants and companies in your neighbourhood, and even the cable guy. Seriously.
Letting it be known that you accept freelance writing work is akin to opening a new shop and hanging an “open for business” sign in the window. So just do it!
The bottom line? There is no dearth of freelance writing opportunities for those with the right skills and determination.
Psst: Just drop me a line at veenawrites16@gmail.com, and I’ll email you my FREE e-booklet titled: Free Online Resources for Writers. It’s a compilation of helpful online resources every writer needs, freebies I found by scouring the internet and which I have personally found to be very useful.
Bye for now… and if you’ve found this useful, don’t forget to ‘like’ this post and pass the word around to your friends who might be interested in finding freelance writing jobs.
Wonderful blog with very useful information and tips. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found it useful.
Wonderful post. Good work.
Thank you.
Dear Veena ji, You have provided a lot of guidance.
You have a large heart. I admire your willingness to help.
Thank you for appreciating the tutorials. Am just paying it forward, the benefit I got from the help and encouragement of others in the past, including my own father.
Detailed write up.
Thanks for mentioning Wordplay Content! We’re honoured! 😀
Just my way of paying it forwards by helping new writers find opportunities to monetise their writing skills. All the best to Wordplay Content!