By this time of the month I have usually updated my readers on how my Associated Content earnings are going. But as of late I have not had anytime to devote to this type of writing. Even though I strongly believe in Associated Content’s income earning power, there are months when I have too much work to write for them.
If you are new to freelance writing, or simply want to make some extra money this month, definitely give Associated Content a look. Here are three tips which will help you to effectively use Associated Content to your advantage.
1. Write articles that people want to read, but also ones that are not overdone. In other words, you need to provide unique and interesting content on topics that have not been submitted time and time again. If you are writing on an overdone topic, your best bet is to put your own unique spin on the article. This is the best way to ensure acceptance as well as the highest offer.
2. If you have the time, write articles for Associated Content in blocks of five. This is the method I use, and it seems to help with time management. Additionally, writing articles in blocks of five will also help to increase the amount of money that you earn. Once you get in a writing groove, you can crank out five articles for Associated Content in an hour or so.
3. Set goals for yourself. If you want to make $500 per month with Associated Content, find out how many articles that works out to. From there, divide that number by the days you work and you will know how many articles to produce on a daily basis. As you become more comfortable with Associated Content make sure that you tweak your goals. After all, you might as well set the bar high.
Overall, these three tips should help you to effectively submit articles to Associated Content.Â
Even though I am a freelance writer, I do not have much experience with hiring others to work for me in this capacity. In the past I have hired programmers and designers, but it is not often that I look for other writers or bloggers. After all, if I have a job that needs done I will usually find a way to complete the task on my own.
I have found myself at a point where I am interested in hiring bloggers to help with some of my workload. Over the next few months I plan on starting quite a few new blogs, and with my current work, getting outside help is going to be essential.
There are several things I am going to look for when hiring bloggers. Three of the most important details are listed below.
1. Ideally, I would like to hire bloggers who have some prior knowledge of the topic they will be writing about. While researching online is fine, finding bloggers with a passion for the subject matter would be great.
2. I need bloggers who can devote enough time each day to writing for their given blog. This should not be much of a problem because I will only be asking for five posts per week of somewhere between 400 and 600 words.
3. Payment is the final detail that I will discuss with bloggers who I am hoping to hire. This is a touchy subject because I want to pay a reasonable rate, but at the same time, I need to keep my expenses under control in the early stages of each blog. I will probably offer several payment options to each blogger, and then see where things go from there.
Now for the fun stuff. If you are interested in helping out as a blogger, send me a quick email with some information about your experience, favorite topics, and how much you would charge per post. Hopefully I will be able to find several qualified candidates so that I do not have to write all the content on my own. After all, I do need to sleep from time to time!
Just like any other business, as a freelance writer there are some clients that are good and some that are bad. For me, good clients are much more than those that pay a lot of money. They are also the ones that clearly communicate their goals, pay on time, and work with mutually agreed upon terms.
Breaking away from a difficult freelance writing client is never easy to do. There are two main reasons that this can be difficult. First off, breaking away means that you may upset the client. In turn, a battle of words could ensue, and your professionalism could be compromised. Another reason that makes this hard is that you may not want to give up a client because you do not have enough work. This is reasonable enough, but you should know that bad clients are not worth your time in the long run.
When you decide to sever ties with a freelance writing client you need to do so professionally. I have done this several times in the past, and each situation turned out differently. Most recently, I had to tell a fledgling magazine that I could no longer work for them. While I enjoyed the topic I was writing about each month, they were not paying on time due to financial issues on their end. I explained this as nicely as possible in an email, and the editor responded cordially. When the client knows that they are in the wrong it is always easier to breakaway.
On the other hand, a few months back I stopped working for a client and several crude emails were thrown my way. My reason for ending the work was simple: the client would change his mind halfway through a job, and then want me to redo the work for no additional charge. While I do not mind revisions, a total change of topic after I have started is not doable. The client thought that I should honor his request because I was not yet finished with the work. Of course, he had no idea how much time I put into the job in the first place. In the end relations were severed, but I was left with lost time and no money to show for it.
As you can see, sometimes breaking away from a freelance writing client is easy, but other times you will be up against some resistance. But no matter what, make sure that you stay professional.Â
