Blog Writing: Getting Started

The life of a writer appears to have many perks. The uninitiated envisions us working in our pajamas while writing fluff about far away places, beautiful people, and spectacular adventures. After chuckling, we patiently explain how many hours it can take to research an article, or the number of times an article is submitted before it sells.

We possess an intangible element, which prevents us from taking the well-worn route. A regular paycheck with benefits is attractive. I even tried it once, and almost died inside. Face it, we are not free to enjoy an easy life while others toil, writers must write.

The life of a freelance writer is burdened with unpaid bills, deadlines, and rejection letters. But, there are a few blessings outweigh the heaviest burdens, like the joy of being published in a national magazine, studying a truly fascinating topic for a client, or enjoying the spiritual journey only a writer can understand.

Still, it is nice to be paid.

The initial lack of income is where most new writers give up. They soon believe the desire to write is a prank their muse is playing on them. It doesn’t have to be this way.

View the world of freelance writing as a forest. On one side is the writer; on the other is a client willing to pay to have something written. All a writer needs to do is climb through the scrub and deadwood to find the elusive client. It isn’t hard, it just takes a different method of thinking, and a little caution.

The number of companies intent on ripping writers off is daunting. There is no way to avoid every scam. Writers sign with organizations that promise to locate work, only to find they must pay and bid against other writers. We all signed up for at least one newsletter that promised to help us earn a living, only to learn it is only a clever marketing tool to sell products.

Making a living shouldn’t be this frustrating. There are paying jobs out there. There are clients willing, even eager, to pay a professional writer. It just takes a little skill to find them.

Make a Client

This can be fun. There is only one rule, never confess what you write. Many small businesses are more than willing to pay a writer for a good press release, especially if the writer submits it to the newspaper too, but only if the business is named as author.

They will also pay you to promote on your blog. However, you need statistics. It is vital that you keep good stats, and can prove they are real. Click through rates, are an important statistic to track. This will increase the amount of money people will pay.

However, saying that you have 10 blogs, can put 3 links in a blog, and will post 5 blogs each, equaling 150 links to a main website - for $25, will attract many local businesses. Remember, as a blogger you will only write 5 posts and 'cross post' them to different blogs.

Building Revenue Generating Blogs

All bloggers will have a few core blogs, but then they will have several that are for advertising and generating revenue. Making money from a blog is not difficult, but you can branch out farther than using the online blog companies.

Look at it this way. Making 40 blogs increases the inbound links to 500. You spend more time pasting your original 5 posts, but you can earn $100 - $200. All you need is 5 - 10 clients a month, and work 20 - 50 hours in the month to make $1000.