Freelance Writing As A Career
Most people would love to make a living from freelance writing. If you tell people that you are a freelance writer, chances are that they will respond by telling you about their own desire to be a freelance writer. People often imagine that working as a freelance writer is some glamorous affair involving interviewing celebrities and writing up reviews on luxury items. The reality is that making money from freelance writing is far removed from the idealistic picture that many people paint. A freelance writer can be defined as anyone who sells their work to others, even if it is on an ad hoc basis. But making enough money to sustain yourself in the world of freelance writing is hard and can even be a little soul destroying. However, you can make money as a freelance writer so long as you are dedicated and committed to making it a success. With the arrival of the internet, there is now more work than ever for aspiring freelance writers. Every web site needs content, and finding good content that is ripe for search engine optimisation (SEO) is a hard thing to come across. So if you have a talent for this type of work, then you can make a feasible income from freelance writing. And even though the magazine market may be shrinking, there is still some freelance work to be had, so long as you are in it for the long haul. The best way to achieve your goal of making money from freelance writing is to write everyday. The most infuriating thing anyone can do is start boasting about working as a freelance writer without actually doing any writing. You must have come across such people, they tell long tales of work that they are chasing up, projects that they are researching and yet when you ask what they have actually written, the answer is zero. Nothing. No one can make a living from nothing, so start writing today. Keep a word-journal and make a record of the amount of words you are writing each day. This simple task will open your eyes to what freelance writing actually entails. And, by writing a little everyday you will become better and your success rate will improve. To be a successful freelance writer you also have to remember that as well as being a freelance writer, you are also a sales person, a PR guru and a marketing professional. Without these other elements, your freelance writing career may never take off at all. You have to know how to approach magazines and prospective web sites in the correct manner so that they are interested in what you have to show them. You have to make your writing appeal and stick out from the millions of other submissions that are received and this takes practise and a lot of research. A career in freelance writing is not for the faint hearted, so if you are not ready to push yourself you may find your freelance writing career a very short one. But by steadily working, submitting and applying yourself mercilessly to your chosen craft, you will start to gain commissions and see your work in print. And only then when someone asks you what you do for a living, can you confidently say that you are a freelance writer. Zoe Lea (c) 2005 Zoe Lea is owner of UK based Lea Writing Services, and writes articles, web content, features, sales copy and more. Her articles and literary short stories have been internationally published and she currently advises people on how to break into the world of freelance writing, having done the job herself for a number of years. For more information visit the site http://www.leawritingservices.com Or email contact@leawritingservices.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make
Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn't so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the stabile and profitable business I am running now in 2005. There are some things I learned along the way I wish I knew much earlier in the game.
3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines
The single most important element of your website's copy
is the headline. Take away practically everything else
and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's good enough
and you have a strong enough call to action). But take away the
headline and your chances for any success are about zero.
10 Tips for Writing Web Copy
One of the most important aspects of a website today is the webcopy - sometimes called the sales letter.
3 Steps to Great Copy
Nothing irritates me more than being told that there are '3 Secrets' to great copy. Worst still are those marketing promises that say something like, "3 Secrets that the copy gurus don't want you to know".
How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer
As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer can be a challenge. The first challenges involve factors such as cash flow, getting clients, and maintaining some sort of order. Later, challenges will involve getting new clients, insuring return business and referrals, and making a profit. But, like any good business, it is up to the individual to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Becoming a freelance business plan writer is an excellent career. To make it successful, plan to succeed from the beginning.
How To Write An Effective Ad
A letter or postcard allows you to "talk" one-on-one to your prospect. That means you should use "I" and "me" and "you" in your sales letter. Don't use the corporate sounding "we".
Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it
Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE
promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your
customers long after they've finished reading it?
Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula
Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but if you have eyes you've seen his ad campaigns and you probably even bought products that he created ad campaigns for. Would you like to have the formula he gets paid $12,500 to put into use for Fortune 500 Companies?
Why You Should Write To Inform And Not To Sell
Advertising is key! Unfortunately most people waste their money on advertising unless they can play by the numbers. Playing by the numbers is simply spending enough money on advertising and saturating the market so much, that percentage wise, enough people will want to see what you have to offer. In the long run your ad will pay for itself. Although costly, it may just be the best investment you make.
8 Tips for Writing Headlines that Grab Attention (and Keep Prospects Reading!)
Effective headlines make all the difference in whether your prospect reads your marketing materials or simply tosses them to the side. You don't even have a chance for a sale if the audience won't read what you write. One way to keep prospects reading is to give your copy attention-grabbing headlines. Here are eight tips to make sure your headlines get the message across:
Dont Forget The Copywriting
Copywriting And Content Creation
How To Find Editing Services Online
Quality is what you need. What you don't have is time. You need to find an editing service online that can help you get the work you need done, quickly and effectively. But, where do you look? Where can you find such a service and know that it is of good quality? While it would have been a difficult task to find an editing service online a few years ago, there is now an ever growing supply of them. You'll find quite a selection to choose from as well. Here are some guidelines that may help you in finding not only a service to use, but a good quality one at that.
3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal!
Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think.
3 Steps To Better Sales Copywriting
Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will benefit by remembering one thing:
7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques!
Your sales letter is the most important component in your
web site or marketing campaign. It will introduces your
products or services to your visitors and how people react
(buy, bookmark, leave) is 80% entirely depends on your
sales letter.
Hook Your Direct Mail Sales Letter Readers With Good Transition Sentences
Anglers in Maine catch trout using dry flies with barbless hooks. Unless they keep tension on the line all the way to the net, they lose the trout. Your sales letters must do the same. But how?
10 Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets
1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text. Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad on your web page. Adding a personal touch will always increase your sales.
11 Ways to Get an Editors Attention
I worked as a business magazine editor for about 20 years. During that time, thousands of news stories and press releases crossed my desk.
SEO Copywriting: 7 Tips
So you finally built a website for your home-based business. How exciting is that!? Now you just have to let people know you're out there. The best method is to use an SEO copywriting strategy, which optimizes your web content using popular keywords.
9 Tips for Great Design of Your Marketing Materials
1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who has had plenty of experience designing business collateral. Your designer needs to ask you the right questions about the project. And he/ she needs to be able to turn the design round reasonably fast too.
|