Freelance Writing

So you want to get involved with affiliate marketing? If so, you are definitely moving towards a big money maker if you can get on track. When it comes down to it, there is no limit as to how much money you can make through affiliate marketing. The great thing about this is that you never have to stock an item, but you can sell pretty much anything you want. Once you have an established website or blog you should be able to add affiliate programs to increase your monthly income.

For those of you who want to learn about affiliate marketing, take the time to visit Associateprograms.com. In my opinion there is no better resource for information on this industry. Not only do you have access to top notch information, but it does not stop there. Associateprograms.com also offers an affiliate programs directory which makes it easy for you to find items to market.

Additionally, the affiliate marketing forum is a great place to not only ask questions, but to also read about past successes and failures of others. This is an active forum with more than 15,000 registered users. At the time of writing this there are 65 users online. This is not a huge number, but it is safe to say that somebody will be able to answer your questions within a reasonable amount of time.

Allan Gardyne is the CEO and founder of Associateprograms.com. He has been earning a full-time income from affiliate marketing for almost 10 years, and it is safe to say that he is still going strong. As you probably know by now, I strongly believe in learning from those who have had success in the past. And if you are interested in affiliate marketing, there are not too many people out there who have had the success of Allan Gardyne, and are still willing to help others.

With a lot of money to be made through affiliate marketing, you should look into adding this income stream to your website or blog. If you are still a bit unsure about getting started, consider taking the time to read Associateprograms.com. You will find everything you need to get started!

As I have said before, my technical skills are not the greatest. I have no idea how to design a blog, let alone deal with complexities such as coding. When it comes down to it, I am a writer and that is pretty much what I do. For everything technical, I have to farm out the work to one of my contractors; which is not a huge deal, I suppose. But with that being said, it does cost money, and waiting for them to do the work is not always the easiest thing to do.

Leo over at the Idiot Affiliate recently gave me a plug entitled, “Learn Freelance Writing and Blogging with Chris Blogging.” I was quite happy to see this as I am always interested in spreading my knowledge, and of course, learning from others in the process. But in the last paragraph of his post, I read something that really caught my eye.

“On a side note, I encourage Chris to pick up that technical torch and run with it for awhile.  It isn’t as hard as you think it is!”

This got me thinking; maybe he is right? All this time I have been concentrating on writing, but never taking the time to learn the technical side of blogging.

So my question is, how can I learn about design, coding, and all that other good stuff? Again, since I have no idea what this is all about, I really don’t know where to start.

Any suggestions would be great. After all, if I am going to continue to grow this blog, doing some design work and adding new features is a must.

Let me know how you developed your technical skills. Hopefully this is something that I can work on in the near future!

Since starting this blog, I have made one post per day, everyday. While this may not sound like a lot, it is a goal that I take very seriously. I strive to make sure that readers have something new to think about everyday of the week; even Saturday and Sunday. After about 60 days of doing this, I think that I am finally ready to step up to two posts per day. There are several reasons that I am considering this.

First off, I have received a lot of positive response from readers, and many of them are asking for more posts. Since I like to keep everybody happy, I would love to increase my daily output. I feel that I have the time to do this, and even if something came up, I could always take a step back to one post per day while getting back on track.

Additionally, I have a backlog of topics that I really want to write about. Writing is what I do, and having so many great topics staring me in the face makes me anxious. To me, coming up with new topics has never been a problem, and it seems that I add a few new ones to my list everyday. If I am ever going to get through them all, increasing my output is essential.

Finally, I am hoping that adding more content will help with traffic; both from returning visitors and search engines. If this happens, I can then move forward with some of the other goals that I have for this blog.

I am not totally sure if I am going to make the move to two posts per day, but it is on my mind. By later this week I will definitely have a decision!

The biggest complaint that new blog owners have is that they cannot attract an audience. In other words, they feel as if they are writing, but nobody is reading. While this can be a difficult problem to overcome, it is one that every blogger has to deal with early on. Your goal should be to increase your readership day in and day out. Even if you only make small strides, this is better than standing still. Small successes will lead to bigger ones in the long run!

But remember, you are never going to increase your audience if you do not give people a reason to read your blog. Readers need to have a reason to visit your blog. If you give them one, it is safe to say that they will come back time and time again. If not, you are going to struggle to reach even the smallest of goals.

So why should people read your blog? If you cannot answer this question, nobody else is going to be able to either. For me, the answer to this question is short and sweet: readers should visit Chrisblogging if they want to learn about or make money with freelance writing and/or blogging. With each post that I write, my goal is to stay within this “reason for reading.”

Any reason to read your blog is a great one. Some blogs get tons of traffic because they are controversial, and others attract readers because they have pictures of scantily clad celebrities.

No matter what, you need to have a hook that will draw people in. This way, as word spreads about your blog, traffic will continue to increase.

There is a fine line between monetizing your site, and taking things to an extreme. If you are going to look into monetization methods, you need to make sure that this does not negatively affect the way that readers perceive and read your blog. In other words, if your revenue streams are getting in the way, you may be doing yourself a disservice in the long run.

I have found that monetizing a blog too early is one of the number one ways to put readers off. Day in and day out I come across blogs that have a couple of posts, but advertisements all over the front page. What does this tell me? Simply put, it tells me that the person is more interested in making money with their blog than providing good, quality content.

I am of the opinion that monetizing a blog, if done at the right time, will not put readers off as long as it is done appropriately. As mentioned above, this means that your revenue streams should not interfere with the navigation or overall look of your blog. While it is impossible to monetize a blog without changing its look, you need to make this transaction as seamless as possible. Upon arriving at your blog, you want readers to notice your content first and everything else after that. If your ads are sticking out all over the place, you are going to have a difficult time retaining and attracting new members.

Also, keep in mind that monetization is not a vague, generalized term. There are so many ways to set up revenue streams that you are sure to have your hands full. As you can imagine, the monetization methods that you choose will have a lot to do with the way that your site looks, and also the way that readers will react. If you have a blog with steady traffic and comments, your visitors will be sure to let you know if you have done something wrong.

The key to monetization is making sure that your blog is ready. When you feel that the time is right, make sure that you choose the best ways to make money, and that you never turn readers off by overcrowding. 

There are some blogs that make money, and others that do not. At this time, this blog fits into the later category. I have yet to consider any monetization methods, and am probably still a few months away from doing so. Until I am comfortable with the content and traffic, I will stay away from monetization. But with that being said, I have been thinking a lot about how much money should be reinvested in a blog. In other words, what percentage of your blog’s revenue do you reinvest?

This is a question that every blogger will answer differently. There are some that like to reinvest every last penny that they make, while others would rather keep the money for themselves. And guess what? There is no way of saying for sure what is right and what is wrong. It really depends on your goals and situation.

If your main goal is to grow your blog as quickly as possible, you will definitely want to reinvest some of your revenue. How much, you may ask? Well, that is for you to decide. You may want to take a certain percentage of your overall revenue, or simply have a set amount that you will use for reinvesting each month.

On the other side of things, if you are trying to make money with your blog to sustain your current lifestyle, reinvesting may not be the best idea. After all, the $100 that your blog earns may be needed to pay some bills. If you are in this situation, there is no need to worry. Even though your blog would probably grow faster if you were to reinvest some earnings, if you continue to post quality content, your traffic should naturally increase; even if it takes a while.

It would be interesting to find out how much money the big time blogs reinvest. For instance, do you think John Chow has to put any money back into his blog? I am sure he does this to a certain extent, but with over $10,000/month in revenue, it is probably not enough to make a huge difference. In fact, it is safe to say that he probably reinvests more money in his blog in one month than most blogs earn. But remember, even he started somewhere!

As the month winds down, consider your blog reinvestment strategy. You may find out that tweaking this could help your blog reach new heights in August!

Have you ever given any thought to selling your blog? I for one never like to sell any of the websites that I personally start. After putting so much time into a blog, selling it would feel like eliminating part of my business life. Sure, you may be able to make some money on a deal, but is it worth it?

Over the past couple of months I have kept an eye on the marketplace at SitePoint. If you are not familiar with SitePoint, they have probably the largest marketplace for selling blogs, websites, and much more. If you are going to sell your blog, or are interested in buying one, this is probably the place for you. Anyway, there have been quite a few blogs for sale, and many of them have fetched a pretty penny. But the one thing that really gets me is the people who sell their personal blog. Does this make sense to you?

If I sold this blog, what would somebody else do with it? After all, it is about my experiences and thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. To me, selling a personal blog is like selling a part of yourself.

I suppose there are some reasons for both selling and buying a personal blog. On the selling side of things, if your blog is popular in your niche, you may be able to attract a good price. And of course, if you already have revenue streams in place this is only going to help your cause.

On the other side of things, buying somebody’s personal blog also has some benefits. First off, as mentioned above, it may be an authority site. And along with this comes name recognition, direct traffic, incoming links, an established readership, and some revenue. The only problem is, are all of these benefits going to stick around when the person running the blog changes? This is a question that you will want to answer before you decide to buy a personal blog.
 
One last note: if you are going to sell your personal blog, make sure that the new owner will state this in their first post. In other words, you want them to tell readers that the blog is under new ownership. You may also want to make a post before you go telling your readers why you sold, etc. And of course, make sure that the new owner is aware that they must keep this post on the blog. If you do not do this, the new owner will be more or less acting as you; and this is never a good thing.

Buying and selling a blog can be tricky business. Before you do either one, make sure that you take the pros and cons into consideration. 

There is no denying that managing more than one blog can be a difficult task. And if you are going to do this without the help of others, you are most definitely in for a rough time; at least during the beginning stages. But with that being said, there are many people out there who are successfully managing multiple blogs. If you want to be next, it is going to take a high level of efficiency and dedication. And that is only the beginning.

Are you thinking about starting another blog? Do you already have more than one that you are trying to keep track of? If so, the following four tips will help you to successfully manage all of your blogs.

1. As you probably know, managing one blog can be time consuming. You need to find time to make regular posts, while also marketing with gusto. This alone can take up several hours each day if you want to do things right. On this blog alone, I spend at least 1.5 hours per day making sure that everything is running smoothly. And even then, I find myself answering emails late at night in order to stay in touch with readers.

If you are going to manage more than one blog, you can pretty much multiply your work by that number. Since I have a bit of help, I do not struggle too much with keeping my other sites up to date. But with that being said, I still like to do most of my work without too much assistance. To succeed with this, it is essential for me to outline daily goals. Example: for this blog, I strive to write at least one post per day. Along with this, I always make anywhere between 20 and 40 comments on other blogs that are similar to mine. Finally, I add in other time consuming measures such as guest blogging and other marketing techniques. And this is all in addition to my day to day freelance writing projects.

2. As mentioned above, I do have a little bit of help from time to time; and there is nothing wrong with this. Even though it would be nice to do everything on my own, there are simply not enough hours in a day. If you are going to run multiple blogs, in particular more than two, you are probably going to have to hire some help. Find out the area where you need the most assistance, and then seek out somebody who is reliable enough to get the job done.

3. If all of your blogs are somehow interrelated you will have a much easier time keeping them current. For instance, if you have a blog on basketball, start another on a particular player within the game. This will allow you to do all of your research in one area. Not to mention the fact that it is probably something that you will enjoy!

4. Never start a new blog until you are 100 percent comfortable with where your current ones stand. Why put more on your plate if you are having a hard time working with the blogs that you already have? You should not be in a huge hurry to jump into another venture. Take your time so that as you move forward it is easier for you to sustain your current workload.

Managing multiple blogs may not be easy, but it can be rewarding on both a personal and financial level.

If you are a freelance writer, one of your jobs is to make sure that you get paid the amount you are owed on time. Of course, things do not always work out this way, but it should be your goal. But when it comes to collecting money, what method do you prefer?

Generally speaking, freelance writers have two options when it comes to getting paid. This is not to say that there are no other options, but these are definitely the most popular.

First off, you could opt to be paid by check. The main benefit of this is that you do not have to rely on an online payment system in order to facilitate the transaction. Additionally, unlike PayPal, when you receive your funds via check you never have to pay a fee. For some people, this is reason enough to collect all their money this way.

In my case, the magazines and other print publications that I write for always pay via check. This is fine with me, and I usually cash checks within a couple days of finding them in my mailbox.

The only real drawback of a check, when compared to PayPal, is that you have to rely on the mail to deliver your money. Even if things go as planned, you are going to have to wait for a couple of days at the least. For some freelance writers, getting paid quickly is the most important factor. After all, bills need to get paid, and waiting is never a good thing.

This brings us to why PayPal is beneficial to freelance writers. As soon as you complete and turn in your assignment, your client can send you funds via your PayPal account. This means that you could have your money in your account within five minutes of completing a job. Talk about quick service!

As mentioned above, the main downfall of PayPal is the transaction fees that are taken out of your payment. To give you an idea of how bad these can get, I paid nearly $2,000 in these fees last year. Now can you see why PayPal makes so much money?

Since I have several jobs that pay out on a regular basis, some of them as often as three to four times per week, being paid by check is not an option. Sure, I could have them tally everything up at the end of the month, but I prefer to receive payment as soon as possible. This ensures me that I will get what is coming to me; even if I have to give PayPal a small percentage of it.

Although check and PayPal are the two best payment options for freelance writers, you may want to consider others. For instance, I have one client that pays each month with a wire transfer. All they needed was my checking account number, routing number, and bank name. While this is a great way to get paid because of the quick service, keep in mind that you may be charged a service fee. I give up $13 on each payment from this client so that I can get the money wired to my account. Why do I do this, you may ask? Well, since the check is usually for a couple thousand dollars, it seems to be the best option. I would rather get that amount of money as quick as possible as opposed to waiting for it in the mail.

As a freelance writer, consider receiving payments via check and/or PayPal. You should be able to find a happy medium that suits the needs of most your clients.

Most successful blogs concentrate on one large topic area, which is then broken down into smaller sections. Of course, there are varying degrees of this method, but for the most part it is a good outline to follow.

When I started this blog, I decided on three large topics: freelance writing, blogging, and internet marketing. As you can probably imagine, these are three topics that I have a lot of experience with. The biggest key to blogging success is to choose a topic that you love. When you do this, you can be rest assured that you will never get bored. Although there are days when I have to make time to write posts, it is always fine because I love my subject matter.

Within the three larger topics, my goal is to touch on anything and everything that I think my readers will enjoy. For instance, there is much more to freelance writing than what you see on the surface. Subtopics include everything from finding clients to getting paid to writing techniques. As I move forward with this blog, all of these subtopics, and many more, will be detailed time after time.

One of the most difficult tasks for some bloggers is to stay on track with their content. There are times when I have 100 other things on my mind, and many of them are of great interest to me, but unfortunately readers do not come here for that information. For me, the best way to stay on track is to always have a good backlog of article topics. This allows me to research the information that I want to offer, and then put together a quality post. As you can imagine, this is a much better idea than simply thinking of a topic on the spot, and then starting to write with no direction whatsoever.

These are all things that you should think about before you start a blog as well as when you are moving forward. There is nothing worse than building a readership, just to decide that you want to move in a different direction. If this happens, you are more or less undoing and throwing out all of the hard work that you put into the project.

Remember this: you can blog about whatever you want. Just make sure that you love your topic, and that it is large enough to encompass several subtopics. This will help you immensely from post number one.