Freelance writers have other options besides writing for clients. Thanks to the internet, writing for ourselves has become easier and more profitable. Ten or twenty years ago, we wouldn’t have had the same success trying to earn a passive income as a freelance writer as we do today. Check out these options for working smarter, not harder:

Ebooks -My ebook didn’t sell a million copies out of the gate, but it does sell a few copies a month. It’s already paid for the time spent writing it and more. With another ebook on the way, my earning potential will only get higher. Ebooks will continue to earn as long as I keep advertising. I know a few  writers who earn between $1000 & $3000 monthly on ebook sales alone.

Blogs -Though they take time to build traffic and revenue, blogs are an excellent source of passive income. I could probably stop writing for FWJ and still earn at least $20 a day from it. I won’t do that, but it’s good to know all the years of work we put into building this community is finally paying off in a big way. As I see it, the biggest mistake many new bloggers make is to not give their blogs enough time to earn. They get frustrated with low traffic and low income. FWJ didn’t really start earning or earning mega traffic for about two years. Now, four years later, it’s evolved beyond my wildest dreams.

Websites – Like blogs, websites are also a terrific form of passive income, if done correctly. For example, a website featuring your image, resume and links to your writing portfolio won’t likely make you thousands of dollars. A website offering informative content, or content plus products for sale could very well become a major source of income. Make sure you research first and know there’s a market for your content. If you have a website dedicated to the mating life of pill bugs, your traffic is probably going to be on the low side. A website dedicated to all kinds of bugs with content, tips and more will likely do better.

Traditional & Self Published books -Traditional books could bring in a tidy sum and further establish your expertise but unless you’re self published, it might be a difficult road. However, self-publishing can work. My next ebook will also be offered in book form for the folks who would rather not read off a screen. If you have a good following and people trust you, a self published book could bring in a tidy income each month.

Courses & Classes- If you’re an expert in your field or niche, you can teach others how to succeed as well. Online courses and seminars are another way to bring in regular income. If your community of readers respect what you do, they won’t hesitate to buy your online course. It can be a one day seminar or two weeks worth of learning. Either way, it can become a lucrative source of income if it’s something folks are interested in learning more about.

Before diving in:

Know your audience: If your community is made up of Star Wars fantatics, they won’t buy your book on saving money at the grocery story. Moreover, if you write about saving money, your community is not likely to buy an ebook priced at $50. Learn what you can about your readers. Knowing where they come from, how much money they have to spend and the types of products they’re apt to buy will give you a clue as to the types of passive income streams you should pursue.

Know what your doing: Don’t write a course or design a website if you’ve never done this sort of thing before. Take some time to research what is involved. Talk to some people who have done this sort of thing before, and read up on the best ways to go about it. Diving into it blind may produce the opposite results.

Know how to follow up: OK, so you wrote an ebook. Now what? How are you going to get people to buy it? How are you going to advertise? Have a plan in place, from start to finish, before you begin.

Freelance writing doesn’t only mean writing for websites or newspapers. There are so many different ways writers can earn. By setting up a few passive income streams, you’re ensuring the revenue will continue to come in, even if you decide to take a few days off …or retire.

What do you do for passive income?

I keep thinking back to last week’s cross blog and forum discussion regarding residual websites. When I suggested freelancers make sure the end justifies the means when writing for a living, I was written off by another community as being “old school”. It’s suggested that I don’t know a thing about the way web writing works now. I thought about this for some time. Could it be true? I’m no spring chicken, though I’m not an old lady either. Does my middle agery make me unqualified to make informed decision as to what makes a good writing opportunity?  Does my living almost 45 years make me all of a sudden too feeble to judge good manners or poor client relations? How come after a decade of writing for the web I’m not considered qualified and experienced, but instead, brushed off for being “old school”, and really, what does my age have to do with anything at all?

I know a little…

Because I’ve spent so many years writing for the web, and yes, that even means web content, I may know a thing or two about what makes a good opportunity. For instance, this blog is a terrific form of residual income. It just had it’s highest month of earning ever – and it will continue to earn for me until I decide to sell it one day.  I once received an offer of $35,000 to sell this blog. I know another blogger who sold her blog for $90,000 and I heard of another who sold his for $15 million. So let me ask you this, since I’m old and all, and you youngsters might have a better grasp on this…why is blogging for myself and keeping the revenue (or paying other bloggers as I do here) and building up an investment not as good an idea as writing hundreds of articles for a residual site that will, in all likelihood, one day cease to exist. I mean, E-How began yanking articles last week without notice so the thought that writers will continue to earn is laughable. But then, I’m old and out of touch, so what do I know? Maybe one of you grasshoppers can explain to my addled  brain why I’m going about this the wrong way.

It’s about the attitude, not the job…

I’m also considered old and out of touch for suggesting writers enter into a job with the mentality they will do their best rather than thinking they will just quit later. Of course I know writers should leave a bad situation. Of course I know most content sites expect a high turnover rate and that very low pay generally means a less reliable type of writer. However, my point is about entering a job with a positive frame of mind vs. a negative frame of mind. Rather than accept a job that I’m not sure I’ll dig and will probably quit later, I prefer to find profitable, enjoyable opportunities offering the gift of longevity. I’m getting on in years though, so this may be the wrong attitude to have in this day and age.

I may be “old school” but...

I know a little more than you think.

You know what I did yesterday? I contacted a webmaster out of the blue to see if he could use my writing services. His website content hadn’t been updated it a while and there were so many typos it served to detract rather than encourage. So I wrote him a very nice letter and bullet pointed all the things I could do for him. This is one of the ways I’m creating my own opportunities when the job boards aren’t showing me the love.

Relying solely on Craigslist or other boards can mean you’re missing out on some not so obvious opportunities. Here are 5 ways you can step away from the freelance job boards and create your own opportunities:

1. Contact website owners: Many larger websites or businesses have writers on staff, but some smaller businesses and individuals might write up their own content or have someone on staff do the writing- who really isn’t a writer. I see this most with mom and pop businesses and other small stores who wish to create content and buzz around a product or service. Browse the web to see if there’s someone in need of writing or editorial services and send a nice note. This doesn’t work every time but you might get one bite out of five inquiries.

2. Cold calling: For some reason cold calling drives fear into the most seasoned of veterans, but there’s no reason it should. It’s a matter of stepping away from one’s comfort zone. The web provides anonymity but pitching using one’s voice is a whole other ballgame. It works though.  I aligned myself with a few local web design firms as a result of cold calling and their outsourcing to me became a lucrative source of income. Don’t dismiss cold calling because it’s a little intimidating. Successful freelance writers do business over the phone and in person. Cold calling is great practice and it gets results. Like email requests, you won’t always get a positive response but you’ve succeeded even if you get a business owner to put your name and number of file for future projects.

3. Start a mailing list: If you have a blog or website, you might consider including a paragraph or two on your about page for folks wishing to sign up for mailing list. Once you have enough names gathered, send out periodic newsletters and include specials and discounts on writing packages. The thing about writing there isn’t always an immediate need. But if you remind folks now and again that you do some writing, eventually a few will contact you when a project arises.

4. Network: Any freelance writer wishing to have a successful business needs to network. I’m not just talking Twitter, either. Networking happens online and off. I joined a local women’s group and met a few clients that way. I also meet and network with others at conferences and seminars. Job fairs are another place to network. Again, it’s all a matter of getting up out of your roly chair and doing what needs to be done.

5. Keep your eyes open: There are so many opportunities around you may not have even considered. I was out to dinner with friends once and the restaurant was great, but the menu was terrible. The design was awful and there were typos everywhere. My friend and I offered to redesign and reword the menu and left our business cards with the manager. He contacted us a few months later. So many customers were making fun of the menu he realized we were right. There are so many people and places that need writing, but they don’t always realize they need it until you tell them.

Look beyond the freelance writing job boards for opportunities. This may mean you have to take matters into your own hands, but controling your own destiny is never a bad thing. Waiting around for that perfect job to appear just wastes time. Make a more productive use of your spare time by creating your own opportunities.

Hi all,

Kelly McCausey’s Hot Summer Seminar Series has been going strong now for several weeks. Each week a different momtrepreneur gave a talk about her chosen area of expertise. Tonight I will talk about freelancing as a blogger and writer. If you haven’t already enrolled in the series, there’s still plenty of time. It will be going on for several weeks more.

Do check it out if you can!

My husband and I have been talking about upgrading our cable service for some time.  When Comcast began offering their new Triple Play packages (phone, digital cable, Internet for a low price) we decided to take advantage. I called several times to ask about the various packages and each time very helpful customer service people patiently explained all the different price plans. They assured me that I, an existing customer, could indeed upgrade to one of these packages. One of the nice reps even offered me a low installation fee without any other hidden costs and told me what the whole package would cost, taxes and all. She made it very easy for us to make a decision.

So after receiving all my information from the very nice Comcast people (thanks so much Elaine and Tania), and after discussing the available packages with Mr. Ng, we decided to go for the HD Plus Triple Play for $119.99 per month for two years. I called again and as soon as the customer service representative heard what I wanted he put me on hold. I had a cell phone conversation with someone else while I waited, I think he went to the bathroom too..and maybe even called in his lunch. The rep came back and gave me a big fat no can do for my request. He said it was for new customers only, but he would be happy to put me with an account manager to see what kind of packages they could work out for me. Another longish hold ensued. I made up an ice cream cone for my son, brought the dog some water outside and took out the garbage as I waited.

The first package he offered was for $117 for the just about the same service I have now, which is fine and dandy, but I wanted to upgrade. To upgrade to a package similar to the one I wanted, I’d have to pay about $130 – and it didn’t give me the same thing. “What will it cost for me to have the same package as advertised as the HD Plus Triple Play?” I asked him. “You can’t have that package,” he told me. “You’ll have to take the $130 package if you most of those channels plus Starz.” I told him that wasn’t fair. I don’t want to pay $130. I want to pay $119 just like the newbies. Apparently though, Comcast isn’t all that concerned about catering to existing customers because they absolutely wouldn’t budge. He kept telling me they had plenty of packages to reward my customer loyalty, I would just have to pay more money for them.

Finally, the account rep said he would put me through to his supervisor. Another hold. I Swiffered the kitchen floor and washed the ice cream scoop. The supervisor was a little less patient than her co-workers. Every time I spoke, she’d interrupt with “Ma’am…ma’am…ma’am” I actually ended up asking her to stop interrupting me with the “ma’am’s” and let me finish my darn sentence. Again she told me about these wonderful packages Comcast offered to existing customers, yet none of them appealed to me like the one I asked for. Plus she kept pushing Starz. I told her several times I didn’t want Starz and instead of letting it be she wanted to know why not. Does it matter why I don’t want Starz? What should matter is why I can’t have the package I want at the price I want. After a heated conversation I hung up. I didn’t want to say something I’d regret.

It was clear no one wanted to reward the Ngs for their customer loyalty. I mean, we pay all our bills on time, we don’t call and complain every five minutes, we never biatch about our service on Twitter (well, I didn’t until today, that is), you’d think they’d want to keep people like us around. Guess not.

I may not be a big corporation, but I do know what it means to want customer satisfaction.  I especially reward my long time clients with perks. Sometimes I take on new tasks at no charge and other times I lower rates when a client is feeling a crunch or just deserves a discount for being so loyal. Our customers need to know we appreciate them and that our business is important to them. I think this is why I miss the Mom and Pops so much.

What bugs me the most about my call with Comcast is not that I didn’t get a discount, it’s that they refused to give me the discount. No meant no and they wouldn’t budge. They rewarded my customer loyalty by telling me I wasn’t as important to them as new clients. Thanks Comcast.

I wonder what Direct TV’s customer service is like?

Deb’s Update – 7/1/-09 – Yesterday two very nice customer service representatives reached out to me and were able to meet my needs with no problem. I have the plan I wanted at the advertised price even though I’m an existing customer. All is good in Deb’s world and my faith in comcast is restored.

"ProBlogger" Darren Rowse

Many of you know Darren Rowse as the famous “ProBlogger“. I can tell you Darren is much more than the man behind the blog. He is kind, funny, generous with his information, and someone who I am proud to call “friend.” I met Darren last fall and he’s just as warm and genuine as you’d expect.

Darren has agreed to be FWJ latest Success Story. Here he shares how he got started as a professional blogger, how an idea for an ebook between Darren and another friend, Authority Blogger Chris Garrett led to the mega-successful ProBlogger book and so much more.

I give you Success Stories: Darren Rowse

Darren, you began blogging six years ago with your Digital Photography School blog. What made you decide to start a blog?

Actually I started my very first blog (it was called LivingRoom) just under 7 years ago. The reason I started it was that I stumbled on another blog one day and was almost instantly hooked by it. The guy behind the blog was living on the other side of the world but talking about stuff that was of interest to me. He was a fairly ordinary guy yet he had this ‘voice’ that enabled him to talk on a daily basis to thousands of people around the world.

Not only that, he was connected in a network like nothing I’d ever seen before – a network of other bloggers scattered around the world who were all talking about the same kind of stuff, building upon one another’s ideas and all benefiting as a result. I decided that I wanted to become a part of that and started a blog of my own that very day.

What was the “Aha!” moment when you realized there was something to this blogging thing?

I guess the first Aha moment was before I started blogging (as described above) – but after that there have been many. In the early days they were daily moments – when I got my first comment (the first one that wasn’t from a family member), when I got linked to from another blog for the first time etc

I guess the first time I saw the possibility that it could be more than a hobby was when I started my first photography blog (one that is inactive today). I started the blog thinking that it’d be a place to share some of the photos that I was taking with my brand new digital camera. I put some images up and also a review of my camera. The images barely were looked at but the review did really well in terms of traffic from search engines. Around the same time I started to experiment with the AdSense ad network. I only earned a few dollars the first week but it was enough to make me take notice.

I guess I had an ‘Aha’ moment at that point and began to wonder what would happen if I continued to write reviews of cameras and stuck to it over the long term. I saw some potential and began the very slow journey to ‘going Pro’ as a blogger’.

Many new bloggers, and blog network owners, think the traffic and revenue should begin flowing as soon as a blog is launched. What is the reality?

It is possible to make some money from day one of your blog – but the reality is that most blogs take considerable time to begin to generate enough traffic to make much money. Every time I survey readers of ProBlogger on how much they make from their blogging the majority say they earn a few dollars a month. Yes a few make a full time living – but they’re in the minority.

I get quite angry when I see people in the ‘make money blogging’ niche talk about how easy it is to make money blogging and how ‘passive’ the income from blogging is – the problem is that I not only see the hype I come across the burnt bloggers who tell me about how they quit their jobs to ‘go Pro’ without having realistic expectations. I could talk about this all night (and get fired up about it) – but the take home lesson is to not expect masses of traffic or money from your blogging too quickly. It takes a heap of work and a long time to build a profitable blog.

ProBlogger is the first stop for many bloggers each day. Why start a blog teaching others how to blog. How did you know you were destined to be a leader in this field?

I started ProBlogger simply because I was looking for a blog to teach me how to make money blogging. I’d been making a part time living from blogging for a while and was moving towards going full time (it took a couple of years) and I wanted advice, tips and to connect with others who were doing similar things. There were no other blogs solely dedicated to that – so I started one.

I had no real intentions of being a leader in the field or even being known for writing on the topic – I was writing more for myself than anything.

Many of FWJ’s readers are interested in the book publishing process. You and Authority Blogger Chris Garret wrote the bestselling ProBlogger book together. Can you tell us how that came about and take us through the process?

After I’d been blogging at ProBlogger for a while I had a couple of approaches from publishers wanting me to write a book. I was always interested in doing it but didn’t see it as something I wanted to do alone – partly because I didn’t have the time and partly because I wanted to work with someone else who might have a different perspective and set of experiences to bring to it.

Chris and I had been interacting for a while online (we had never met in person – and still haven’t) and out of that relationship we decided to write an ebook together. Chris was going to take a lot of the content I’d already written on ProBlogger and rework it into a more up to date and logically ordered pdf. There was never really any intention to write a hard cover book – but as we approached having it all together Wiley (the publisher) approached me to write a book. I shot them a copy of the ebook and they said that they thought it’d be a good start on a real book.

From there we decided that it’d be interesting to pursue it. We divided up the writing of the book and worked to get it finished. The process was quite long but in the end I think we came up with something that is pretty good for new bloggers wanting to get started and intermediate bloggers looking for a little inspiration.

What is the biggest mistake many new bloggers make?

One of the big mistakes is simply giving up too early. I look back on many of the bloggers I used to interact with 5 or so years ago and there are so few still doing it. We all had similar sized blogs and our blogs were growing at similar rates – but many of them got frustrated by the slow growth and gave up.

Longevity doesn’t guarantee success – but it does help a lot.

What is your advice for anyone wishing to make a career of blogging?

1. Don’t give up your day job…. yet. I know I’m coming across as a bit negative here but it’s worth entering into things with realistic expectations. I worked a number of part time jobs in my early days of blogging and only gradually gave them up as my blogging income increased. If you can do that kind of thing I’d recommend it.

2. Choose a topic you’d write about for free. Choose something you have an interest in and a passion for. If you do this you’ll be much better positioned to keep at it for the long haul (it’s hard to write a new post every day for years on a topic you don’t really like).

3. Lastly (and there’s plenty more tips I could give but I’ll limit it to three) – be useful. Successful blogs almost always meet a need, solve a problem or fulfill a desire that readers have. Do this and you’ll have people keep coming back for more and bringing their friends with them.

How do you define success?

For me it mainly comes down to whether I’m enjoying what I’m doing and feeling that it’s ‘giving life’. Earning money is a factor (I’ve got to pay the bills) but ultimately I want to be doing something with my time that gives me energy and that helps those around me. If I’m getting positive feedback from those I write for and keep feeling fresh and inspired about it I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.

What is next for Darren Rowse?

I’ve just launched a few new projects so I guess my next phase is more about getting them up to speed.

One is the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog work book – it’s a book with 31 daily tasks to help bloggers take their blogs to the next level.

Another is a new Twitter account – @probloggerdeals – a Twitter account that provides deals, discounts and competitions for bloggers

The last new one is DarrenRowse.com - a personal blog. In some ways I’ve come full circle and have been feeling a need to create a blog where I can talk about a variety of topics of interest to me.

There’s another new project that I hope to launch in the coming month or two but for now – those ones are more than enough to keep me busy!

Every time my friend Michael Stelzner hosts a webinar he gets an amazing turnout. My biggest regret is that I get so caught up in what I’m doing I put off writing about them here until the very last minute. So today I’m giving you a week’s notice.

Mike is offering a webinar next week called “Marketing Strategies with White Papers.” The webinar is actually $60, but Mike’s letting FWJ readers attend at no cost. In other words, free.

I’m going to post the who, what and where’s below – but if you’re interested, please enroll using the link provided on this page.

In this free class, Michael will reveal:

* What marketing techniques bring in ongoing leads at no cost?

* What are the five deadly marketing mistakes most businesses make and how can I avoid them?

* How can I effortlessly get my information in front of prospects?

* What are three proven techniques that greatly improve the quality of leads generated?

* How can I find prospects actively looking for the products or services I sell?

Whether you simply need new ideas to generate interest or have been thinking about white papers, you need to see what Michael’s going to share.

Go here to grab your seat before they’re gone.  Remember, this is a free event.  Normally Michael charges $59 for this, but he’s decided to offer it at no cost for a limited time.

I’ve been thinking about good customer service a lot lately. I don’t think it matters what kind of work you do, every freelancer needs to be professional and responsible. Freelancers without good people skills and the ability to keep clients satisfied won’t go very far.

Here are my A,B,C’s of Good Customer Service

Attitude – When it comes to good customer service, your attitude is everything. If you enter into a task with positivity it will show in your work. When you give a job your all, your clients notice. They don’t mind paying a good rate for good work and they’ll also be happy to refer you to others. If you’re lackluster in your approach, you go through the motions or just don’t do a very good job, that will be noticed as well. When you freelance, you get what you give. A good attitude makes all the difference.

Best - Even on your worst day, always give your best. It’s not your client’s fault you were up all night. It’s not your client’s fault you took a job you consider boring. Your client hired you because he felt you were the best for the job, if you can’t give him your all, you shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place.

Communication – The most important rule of any relationship, whether it’s business or personal, is communication. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Find out as much about your client as possible and then learn as much about the task as possible. Meet face to face if necessary. Keep him apprised of your progress as the project moves along and follow up after the project is completed and turned in. Don’t just keep it to email, if your client needs reassurance, let him hear your voice. If you don’t have good communication, your business won’t succeed.

Deadlines – Deadlines aren’t suggested days to turn in your work. They are the day your client expects you to complete your task. Discuss and negotiate deadlines and then turn in your work on or ahead of schedule. When you don’t respect your deadline, you don’t respect your client. When you don’t respect your client, you won’t last long.

Effort- It’s not just about freelance writing, it’s about customer service too. It takes effort to ensure a client’s happiness. It takes effort to communicate, ensure you’re meeting the client’s needs, and give nothing but the best. If you can’t put 100% effort into a gig, there’s no sense in accepting it in the first place.

Feedback - We may not always like the truth but our businesses won’t grow without feedback. We need to learn about the things we do right – and the things we do wrong. The we need to fix everything that needs fixing. Listening to our customers is the best way to grow.

Grace – Customers aren’t always easy to get along with. Let’s face it, some are downright difficult. Unless they’re abusive, it’s best not to let them see anger or frustration. If they ask for some changes, handle it in a gracious manner. If they ask a lot of questions, answer to the best of your ability with a smile on your face. Even if they demand a lot of your time, treat them well. You can always adjust your payment terms as you go along if a lot of extras are added on. You can’t get back words spoken in anger or emails fired off at a heated moment.

Humor - There are times a freelancer has to be serious and times when it’s a appropriate to bring the funny. Looking at difficult situations with humor, or making a client laugh once in a while add positivity to the project. Darnit, don’t be so serious all the time!

Ideas – If you feel a client may need a little guidance, feel free to share ideas. Many freelancers won’t offer suggestions to a client who might be going about something the wrong way. Don’t be afraid to share ideas – it’s why a client chose to hire a professional in the first place.

Justice - Be fair. Be fair in your treatment of the client. Be fair when setting your prices, be fair with your time and be fair with what you put into the gig. Justify your rates and reputation with a finished product that will knock ‘em dead.

Knowledge - Taking the time to know as much as possible about your client, his business and the project will make all the difference. It shows you care and will ensure repeat work and plenty of referrals.

Loyalty - Loyalty is a two way street, we want loyalty in our clients, but they deserve the same in return. Publicly bad mouthing present and past clients is just showing future clients your true colors. No matter how much you hate a gig, don’t burn bridges. Keep your client’s confidential information confidential and show him, and future clients, you know what it is to be loyal.

Manners – Please and thank you go a long way – and people notice.

Negotiation - Negotiating a job, the terms, and the pay take skill. Freelancers need to be able to negotiate without driving a client away. Learn as much about your client and his budget before negotiations so you can work out a mutually beneficial agreement.

Over Deliver – Don’t just turn in the work. Turn in your best work. Always. Don’t just meet expectations, exceed expectations. Happy clients pay higher rates and give good word of mouth referrals.

Personal Service – Every single client is different and should be treated in a unique manner. Take the time to learn your clients needs. Be there via phone, email, skype or in person to soothe and reassure. Treat your client like he’s your only client, not just another piece of dough waiting for the cookie cutter.

Quality - As a freelancer, I’m only as good as my name. I don’t want to put my name on something that isn’t of the best quality. My clients don’t want to pay for crap either. Make sure they get quality every time and you’ll always be a success.

Responsibility- Freelance writers have a responsibility to see to their customer’s satisfaction. This responsibility includes many of the above mentioned points. If you’re not serious about deadlines, communication or your clients’ happiness, you’re not cut out for this kind of work. You have to be able to focus on your projects and make sure they’re done right. See a job through to completion and don’t take it with an “Oh well, I can always quit if I don’t like it” mentality.

Satisfaction - If every job doesn’t end up with a satisfied customer, you’re doing something wrong. If a client is unhappy, find out what can be done to rectify the situation. This may mean edits and rewrites at no extra charge. Gauge the situation and do the right thing.

Trust – Our clients trust us with their business. They could have gone with someone else, but instead, their instincts told them we were the best people for their jobs. The best way to betray that trust is to not deliver as expected.

Value - Our clients are paying us for value. What can we do to sure they get value from our partnership? How will our writing add value to their business? How will our customer service add value to their customer service? What do we do that adds value to our own business and sets us apart from all the other freelance writers out there?

Word - You’re only as good as your word. Don’t disappoint.

Yes – Don’t say yes if you really mean no. If you do say yes, make good on your word.`

There are a few letters missing – can you fill in the blanks?

I am a content thief. If you’re not reading this blog post through an RSS Feed you can pretty much assume I’m a slimy spam blogger and stealing content from someone else’s blog.

I’ve been taken to task.  Apparently when I encourage writers not to enter into a job with a “Oh well, I can always quit” mentality, it doesn’t apply towards a certain group of people working for a certain group of web content sites, because you see, web content places aren’t clients.

In fact, this same group of people say the web content places really “don’t care” about the people who write for them, so they don’t deserve loyalty from their writers. No, really. Here’s the post, read the comments. So before I get to that, let’s go ahead and rock the dictionary.

cli⋅ent
a person or group that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc

F.Y.I That includes a writer. If you’re paid for writing, you’re a professional. If someone hires you, the professional, that someone is a client.

a customer.

The person pays you, he is your customer regardless of whether or not he owns a content site or a Fortune 500 company and expects to be treated with respect. If you have no respect for your customer, your client, you shouldn’t be working for him in the first place.

anyone under the patronage of another; a dependent.

Content sites are dependent upon the writer for content, no?

being a regular customer: a client company.

Again with the customer stuff.

Now…for the rant

I am appalled, shocked, disturbed other not so pleasant emotions after reading the comments from writers who feel that the folks running the content sites aren’t worth time, effort or loyalty. I was raised and taught that it’s good business practice to treat all clients with the same respect, no matter how little they pay. I may not want to work for these places, but I still know my clients deserve good customer service. And yes, a web content place, a residual pay place, and Joe, from Joe’s $2 content mill are all clients. They don’t have to carry a brief case, but if they pay you to do a job, they are clients. If it’s your choice to take one of these jobs, it’s your job to give it your all. Anyone who pays you to write is a client. Don’t take the gig if you have no intention of putting out your best effort.

Again, I will ask, if you feel your clients (and this is a direct quote from one of the commentators) “don’t give a sh*t about you”, why take the job? Why ever would you work for someone who feels that way? Where are your ethics? Where is your pride? Where is your sense of self worth? I would never take a gig from a client who didn’t give a crap about me. Even in my most desperate days I wouldn’t take a job if I didn’t feel the love.

And another thing…

Just because certain web content writers don’t go through the “rigid hiring process” an individual client might give, it doesn’t make one less of a client. It just means he’s less choosy about his clientele. Which shows in the attitudes, I guess.

This whole state of mind really sucks because it’s these types of writers who make it difficult for us to receive better wages and more respect. This is why web content writers get a bum rap. This is why everyone goes to the WAHM boards with their sucky low paying jobs. It’s because of the ” I can leave at any time” and “I don’t owe my clients anything” mentality.

Frankly, with that attitude, why should your client “give a sh*t about you” at all?

What do these names have in common?

• Write for Cash
• The Vines
• Garden & Hearth
• Fine Tuning
• Know More Media

These are all web content or blogging sites that don’t exist anymore.

What do these names have in common?

• Suite 101
• b5Media
• Lifetips
• Today.com
• Creative Weblogging

These are all content or blogging sites that have changed the pay scale for their writers numerous times.

Things change…

Yesterday’s discussions regarding residual pay websites and the “Oh well, I can always quit mentality”, led to some interesting points in the comments. For instance, what happens when that website you spent all that time writing for, so you can earn a steady stream of residuals, ceases to exist? It’s happened many times before. I remember working for Suite 101 in 2000, when they paid a monthly fee for their columnists. I wrote four columns per month and had a set amount directly deposited into my bank account like clockwork. A couple of years later, after changing owners, many of us left the Suite because they didn’t want to pay us anything anymore. After a few years of not paying anyone anything, they opened up a residual program.

I worked for Lifetips back in the day too. I received at least $10 for each 50 to 100 word tip I wrote, and my monthly paychecks were in the thousands. They changed their pay as well, and not for the better. Ditto Today.com who hired writers for $5 for each blog post and a few weeks after many writers were hired, knocked that pay down to $1 per post or less. Even b5Media, a place I held dear, lowered their pay and laid off a whole pile of bloggers.

Still feel secure?

If you receive a steady fee from the site you work for and it goes under, you’re out a gig – and a paycheck. If you write for a residual-based website, and it ceases to exist, that steady stream of income isn’t going to happen anymore. Many residual writers feel that they’ll be earning forever and that’s just not true. They’ll be earning for as long as their website can pay their hosting bill.

Maybe it’s time to spread those eggs around?

There’s nothing wrong with writing for these places. Web content sites are a terrific way to gain experience, steady pay and some free training tools. However, they might not last. Those of you who were a part of Write for Cash with me back in 2003 to 2005 might remember how many writers depended on WFC as their sole source of income and were screwed and financially put out when WFC closed its doors in 2005.

Web content is easy to write. It’s easy to be published and it’s easy to be paid, but web content sites are not always known for their longevity. If you’re going to write for sites such as these, you might want to consider a backup plan.

Warning Signs

There are web content sites that haven’t changed much over the years and employ many happy, long term writers. LoveToKnow and WiseGeek come to mind. I like to use them as a model for how to do it right. When a web content site continues to pay the same money, or more over the years, it’s a good sign. When the same people stay employed with one site over time, it’s a good sign.

Here are some warning signs:

Pay – If a site doesn’t offer a base pay or a set amount each month, it might not be a good investment of your time. The reason most of these sites only offer advertising revenue or a residual pay is because they can’t really afford to pay writers a flat monthly rate. Also, if the payment terms change as much as the weather, there’s a good chance this content site won’t be known for its longevity.

Writers - Are writers happy or disgruntled? Are they leaving after only a few weeks of working? Is it hard to find people with nice things to say? One or two disgruntled writers many mean nothing, a whole crew of unhappy content writers is a good warning sign.

Management - Is the management known for running other failed sites? If so, you may want to pass on the opportunity. Everyone should find out who owns the content sites they wish to work for and learn as much about the folks behind the scenes as they can. Entering into a gig blind can lead to a bad situation.

Hiring: Are the content sites ALWAYS hiring? Are the job boards filled with hundreds of want ads from a single content site each day? Ask yourself why they constantly have to hire people. Spamming the job boards isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Step out of your comfort zone

Sometimes a writer has to step out of his comfort zone. Many web content writers are accepted for jobs without question. They don’t need experience, they don’t need skills, they just need to be able to churn out content. This also means they don’t have to query, they don’t have to interview, they don’t have to do a lot of research or make phone calls. They just have to write stuff that passes the CopyScape test. Easy, right? Until the site they work for crashes.

Look beyond your comfort zone for the opportunities offering better pay as well as job security. Find clients to work for, besides sites. Try not to rely on one source of income and always have a backup plan. This way, if one of your web content clients goes under, he won’t pull you down with him.

Have you worked for a web site that either went away or changed payment terms? Did it encourage you to seek out different types of writing opportunities?

Discuss…