How to Start a Freelance Writing Business – infomediaku.net
If you are working online at home that is easy to do and the results are promising, just try to choose to become an article writer. The reason is that this one job can be done anywhere, and the opportunities are still wide open.
Even though in today’s era it is still a competitor but it is proof that Article Writer is an online job that does have promising opportunities.
The author of the article here, his job is to update the content of the article on the website or blog, whether it is owned by companies or individuals. For how it works, you can open an article writing service by providing a price per package or per article. You can also be a “remote” employee of a company but you do it at home. But generally, many article writers open services.
You only need to provide a price with a package system or per article. For example, a monthly package with 30 articles per month. Or the package you want.
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Why Choose Online Business as an Article Writer?
What is clear is the market is wide. In today’s digital era, many companies have websites for their marketing media. Well, usually the company website needs article distribution for its blog channel so that the website attracts a lot of visitors.
The problem is that not all companies are aware of this and are reluctant to hire employees to handle this matter. So this is an opportunity for you to offer services to them.
That is if the target is the company if there are also many individuals. Nowadays many people have monetized blogs, you can become a writer on their blogs to keep their blogs updated.
This online job opportunity in the future is still wide open. In fact, you could say it will still grow. So don’t worry.
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Conventional Freelance Writer VS Online Freelance Writer
There are several differences between a conventional freelance writer and an online freelance writer, namely:
- Article length
For online media, it is usually around 300-800 words or tailored to the needs of the media.
- Schedule published
Online media are published more frequently, usually almost every day.
- Quantity of articles
With the increasing need for information, online media usually have to be constantly updated. That is why online freelance writers must be ready if asked to write one article per day (sometimes more).
- Payment system
The payment system is also faster when compared to conventional media payments.
- Suitable for beginners
In conventional media, the experience is usually very much considered. In online media, even beginners can become freelance writers.
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Advantages Of Online Freelance Writing Business
- Free to determine the job
- Flexible place and time
- No need to leave the house
- Decent income
- Add a lot of knowledge
- Can work in various companies once
Disadvantages of Online freelance Writing Business
Even though it has many advantages, there are some disadvantages of online freelance writer that you should know, namely:
- Smaller fees.
- In order to survive, it requires the ability to write fast. We recommend that you choose a writing topic that we understand correctly so that it is easier to produce writing.
- Like most online-based businesses, the market and readers saturate more easily. That is why the expectation for the quality of writing is getting higher.
- Depending on which media you write on, becoming an online freelance writer cannot fully be used as a portfolio or stepping stone to be accepted in conventional media.
How to Become an Online Freelance Writer
Just like in other fields, writing for online media also requires basic skills. So, before deciding to become an online freelance writer, here are a few things you should know:
1. Basic Writing Techniques
What is meant by anyone who can become an online freelance writer is anyone who understands writing techniques.
Understanding basic writing techniques is not only beneficial for our future careers, but also for the performance of the media in which we work. The more quality content we create, the more impressions we will get from readers.
2. Writing Style
Most online media want a more relaxed, less formal style of writing or speech so that readers don’t get bored quickly. However, we must also be able to adapt the style of speech to the media in which we work.
For example, writing for online news sites is clearly different from writing for fashion-themed media.
3. Write Short and Solid
Because the need is around 300-800 words (depending on the medium), we are required to be able to write short and concise.
Sometimes, this is difficult because not all ideas can be put into a limited number of words. To get around this, keep practicing, use active sentences, and don’t verbose.
4. Writing Structure
Reading on paper is different from reading on a screen. When reading on screens our eyes will tire quickly, especially if we have to read very long articles. That’s why recognizing writing structure is important.
Divide the writing into chapters and sections. If there are points to explain, use a numbered or bulleted list.
5. Familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style is a writing and editorial guide for American English writing. If you want to write for English or other language media, you should also be familiar with the writing rules of that language.
6. Experience and Education
Some media do not include educational and experience requirements. However, if we have the relevant education or experience it will be an additional point.
But, don’t be discouraged yet, with experience skills is usually enough to get a job as an online freelance writer. Most media cover so many topics that no specific education is needed, it just needs experienced experts.
7. Honor
Freelance writer fees vary, depending on the type of work, the number of articles (number of words or page length), media, level of difficulty, and several other factors. Some are paid per article, per project, or are paid regularly per month.
Since the system is remote, make sure you have a bank account. Or if you write for foreign media, make sure you have an account that makes it easy for your employer to transfer your fees.
In addition, there are several media that pay fees without deducting taxes, so you need to pay and report taxes yourself.
8. Determining Rates
Debates often arise among online freelance writers about how to set rates. If you are a beginner who cannot determine the tariff, the best way is to adjust the budget provided by the company. Or you can ask writers who have been in this field for a long time.
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10 preparations On How to Start a Freelance Writing Business
To start a freelance writing business, you should consider several important things. Usually, each of these preparations is done to maximize the business potential that will be obtained.
In addition, you also have to continue to improve your writing skills very well. Try to be active in writing and create a writing portfolio with excellent quality.
The more writing portfolios you have, the easier it will be to offer this service to many clients. Here are 10 tips and preparations on how to start a freelance writing business. Let’s read the article below.
1. Do some research
Research is very important to start a freelance writer service business. Moreover, this will help the direction of the service business that you will do for a very long time.
This research is usually related to a category or niche that is very popular and in-demand by many publishers or companies. In fact, you can also find out the competition from each article category which is really needed by many parties.
This will help you determine the offering strategy of writing services that will be provided to publishers. You can do this research from various marketplaces to online forums where freelancers meet.
2. Determine the target market
Try to determine the ideal target market according to your business target. For example, you want to focus on offering writing services to many publishers.
So, this will be an important consideration for you to choose a popular category to choose the writing model needed. Each of these categories will require a very different writing style.
In addition, if you want to target a specific target market for corporations, startups, or companies, you should adjust it to the skills or abilities you have. Moreover, the quality required from the target market will have a more complicated level.
3. Focus writing category
Actually, tips like this will help you get a very large number of loyal clients. In fact, this also makes it easy to increase the benefits you have. One way is to try to focus on only a few categories of writing.
For example, you determine the category of writing according to your abilities. Methods like this will actually help you maximize the development of your service business.
Select certain categories with similar writing style characters. This makes it easier for you to provide services in calculating time and other quality.
4. Portfolio posting
Another thing that must be considered, of course, is by introducing your character or writing style to many audiences. One of the ways is by posting a portfolio through many media. You can use social media, blogs, personal websites and more. This method is also powerful enough to get ratings or suggestions from other publishers.
All assessments will be used as evaluation materials to improve the quality of your writing skills. The more often you do the evaluation, the potential of this writing will also provide better benefits.
5. Active in various forums
Try to be active in various forums. Especially now that there are many choices of forums that you can use to gather information, find writing inspiration, get advice, and find out about competition between freelancers. Each of these forums has a very different character.
However, you have to remember that every forum sometimes offers special threads for freelancers. Take advantage of that thread to offer the writer services you have. Of course, this offer has also gone through a very thorough consideration process.
For example, you have done research on the price offer given to competition from the quality of each writer.
6. Know writing skills
This is very important to consider for you in starting this service business. Before you offer this service, try to know more about your writing skills. Moreover, this will actually be something that is needed in the long term.
This writing ability is usually related to all the information you have to the speed of completing orders. You have to remember that all elements in writing skills will be needed for clients who want to get the best service.
7. Participate in various SEO competitions
Actually, these tips are done to find out the assessment of the writing that you have made. In fact, if you are lucky, this method will actually increase the selling value of the freelancer services offered.
You can take part in various SEO competitions that are usually given by certain startups or products. If you get a good position then this will benefit the value of services.
You could increase the value of this writer service so that you get a bigger profit than before. Usually, this kind of competition is offered through many forums.
8. Provide offers on the marketplace
You should try to provide special offers through the marketplace. Currently there are many marketplace choices that are specifically for freelancers. Before posting the offer, of course, you have to consider the service offers provided.
Usually, this is related to the category, language to the price of each writing service. The more attractive the offer you provide, the easier it will be to get a very large number of clients.
9. Provide affordable prices
Price has always been an important element for many publishers or freelancer service users. For those of you who are still starting a service business like this, try to offer a more affordable price compared to competitors.
This method is used to get other people or publishers to try the services you offer. However, this service offering should not be too cheap because it will give you a heavy burden.
10. Offer special packages
You have the opportunity to offer special packages. Usually, this package deals with the number of articles given.
This package must be given according to your ability to write and the completion time of each order that has been received.
That’s 10 Tips On how to start a freelance writing business that you should know before starting a freelance writing business.
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Online Freelance Writer 1, 2, 3
The daily activities of a freelance writer are not typical, they are different from one another. But, for those of you who are just starting out, here is an overview of the daily activities of freelance writers:
- Author 1 – Author 1 is a housewife who wants to earn income without having to work outside the home. He writes for a portal for around $ 200 dollars a month.
- Author 2 – Author 2 works 8 hours a day, sometimes more. He is required to write about 10 articles per day for a fee of $ 5 dollars/article. Each month he can make about $ 150 dollars.
- Author 3 – Author 3 wants to become a full-time writer but cannot leave his current job. He writes content and sends it to several online media. Every month writer 3 earns $ 90 dollars.
- Author 4 – Author 4 spends almost all of his time as a copywriter for online business sites with this income.
- Author 5 – Author 5 writes content for several media at once. Just like writer 2, his income depends on how many articles he can produce.
Basically, we can adjust to our needs and abilities. Content manufacturing often gets a bad rap, but it’s good for training and earning a decent income.
What we need to avoid is not to fail to fulfill article requests every day. Because blogs, online magazines, large companies, and other online media hire content writer services to keep their sites updated with fresh and informative articles.
How to Make Sample Articles
We may be able to write on several topics, but we will not be able to write on all topics. Before hiring, most online media want to make sure that apart from having basic skills, we are also capable and have sufficient knowledge about the topics we are going to write about.
Before starting, we should take an inventory or make a list of education, experiences, skills, hobbies, and topics that we think are interesting as writing material.
Most online media will ask for sample articles, especially if you don’t have experience. Sometimes, we will be given a certain topic and asked to write it down, some are completely up to us. Our suggestions make sample articles for each specific topic.
1. Make a Biography and Portfolio
When opening vacancies, job seekers want a bio containing their experience as a writer or our knowledge and experience related to the main topic of their business.
Sometimes, the bio that we send is used as a profile when our article is published. The challenge of creating a bio is introducing ourselves with just a few words. If you are writing for several different topics, you should also prepare an appropriate bio.
Our advice, make a general bio template, then change and adjust it to the job we are applying for. Here are some points for creating a bio:
- Start with your name, title, and skills.
- Mention only capabilities that are relevant to the media in which we are applying or working.
- Also, enter Your website address and social media accounts.
2. Portfolio Online
Apart from conventional bio and CV, we can also create an online portfolio. Buy cheap domains and hosting for personal use, set the template as attractive as possible, fill in the necessary personal data, also include examples of articles or articles that we’ve made before. Link URL in email body when applying for jobs.
Types of Posts and Markets for Freelance Writers
Freelance writing business can be a pretty promising job to do. Luckily for those of you who intend to explore this field, the options are so wide. Broadly speaking, here are the types of writing and markets that you can explore as a freelance writer:
1. Journalism
This type includes writings about events, which are made with the aim that many people know, either with or without the author’s personal opinion. It takes the accuracy of the information, information from related people, and speed in making news so that the news is still “warm” when it is received by readers.
Writing like this is suitable for those of you who have an interest in the social environment, have extensive relationships, and are high in curiosity. You can become a freelance journalist for online and offline news media, work for news programs on television stations as a news contributor, or write scripts for news collected by journalists.
The field is very broad and can be adjusted according to your interests. For example politics, economics, sports, celebrities, and so on.
2. Review
The definition is writing that contains a review or author’s experience about something, be it a company, product, place, or service. The writing must be honest and detailed. Suitable for those of you who like to write about your hobbies and things that you like.
For example, if you have an interest in the world of beauty, you can write about cosmetic products. If you like technology, you can review the latest gadgets. If you like traveling, you can write down your impressions of the places you have visited.
This type of writing can be included in print or electronic media with an appropriate theme, as well as personal blogs with advertisements attached. Some companies usually ask you to review their products. It can be in the form of fashion products, food, to hotels.
Usually you will be given product samples and asked to write them on the blog. Of course with a pay accordingly. Usually the payment will be transferred after the post you made is broadcast.
You can also work with publishing companies. They will ask you to review the book and host the giveaway. Usually there is a special fee for you after doing this work. Explore hobbies, gain experience, share useful information with others, as well as earn money. It’s fun, right?
3. Copywriting
Namely, writing that aims as an advertisement or promotes something, can be explicit or implicit.
Unlike the type of review which only contains explanations, this type of writing must attract attention, make the reader interested in something being marketed so that they take action. Not only writing about a product, but can be in the form of services, characters, ideas, and so on.
This type of writing is pretty much done by freelance writers. For example, making offline or online advertising scripts, writing on brochures or leaflets, filling out articles on company websites, and others.
4. Creative writing
This type of writing is writing that requires high imagination and creativity. Its contents are to tell other people. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Examples include poetry, short stories, biographies, film scripts, writing on greeting cards, and novels. The flow of this writing is so diverse.
For example comedy, drama, history, fantasy, fairy tales, and mysteries.
If you are actively writing like this, you can freelance work in magazines, newspapers, marketing companies, publishers, television stations, and others. Dealing with this type of work will improve your skills at fantasizing and pun.
5. Academic writing
This type of writing requires understanding in certain fields, whether writing to complete a certain level of education or not. This type is suitable for those of you who have expertise in a specific field of study.
Today, many students ask freelance writers to assign assignments for a fee. Indeed, getting money from a job like that is not illegal, but it is against ethics. There is still a lot of work in this type of writing that doesn’t violate the norm.
For example, making essays, tutorials, guides, subject matter, and quiz questions. The market is publishers, educational magazines, educational media, and so on.
If you are keen on reading opportunities, there are actually a lot of jobs that freelance writers can do. Even some types are able to make more money and faster.
Unfortunately, we only believe that this work is only related to blogs or other digital media. There are plenty of freelance writing business you can afford.
6. Foreign Language Translator
If you are very good at foreign languages, for example, English or Japanese, try opening a translation service. Lots of people need this service. Call it a prospective client who is a large company.
Usually, they need our services to translate documents quickly and sometimes a lot. By doing this work, you will quickly generate coffers of money.
The second is students who are confused by adaptation materials. Not all of them can speak foreign languages. This means that you can take this gap to translate their needs. Little by little you will start to be known until clients come alone even though you are not looking for them.
7. Writing Articles on Blogs
This job is very easy to find. In this digital era, many people need writing services for blogs, digital magazines, and newspapers. You can write according to client orders. Usually, they will provide keywords or keywords and tell us to develop them.
If you are very experienced in this field, potential clients will usually come by themselves. Takes multiple projects to complete within a certain deadline. Usually a week or a month according to the order. You have to maintain the quality of the writing even if it’s just an article on the blog.
8. Write a Book to Order
The cool term is a ghostwriter. You will be given a theme or even the outline for the book the client wants. Your job is to develop this book into a complete whole. If this book is finished, you will just be paid according to the agreement.
The book you write will later use someone else’s name. However, sometimes you also still get a commission if the book is a best seller. Better to make deals before you write the book.
9. Doing Startup Branding
New companies usually need good branding services. They will look for writers who are able to create branding for them. It can be in the form of articles to the products they make. This new company or startup will pay you a pretty hefty price.
Branding work is usually done in groups. This group of people will try to write down everything in detail about the company so that it is known to the wider community. This job is quite time-consuming even though the results are not bad for a freelancer.
Interest to Start a Freelance Writing Business?
That’s the discussion on this occasion about How to Start a Freelance Writing Business. Actually there are still lots of ways to make money from an online business. Maybe we will discuss a similar article. Good luck!