Unemployed Workers - An Easy-to-Start Work-at-Home Career
By Yuwanda Black
Many workers are losing their jobs, and experts predict that’’s it’’s not going to get better anytime soon. Following is an easy-to-start, work-from-home job. If you have an internet connection and a computer, you don”t need to spend any more money.
Freelance Writing: Why It’’s the Ultimate Work-from-Home Career
Freelance writing is the ultimate work-from-home career because:
(i) It’’s portable. If you have a laptop, you can do it from anywhere.
((ii) You can work any time. If you have children or other obligations like school, you can squeeze it in any time - as long as you meet client deadlines, they don”t care when you work.
((iii) It’’s easy to start. In many cases, simply the ability to write is all that’’s necessary. And, you don”t have to be an excellent writer - you just have to know how to write clear, concise copy.
How to Start Working from Home as a Freelance Writer
1. Get a Website: The first thing you need to do is get a website. It doesn”t have to be fancy. Just a clean site with professional, grammatically correct copy. One page is really all that’’s necessary; that’’s a “Services” page.
2. Come Up with a List of Services: You may be thinking, “I don”t know what to offer.” Start with basic web copy or blog posts. This is copy that every internet marketer needs. Once you get more experience, you can add on specialty services like press releases, ebook writing and sales letters.
3. Decide What to Charge: This is easy to do. If you have absolutely no clue, start by visiting large freelance writing sites and hanging out in their forums.
Once you start to research, you”ll see the names of some popular freelance writing websites that will pop up over and over again. You”ll also soon start to get a feeling for sites that dispense good information you can count on, and those that don”t.
One thing you”re going to find is that freelance writing rates are all over the place. The number one rule to remember when setting your rates is to charge what you need to live on. So, for example, if you can provide SEO articles for $25 a pop, then do so, even if you read that this is “below industry standards.”
What’’s below industry standards for some can be a very good wage for you.
Following is a sample “Services Page”, the one page your freelance writing website definitely needs. On it you can list your specialty (your niche), the services you provide, your rates and your contact info.
SAMPLE SERVICES PAGE FOR NEW FREELANCE WRITERS
PRIMARY NICHES
Insurance and Real Estate
TYPE OF WRITING SERVICES OFFERED
SEO Articles; Press Releases; General Editorial (Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Word Processing, Data Entry, etc.)
RATES
SEO Articles: $25 (300-500 words)
Blog Posts: $15 (up to 300 words)
Press Releases: $150
General Editorial: $35/hour (call in or email project specifics for a quote)
CONTACT
Here you”ll list all the ways you can be contacted (email, phone, cell, etc.).
Getting a Website Tip: Don”t know how to build a basic website? Don”t fret; use a free blogging platform like Wordpress or Blogger to start. All you need is a “web presence”, which is really all a blog is. Once you start making money, you can explore other options and/or hire a professional to build a website for you. The important thing is to get up and gong quickly so you can start making money.
Once your services page is done, you”re ready to start marketing for freelance writing jobs.
About The Author
Yuwanda Black is a freelance SEO writer and the author of How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. Ms. Black says, “You can work from home as a freelance writer in your PJs, getting assignments via the internet. I do it every day.”
