How to earn by Writing Freelance Articles

Consider your expertise. If you take the time to reflect on your experiences, you will realize that you have more knowledge about which to write than you might think. Begin by listing three assets that define you, such as your profession, a special hobby or a personality trait. Next, list three things that inspire you, such as religion, education or charity. Finally, list three of your dreams, such as getting married, traveling or spending more time with your children. These three lists should give you many ideas of topics about which you can write.

Learn the principles of effective writing. As a freelance writer, much of your work will likely be published on the internet. The principles of writing for the web differ slightly than writing for print. The content must still be high-quality and well-written, but the presentation must be adjusted for the way people read online material.

• Because of the low resolution of online text, readers tend to scan rather than read everything from top to bottom. Make your text easily scannable by breaking up text using descriptive headings and bullet points.
• Get to the point by using the inverted pyramid style. This means writing the conclusion first and then providing examples to support it.
• Make your copy effective by being concise and using simple language. Aim your writing to an eighth-grade reading level. Remove unnecessary or confusing words or terms.
• Include keywords and phrases that improve your ranking in the search engines.

Find work. When you first start out, you may have to accept work writing about a topic you don’t find all that interesting. You must keep an open mind and be willing to accept work that may not be in your desired field. However, as you continue to write, you not only learn about more topics, but you also build your reputation. With time, you can be choosier about assignments you want to accept.

• Browse the internet for freelancing websites that hire contractors to do work online.

Get samples. When you first start out as a freelance writer, it can be hard to get work without any published samples. However, it is possible to get quality samples if you are willing to do some writing for free. First, you can publish content on your own blog or website. Also, you can write guest posts for someone else’s blog. Finally, you can write blog posts for free in exchange for a byline.

Write pitches. If you have located a client for whom you want to write, send pitches, which are topic ideas for articles. Write pitches that not only show your expertise but also demonstrate your enthusiasm for the topic. First, read the publication to which you are sending pitches to familiarize yourself with what they publish. If applicable, identify a specific section and send our pitch to the appropriate editor. Also, include a brief summary of who you are.

Create a writer website or blog. A website not only demonstrates your technical ability, but it also creates an online hub that allows clients to connect to you. Keep the design of your website clean and uncluttered. Include examples of your work that demonstrate the kind of writing you do. Make the samples easy to find and to read, and make it easy for visitors to figure out how to contact you.

• A blog highlights your technical ability and showcases your ability to write blog posts. Your blog can be about different topics than those you write about for your clients. In fact, it should be on a topic that interests you. Visitors will see that you can not only write, but you can also build an online community. A good blog has the potential to earn you many referrals for more clients.