Ninas articles that have made it the world © by Nina Matthews Photography

The other day I stumbled across an old question on Yahoo Answers, “I would like to write articles for money. What sites pay the best or are there other ways to get paid that work better than these sites?” The answer was a crock – the only responder had answered by saying that the content would be placed in the public domain right away. So, let’s set the record straight and help fellow writers who want to start writing articles online.

First, unless you give up or sell the rights to your online articles, they are NOT in the public domain. This doesn’t mean that someone won’t swipe your words and claim them as your own, but that’s another story.

Where to Earn Money Writing Articles

• Constant-Content: Having earned a lot of money with article writing on Constant-Content.com, I highly recommend it. That said, Constant-Content.com isn’t for everyone. The editorial guidelines are strict and it takes a while to really get it. If you think Constant-Content might be for you, take a look at my freelance writing eBook, Celeste Stewart’s Secrets to Success on Constant-Content.com.
• Associated Content: Now owned by Yahoo!, Associated Content pays small upfronts and page view bonuses. Though I have hundreds of articles posted and a “clout” level of 10, my earnings on Associated Content are a fraction of what I earn on Constant-Content. They’re even worse now that Google implemented its “Panda” update.
• Other Article Writing Sites: Other sites allow you to make money writing articles as well including Ecopywriters, Textbroker, Demand Studios, oDesk, Seed, and many others. They all have their own nuances, pay levels, and pros and cons.
• Writing Articles for Magazines: If so inclined, pick up a copy of Writer’s Market and start writing articles for magazines. This typically involves sending query letters to editors and waiting to hear back (which is why I love writing online – it’s so much faster).
• Writing Newspaper Articles: Despite the bleak outlook for newspaper reporters, newspapers still rely on freelancers to fill their pages periodically.
• Your Own Website: After you build a portfolio of articles by writing for some of the sites mentioned above, you may want to create your own website and attract clients that way. It takes work, but it’s nice to be able to work directly with clients. I recommend this option only after you’re established and committed to your freelance writing business.

I’ve been writing articles for money since 2006. These are the main ways I’ve found to make money writing articles. You can also check other sites like Guru and eLance for freelance writing jobs as well as troll social networks for people looking for freelance writers.

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• Freelance Writing on Microblogs

A Guest Post Courtesy of EzineArticles

How to Make Money With Micro Freelancing Sites

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sachin_Kumar_Airan]Sachin Kumar Airan

Micro freelancing sites are a whole new way for freelancers to make money on the web. These unique sites are starting to crop up all over the internet, and they are well worth checking into. You can gain a lot of new clients through the use of these websites.

Essentially, the way it works is simple. You post a micro gig, such as writing a blog post, on the website as a seller. This micro gig should not be worth much more than about five dollars. Buyers then search the gigs to find the services that they need. They purchase your gig, you complete the work, and you are paid through the website. Easy enough, right?

The kicker is what can become of these micro gigs. Micro freelancing sites offer a unique opportunity for sellers and buyers. As a buyer, someone can try out services cheaply before making a decision to hire a freelancer to do a lot of work. For a seller, it means a whole new way of getting new clients for a long-term business relationship.

There is a right and a wrong way to use these sites, however. If you really want to make money with micro freelancing sites you will need to be able to use them correctly. First, you want to make sure your profile is complete and offers samples of your work. This way you will be able to prove yourself to buyers and earn more money using the site.

Second, you want to make sure that the service you are providing is one that is worthwhile. To be worthwhile, the micro gig should be something that is desirable by those who use the site, and it should be something that is desirable on a long-term basis. In other words, you want to choose micro gigs to post that are going to reel in new clients on a long-term basis, not just earn you a few bucks. The real money in micro freelancing sites is not in the gigs themselves, but what those gigs lead to.

Third, you want to word your gig carefully. You do not want to wind up giving more work or services than you bargained for because the gig description was not clear. You need to make sure that you know exactly what you are offering and how much you will be getting for it. This is not negotiable when you do the gig for a buyer. The gig must be performed exactly as it is written, so make sure that you are going to be doing well in describing your service precisely and accurately, in every detail.

In the end, [http://www.minimartjobs.com/]micro freelancing site can make a freelancer a lot of money. You just have to be willing to work the system. You also have to remember that while the short term goal is to make some extra cash, the long-term goal is to earn yourself new long-term clients through these sample mini projects. If you keep the main goal in site, you will make the short term goal as well.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Money-With-Micro-Freelancing-Sites&id=6547848] How to Make Money With Micro Freelancing Sites

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• Writing Articles for Money
• Marketing Articles
• Peripheral Writing Skills
• A Funny Thing Happened When I Set Up an Editorial Calendar. . .
• Constant-Content.com Public Request Tips: Be Unique

Marketing Articles – Where to promote articles

Whether you write for fun, page views, or for profit, getting your articles in front of readers or customers does require some marketing. Articles can be promoted on individually or on autopilot – or a mixture of both. Here are a few ideas for marketing articles:

• Post links to your articles to your Twitter or Facebook accounts
• Create a page on your website where you maintain a list of links to your articles
• Use a service such as Ping.fm to post links to multiple social media accounts at once
• Use social bookmarking sites to market articles
• Find your RSS feeds for each article directory where your articles appear and market the feed rather than individual articles
• Feed your RSS feeds to your social media sites
• Embed your RSS feeds on a Squidoo page
• Submit your RSS feeds to RSS feed aggregators (be careful with this one though as your articles could be displayed in full rather than just excerpts of them)

These are just a few techniques off the top of my head. I’m sure I missed some. What are you doing as far as marketing articles goes? Share your ideas in the comments section below.

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• Peripheral Writing Skills
• Freelance Writing on Microblogs
• A Funny Thing Happened When I Set Up an Editorial Calendar. . .
• Constant-Content.com Public Request Tips: Be Unique
• How Do I Become a Freelance Writer?

A few weeks ago I talked about setting writing rates and some of the advantages of pricing per unit. While pricing per unit (word, page, or project) has its advantages, there are a few downsides to be aware of.

Disadvantages of Per Word Pricing: Word Counts

For starters, your customers may not be able to visualize word counts as easily as you and I can. For example, I know exactly what 400 words looks like because I’ve been writing and paying attention to word counts for years. However, a small business owner creating his first website probably doesn’t.

Disadvantages of Per Word Pricing: Mental Math

Even if a customer has a good sense of word count, quoting a project strictly by your per word rate requires the customer to do some mental math. To overcome both of these problems, give examples when quoting such as “About Us page – 300-400 words – $XX – $XX.” People are familiar with About Us pages, so breaking down the quote by page type can give them a better idea of the word counts involved. Providing the estimated cost means the customer doesn’t have to do the math.

Disadvantages of Per Word Pricing: Unfair Cuts

Another potential problem with per word pricing involves the customer taking your draft and removing large chunks or even entire pages of text and then expecting the bill to be reduced because the word count has been reduced.  This has only happened to me once in the past five years. Depending on the circumstances, you’ll have to judge whether or not to charge for the words eliminated from the final draft. Though rare, this is something to think about addressing in a payment policy. 

Disadvantages of Per Word Pricing: Small Projects

Per word pricing isn’t appropriate for projects that require a great deal of thought and work – and short word counts. For example, it could take hours, if not days, to write a 100-word mission statement.  Instead of charging by the word, either set a minimum charge for small projects or create standard rates for various project types.

While there are definitely a few disadvantages of charging by the word, most of them can be overcome once you’re aware of them. Did I miss any? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

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• Setting Writing Rates–Per Hour or Per Unit?

Ask ten different writers about setting writing rates and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Some charge by the hour, others charge by the page, others charge by the word, and others set flat rates for specific services. Some take a blended approach. In general, I charge by the word though I occasionally charge a flat rate or by the hour (for services that require extensive time, but yield few actual words such as mission statements or keyword research).

With a per unit rate, whether its by the word, page, or some other unit, you’re able to give customers a better idea of the final cost than an hourly rate. Let’s throw some numbers out to illustrate this. If a customer wants a 700-1000 word article, you can easily quote it based on your per word rate. Let’s say you charge 10 cents per word. You’d then quote a range of $70 to $100 and the customer would know what to expect. In fact, the customer could even direct you to limit the article to 800 words, thereby controlling costs.

If you charge by the hour, let’s say at $75 per hour, your customer may not be comfortable because of the uncertainty of time. Depending on how quickly you write, the project could cost $75, $150, or even $300 or more. Not only could it take longer than expected, you’re asking the customer to accept your word about the amount of time spent on the project. The customer has no control over the cost, either.

Another concern with charging by the hour involves the perception customers may have. While $70 to $100 for a finished project might be well received, presenting an hourly rate may put off some clients. They may compare your hourly rates to their own earnings or think “that’s more than my lawyer charges.” 

One reason I’m not a big fan of charging by the hour is that it limits and undervalues your productivity. Bear with me for a minute because I realize this seems counterintuitive.

Let’s say you can easily write 700-1000 words in an hour. At just ten cents per word, that’s $70-$100 per hour. If you charge a client by the hour at $75 per hour, you’d be limiting yourself to earning that amount. I know, few of us would complain about making $75 per hour, but if you know the material well, you could earn even more per hour by charging by the unit. As you become more familiar with the client’s needs and material, over time, you would work more productively and your per hour earnings would increase. Had you charged an hourly rate in the first place, you’d be outputting more work per hour yet you’d earn the same hourly wage. 

Charging by the word has its downsides though. Let’s explore the disadvantages of charging by the word next week. In the meantime, keep track of how many words per hour you average along with your current charges.

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• Writing Rates – Disadvantages of Pricing Per Word