Low Cost Start-Ups: Freelance Writing

Undiscovered “GOLD MINE”

One of the most lucrative but unknown of careers on the internet today is internet freelance writing. This is better known to those of us who actually do it as “content writing.” I am also an SEO writer, which means I also know how to optimize articles for search engines to find them. You can make more money if you are able to do this, but at the lowest level, it is simply a writing job, or series of jobs involving writing content for businesses which they need for their websites and blogs, with the goal being to drive more traffic to their site and increase sales. How you get these jobs is up to you but it really takes nothing more than reading about the career, searching and prospecting, and building a writing portfolio. There is practically zero investment cost.

The internet has allowed more opportunities to have direct contact with publishers than ever before. What used to take years to get a publisher to notice you now only takes an email and some sample writings.

Here are some of the qualities you need to have in order to be successful in the freelance/content-writing business:

1) Ability to write in an eloquent style which fits the clients’ needs and vision

2) Ability to stick to deadlines

3) Skills in crafting original ideas and thoughts into well-developed articles which are marketable on the web

4) A basic understanding of search engines and how they work

5) Ability to write interesting and engaging articles which captivate the reader and keep their interest

6)Ability to please the client, while keeping originality and creativity in tact

Equipment needed:

– a laptop or fast PC with a high-speed internet connection

-a home office space or other place to write

-a way to organize client information and keep up with articles and deadlines and prospect lists

Iron will Required

In addition to the basic equipment and skills needed, you also need to be completely determined that you are wiling to focus on your freelance writing career, and not let anything get in the way of your success. Determination is the key, as you are in business for yourself as a freelance writer. You also need to be able to take rejection and not let some rejection letters from publishers get you down. If you apply for ten writing jobs and you only get one, that’s still one publisher you won over, who may ask you to write for him over and over again if he is impressed with your work.

The beauty of this career is that you can work form home, you can make as much money or as little as you want, and there is no limit on your income. You can start small and grow, doing just a few articles at a time outside of your normal job, or go for the gold and take on 10-20 articles per day.  The more you write, the more you can make. And there is literally no limit on your income.

I have written for clients such as the Apple Corporation and Hollywood Production Center, and just today got an offer to write for the Terry Bradshaw show. So you can see there is no limit where a freelance writing career can take you, if you are an artistic self-starter.

Expect to write for chicken feed at first, but as you develop your skills and clientele, you will be able to charge much more as time goes on. Think of freelance writing as a career, not a job, a lifelong journey, not a “gig,” and you will be well on your way to finding the kind of wealth others have in this lucrative industry.

The good news is, it is very inexpensive to start. You can purchase office supplies, turn an extra room into an office, and have a place to organize your writing materials for less than $100.  You do not have to buy a franchise, you do not have to rent a space. You only need your brain, your experiences, and an iron will to make it work. And you will, if you are determined! Write on!

Andrew Ewing is a professional blogger that shares tips and advice about franchising topics. He writes for FranchiseExpo.com, a leading franchise directory.