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7 Simple Tips to Grow Your Online Freelance Writing Income

Carol Tice

Are you wondering where the good-paying online writing gigs are hiding?

7 Simple Tips to Grow Your Online Freelance Writing Income. Makealivingwriting.com

I get this question from a lot of freelance writers. When I ask them what they’re doing, the answer is usually the same. They’re answering a lot of online job ads, and not doing much else.

Here are a few quick tips on how you can break the cycle of low online pay:

  1. Stop answering Craigslist ads that ask for free samples. Luke, it’s a trap!
  2. Stop answering ads that say you can write about any topic you want. These never pay well. Never ever.
  3. Find better ads. I like the kind where the employer has to pay to place the ad — say, like on LinkedIn. Or some professional association job boards.
  4. Look beyond ads. The vast majority of available work is never advertised. Start proactively marketing your writing business and tapping the submerged part of the iceberg.
  5. Get off Elance. And Guru, and all the rest. While the occasional gold nugget can be found in here, in general bidding sites put you in a race to the bottom. Unless you enjoy being the low-price leader, you want to get out of here.
  6. Understand that most revenue-sharing offers are a pipe dream. Have you got time to drive millions of eyeballs to your pages? If not, you will earn pennies. And waste oodles of your precious, precious time.
  7. Learn how to identify good-paying clients. Solid companies and publications that hire writers at professional rates are all around you. My starter tip: Look for companies that sell a real product or service in the real, offline world — ideally, ones that have been around since before the Internet.
20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

Best Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners. Makealivingwriting.com

Right now, a record-high number of people are considering a freelance writing career. My inbox is overflowing with questions from newbies. And the first question is: “Where can I find freelance writing jobs for beginners?”

If that’s you, sending hugs! I totally feel your confusion. The freelance marketplace is a big, complicated place. There are lots of types of paid writing, and different kinds of clients, too.

I’ve been helping writers get started for a dozen years now. And I know how mystifying it can be. You feel like there’s a door you need to find, a person you need to know, a secret you must unlock to become a freelance writer.

But really, the path to freelance writing jobs for beginners is simple.

You need to find someone willing to let you write for them. That’s it.

You get a few samples and boom — you have a portfolio to show. And you’re on your way.

There are fairly simple, break-in writing assignments that newbies tend to get. I’m going to outline what they are below.

But first, I need to explain something…

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