So, I have been plugging along this last month, absorbing all the information I can find about freelance writing. I have written more articles for Textbroker, as well as some ListMyFive lists and one article for Yahoo Contributor Network. The latter pays a small up front fee for your article, but then you earn commissions based on page views.
The more I have written for Textbroker, the more I have wondered if I am on the wrong side of this article writing thing. If these people are willing to pay me for the articles I write, how much are they making off these same articles and how do I go about doing what they are doing?
I stumbled across an excellent resource for residual income affiliate marketing. This e-book is not free. I used the money I made writing for Textbroker to purchase the e-book. You can find the link and read more about it here
One Week Marketing
The e-book was well worth what I paid for it and I will keep you posted on my progress as learn more. Tonight I will spend reading through it all (there is quite a bit of information to absorb) and I plan to start the week tomorrow. According to the author of the book, potpiegirl, I should be making money with her program after the first week.
Stay tuned for daily updates this week on my progress.
Trina
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
One Month Update
Today has been 1 month since I signed up with Textbroker and began my "Freelancing Career". Here is the rundown so far. I have completed 11 articles and made just over $55. Okay, okay, I did tell you from the beginning this was not a get-rich-quick scheme. I am looking at it as a learning experience, and if I can make a little extra cash in the process, well, okay.
I have managed to keep my 4 star rating. I did score a 3 on one of the articles, and learned a valuable lesson about writing for overseas clients. Sometimes, your style of English and grammar is not pleasing to everyone out there. No matter how perfect the article turns out, if the client is not happy, you will not be happy. The 3 star rated articles is also the only article revision I have been requested to make.
Textbroker sees this predicament with the author/client relationship, and gave us some tools to help. You can blacklist any client you feel you no longer want to write for and that clients work will no longer show up for you to see. This is beneficial when you are searching through a sea of available work, only to stumble across a client you know you can't work with.
I have also watched a slow process in my residual site, List My Five. In one week, I have submitted 12 lists and made less than $0.15. Still, pennies are still adding up from my first list, so I imagine if I can stick with it and add to it every day, eventually I can make a little from this site. I'm not giving up just yet!
That about sums up my first 30 days. Check back for more updates.
I have managed to keep my 4 star rating. I did score a 3 on one of the articles, and learned a valuable lesson about writing for overseas clients. Sometimes, your style of English and grammar is not pleasing to everyone out there. No matter how perfect the article turns out, if the client is not happy, you will not be happy. The 3 star rated articles is also the only article revision I have been requested to make.
Textbroker sees this predicament with the author/client relationship, and gave us some tools to help. You can blacklist any client you feel you no longer want to write for and that clients work will no longer show up for you to see. This is beneficial when you are searching through a sea of available work, only to stumble across a client you know you can't work with.
I have also watched a slow process in my residual site, List My Five. In one week, I have submitted 12 lists and made less than $0.15. Still, pennies are still adding up from my first list, so I imagine if I can stick with it and add to it every day, eventually I can make a little from this site. I'm not giving up just yet!
That about sums up my first 30 days. Check back for more updates.
Monday, January 31, 2011
List My Five nets my first $.01
Yes, you read that title correctly. I have been listing with List My Five for only a week now. I was not seeing any profits in my earnings box. Then it happened. Yesterday afternoon I logged on just like every other day last week, and there it was. 1 penny in my earnings box. My first residual generated income.
Basically, with this company, you make a list of top 5. You decide what to write about. Then, based on the content of your list, ads are placed within your list. Whenever someone reads your list and clicks on an ad, your earn money from that. The idea here is to build your list so that, over time, more and more people will read your list and click on an ad.
My goal has been to add at least 1 list daily. I find that the first list of the day is always the hardest. After you complete one, however, the rest flow pretty easily. I should have no problem generating 365 lists in 2011. I will keep you updated on my earnings from this site!
Trina
Basically, with this company, you make a list of top 5. You decide what to write about. Then, based on the content of your list, ads are placed within your list. Whenever someone reads your list and clicks on an ad, your earn money from that. The idea here is to build your list so that, over time, more and more people will read your list and click on an ad.
My goal has been to add at least 1 list daily. I find that the first list of the day is always the hardest. After you complete one, however, the rest flow pretty easily. I should have no problem generating 365 lists in 2011. I will keep you updated on my earnings from this site!
Trina
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
List My Five
I have been doing some research into freelancing, and over and over again, I see the words "residual income". In addition to immediate payout sites, freelancers also depend on sites that allow you to build residual income, over time, from the articles you submit.
I have decided to look into a few of these sites. I found a fairly new site called List My Five. It appears to be fast and easy to submit on a daily basis. You simply create a list of top five......whatever you choose. Include a brief description of each item on your list. The company then pays you based on adsense clicks to your list. My goal is to add 1 new list daily, and we will see how it goes!
Here is the link to my first list The Top Five Reasons You May Qualify For A Patient Assistance Program.
Check back. More updates to come!
Trina
I have decided to look into a few of these sites. I found a fairly new site called List My Five. It appears to be fast and easy to submit on a daily basis. You simply create a list of top five......whatever you choose. Include a brief description of each item on your list. The company then pays you based on adsense clicks to your list. My goal is to add 1 new list daily, and we will see how it goes!
Here is the link to my first list The Top Five Reasons You May Qualify For A Patient Assistance Program.
Check back. More updates to come!
Trina
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Textbroker - Week 2
My second week with Textbroker, and I have already discovered that I do not have nearly as much time to devote to writing as what I would like. Both of my Direct Orders were accepted this week, bringing my earnings up another $14.
I submitted another Open Order, only to have it bounce back immediately for a revision. It seems that when you are stating facts in an article, you should be very careful to word those facts as your own. Even a small similarity will be picked up by Textbrokers program that checks for possible plagiarism. After reading through the sites blog and forum, I learned some ways to research and write without using similar phrases. I revised the article and re-submitted it. Within just a few hours, it was accepted by the client along with an excellent rating from them.
I also learned that your rating is determined by the average rating of your last 5 articles. Textbroker rated 3 of my 5 articles this week, and along with the rating, I received a brief description of why that rating was given. So, not only do they accept writers with no previous experience, they also offer you tips on how to improve your writing capabilities. I am loving this company more and more each day! My articles received two 4 ratings and a 3. Since my initial article that was submitted with my application was a 4, I am able to keep my 4 rating and continue to write articles in this pool.
Time was definitely an issue last week, as I work a 40 hour week full-time job. My daughter and grandson were both sick with a stomach virus today, so I have been taking care of the baby so she can get some much needed rest. My goal for next week is to submit at least 6 articles. The start of American Idol will make that a challenge as well!
This has been a learning experience for me, and if you are following along with me, I hope that I have been able to share enough to give you some insight.
Watch for updates throughout the week!
Trina
I submitted another Open Order, only to have it bounce back immediately for a revision. It seems that when you are stating facts in an article, you should be very careful to word those facts as your own. Even a small similarity will be picked up by Textbrokers program that checks for possible plagiarism. After reading through the sites blog and forum, I learned some ways to research and write without using similar phrases. I revised the article and re-submitted it. Within just a few hours, it was accepted by the client along with an excellent rating from them.
I also learned that your rating is determined by the average rating of your last 5 articles. Textbroker rated 3 of my 5 articles this week, and along with the rating, I received a brief description of why that rating was given. So, not only do they accept writers with no previous experience, they also offer you tips on how to improve your writing capabilities. I am loving this company more and more each day! My articles received two 4 ratings and a 3. Since my initial article that was submitted with my application was a 4, I am able to keep my 4 rating and continue to write articles in this pool.
Time was definitely an issue last week, as I work a 40 hour week full-time job. My daughter and grandson were both sick with a stomach virus today, so I have been taking care of the baby so she can get some much needed rest. My goal for next week is to submit at least 6 articles. The start of American Idol will make that a challenge as well!
This has been a learning experience for me, and if you are following along with me, I hope that I have been able to share enough to give you some insight.
Watch for updates throughout the week!
Trina
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Beginning my journey with Textbroker
After looking at several different writing sites, I decided to start with Textbroker. Authors can choose from a pool of articles to write, and if you decide an article is not working out for you, you have the option to just return it to the pool and choose another without being penalized. The pay there seems substantially less than the others, they pay per word, but they accept writers with absolutely no prior experience, (that would be me) and it seems like a good site to get my feet wet.
It costs nothing to join and the application process was simple and fast. I had to write a small sample article (150 words) on the spot as part of this process. They use this article to give you a rating. The rating determines which level of articles you can choose from in the pool. A 2 being the lowest rating and a 4 being the highest, the pay increases as your rating goes up. The rating is based on your writing style, content, grammar and punctuation. There is also a level 5 rating which is reserved for professional writers, and I am not yet sure how you get a 5.
They also have something called Direct Orders. This is when a client likes your work so well,they can request you to write for articles for them. In this case, you can set your own rate per word regardless of your rating at the time. Textbroker also rates each article you submit, so that your rating can change based on how well you continue to write. They can raise your level for good articles, or lower it for articles they do not feel were professional, even if they were accepted by the client!
My sample article scored me a level 4 rating, which surprised me tremendously! I immediately choose an article from the pool about a company that manufactures back braces. With a little research, I quickly had a 400 word article submitted for approval. The client has 3 days to either accept your article, reject it, or send it back for a revision. My article was accepted within a few hours and I had earned a hefty $3.86 for my efforts. From my reaction, you would have thought it was $386. I was impressed that someone had actually just paid me for my work!
I quickly started a new article for a cruise line, and by that afternoon, had submitted my second article for review. This company promptly sent my article back with instructions for a few revisions, which I made and resubmitted. By the end of the day, that article had been accepted, and I was paid another $4.63. I had now sold two articles and was very excited.
The next day, while at work at my regular job, I received an e-mail with 2 direct order requests from the client I had written the back brace article for. I considered this a great success! Only a few days into this article writing thing, and I already had someone willing to hire me to write for them!
Textbroker automatically sets your Direct Price account at 1.5 cents per word. Once someone sends you a Direct Order, they are locked in at whatever price was displayed at that time. I had not given my Direct Price much thought as I was just starting out and didn't really expect any Direct Orders for a while! This company is now locked in at that price, so my next goal is to figure out what my work is worth. I have no idea what to charge!
I have at this point submitted one of the two Direct Orders and am waiting to hear back from the client as to whether or not it is acceptable.
You can check out Textbroker's website here.
Check back for my next update.
Trina
It costs nothing to join and the application process was simple and fast. I had to write a small sample article (150 words) on the spot as part of this process. They use this article to give you a rating. The rating determines which level of articles you can choose from in the pool. A 2 being the lowest rating and a 4 being the highest, the pay increases as your rating goes up. The rating is based on your writing style, content, grammar and punctuation. There is also a level 5 rating which is reserved for professional writers, and I am not yet sure how you get a 5.
They also have something called Direct Orders. This is when a client likes your work so well,they can request you to write for articles for them. In this case, you can set your own rate per word regardless of your rating at the time. Textbroker also rates each article you submit, so that your rating can change based on how well you continue to write. They can raise your level for good articles, or lower it for articles they do not feel were professional, even if they were accepted by the client!
My sample article scored me a level 4 rating, which surprised me tremendously! I immediately choose an article from the pool about a company that manufactures back braces. With a little research, I quickly had a 400 word article submitted for approval. The client has 3 days to either accept your article, reject it, or send it back for a revision. My article was accepted within a few hours and I had earned a hefty $3.86 for my efforts. From my reaction, you would have thought it was $386. I was impressed that someone had actually just paid me for my work!
I quickly started a new article for a cruise line, and by that afternoon, had submitted my second article for review. This company promptly sent my article back with instructions for a few revisions, which I made and resubmitted. By the end of the day, that article had been accepted, and I was paid another $4.63. I had now sold two articles and was very excited.
The next day, while at work at my regular job, I received an e-mail with 2 direct order requests from the client I had written the back brace article for. I considered this a great success! Only a few days into this article writing thing, and I already had someone willing to hire me to write for them!
Textbroker automatically sets your Direct Price account at 1.5 cents per word. Once someone sends you a Direct Order, they are locked in at whatever price was displayed at that time. I had not given my Direct Price much thought as I was just starting out and didn't really expect any Direct Orders for a while! This company is now locked in at that price, so my next goal is to figure out what my work is worth. I have no idea what to charge!
I have at this point submitted one of the two Direct Orders and am waiting to hear back from the client as to whether or not it is acceptable.
You can check out Textbroker's website here.
Check back for my next update.
Trina
My Introduction to Freelance Writing
I have always loved to read. In school, I read whatever I could get my hands on. If no books or magazines were available, I read the back of boxes. Cereal boxes were my favorite. Because of my love of reading, I always excelled in English. It quickly became my favorite subject.
As the years went on, and I began having children, there was less and less time for reading for pleasure. I read to the kids. The Cat in the Hat became a favorite. However, there was very little time to devote to reading my favorite novel.
The kids are now growing up and moving off on their own. We still have three at home, but they no longer require my presence and assistance 24/7. Only my oldest shares my love of reading. He was reading on his own before he started school. But even he has trouble finding the time to read as much as he would like.
Most people who love to read, also have an interest in writing. They seem to go hand in hand. I have often dreamed of writing a novel and having it on a best sellers list. This dream never seemed attainable. There were never enough hours in the day, and besides, who would want to read what I had written anyway!
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog post which listed several different online companies that would pay you to write articles for them. My curiosity got the better of me and I began investigating. After reading review after review, I determined that these companies were legit and not just another internet scam.
I have decided try my hand at several of these companies with the hopes that one day, I can retire from my current job and make a decent living as a freelance writer. I am going to blog my progress so that others who may be interested in freelancing can watch my progress as well. I know going in, and others should keep in mind, that this is NOT at get-rich-quick scheme. I don't even intend to make alot of money at first. This is going to be a learning process for me. If you are joining me on my journey, welcome aboard. I look forward to us learning together!
Trina
As the years went on, and I began having children, there was less and less time for reading for pleasure. I read to the kids. The Cat in the Hat became a favorite. However, there was very little time to devote to reading my favorite novel.
The kids are now growing up and moving off on their own. We still have three at home, but they no longer require my presence and assistance 24/7. Only my oldest shares my love of reading. He was reading on his own before he started school. But even he has trouble finding the time to read as much as he would like.
Most people who love to read, also have an interest in writing. They seem to go hand in hand. I have often dreamed of writing a novel and having it on a best sellers list. This dream never seemed attainable. There were never enough hours in the day, and besides, who would want to read what I had written anyway!
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog post which listed several different online companies that would pay you to write articles for them. My curiosity got the better of me and I began investigating. After reading review after review, I determined that these companies were legit and not just another internet scam.
I have decided try my hand at several of these companies with the hopes that one day, I can retire from my current job and make a decent living as a freelance writer. I am going to blog my progress so that others who may be interested in freelancing can watch my progress as well. I know going in, and others should keep in mind, that this is NOT at get-rich-quick scheme. I don't even intend to make alot of money at first. This is going to be a learning process for me. If you are joining me on my journey, welcome aboard. I look forward to us learning together!
Trina
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