Making Money Online: Writng Articles

If you enjoy writing and want to make money from your hobby, then authoring articles and blog posts might just be right for you. At some point you may want to market your own articles, but before you get there, consider working for "employers" through sites such as Helium and Associated Content, among others.

Well written articles can earn you hundreds of dollars per month from the comfort of your laptop. There are dozens of freelance websites that source business and writers and are willing to pay a good amount of money for your articles. Some sites are free to join with no subscription fee while others will require you to pay a monthly subscription fee. Besides providing access to business and employers, these websites will also provide you with training as part of their membership development. Most reputable freelance websites centralize work making it easy for you to log in and select your assignment for the day.

You can also find work by yourself, though this is a lot harder. Websites like Freelancer.com and oDesk.com always list all the available work "employers" want done. As a contractor, you bid for the work by quoting your fee. You can also provide a portfolio of your previous work in order to boost your chances of getting hired. Upon acceptance of your bid, you then proceed to write and submit your article for approval before payment is made.

Depending on the number of articles you are able to write, as well as your bids, your compensation can range from $50 to $500 per week.

Article writing, like any other money-making strategy, requires you to have some skill and savvy. Here are four critical tips to keep in mind:

1.Keep it simple

Avoid using vague qualifiers, convoluted phrases and jargon, as these can muddle your sentences, making them hard to comprehend. Use specific nouns and active verbs to keep your articles fresh and easy to understand.

2.Keep it short

Besides using short words, write short sentences and paragraphs. Short sentences will significantly quicken your writing pace. Avoid using very long sentences that can easily bore your readers. Put the emphasis on a single thought by having it in its own paragraph. A good article lenght for reading online is 350 to 700 words.

3.Make it compelling

Focus on one idea per blog post. Don't go off on a tangent as it will confuse readers. Begin your article with an attention grabbing title, open your content with an interesting lead and wrap it up with an inspiring conclusion, all on the same topic.

4.Keep it relevant

People are always in a rush. Most read with a "what will I get from it" attitude. They are looking for answers to their problems. Write a title and a lead that immediately lets them know that there is value in your article.

1.Helium

Write articles suggested by Helium or just submit articles on topics of your choice. Your articles will be published on the site and then rated by other Helium users. You will get paid when people click to read your articles. The more times the article is viewed, the more money you make. Publishers may also buy your articles for use on their sites.

2.Associated Content

With Associated Content, a publishing platform from Yahoo!, you get upfront payment for your articles. You can make from $4-$12 per article, depending on your bids. You can also submit your articles for performance payment when they get rejected for upfront payment. Payments are made three times a week.

3.Freelancer.com

This site acts as an intermediary between businesses looking to outscource and the freelance community. It's free to join. Sign up with a valid e-mail address, select your field of expertise and you will be ready to go. You receive e-mail notification of jobs related to your skills. You then can bid for the job, quoting your fee. The site processes payment from the buyer, and then sends it on to you.

4.oDesk

Like Freelancer.com, oDesk is free to join and works similarly. At oDesk, however, you can work on an hourly basis or fixed contracts. To join, you are required to take and pass the oDesk readiness test. You can increase your chances of getting hired by taking several free oDesk skills tests to boost your profile.

With any freelance work, you need a combination of determination, diligence and persistence. But content is king on the Web, so skilled wordsmiths can write their own checks.

Last update: Sept 21, 2010