ODesk Guide :: Hourly Assignments vs Fixed Rate Assignments

There are two types of assignment on oDesk, fixed price and hourly. Fixed price jobs are simple; you complete the assignment and the client pays you a prearranged sum. This is more like freelancing privately but, unfortunately, you receive no payment protection with this type of assignment and risk the client running off with your work and not paying you a cent. The other type of assignment is the hourly model, where the client can keep track of the amount of work you do with software that measures activity and takes screenshots. This is payment protected and you will receive your money, but many freelancers don't like the idea of being watched while they work.

Freelance Writing on oDesk - Hourly Jobs vs Fixed Rate Jobs guides you through the process, showing you how to avoid the pitfalls associated with each type of assignment, and ensure that your valuable time is not wasted. With this knowledge, you are one step closer to making a living from freelance writing on oDesk.

ODesk Guide :: Finding Assignments on oDesk

Once you have filled out your oDesk profile, you can begin looking for assignments, competing with other freelance writers for that elusive first job. As with anything, it is difficult to find a well-paid gig when you have no oDesk history to speak of so, at first, you nay have to compete on price. Searching through the boards will bring up a list of clients,. some good, some bad, most indifferent. Like most freelance writing marketplaces, oDesk attracts its fair share of comedians who want something for nothing, so take the advice of more experienced freelancers and make sure that you do not fall into any traps, giving work samples for free the most common pitfall.

Freelance Writing on oDesk - Finding Assignments guides you through the entire process, helping you to avoid the article mills and the scammers as you search for that first gig. Once you have a shortlist and have checked out the buyer history, you can begin drafting the killer cover letter and application that will set you apart from the crowd.

ODesk Guide :: Filling Out Your oDesk Profile

ODesk is one of the leading freelance sites, matching writer, programmers and designers up with clients keen to take advantage of the outsourcing phenomenon. Thousands of freelancers have signed up for the site and have started to earn an income. It certainly isn't easy, but you can make a decent income on there if you are prepared to work at it. Of course, getting noticed amongst the many freelancers competing for jobs is difficult but you can get ahead by making sure that your profile is complete and informative, grabbing the attention of potential clients.

Freelance Writing with ODesk - Filling out Your Profile will guide you through this process, helping you to create a professional profile that sells your skills and abilities to their full potential. Once you have this in hand, you can start to apply for assignments and start to look for that elusive first freelance writing assignment. This invaluable oDesk guide really can save you a lot of time and effort.

Earning Money From Freelance Writing Part II

Now that you have established that you have the skills and the drive to take the first leap into earning money from freelance writing, you can start to look at ways of monetizing your talent. This is a gradual process, but you can begin by joining a couple of freelance writing sites, which will help you to build confidence and learn your trade. This will set you in good stead as you begin to look at building your own site and developing a list of clients. It is difficult to make a full time living from freelance sites, but you can certainly earn a decent extra income.

Freelance Writing for a Living - Active Income will help to guide you through the process of taking your first tentative steps into the tough field. It will help you to land that first gig and kick on from there, creeping up your rates and building up a decent income. With this information, you can avoid becoming one of the 90% who fail and walk away in disillusionment.

Earning Money From Freelance Writing Part I

Earning money from freelance is possible but requires talent and a lot of hard work. The first few months are a steep learning curve as you strive to master new skills and improve your writing. You also have to develop a tough mentality and learn how to market and promote yourself. I estimate that at least 90% of the people starting out as writers fail, disillusioned by the long hours, low earnings and boredom. In many cases, they simply do not have the drive, talent or determination to succeed.

Freelance Writing for a Living helps you to look into yourself and determine if you really possess the talent, skill and unwavering ambition to earn money from writing. It is better to be brutally honest and find out before you start rather than wasting months chasing a fruitless dream when you could be putting you skills to better use.

Creating Web Content | Hire a Professional

Many businesses are happy to spend large sums of money engaging professional website designers and experienced marketers. Certainly, slick, professional website and a targeted advertising campaign are great ways to reach out and find a target audience. However, too many businesses then try to write the website content themselves, or trawl the freelance writing sites in an attempt to find a cheap writer. Sadly, this strategy rarely works and you end up with web content that looks amateurish and drives potential clients away.

It makes sense to hire a professional writer for writing quality web content because, as with your web designer and internet marketer, it is an investment that pays dividends. An experienced freelance writer knows how to shape language and create informative, readable content that entices visitors to read further. Instead of confronting them with amateurish ramblings, using a skilled writer for creating web content ensures that your site is one step ahead of the competition.

Hire a Professional Writer for your Business Sales Letters

Most businesses understand the impact that a well-targeted sales letter or press release can have on sales, advertising to a chosen audience and repaying the money spent. However, many businesses try to take the cheaper option and chance their luck on the freelance boards, attempting to find a sales writer for a few dollars an hour. This is false economy because no experienced sales writer will work for such low rates: They know their worth. Using a novice writer practically guarantees that your campaign will be a failure and, ominously, potential clients will assume that you are a spammer and avoid any further communication. if you want to hire a professional writer for your business sales letters and press releases, look beyond the price.

Hiring a Freelance Writer Editor for your Press Releases and Sales Letters makes perfect business sense, and any money paid for a skilled wordsmith is a great investment. Compelling, well-written sales letters entice potential clients and help to generate lasting interest. If you want your advertising campaign to be a success, hire a professional writer for your business sales letters.

Finding a Freelance Technical Writer

Finding a freelance technical writer can be a very long and drawn out process, as you try to pick your way through the thousands of professional writers advertising their services online. A search on Google or a look at the freelance boards throws up countless people proudly proclaiming their skills, at a rock bottom price. In fact, most of these 'professionals' know very little about technical writing and are merely appearing to the lowest common denominator: Price.

The article 'Why Hire Technical Writers' shows you exactly why you should look for experienced professionals to write your technical documents, because they have the skill with language to convey a message in very few words. A technical document should be as short as possible, yet contain a wealth of information laid out in a logical format. Finding a freelance technical writer involves looking for skilled professionals, not enthusiastic amateurs trying to bluff.

Learning How to Become a Freelance Writer - Website Design

For those of you learning how to become a freelance writer, setting up your own website is part of the process. A slick, well-designed website creates a professional image and, most of all, projects your personality. Freelance writers are often hired due to their personality as much as their skill, so this is an extremely important aspect of creating a brand image. However, most freelance writers know very little about business website design and end up opting for one of the 'free' services or use a blog.

Business website design and marketing for freelance writers is a case of buying your own domain name and creating a professional site, either with a Wordpress template or by paying a professional website designer. Learning how to become a freelance writer involves teaching yourself how to market and develop an identity, and a poorly-designed, generic site will drive the customers away.

Small Business Marketing: Postcard Advertising

Anyone starting out as a freelance writer must know how to advertise, because small business marketing is the lifeblood of any self-employed worker. You can be the most talented writer on earth but, if your target audience don't know that you exist, you will fail. Many writers understand the basics of online small business marketing, and diligently set about promoting their business online. Sadly, many forget the old-school methods and fail to advertise their services in their local community, often a very lucrative source of income.

For your home business marketing, printing postcards as a marketing tools are an excellent addition to the armory. Four color postcards allow you to perform mail-drops or other advertising campaigns cheaply and effectively. Color printed postcards hold much more information than business cards and give you a lot of scope to include your business identity and a strong sales pitch. For small business marketing, postcard advertising really can pay off.

Freelance Writing Stories :: The Mentality of the Writer

Over the past few years, the writing landscape has changed, as the internet and high-speed communication dictate how we share information. All of a sudden, the writers who once retained a sense of smug superiority find themselves beset on all sides. The demands of the electronic age mean that they have to learn new skills and adapt to this unfamiliar, changing environment. Our tired heroes battle onwards, beset by the very people that they once looked down upon as untalented oafs.

In the article, Fops, Dandies, and Luvvies: How to Become a Writer, one veteran writer laments the changes, in an irreverent peek into the vacuous mind of the average writer. Freelance writing has changed forever, and our vainglorious anti-heroes must adapt or starve.

Use Freelance Writers for your Web Content

Many website owners spend a small fortune on designing and marketing their website, confident that they will soon recoup their investment. Any online business taking itself seriously must have a slick, professional website and a sound marketing strategy. However, too many site owners then begrudge paying for a decent freelance writer to create web content. Many try to do it themselves, or race to the bottom and try to find a writer at the lowest rate possible. This type of strategy is rarely successful and the business ends up losing more money than they saved by trying to be cheap.

Using Freelance Writers for Web Copywriting makes sense, because a skilled wordsmith can create compelling, flowing copy that entices consumers to browse your site and look at what you have to offer. A freelance writer is a skilled professional who knows how to use language to maximum effect, helping your business to leave a lasting impression and show clients that you believe in customer care and professionalism. Good web content repays your investment many times over.

The Freelance Writing Boards :: Avoid the Article Mills

Many people dream about becoming a freelance writer, either as a full time profession or to make a little money in these uncertain economic times. Certainly, amidst the specter of rising unemployment and low wages, writing for a living can be a profitable business, although it requires talent and a strong work ethic. To get established, many people turn to one of the freelance writing sites, such as oDesk or Elance, using their services to meet employers and find the first elusive gig. Sadly, many keen freelance writers become sucked into the article mills, the sites that want you to churn out hundreds of articles for a couple of dollars a time.

In the article, How to Become a Writer: Avoiding the article mills, an experienced freelance writer who served his apprenticeship on the freelance sites shows you how to avoid falling into the trap. With this advice, you can find the good clients and ensure that you are paid a professional rate, not slave wages.

Lame Excuses for not Hiring a Freelance Writer

Over the past few years, the vast majority of businesses realize that having an online presence is crucial. Dutifully, they spend thousands of dollars hiring web designers and internet marketers. With a great site design and aggressive marketing, they them begin to think about filling the site with content. For some strange reason, many of them are reluctant to pay the money for a professional freelance writer and begrudge paying a few dollars for a quality web content writer.

They give many feeble excuses for not hiring a freelance writer, but these all boil down to the idea that they are trying to cut corners. By trying to write content themselves, use syndicated copy, or hire an inexperienced, amateur writer, they actually waste more money. A professional, skilled freelance writer can create compelling content and articles, enticing potential customers to explore the site further and click on the 'Buy it Now' button.

Ultimately, if your content is poorly written and riddled with errors, you will drive your target audience away.

Article Marketing and Article Directories

Many online businesses correctly see article marketing as a great way to promote their website and reach a target audience. Sadly, most of them are not sure how to get the most out of their article marketing and spend their time and effort chasing backlinks. The process is simple: Hire a cheap freelance writer, get them to write a few short articles, upload to article directories, and repeat. The problem is that using a cheap writer or trying to do it yourself generally means that you are going to end up with poorly written content, filled with grammatical errors.

Internet Article Marketing Strategy shows you why this is the wrong approach and will ultimately lead to you wasting your time and effort. Poorly written content and amateur ramblings are not going to get picked up and syndicated, and they will soon slide down the rankings. Even worse, they can actually have a detrimental effect on your business, so your short term saving soon becomes a long term cost. It really is time to rethink your article marketing strategy and how you use article directories.

How to Become a Writer :: Developing Writing Skills

Many people harbor the dream of becoming a writer, whether as an author or as a freelance writer. Many people have the talent but are not sure how to harness that and use it for maximum effect. Others may have what it takes but have no idea about where to start or how to transfer their skills into making a living and giving up the day job. Learning how to become a writer is a very steep learning curve and needs talent, dedication and hard work if you are to break away from the article mills and earn a professional wage.

How to Become a Writer – The Tools for Developing a Writing Career gives you a few tips for developing a writing career and making the most of your talent. It shows you exactly what you need to excel at your new profession, and how to develop the skill with words and the quiet determination to succeed. With this advice, you will soon be ready to make a second income or even works towards self-employment.