Spammy guest posts have been a problem for quite a while. I’ve certainly bitched about being on the receiving end. Here’s what it comes down to folks: If you’re guest blogging for the sake of building links so you can increase your search rankings, or running massive guest post campaigns, you’re doing it wrong. And you might just get slapped by Google. Matt Cutts warned
A month ago, I worried about being too busy. Now, I’m frustrated that I can’t seem to get a steady stream of clients. A month ago, I asked the question on my LI groups (I specialize in landcare: lawn care, landscaping, gardening, etc., etc.) about the need for writers. I got a great response, including some people who were interested. However, nothing panned out, as
Hi All: I’m trying to grow my writing business by continuing to write for trades, but I also want to break into corporate writing. A couple of problems that I’m running into: 1. I’m burned out from researching and finding sources for articles. I would like to be given the topic and sources for once rather than having to do all of the legwork and
A CEO of a startup company has contracted with me to produce a couple of query letters that I will submit to two business magazines, with the goal of writing two separate profile articles on him. If the queries are accepted by the publications, my agreement with the CEO is that he will pay me to then write the articles. However, the magazines will also
We get questions from new writers both here in the forum and on the blog. But when we’ve been at this work for years, sometimes we forget what it was like to be new. So today let’s look back. When you were just starting out in freelance writing, what were the biggest questions you had? For me, the biggest question was “how can I educate
Hi, I’m pretty much a newbie when it comes to freelance writing and I was wondering if I could seek some advice. Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. I’ve mostly been working for content mills/farms such as Textbroker and Interact Media. At first, I thought I was doing pretty good. I wasn’t earning that much, but I didn’t expect to, being a
When you work as a freelance writer, you run a business. And when you run a business, market research is essential to your continued growth. Yet I often see freelancers make rash decisions about their businesses with no market research whatsoever to help them make those choices. They just wing it. First, why is that? Are they simply not serious about their businesses (maybe treating them
Quick question: what’s your favorite way to market your freelance writing services? For me it’s blogging without a doubt. While you have to stick with it to keep growing, every post you write as the potential to help you market yourself indefinitely (especially thanks to search engine traffic and long tail keyword phrases). More than that, blogs keep you connected with your professional network —
We all know that there are a lot of great things about freelancing — like flexible schedules and the stereotypical fuzzy slippers while working (yeah, I wear ’em). But there are also plenty of challenges. So out of curiosity, what has proven to be the most challenging part of being a freelance writer for you so far? I think the most challenging part for me