A lot of us writers have dreamt of getting published in magazines, books, and leading newspapers. Some of us have studied and trained to reach those opportunities. While those are still pretty much what we are still aiming for, there is no reason why we shouldn’t consider writing for the Internet.
Some hesitance from writers is understandable
Truthfully, writing for the Internet may feel like you’re not writing for yourself. Admittedly, if you do write for the Internet, you’re essentially writing for search engines – targeting search terms so that once people inquire on Google or Bing, your articles will be one of the first things that come up.
But think of this as an opportunity to build a writing portfolio online. Create a website, use your name as its domain name, and populate it with good quality articles. It doesn’t matter if you use search keywords for every other article on your website or on your homepage. The only thing you’ll have to make sure is that people can trust you to churn out really good content, whether they’re satirical, humorous, or informational.
Writing for other high authority websites
On the Internet, driving traffic to your own website may not be enough to solidify your reputation as a credible writer. Just like how writing for printed material requires you to submit articles for different publications, the same applies to guest posting on website who were able to build their standing in the Internet.
If this is your first time to submit to webmasters, the first thing you need to do is look at their content. Are their posts similar to yours? Do you share similar ideas? How about the writing style, is it the same or are you willing to change your style to fit theirs?
Remember that even if the webmasters have the last say if your content is allowed on their website, you do get a chance to choose whether you would like to work or collaborate with them or not. So be as picky as you want when choosing a partner.
You can decide whether you want to charge per word or per post
Lots of articles out there will tell you that you should be charging your clients, not by the quantity of your words, but the quality with which you have delivered their commissioned content. But here’s the thing: as a writer, why would you think the quality of your content is subpar?
You have a website that your clients have visited, and they have deemed your writing more than acceptable. And truthfully, clients do pay per word. You will notice in negotiations, they would always offer a price per word count range (e.g. $7 per 300 words or $50 per 1000 words), so why make it difficult to agree on an amount with them.
You can also charge your clients depending on how difficult the topic or the research will be for their request. Especially if you have marketed yourself as both a content writer and a copywriter, you have free rein on the number of articles written for SEO purposes and those that are meant to be niche.
Know the difference between content writer and copywriter
The distinction between the two is very important to know.
- Content writing’s purpose is to share valuable content, meant to inform readers about something you are an expert of.
- Copywriting on the other hand is meant to push readers to a specific action. You don’t just want to attract them with your writing this time, you want them to do something about it.
If you’re doing it right, you can do both on your website. But if you’re also taking in clients, you must know the difference between the two. This will help you decide the kind of writing style you need to take once the client has laid out their plans for the article you’ll be writing.
It’s not easy money, for sure; but it’s a free avenue to get your writing out there. Not to mention, the need for good content and copywriters are in-demand – so grab that opportunity and make it work for you. Pretty soon, you’ll be working on a book or an article that will get you published on your dream publication.
