Guidelines for Responding to Job Ads

If you're a freelance writer, chances are, you look at job boards and websites like Craigslist to find private clients. Despite what others may say about job boards, responding to job ads has been an excellent and very successful way for me to find more work.

I've gotten most of my private clients from responding to job advertisements. In fact, at one point, I was getting a response rate of about 25%, in which I had to start turning down work.

However, when I first started responding to job advertisements, I got very few nibbles until I started putting new tactics into effect.

1. Follow Instructions

This may sound like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised to know how many freelance writers don't even bother to read the instructions when responding to advertisements for writing gigs.

If the advertisement asks you to attach a sample, then you should attach a sample. If they ask you to make "banana" the subject of your email, then make "banana" the subject of your email. In almost all cases, you should follow the instructions down to the letter.

2. Choose Relevant Samples

If possible, try to send writing samples that are relevant to the job in question. If you're applying for a movie review gig, what are the chances you'll get the job if you choose an article about parenting as your sample? Close to zero, especially if there are other freelance writers sending more relevant samples of excellent quality.

If you truly want the job, and you don't have a relevant sample, consider writing up a sample. Even if you don't get the job, you'll be able to use the sample to apply to more job advertisements in the future.

3. Make Things Easy for the Potential Client

There's probably nothing that will irk a potential client than finding a freelance writer they're interested in hiring (due to their cover letter), and not being able to access their samples or resume.

Make accessing your samples and resume as easy as you can for the potential client. If possible, post your samples and resume onto your website, and give them the link.

If you don't have a professional website of your own, attack your samples and resume as a PDF for universal accessibility. You may save your files in the .doc format, but the client might not be able to open .doc files. Or he may not want to open the file, for fear of viruses.

Most likely, the potential client is going through hundreds of job applications. Don't make things any more difficult for him than it already is.

Is Your Mind Cluttered With Goals?

If you're like me, you have a lot of goals that you eventually want to accomplish in the future. These goals may go under different aspects of your life, such as careers or relationships.

Unfortunately, having too many goals may leave you unfocused and unaccomplished. Instead of trying to accomplish all your goals at once, pick one or two goals to focus on. Refuse to move on to other goals before completing the initial two you picked.

Not only will focusing on a few goals be easier, but it will also be less stressful. To accomplish a goal, typically you have to break a new habit or start a new one. Trying to break/cultivate 20 different habits at the same time will prove unsuccessful for almost everybody.

New Year's Resolutions

Before I make my New Year's resolutions, I tend to think about what I accomplished and didn't accomplish the year before. This year, I made a lot of resolutions, and I accomplished quite a few of them.

However, I still think I could have accomplished more this year. Obviously, if I had worked harder, I would have definitely accomplished more. Yet, I think lack of focus was also a contributing factor.

This year, I dabbled in a lot of money-making methods. I tried making money by blogging, selling affiliate products, Adsense, get-paid-to sites, and freelance writing. If I had picked one way to make money, and stuck to it, I think I would have made more progress than I actually did this year.

So, is your mind cluttered with goals?

Earning Three Grand Per Month - Baby Steps

Baby steps lead to bigger and better things.

To sum up this entire post in one sentence, I've decided to put three short-term goals into action. After reading a few inspirational posts (here, here, and here), I realized that I won't be successful if I just read blog posts, online income reports, and free eBooks all day.

Reading and learning new things is one of the greatest things you can do. Implementing the learned tips and strategies is the greatest thing you can do, when it comes to your success.

Therefore, I created three short-term goals to pull me closer to my vision of success: consistently earning $3,000 per month online. I decided that all three goals will be due August 20, 2011.

Goal #1 - $15,000 Savings

Currently, I am about $70 short from having $12,000 in savings. Therefore, I have to earn about $3,100 within two months to accomplish my goal.

You must be thinking: "Greeeeaat. But what does this have to do with earning $3,000 per month online?" Well, I plan to fund my savings account with earnings from Demand Media Studios. Usually, I earn about $1,000 as a freelance writer. This goal forces me to earn approximately $1,550 per month to accomplish it.

Why not increase my online earnings while funding my bank account at the same time?

Goal #2 - Blogging

By the due date stated above, I plan to have 50 posts live on 3 Grand Month. I realize that I didn't even come close to accomplishing the previous blog post goal of mine. Now that I've somewhat changed the niche of my blog, I'm more excited about posting new content.

Hopefully, motivation and having someone put a gun to my head as I write these posts will be enough for me to accomplish this goal. The incentive for accomplishing this goal? A nifty $10 domain (for this blog) that won't go to complete waste.

Goal #3 - Start Web Design Class

Right now, I'm almost finished with a course you must complete before you can take Web Design. I only have 14 assignments to go before I say good-bye to Computing for College Success and hello to Web Design I.

According to my Pace Chart, I'm supposed to take eight weeks to complete these fourteen assignments. (Well, I did get exempted from about eight assignments, though...)

No way am I gonna take eight weeks to finish up fourteen simple assignments! Instead, I'll go ahead of the Pace Chart, which I'm allowed to do. Basically, to accomplish this goal, I need to finish this course and start a new one by August 20, 2011.

When I look at these goals, they honestly don't look so mini or babyish to me. Honestly, these goals will take me a lot of effort to complete, but... These goals are nothing compared to my long-term goals!

Don't Put All of Your... (Part Two)

Photo by Ccharmon on Flickr

• Loaves in one bread holder
• Efforts in one website
• Cookies in one jar
• Supplies in one backpack
• Cars in one garage
• Horses in one stable

Okay. So, we all know that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket if you want to have a fairly consistent online income.

In the previous post, I mentioned that my only source of income was from freelance writing for only one client (Demand Media Studios).

I should be working on diversifying my freelance writing income, but instead, I want to focus on gathering other sources of income that aren't related to freelance writing. In this post, I will explore some possible new sources of income for me.

Freelance Work

One goal of mine is to take two classes to learn how to design websites with HTML. Once I take these classes, I plan to put my newly learned skills to good use by designing sites and blogs for other people. I think building websites for private clients in-between my freelance writing work will save me from burnout.

Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about web design. I have a feeling I will spend years practicing before I'll be able to create a website a client will be happy to pay for.

If I enjoy creating websites, I won't mind the long learning curve. On the other hand, if I don't really like web design, I'll probably move on to something else before I become proficient at creating websites.

Niche Websites

I definitely think that I have the potential to earn a few hundred dollars a month by creating niche websites. Of course, this will take a lot of work and effort on my part, but the mostly passive income will be worth it.

I'm not too sure when I'll get around to creating my first (well, second) niche website, but I'm hoping to start next month. Hopefully, I won't be so impatient about my niche website this time around...

Revenue Sharing Websites

Hubpages, Squidoo, and Info Barrel are three revenue sharing websites where users can post articles to make passive income. I don't really think it's a good idea to try making money on revenue sharing websites now because of the big Panda update, but it is something I"m constantly thinking about.

Perhaps I could post a few articles on these websites to get the hang of SEO before starting my first niche websites. If I experiment with keywords on these websites and fail, I'll only be out of a few hours of effort.

Even after writing this post, I'm still a bit confused about which stream of revenue I should experiment with first. I want to start creating niche websites, but I'm still thinking about other possible streams of income that I didn't mention above, such as creating and selling eBooks.

Don't Put All of Your... (Part One)

OT: Is it me, or are some of the eggs in that basket (er, bowl) bluish?

• Pencils in one pencil box
• Documents in one folder
• Socks in one drawer
• Words in one sentence
• Seeds in one garden
• Money in one wallet

In case you can't comprehend what I'm trying to say (because of my very poor attempt of trying to being original), don't put all of your eggs in one basket. By relying on one source of income, you are putting yourself in a bad position, and for obvious reasons.

Anyway, this post isn't about why you should diversify you income, nor is this post isn't about how to diversify your income either. (Honestly, I'm in no position to write a how-to post on multiple streams of income, and you'll see why later in this post). Nope. This is the first part of a three-part series (small series, I know, but you gotta start somewhere) about how I plan to diversify my online income.

Current Income Per Month

Just a wad of cash I had lying around... (Kidding!)

Freelance Writing Income

Currently, the only money I'm earning as a freelance writer is from Demand Media Studios. I'm planning to use this lone egg (or seed) to earn $1,000 per month for now.

I suppose I should be trying to find more clients, but I think I'm going to stop focusing on my part-time freelancing career in favor of other income possibilities online. I love to write, but I can't seem to write more than a few articles per day... I need something else to do in-between all the writing I do to avoid burnout.

Demand Media Studios is my only online income... (Go ahead, shake your heads disapprovingly). Fortunately, this will not be my only income by the end of the year. In fact, my short-term goal is to have at least three sources of income in total by the end of the year. I know these sources won't give me the three grand per month I desire, but it'll surely be a stepping-stone for me.

Cheers to finding more wallets for my moola!

Why Private Client Work Is My Priority

With private clients, this will look like pocket change!

All freelance writers want to earn more money for the same quantity and quality of work. All freelance writers want to write less, and earn more for their valuable time. Therefore, all freelance writers want work from private clients, and not content mills.

Unlike content mills, private clients are able to compensate you properly for your work. Instead of earning a meager $15 per article, you could be earning double, triple, or even 10 times this amount! 

Unfortunately, not everyone has clients that pay this much. While you're marketing and creating a brand for yourself, you might have to take lower-paying work from private clients, so you can pay all your bills on time. But what happens when you take on private clients that pay less than some content mills?

My Situation

When I first started freelance writing, I was very happy to take on private clients who paid $8 to $13 per article. This was more than what I made at content mills like Textbroker. Well, one month after getting my first and second clients, I got accepted into Demand Media Studios. 

I was actually making more at a content mill than for a private client. The moment I was accepted into Demand Media Studios, the less encouraged I felt to continue writing for my private clients. Right now, I still love writing for my two private clients, and I don't want to let them go. Yet I prefer writing for Demand Media Studios. 

Writing for Demand Studios takes more thought than writing for my private clients, but I do manage to write their articles in less time. Therefore, my hourly rate is always higher when I work for Demand Media Studios instead of my private clients. Because of the higher hourly rate, I write for Demand Media Studios during the week, and then write my private client articles last minute.

The Problem

Yesterday, I realized that starting and completing client work the same day that it's due is not very smart or business-like. In the afternoon, I finished a Demand Media Studios article and submitted it right on the spot. Instead of being taken to my Demand Media Studios Workdesk, my browser took me to an error page.

Fortunately, I wrote my article in Microsoft Word and just copied and pasted it into the template. Of course, I was very irritated with the idea of copying and pasting the article into the template again. I hated doing it once, why would I want to do it again?

I soon found out it wasn't an error, but that my Internet access was being wacky. Slightly worried, I simply thought that it was my Wi-Fi, and I went to work on my desktop that was connected to the router. No success accessing the Internet.

I didn't depend on my part-time freelance writing to pay the bills, but I still had butterflies in my stomach. I had yet to write any of the six articles that my two private clients require me to write every week. Just the idea of missing a deadline killed my spirit.

The Solution

Fortunately, I got the Internet to start working again after resetting the router. (I'm brilliant, aren't I?) Even though I had access to the Internet, I still felt very nervous. What if it happened again? What would I do then?

As soon as I submitted the Demand Media Studios article, I began to work on my private client work. Fortunately, I finished and submitted all the articles in one day. Never again would I wait until the last day to write my articles like a college student who has a dear friend named procrastination.

Ever since that day, I vowed to complete all my private client work before working on a single Demand Media Studios article.

3 Reasons Why Freelance Writers Should Write Ebooks

Ebooks are usually in PDF (Portable Document Format) form.

Face it - eBooks are taking the Internet by storm. Internet users are buying eBooks for $10, $50, and even $100. The sellers are making hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars by selling 10 to 50 page eBooks.

To top it off, these eBooks, which the sellers advertise as being chock-full of secrets, often consist of common knowledge. If these people can make so much money by writing an insufficient eBook, imagine how much you could make by writing, marketing, and selling an eBook that actually provides value to your customers.

Unfortunately, many freelance writers shy away from writing eBooks. I did my best to stay away from eBooks, too, until I found out how much other freelance writers were making from their eBooks. Now, one of my many goals for 2011 is to create my first eBook, and here are the reasons why.

Money, Money, Money. Did I Mention Money?

Believe it or not, there are people who can sell their eBook for $50 to $100. These people bank $1000 by finding only 10 to 20 buyers. Of course, you aren't going to find too many people who are willing to buy an eBook with money they can use to pay their electric bill. Yet achieving 20 sales is definitely possible if you're an aggressive marketer.

If you can't find enough customers to buy your $100 eBook, you could always try pricing it at $10 to $25. By selling 100 eBooks, you could make $1000 to $2500. Pretty good for a 10 to 50 page eBook, right?

Yet to achieve 100 sales, you do have to spend many hours marketing your product. When pricing your eBook, always take into account how many hours it took you to write it and how many hours you plan to spend marketing it.

Stop Looking Like a Wannabe!

Unless your niche is "How to end the world with a pencil," you probably have at least some competition as a freelance writer and a blogger. People probably see your competition as individuals who are very knowledgeable when it comes to their niche. Because of how people view them, your competition probably have many high-paying gigs and readers.

As a freelance writer and blogger, you want people to see you as someone who is credible within your designated niche. People are going to choose someone who's already established in the health niche over someone who doesn't seem to have any credibility. Fortunately, you can gain some of this credibility by writing an eBook.

Think of it this way. By writing an eBook, you will send people this message: If she has the knowledge to write a quality eBook, she probably knows a ton about health.

Want More Freelance Writing Gigs?

Do you typically stick to writing articles or blog posts for clients? Why don't you branch out to writing eBooks? Some freelancers are able to charge clients $25 to $200 for just one page. Imagine writing an eBook for a private client who demands 100 pages. That's $2500 to $20,000 for an eBook!

If you want to get these eBook writing gigs, you should have an eBook of your own. Why would a client trust you to write an eBook if you've never written one before? If you write an eBook, you might even have businesses asking you to write one for them.

It's Not So Easy

Don't think you can just slap up an eBook to get all these benefits. With some marketing, you might be able to make money by selling a bad eBook. Yet creating an awful eBook won't improve your image, nor will it help you land more gigs.

Writing a good eBook is not easy, not to mention that the marketing will eat up a lot of time, especially if you don't have a presence online. Yet the effort you put into creating an eBook should help your freelance writing career progress more rapidly. Whether you write an eBook or not, if you're not willing to work hard, you're probably not cut out to be a freelance writer.

Are you thinking of writing an eBook?