 Have you ever thought about starting a freelance writing career, and you don't know where to start? You have come to the right place!
Succeeding at freelance writing requires a combination of skill development, effective marketing, time management, and professionalism. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you succeed in the field:
Being a freelance writer is a hard, yet lucrative career. You will need to have a thick skin, and you will need to have the drive to write your pieces. If you do not put in the effort, you will not see any results. If you put in the effort, you will see the results.
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 Those of you embarking on a freelance writing career may run into many terms. One term that you may see more frequently than others is: "Evergreen."
Evergreen topics are subjects that don't change. They are topics that people are always (and will forever be) interested in. These Evergreen topics will always be trending and always searched for. Some examples of Evergreen topics include:
If you're looking to reach more viewers, try writing an article using an "Evergreen" topic.  Have you ever thought about becoming a blogger? Have you wondered if you could make a living as a blogger? You're not the only one! Many people who have considered becoming a blogger wondered if they could make any money as a blogger. The answer to your question is, yes. You CAN make money as a blogger. However, it can take a while before you see the fruit of your labor.
Keep in mind that there are hundreds of millions of blogs out there. You have A LOT of competition. If you're just starting out, you have an uphill battle. Is it worth it in the end? If you put in the work, effort, and you educate yourself on what it takes to make it as a blogger, it will be worth it. Going back to blogging being an uphill battle, it will take time for you to see any results. I have been a freelance writer/blogger for 14 years, and it took me a long time to make any money. I recently had to start over due to someone in my personal life sabotaging another website I ran. It was a devastating blow. Starting over, however, has been a good thing. I have a new site, new sound, and it's working for me. Am I making money? Not yet. However, I am building an audience, and that is the first step on the ladder of success. That audience will continue to build. Soon, that audience will tell their friends about my site, and the word of mouth will keep spreading. The more my audience grows, the higher chances I have to make money. You may be asking yourself; how can you make money from blogging? Ad revenue! If you're looking to make a living from blogging, you need to hook your blog up with ads. Google Adsense, Rakuten, Amazon Affiliates to name a few, will pay you when you've reached a certain number of page views, impressions, clicks, and product purchases (Amazon Affiliates). It is important to note that Google Adsense can be a bit tricky. Before you sign up for Google Adsense, have your blog running for a month or so. Build your page views up. Adsense is more likely to approve you if you already have an audience. In the meantime, sign up for Rakuten Marketing. "How do I get an audience?" Social media! Share your blog posts on social media, and use hashtags so your posts can easily be found. Continue to build that audience. You will have some slow days, where you only have 100 views. You will also have amazing days where you have thousands of views. It is important that you do NOT give up! Make sure you are also communicating with that audience. If someone comments on your posts on your website and/or on social media, comment back. Your audience wants to know that there is a person behind that post. Interact, make friends, network with other writers, put yourself out there! When I first started out in 2010, I was a little fish in a big pond of intellectual sharks. The first person I wanted to network with was a fellow writer on Yahoo Contributor. She was (and is still) well-respected in the web writing community. We became colleagues and then we became friends. She's still my friend to this day, and I learn so much from her. I've also met some amazing fellow web writers through her. The moral of this long post is, build your audience, monetize your site, share your posts on social media, and NETWORK with other writers. The hours may be long, but you get out what you put into it. I want to add in that it also helps if you are a guest blogger on other blog sites. On some of those sites, you can add your own ads onto your posts, so you can make money while helping your fellow blogger make money. Don't give up. Keep working hard and you will see results! :-)  When people think about blogging, they don't see a lucrative empire. They see a past time, one that has no real future. In some ways, they are right. Blogs cannot become a money-making empire, especially without an audience.
This is why social media is essential for blogging success. There are billions of users on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, and more. With the right title, evergreen content, monetized ads, the right hashtags, and social media profiles on all platforms, you can turn your blog into a money maker. However, it won't be as easy as you think. Before you start sharing your posts on social media, make sure you monetize your blog site and posts with ads. As I have mentioned in a previous post, have your blog running ad free for a month so you can generate an audience. Ad sites like Google Adsense only approve profiles that already have generated an audience. While you are waiting for approval from Adsense, you can sign up with Amazon Affiliates and Rakuten Marketing. Any successful blogger will tell you that one of the first steps to success is gaining an audience. Again, social media comes into play. Along with having a personal social media profile, you should make a profile that is 100% dedicated to your blog. Invite your friends, family, and co-workers to your page, and have them add people they know. Next, share your blog posts on your social media sites. If you make fanpage on Facebook, you can boost your blog posts for a small fee. Follow the prompts on your screen and set the amount of time you want your post to be sponsored for. The more money you use to boost your post, the more people will see you post and likely visit your page. When you share your posts, make sure you use the right hashtags so people can find your post. Ideally, use hashtags that are already trending. Peruse Facebook, Twitter, Google Trends, and Yahoo for terms that are trending. If they match your content, add the hashtag. Engage with your audience. I have mentioned in previous posts that it is important for you to engage with your readers when they like and comment on your posts. Keep in mind that not everyone will agree with you, and that there are a lot of social media trolls who have nothing better to do than to spread negativity. Please do not feed the trolls. This blog is your business. Maintain professionalism. Thank people for visiting your page, ask them questions, answer questions that they may have for you. If someone is being abusive, ban them from your page. If you want to do video blogs (vlogs), you can monetize your videos and make money that way. After you make your vlog and monetize it, share it on social media and you can run ads to pull people to your YouTube channel. Do not give up. There is no such thing as overnight success. It takes months and months of hard work and dedication to make your blog a money-maker. You get out what you put in. If you "half-ass" your work, you won't see much success. Remember, social media is essential for blogging success. Without an audience, you have nothing. You have an audience out there. Find your writing topic niche, and your audience will find you. |
About ShaunaShauna has been in the freelance writing industry since January 2010. She will be sharing what she has learned on this blog page. ArchivesCategories |
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