Many will argue that to write for free is giving away the farm, I say it all depends on where you are in your writing career. If you are just beginning to learn how to become a freelance writer and you need to build up a portfolio or samples of your work to show prospective clients who need you to write 500 word articles, to provide content for websites or blogs, one could easily rationalize that it is best to write for a free blog or content sharing site that allows you to post regularly on niche topics of interest.
Where is it best to write for free?
Another place that you may want to write when starting out for the first time is with your local newspaper column in your town. Small newspapers need journalists who can cover current events and produce news pieces for the local city sections. Other places that allow for newbies who want to see their writing in print is comic books or recipe websites.
Freelance Writing Career Guide Tips and Advice, Some of the best tips for any freelance writing career is to seek opportunities to use your skills, some Freelance Writer Jobs, Gigs, and Opportunities include writing for trade magazines business journals need content and will allow new writers send in samples which will help with showing your name in print and gives others a chance to see what type of writing style you have to offer.
Direct Mail is a great place to practice copywriter, writing sale letters and promotional ad copy is in demand and it will give you some pieces to showcase. Most direct mail campaigns are for the purpose of selling a product or service.
Where to find writing opportunities, try non profit organizations, small businesses or newsletters. Also its notable to add brochures to the list of items to share your expertise and range of writing styles. Either way one has to start somewhere and once enough material is built up then one can start to set rates and price sheets.
Compare prices research other freelance writers and look at what they are charging. Rates per piece and turn around time on each assignment. These are things you want to consider, experience helps but how long you have been in the business is not as important to what quality you can offer.
Get paid to Write Articles
Make money online as a freelance writer, it is possible to build a writing career from home. More writing opportunities are available, just type anything to do with writing in the search engine and you will find a flood gates of information on the subject from Where to find writing jobs, gigs, and part time and full time assignments. One way to find independent contractor, jobs is to look for ways to make money selling your writing on the internet. Its possible to do this because of the many online markets for writers.
What are these online markets?
If you are wondering what they are its simply is any site on the internet that needs web content that allow you to be published. Some things you will need to know inorder to get started is where to look and what to do once you find sites wanting your type of writing style or niche topic.
What rates should I charge?
Many are wondering how much they should charge per article or per word, prices vary it all depends on the industry, because a consumer magazine site will have different requirements than a corporate site or lifestyle blog. Plus it is important to note that a Fiction Writer will be paid differently than a non-fiction writer, also if you are one who does product reviews the same principle applies. Writing a novel or short story is not the same as being a copywriter or one who reports current events. See it helps to first define your specialty.
Do I need education or training?
Not all writers have journalism degrees or are english majors for that matter. It helps to know correct grammer and be able to type with a measure of speed. Most of the type of article writing takes just knowledge of the subject and a conversational tone. Most writer seek to make the material they write about to be informative and helpful.
All it takes is to get a Handbook For Freelance Writing because many who read content, scan it for the main points anyway so it helps to stick to the point and allow the reader to decide which parts are most important to them.
Some Writing Tips for Freelance Writers can be found on article directory sites and writing forums, here you can find out what it takes to write a article of 500 words or more. It can be a challenge to write a article which is long enough for publishing. Here are some must reads that will help anyone who is wanting to improve the way they write for online markets, or anyone who wants to publish and get paid for writing as a freelance writing assistant
Here are some of the more popular titles that many writers seek answers to.
How to Write Relevant Articles Fast, here the key is to write from knowledge, include a 100 word introduction and then write 5 points that are 60 words each that solves a problem for the reader.
Article Writing - How to Write More Articles Faster, first it is recommended that you choose topics or subjects that your are very knowledgeable about or are passionate about, this will save you time on research and it will be more interesting for your target audience.
Next it is important to not let writers block get in your way, the best way to help with this is to jot down ideas as they come to mind during the week and remember to take time off from your computer during the week so as not to get burned out.
Lastly set aside time each day to write 2-3 articles by writing in a relaxing environment you will be able to produce more short quality articles that give relevant information.
What are these online markets?
If you are wondering what they are its simply is any site on the internet that needs web content that allow you to be published. Some things you will need to know inorder to get started is where to look and what to do once you find sites wanting your type of writing style or niche topic.
What rates should I charge?
Many are wondering how much they should charge per article or per word, prices vary it all depends on the industry, because a consumer magazine site will have different requirements than a corporate site or lifestyle blog. Plus it is important to note that a Fiction Writer will be paid differently than a non-fiction writer, also if you are one who does product reviews the same principle applies. Writing a novel or short story is not the same as being a copywriter or one who reports current events. See it helps to first define your specialty.
Do I need education or training?
Not all writers have journalism degrees or are english majors for that matter. It helps to know correct grammer and be able to type with a measure of speed. Most of the type of article writing takes just knowledge of the subject and a conversational tone. Most writer seek to make the material they write about to be informative and helpful.
All it takes is to get a Handbook For Freelance Writing because many who read content, scan it for the main points anyway so it helps to stick to the point and allow the reader to decide which parts are most important to them.
Some Writing Tips for Freelance Writers can be found on article directory sites and writing forums, here you can find out what it takes to write a article of 500 words or more. It can be a challenge to write a article which is long enough for publishing. Here are some must reads that will help anyone who is wanting to improve the way they write for online markets, or anyone who wants to publish and get paid for writing as a freelance writing assistant
Here are some of the more popular titles that many writers seek answers to.
How to Write Relevant Articles Fast, here the key is to write from knowledge, include a 100 word introduction and then write 5 points that are 60 words each that solves a problem for the reader.
Article Writing - How to Write More Articles Faster, first it is recommended that you choose topics or subjects that your are very knowledgeable about or are passionate about, this will save you time on research and it will be more interesting for your target audience.
Next it is important to not let writers block get in your way, the best way to help with this is to jot down ideas as they come to mind during the week and remember to take time off from your computer during the week so as not to get burned out.
Lastly set aside time each day to write 2-3 articles by writing in a relaxing environment you will be able to produce more short quality articles that give relevant information.
Freelance Writing Gigs Need Writers
Some websites and blogs need freelance writers to post articles and provide web content for their growing visitors. More are added daily, some need guest bloggers while others need writers with expert knowledge in a particular subject or niche. Some of the best sites offer compensation for writing for them. Here are some sites I found that need writers. Give them a try.
Suite 101 needs freelance writers who can publish at least 10 articles every 3 months and they pay you with shared revenue.Suite 101
Demand Studio's needs writers to write "How To" articles that show readers in a instructional format ways of accomplishing a hobby or skill.
Developer Shed is looking for writers who are knowledgeable in the technologies, they accept articles, stories and tutorials on industry trends, all entries must be at least 1500 words in length.Start Writing for Developer Shed!
Niche Blog Media will pay you to blog for them, if you are passionate about a specific topic or niche you can makea few extra bucks writing about topics you love!contribute posts at least 4-5 a week, minimum 350 words per post. nicheblogmedia.com.
Blogging web 2.0 is in need of writers, they are looking for all topics related to internet marketing, blogging, web 2.0, SEO, traffic generation, writing, affiliate marketing, etc. Blogging Web 2.0
WebProNews need writer to add content to their high traffic website, Writers Needed!to write quality content on the latest e-comm developments, or fresh ideas. If you would like to be a WebProNews writer send your credentials and examples writing portfolio to: writers@webpronews.com
It takes patience and commitment to grow an online writing career. With the right tools one can get really good at finding work at home writing gigs!
Happy Writing!
Suite 101 needs freelance writers who can publish at least 10 articles every 3 months and they pay you with shared revenue.Suite 101
Demand Studio's needs writers to write "How To" articles that show readers in a instructional format ways of accomplishing a hobby or skill.
Developer Shed is looking for writers who are knowledgeable in the technologies, they accept articles, stories and tutorials on industry trends, all entries must be at least 1500 words in length.Start Writing for Developer Shed!
Niche Blog Media will pay you to blog for them, if you are passionate about a specific topic or niche you can makea few extra bucks writing about topics you love!contribute posts at least 4-5 a week, minimum 350 words per post. nicheblogmedia.com.
Blogging web 2.0 is in need of writers, they are looking for all topics related to internet marketing, blogging, web 2.0, SEO, traffic generation, writing, affiliate marketing, etc. Blogging Web 2.0
WebProNews need writer to add content to their high traffic website, Writers Needed!to write quality content on the latest e-comm developments, or fresh ideas. If you would like to be a WebProNews writer send your credentials and examples writing portfolio to: writers@webpronews.com
It takes patience and commitment to grow an online writing career. With the right tools one can get really good at finding work at home writing gigs!
Happy Writing!
How to find freelance writing jobs on Get a Freelancer
Finding Freelance Writing Jobs Give original content, in Freelance writing
Pick a field of interest to write about, remember to use all your years of experience to your advantage. Think of all the things that you are an expert at write them down and keep a record of the things that you enjoy and would like to share with others.
Find out what your talent is, what are you good at. Make a list of things that you would do even if you were the only one in that field. Look around and see what information you already know that others can use.
When it comes to starting an online writing career its important to be observant, pay attention to trends in business, some trends to watch is:
Freelance Copywriting
Article Writing
Re-Writing Services
Ghostwriting
Keyword Research
SEO Writing
Web Content Writer
Guest Blogger
Learn about freelance writing. Need more work find writing gigs by placing an ad on a job board such as. Also freelance writers can find work on free classified sites. The types of work you want is the opportunity to provide web content to online markets many will need you to do blog posts, rewrite articles, or be a ghostwriter.
How much you will get paid depends on the amount of time it will take to complete the project/assignment. Do research and how many articles will be needed at one time.
Helping freelance writers succeed. Starting out as a writer for the online marketplace it can take some time to find out the right resources and to know where to look to find writing assignments.
Many are earning a living online as freelance writers from home. Due to the explosion in the article marketing field, content is in great demand. By finding daily freelance writing is a community resource for freelance writers and bloggers.
Be flexible and willing to take on new assignments on a daily or weekly basis. Need articles, Need web content, freelance writer for hire.
Pick a field of interest to write about, remember to use all your years of experience to your advantage. Think of all the things that you are an expert at write them down and keep a record of the things that you enjoy and would like to share with others.
Find out what your talent is, what are you good at. Make a list of things that you would do even if you were the only one in that field. Look around and see what information you already know that others can use.
When it comes to starting an online writing career its important to be observant, pay attention to trends in business, some trends to watch is:
Freelance Copywriting
Article Writing
Re-Writing Services
Ghostwriting
Keyword Research
SEO Writing
Web Content Writer
Guest Blogger
Learn about freelance writing. Need more work find writing gigs by placing an ad on a job board such as. Also freelance writers can find work on free classified sites. The types of work you want is the opportunity to provide web content to online markets many will need you to do blog posts, rewrite articles, or be a ghostwriter.
How much you will get paid depends on the amount of time it will take to complete the project/assignment. Do research and how many articles will be needed at one time.
Helping freelance writers succeed. Starting out as a writer for the online marketplace it can take some time to find out the right resources and to know where to look to find writing assignments.
Many are earning a living online as freelance writers from home. Due to the explosion in the article marketing field, content is in great demand. By finding daily freelance writing is a community resource for freelance writers and bloggers.
Be flexible and willing to take on new assignments on a daily or weekly basis. Need articles, Need web content, freelance writer for hire.
Tips for Writers how to get quality links
Get quality links through article directory submission!
Search engine optimization is getting more and more difficult by the day. The search engines are evolving at an incredible speed, making it harder for us SEOs to rank our websites highly.
With that said, there are a few tried and true principles that we need to do when optimizing our website. The first of which, and the one that I always tell people to concentrate on is getting quality, 1 way links pointing to your website.
The more quality links you can get pointing to your website, the higher you will rank, period.
While there are many black hat tricks and tactics that you can do for short term gain, I would suggest NOT spending your time on those things. I would focus my entire effort on figuring out how to get other websites to link to yours without you linking back to them. That is the biggest key to ranking well in Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
Doing this is easier said that done. One of the easiest known ways to get quality, one way links is by finding website directories and then submitting your website to them. This can be a very tedious process, but always a very rewarding process at the same time.
You can either submit your articles to these directories manually, pay someone to do it for you, OR you can use one of the article directory submission programs out there. The best program for the money that we've found is a program called "Article Submitter" created my internet marketing expert, Brad Callen.
This program allows you to submit your articles to over 700 article directories and can save you an incredible amount of time in doing so. You simply enter your article details into the software once, and then select the directory you would like to submit to. The software will then, automatically fill in all of the submission criteria for each directory and allow you to quickly submit your articles.
Not only does this save you time in submitting your articles, but it saves you an incredible amount of time in just finding these free directories online. I highly suggest grabbing an article submission program if you decide to take advantage of one of the easist ways to get quality, 1 way links to your website.
Search engine optimization is getting more and more difficult by the day. The search engines are evolving at an incredible speed, making it harder for us SEOs to rank our websites highly.
With that said, there are a few tried and true principles that we need to do when optimizing our website. The first of which, and the one that I always tell people to concentrate on is getting quality, 1 way links pointing to your website.
The more quality links you can get pointing to your website, the higher you will rank, period.
While there are many black hat tricks and tactics that you can do for short term gain, I would suggest NOT spending your time on those things. I would focus my entire effort on figuring out how to get other websites to link to yours without you linking back to them. That is the biggest key to ranking well in Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
Doing this is easier said that done. One of the easiest known ways to get quality, one way links is by finding website directories and then submitting your website to them. This can be a very tedious process, but always a very rewarding process at the same time.
You can either submit your articles to these directories manually, pay someone to do it for you, OR you can use one of the article directory submission programs out there. The best program for the money that we've found is a program called "Article Submitter" created my internet marketing expert, Brad Callen.
This program allows you to submit your articles to over 700 article directories and can save you an incredible amount of time in doing so. You simply enter your article details into the software once, and then select the directory you would like to submit to. The software will then, automatically fill in all of the submission criteria for each directory and allow you to quickly submit your articles.
Not only does this save you time in submitting your articles, but it saves you an incredible amount of time in just finding these free directories online. I highly suggest grabbing an article submission program if you decide to take advantage of one of the easist ways to get quality, 1 way links to your website.
Be a successful freelance writer, easy writing tips
If you want to be a successful freelance writer today, you've got to write a lot. This is not only because the competition for freelancers is intense, make sure most of the articles you write fall into the category of articles you can sell and others can use on their websites.
Article Directories are a good place to let others see what type of articles you can write. If they like our style then they can contact you further.
Therefore, you can look on your freelancing career as having two parts: creation, and promotion. You promotional writing includes building a name for yourself, by creating a Web site, or a blog, which gives you visibility. Always have samples of your work, be flexible, be able to write on more than one topic. Show this in the types of articles you write online.
Building this visibility takes time, however it's essential. No one is going to hire you if they have no idea of what you can do.
Here are five tips to help you to write faster and write more so you can achieve the freelance writing success that you want:
Tip 1. Plan your writing day Write Fast Quick Unique Articles!
Whether you're writing for a couple of hours a day set aside to write something daily, set a quota for yourself so you can write as many as 10 articles in a day.
On Sunday evening, take ten minutes to plan what you want to achieve in the coming week. Make a list of what you must do. Keep your list small, so that no matter what happens, you know you can easily complete these items.
Before starting any article do keyword search, find a topic or niche and gather all the information to make your article easy to follow and educational at the same time.
Tip 2. Have multiple projects in various stages of development, How to publish your own articles
At any one time, I may have ten or a dozen projects in development. Half of these are client and editorial projects, the others are my own. The benefit of having multiple projects is that it helps to eliminate boredom. You'll have to decide for yourself whether this works for you: experiment.
Write more, The key to achieving this level of activity is to make all your writing fun
Tip 3. Use affirmations to kickstart your subconscious mind, Use your mind to become a successful writer>
Creative writing or fiction is different than copywriting or SEO article writing due to the fact it is a process of discovery. You do not know what you're going to write before you write it, and often what you write is a complete surprise. This is because you're mining your subconscious mind, which makes connections for you.
You can boost this natural process to help your subconscious mind to do its work by using affirmations. These are positive statements of what you want to achieve.
Tip 4. Eliminate perfectionism: it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done
Do, Don't Think. Whatever you write can be edited and fixed. However, if you don't write, you have nothing to edit.
Tip 5. Make peace with your writing self
Your writing self loves fun, and it loves to play. This means that you've got to build plenty of fun and "play" activities into your writing, no matter how much you have to write, otherwise your creativity will dry up, and you'll get no writing done at all.
Writer's block starts with no activity so make a list of fun activities.
Need more articles, hire a freelance writer.
Article Directories are a good place to let others see what type of articles you can write. If they like our style then they can contact you further.
Therefore, you can look on your freelancing career as having two parts: creation, and promotion. You promotional writing includes building a name for yourself, by creating a Web site, or a blog, which gives you visibility. Always have samples of your work, be flexible, be able to write on more than one topic. Show this in the types of articles you write online.
Building this visibility takes time, however it's essential. No one is going to hire you if they have no idea of what you can do.
Here are five tips to help you to write faster and write more so you can achieve the freelance writing success that you want:
Tip 1. Plan your writing day Write Fast Quick Unique Articles!
Whether you're writing for a couple of hours a day set aside to write something daily, set a quota for yourself so you can write as many as 10 articles in a day.
On Sunday evening, take ten minutes to plan what you want to achieve in the coming week. Make a list of what you must do. Keep your list small, so that no matter what happens, you know you can easily complete these items.
Before starting any article do keyword search, find a topic or niche and gather all the information to make your article easy to follow and educational at the same time.
Tip 2. Have multiple projects in various stages of development, How to publish your own articles
At any one time, I may have ten or a dozen projects in development. Half of these are client and editorial projects, the others are my own. The benefit of having multiple projects is that it helps to eliminate boredom. You'll have to decide for yourself whether this works for you: experiment.
Write more, The key to achieving this level of activity is to make all your writing fun
Tip 3. Use affirmations to kickstart your subconscious mind, Use your mind to become a successful writer>
Creative writing or fiction is different than copywriting or SEO article writing due to the fact it is a process of discovery. You do not know what you're going to write before you write it, and often what you write is a complete surprise. This is because you're mining your subconscious mind, which makes connections for you.
You can boost this natural process to help your subconscious mind to do its work by using affirmations. These are positive statements of what you want to achieve.
Tip 4. Eliminate perfectionism: it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done
Do, Don't Think. Whatever you write can be edited and fixed. However, if you don't write, you have nothing to edit.
Tip 5. Make peace with your writing self
Your writing self loves fun, and it loves to play. This means that you've got to build plenty of fun and "play" activities into your writing, no matter how much you have to write, otherwise your creativity will dry up, and you'll get no writing done at all.
Writer's block starts with no activity so make a list of fun activities.
Need more articles, hire a freelance writer.
How to determine if you are a reporter or expert in your online writing career
There are basically two types of bloggers in the world -reporters and experts - and some people perform both roles. It’s easy for experts to report.
Internet marketing courses and seminars specific for beginners, talk about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.
You want to be the expert.
Reporters leverage the content of the experts and in most cases people start off as reporters because they haven’t established expertise. Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it’s easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.
Most Bloggers Are Reporters
The thing with expertise is that it requires experience. No person becomes an expert without doing things and learning. Bloggers usually start out without expertise and as a result begin their blogging journey by talking about everything going on in their niche (reporting) and by interviewing and talking about other experts (reporting again).
There’s nothing wrong with reporting of course and for many people it’s a necessity at first until you build up some expertise. Unfortunately the ratios are pretty skewed when it comes to reporters and experts - there are a lot more reporters than there are experts, hence reporters tend to struggle to gain attention and when they do, they often just enhance the reputation of the expert they are reporting on.
Don’t Replicate Your Teacher
If you have ever spent some time browsing products in the Internet marketing niche you will notice a pattern. Many people first study Internet marketing from a “guru”. The guru teaches the newbie how he or she is makeing money online, and very often the view that the student gleams is that in order to make money online you have to teach others how to make money online.
The end result of this process is a huge army of amateurs attempting to replicate what their teacher does in the same industry - the Internet marketing industry - not realizing that without expert status based on a proven record and all the perks that come with it, it’s next to impossible to succeed.
Even people, who enjoy marginal success, say for example growing an email list of 1,000 people, then go out and launch a product about how to grow an email list of 1,000 people. Now I have no problems with that, I think it’s fine to teach beginners and leverage whatever achievements you have, the problem is that people gravitate to the same niche - Internet marketing - and rarely have any key points of differentiation.
How many products out there do you know of that all claim to teach the same things - email marketing, SEO, pay per click, affiliate marketing, and all the sub-niches that fall under the category of Internet marketing. It’s a saturated market, yet when you see your teachers and other gurus making money teaching others how to make money (and let’s face it - making money as a subject is one of the most compelling) - your natural inclination is to follow in their footsteps. Now you can make money blogging!
If the key is to become an expert and you haven’t spent the last 5-10 years making money online, I suggest you look for another niche to establish expertise in.
Report on Your Process, Not Others
The secret to progress from reporter to expert is not to focus on other experts and instead report on your own journey. When you are learning how to do something and implementing things day by day, or studying other people’s work, you need to take your process and what you do as a result of what you learn, and use it as content for your blog.
It’s okay to talk about experts when you learn something from them, but always relate it to what you are doing. If you learn a technique from an expert it’s fine to state you learned it from them but you should then take that technique, apply it to what you are doing and then report back YOUR results, not there’s. Frame things using your opinion - your stories - and don’t regurgitate what the expert said. The key is differentiation and personality, not replication.
Expertise comes from doing things most people don’t do and then talking about it. If you do this often enough you wake up one day as an expert, possibly without even realizing how it happened, simply because you were so good at reporting what you did.
You Are Already An Expert
Most people fail to become experts (or perceived as experts) because they don’t leverage what they already know. Every person who lives a life learns things as they go, takes action every day and knows something about something. The reason why they never become an expert is because they choose not to (which is fine for some, not everyone wants to be an expert), but if your goal is to blog your way to expertise and leave the world of reporting behind you have to start teaching and doing so by leveraging real experience.
Experience can come from what you do today and what you have done previously; you just need to take enough steps to demonstrate what you already know and what you are presently learning along your journey. I know so many people in my life, who are experts simply by virtue of the life they have lived, yet they are so insecure about what they know, they never commit their knowledge to words for fear of…well fear.
Blogs and the Web in general, are amazing resources when you leverage them as a communication tool to spread your expertise because of the sheer scope of people they can reach. If all you ever do is talk to people in person and share your experience using limited communication mediums, you haven’t much hope of becoming an expert. Take what you know and show other people through blogging, and you might be surprised how people change their perception of you in time.
Reporting Is A Stepping Stone
If your previous experience and expertise is from an area you want to leave behind or you are starting from “scratch”, then reporting is the path you must walk, at least for the short term.
Reporting is a lot of fun. Interviewing experts, talking about what other people are doing and just being part of a community is not a bad way to blog. In many cases people make a career of reporting (journalism is about just that), but if you truly want success and exponential results, at some point you will have to stand up and proclaim yourself as someone unusually good at something and then proceed to demonstrate it over and over again.
Have patience and focus on what you do to learn and then translate that experience into lessons for others, and remember, it’s okay to be a big fish in a small pond, that’s all most experts really are.
Internet marketing courses and seminars specific for beginners, talk about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.
You want to be the expert.
Reporters leverage the content of the experts and in most cases people start off as reporters because they haven’t established expertise. Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it’s easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.
Most Bloggers Are Reporters
The thing with expertise is that it requires experience. No person becomes an expert without doing things and learning. Bloggers usually start out without expertise and as a result begin their blogging journey by talking about everything going on in their niche (reporting) and by interviewing and talking about other experts (reporting again).
There’s nothing wrong with reporting of course and for many people it’s a necessity at first until you build up some expertise. Unfortunately the ratios are pretty skewed when it comes to reporters and experts - there are a lot more reporters than there are experts, hence reporters tend to struggle to gain attention and when they do, they often just enhance the reputation of the expert they are reporting on.
Don’t Replicate Your Teacher
If you have ever spent some time browsing products in the Internet marketing niche you will notice a pattern. Many people first study Internet marketing from a “guru”. The guru teaches the newbie how he or she is makeing money online, and very often the view that the student gleams is that in order to make money online you have to teach others how to make money online.
The end result of this process is a huge army of amateurs attempting to replicate what their teacher does in the same industry - the Internet marketing industry - not realizing that without expert status based on a proven record and all the perks that come with it, it’s next to impossible to succeed.
Even people, who enjoy marginal success, say for example growing an email list of 1,000 people, then go out and launch a product about how to grow an email list of 1,000 people. Now I have no problems with that, I think it’s fine to teach beginners and leverage whatever achievements you have, the problem is that people gravitate to the same niche - Internet marketing - and rarely have any key points of differentiation.
How many products out there do you know of that all claim to teach the same things - email marketing, SEO, pay per click, affiliate marketing, and all the sub-niches that fall under the category of Internet marketing. It’s a saturated market, yet when you see your teachers and other gurus making money teaching others how to make money (and let’s face it - making money as a subject is one of the most compelling) - your natural inclination is to follow in their footsteps. Now you can make money blogging!
If the key is to become an expert and you haven’t spent the last 5-10 years making money online, I suggest you look for another niche to establish expertise in.
Report on Your Process, Not Others
The secret to progress from reporter to expert is not to focus on other experts and instead report on your own journey. When you are learning how to do something and implementing things day by day, or studying other people’s work, you need to take your process and what you do as a result of what you learn, and use it as content for your blog.
It’s okay to talk about experts when you learn something from them, but always relate it to what you are doing. If you learn a technique from an expert it’s fine to state you learned it from them but you should then take that technique, apply it to what you are doing and then report back YOUR results, not there’s. Frame things using your opinion - your stories - and don’t regurgitate what the expert said. The key is differentiation and personality, not replication.
Expertise comes from doing things most people don’t do and then talking about it. If you do this often enough you wake up one day as an expert, possibly without even realizing how it happened, simply because you were so good at reporting what you did.
You Are Already An Expert
Most people fail to become experts (or perceived as experts) because they don’t leverage what they already know. Every person who lives a life learns things as they go, takes action every day and knows something about something. The reason why they never become an expert is because they choose not to (which is fine for some, not everyone wants to be an expert), but if your goal is to blog your way to expertise and leave the world of reporting behind you have to start teaching and doing so by leveraging real experience.
Experience can come from what you do today and what you have done previously; you just need to take enough steps to demonstrate what you already know and what you are presently learning along your journey. I know so many people in my life, who are experts simply by virtue of the life they have lived, yet they are so insecure about what they know, they never commit their knowledge to words for fear of…well fear.
Blogs and the Web in general, are amazing resources when you leverage them as a communication tool to spread your expertise because of the sheer scope of people they can reach. If all you ever do is talk to people in person and share your experience using limited communication mediums, you haven’t much hope of becoming an expert. Take what you know and show other people through blogging, and you might be surprised how people change their perception of you in time.
Reporting Is A Stepping Stone
If your previous experience and expertise is from an area you want to leave behind or you are starting from “scratch”, then reporting is the path you must walk, at least for the short term.
Reporting is a lot of fun. Interviewing experts, talking about what other people are doing and just being part of a community is not a bad way to blog. In many cases people make a career of reporting (journalism is about just that), but if you truly want success and exponential results, at some point you will have to stand up and proclaim yourself as someone unusually good at something and then proceed to demonstrate it over and over again.
Have patience and focus on what you do to learn and then translate that experience into lessons for others, and remember, it’s okay to be a big fish in a small pond, that’s all most experts really are.
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