Thursday, September 3, 2009

Article Writing Service to Help Lighten Your Workload

As an Internet business owner, you are sometimes too caught up with all kinds of business related tasks to pay much attention to article writing. Daily tasks such as Internet marketing, product development, meetings, etc. may take up so much of your time that you simply don't have time to look at content creation.

However, your Internet business will need content. Sooner or later, you will find yourself having to come up with some content. You will need articles for your own websites, your sales letters, your blogs, or to execute some article marketing campaigns. For whatever the reason, there is no denying that content is king on the Internet.

As the owner of an Internet business, it is your responsibility to come up with a way to overcome this challenge - the challenge of content creation. A heavy workload is an obstacle, never an excuse. To make things worse, there are other obstacles.

Some business owners find writing to be time consuming. That may be because some people are not native English speakers, or they do not grow up in an English speaking/writing environment. Hence they face great difficulties when they find that they have to write. In this case, article writing becomes a painful task.

Fortunately, there is a ready solution to such obstacles. Simply outsource all your article writing to processional writing service providers. Usually, such providers have a team of writers to write for you. They are usually native English speakers, who are able to write naturally. Writing is almost second nature to these writers, and they are able to complete articles in a much shorter time span than most people.

Besides, since they are professional writers, they are expected to be more knowledgeable than the average layman about the subjects that they write about. On some occasions, they may be stumped by certain rare topics. But that can be easily overcome with some research.

Overall, professional writers can deliver high quality articles very quickly. The best writers even possess Internet marketing knowledge and experience. That means when they write, they will keep the theme of the articles tightly focuses so that the search engines can determine the context of the articles easily.

Most business owners decide to outsource all article writing activities simply because writing just takes up too much time. Even for a prolific writer, writing an article of decent quality can take as much as 15 minutes. Imagine setting up a website with 10 pages of content. That's 150 minutes dedicated to content alone. For any business owner, a lot can be done within 150 minutes. Hence, most just decide to outsource. After all, quality writing services come at highly affordable prices these days.

Just by spending a few extra dollars, business owners find themselves left with a lot more time for more important tasks.

Professional article writing service and article submission services available. Fully featured - Fast turnaround, back up articles to local hard drive and more!

Steps to Getting Started As an Online Freelance Writer

Never before has it been this easily to earn a sizable income as a freelance writer. The internet has exponentially exploded not only the number of places where writers can submit their writing, but more importantly, the number of people looking to hire capable writers. The internet is a huge beast that requires fresh content (i.e. writing) on a daily basis, and millions of websites and media outlets spend enormous sums of money to keep the beast fed.

If you can write interesting and compelling articles and blog posts, it is not unrealistic to expect to earn a very comfortable living working as a freelance writer creating content for websites. This article will cover three steps you can take today to start your career as an online freelance writer.

1. Write Everyday

By this I mean, post something online every day. This can be as simple as starting a free WordPress or Blogger blog and posting to it daily. Make your posts a few hundred words in length and make them about thoughtful topics. You want these posts to showcase your writing as its best.

There are several reasons to write every day. A few of the more important reasons include:

  • To earn a decent living as freelance writer online you are going to need to be working on paying jobs everyday, so you might as well get into the practice of writing everyday, even if at first you are not getting paid (or paid a smaller amount).
  • As mentioned above, writing everyday creates a portfolio. There will come a day when a potential client wants to see examples of your writing. Being able to direct them to a site that you have contributed to regularly not only showcases your writing, but also demonstrates that you are able to maintain a discipline of writing regularly. Your online posts are your business card, make sure they represent you well.
  • Writing everyday is the discipline of exceptional writers, especially online writers. Start this discipline today. Chances are it is either going to be easy at first and then get difficult, or it is going to be hard right from the start. Either way, it's going to get difficult eventually and if you plan to write for a living you need to learn to get through the hard times as soon as possible.

2. Network With Other Freelance Writers

Online forums are a great place to get know other freelance writers. Make it a point to find at least one forum, or section of a forum, that is populated by active freelance writers. Join the forum and start participating.

There are many benefits to getting to know others in this business and networking with them on a regular basis. As you run into questions, you will have a valuable resource from which to seek answers. As you start to develop relationships with other writers, you may find unexpected writing opportunities. For example, someone on the forum may be looking for a guest blogger on a particular topic that you know very well. The person is more likely to offer the opportunity to you if they know you and are familiar with your writing.

Forums are also how most freelance writers post referrals for jobs and assignments they are not able to accept. For example, a writer who focuses primarily on banking and finance topics may have a client who is looking for a fitness writer. This writer is likely to let the the forum know about this fitness opportunity since he knows the client can trust the caliber of the other writers on the forum. Or, perhaps if the writer knows of a particular fitness writer that he trusts, he will refer the fitness writer directly to the client.

Forums are also a great way to get your name out. Most forums allow you to use some sort of signature line with a link to a website. If you are writing online everyday (see #1 above), forums are an excellent way to get visitors to your website. These are just a few examples of how forums can be great resources.

3. Start Bidding on Jobs

There are hundreds of online job boards that are updated daily with new requests for freelance writers. Find several of these boards and check them daily. (Time Saver: If the job board has an RSS feed, set up an RSS feed reader to collect all of these job postings in one place for easier checking.) When you find jobs that you are well-suited for, apply for them.

It is especially important in the beginning to develop a stellar reputation. Ideally, you want to be able to turn your first few clients into long-term clients, or at least be able to use them as an outstanding reference or testimonial. Make sure that the first few jobs that you bid on are ones that you can complete ahead of deadline with the highest quality. It is better to bid on fewer jobs and do great work than bid on several jobs that end up just OK. Your first few jobs are crucial to your success, so pick them wisely and submit exceptional work.

Freelance writing is an outstanding way to earn a living online. Now you have three steps to start you on your way to making money creating online content. The work is there, it is yours for the asking. Start writing today and take advantage of this huge opportunity!

My name is Kelly Gammon and I make a living writing. I often get asked what resources I recommend for those just starting out as a freelance writer. If you are ready to make a comfortable full-time living as a freelance writer, I recommend that you check out http://www.freelancewritertips.com now.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Creative Writer's Secret to Making a Living Writing

Creative writers! You can make a lot of money writing for newspapers. The writing is easy, you don't have to worry about "Show, Don't Tell," and you can resell the articles all over the country with simultaneous submissions.

Most newspapers need a reporter for PTA meetings and sometimes for sports events. You will make about $15 for each article, and $5 for each picture they use. A normal 35 mm camera is usually good enough.

Most average sized cities have a local newspaper that accepts admissions from amateur writers. This is your market. If you have political views you want to share, the Opinion Editor or Op-Ed section is a good place to start. Write with conviction and zest and the editor will most likely accept your piece. He will, however, edit it for grammar and cut parts he deems unnecessary. If they have a guideline, follow it to the letter.

By most people's standards, $15 to $20 isn't much, but if you write an article about an upcoming holiday and resell it all over the nation, you can easily make $200 on it.

Make a file on the newspapers that accept your work. This is your gold mine. These are the people you send Christmas cards to - the people you become personally acquainted with - the people you network with - and the people you become friends with. These people are your livelihood - and this is how writers make a living. Maybe not a plush living, but a modest one. It isn't easy, but it works.

When you write articles, you have to be fast. You don't worry a lot about how you phrase things as long as you use (near) proper English. Most of the rules you learned for writing short stories won't apply there. You can use passive sentences. You can "tell" instead of "showing". You don't have to use graceful sentences, but used jazzed up verbs.

Make your submissions directly to the editor. Call the newspaper to learn his or her name, and write it down. Be sure you get the spelling right. Google "U.S. Newspapers" and you can select the papers by state.

So where do you get your articles? What do you write about? Have you ever wondered how something works, or where certain things come from? How about people who have an unusual talent or a special hobby?

The secret to reselling a newspaper article is that it needs to have a broad appeal - such as an article on how Father's Day began. If you were submitting to a magazine, you would have to submit at least three to four months ahead, but not so with newspapers. Send your article in two weeks ahead.

Still having a hard time thinking of what to write about? Check the latest version of Writer's Market if you have nothing specific in mind. Browsing the non-fiction section will give you an idea of what kinds of articles are being published.

This is enough to get you off to a good start. See below for more free writer's tips!

Private tutoring, $185 for 8 wks. at Take your classes any time in 2009. Only 15 to a class. Reserve your space now! Sale ends Jan. 31, 2009. To receive more free writing tips in The Writer's Choice Newsletter, sign up at http://www.cwinst.com/newslettersignup.php

Best Internet Content Writer

On the Internet, SEO and Copywriting are highly competitive fields. Nonetheless, opportunities abound across a broad spectrum. If you're new to content writing, courting prospects, or need a writer for your blog or website, some research of the fields of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Copywriting is the most vital asset you can acquire before making a decision. On the other hand, some basic understanding of both initially can be very helpful in simplifying your research.

There is a mix of confusion on the Internet in terms of defining content writers. Content is a general term used to define writing for websites, blogs or other Internet based media. The greater misconceptions appear to be Copywriters verses SEO writers. Avoiding the misconceptions will help you attain a firm footing to write content with SEO or copy in mind or, to be able to hire a professional suited to your specific needs. There are similarities between the two but understanding the distinctions may provide more clarity.

Copywriters have been around for a few centuries as long as there has been print media. Their basic job description is writing copy that promotes strong actions among consumers. The objective is to cause an action around the buying or selling of a product, service or even increasing a subscriber base that may lead to sales.

SEO writers are a unique effect of the Search Engine Industry. If there is one distinction that separates the two fields it is this.

Copywriters would exist with or without the Search Industry online. Their origin is in Print media, marketing and advertising. This field has exploded with the presence of commerce and marketing on the Internet.

When an SEO writer is hired to produce content the objective is to cause a blog or website to increase it's visibility on the Web in search engine results pages (SERPS). It can be part of a whole campaign offered to a client or the work of an individual or freelance writer.

An intense technical back-end knowledge of blogs or websites are not necessary for an SEO writer but it can't hurt to know as much as possible about it.

Primarily, whether involved in a campaign or working individually with a client, they are not expected to cause an action resulting in sales.

Their job is to improve the position of a website or blog in search engine results pages, as well as its attractiveness with search engines. The result being more targeted traffic. The best scenario being the first page, in the number one position. This is not always possible because of a number of other factors that come into play. An optimal result can also be a great improvement over where the client may be currently positioned on the Web.

In both fields, keywords are one of the important tools used skillfully to write content and command the attention of search crawlers or bots scanning content to index within search engines. They may also offer analysis based on the overall look, design and flow of a website or blog and offer advice of how to improve a site to attract more targeted traffic, but it is not required.

A copywriter must produce an action that results in sales, while the SEO writer must cause an action that results in the best possible position on search engine results that can be attained. Other factors could impede or assist in attaining that goal.

Not all websites and blogs have a core purpose involving products or services. They may desire targeted traffic for equally important reasons other than monetary profits. SEO content is about attaining the best optimal position on the Web, to attract targeted traffic for a wide array of goals suited to an individual's online mission.

It is not unusual to find both fields over lapping and that can be an asset for a client if a writer has both skills. Additionally, it could cut budget costs which is always good news for the client.

On the other hand, knowing the difference between the two is necessary given the fair chance that a writer may be excellent in one field but not the other. A Client should hire a writer according to their need of either Copy: Increased sales and a growing subscriber database or, SEO: an optimal position on Search Engine Results Pages to attract targeted traffic.

Vanessa D. Alexander writes, edits and publishes the daily blog column 52 Signals, exploring the signals and noise of organic search, optimization, traffic, tools and bits of other stuff in user simple terms. http://52signals.blogspot.com

Top Ten Tips for Writing a Professional Overview or Biography

A professional biography or overview, showcasing your background, experience and expertise, is a necessity for every business owner. This often overlooked marketing tool is an excellent way to introduce you and your business to potential clients and possible strategic business partners. Potentially, it might open up opportunities for speaking engagements, radio or television interviews, or a feature print article. While any information about you and your business is helpful, information that is presented in a professional, well-polished manner can make all the difference in how others perceive you. Consider these important points as you craft your own professional biography.

1. One page wonder.

Your professional biography should be a few paragraphs and kept to one page or less. One page is perfect for copying on the reverse side of a handout or flyer. Several paragraphs, left justified make it easier to read and skim.

2. First, second, or third person?

Always write your biography in the third person. That is, refer to yourself by your name or she/he as appropriate. It sounds more professional as it appears that a third party wrote the text. For example, Alexandra has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and Time magazines.

3. Business in brief.

Not only do readers want to know what you do, but also they want to know who you work with because they might want to work with you! A professional biography should include a sentence or two about your business niche (or niches) as well as the types of clients you serve. A modified version of your 30-second elevator pitch might be perfect.

4. And the winner is.

Make sure that you include a list of awards that you have received. Readers are interested in knowing about your talents and the organizations that recognize you for them.

5. Organizations.

Include names of the organizations, clubs, or associations to which you belong. A readers interest might be highlighted at seeing that you belong to the same alumni association or professional business group. Again, these connections might possibly lead to some interesting and exciting business opportunities.

6. Certifications and designations.

Include any professional certifications or designations you hold. Make sure you write out their names in full, rather than use abbreviations. Not everyone might know that CMA stands for Certified Management Accountant. And, perhaps, in a different discipline, it might represent something else like a Certified Materials Analyst. If you no longer hold a particular designation, but it has played a major role in who you are and what you do, dont hesitate to make a reference to it. For example, Ann is a former Certified Data Processor and spent the last decade as an adjunct faculty member teaching higher mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dont include abbreviations of college degrees, like MBAs as it looks unprofessional. The only exception to this would be for a Ph.D. designation.

7. Published?

Have you written any articles, books, e-courses or e-books? Self-published or not, your works add to your level of professionalism and credibility. Showcase them in your biography and you might earn additional royalties in terms of new clients or other opportunities.

8. Did I mention the media?

Have you been a guest on talk radio or television? Were you or your business featured or even mentioned in a newspaper article? If so, readers want to know. Again, these types of mentions add to your credibility and presence.

9. Call me any time.

People who want to know about you will read your biography for just that reason. And, if its compelling, rich, and includes the information theyre interested, in, theyll want to contact you. Include complete contact information like your title (if any), name, address, telephone, fax, email, and website address. Make it easy to find this information by including it in the last paragraph of your professional overview.

10. Write, rewrite, and do it again.

After you have written your biography, edit, edit, and edit again. You may need to do a dozen or so revisions before you get it just right. Eliminate extra words, use descriptive words, keep the sentences short but varied in length, and write in the third person. Ask some friends to provide input as well. Make sure to revise your biography regularly to keep it up-to-date and refreshed.

Copyright 2004 by Tara Alexandra Kachaturoff.

Tara Alexandra Kachaturoff is a business consultant, writer, speaker, Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and producer/host of Michigan Entrepreneur Television. Drawing on over 15 years of corporate experience, she coaches executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs on business and lifestyle issues and has been featured in print, radio and television. Her websites include http://www.virtualleverage.com, http://www.tarakachaturoff.com, and http://www.michiganentrepreneurtv.com

Proofreading and Editing Software - 5 Ways it Helps You!

Proofreading and editing software can make all of your writing tasks easier. It automates your correcting, editing and proofreading, enabling you to get more done in less time. You also can send out better documents without errors! This software can do all of this for you:

1. Corrects Your Grammar and Punctuation

Proofreading and editing software will read through your documents and correct any errors of grammar or punctuation. Without this, you may not even realize some of the mistakes in your writing!

2. Corrects Spelling Mistakes Contextually

A contextual spell checker, unlike the ordinary one you probably use, can spot words that are spelled correctly but are used in the wrong place, such as "stare" instead of "stair" or "too" instead of "to." It' s easy to make these kind of errors, but this spell checker will find them!

3. Style Checker

The style checker will improve your writing by suggesting alternative words or phrases you can use.

4. Compatible With Your Word Processor

You can smoothly take documents created on your present programs and have the proofreading and editing software go through them, as it's compatible with most commonly used programs.

5. Send Out Polished, Professional Documents

The best thing about this software is that it allows you to quickly send out better and more professionally written documents. This will let you get more done and also improve the quality of your work!

Proofreading and editing software can check for grammar, punctuation and any other writing errors and gives an instant feedback. Well, in the end: Make you more productive.

Watch how advanced Proofreading and editing software instantly improve your writings and learn how innovative NLP technology can help you to be a successful proofreader.

Jane Sumerset is a professional proofreader working for many large companies in Britain. She's also a regular writer on topics like "how to write English resumes" on englishsoftware the renowned British English writing knowledge base.

Persuasive Writing Topics

Whether it is for a school assignment or for a personal whim, choosing persuasive writing topics is as important as the content. However, there are certain times when choosing among many persuasive writing topics can become a difficult process.

This happens to both novice and experienced writers, so there is really no need to fret about it. If you are experiencing this kind of "writer's block", here are a few tips you might want to consider when choosing for that topic you need or want.

What Is Persuasive Writing?

Before anything else, you need to know what persuasive writing is really all about. This will give you a guideline on how to choose a topic.

Persuasive writing is composing an article or an essay that contains the objective opinion of a person specifically the author.

In a written article, you may write to persuade the readers to do something they have not done before or to just support your point of view. In persuasive writing, you need to make the readers believe what you write.

Most Common Persuasive Writing Topics

There are a lot of different persuasive writing topics that have been composed before. Among all the topics, the most common are smoking, abortion, health, politics and rights of women.

Persuasive writing topics should not only be limited to these. You can write just about any topic you want. Remember to do extensive research about the subject. Opinions based on experience, supported by facts, will have a very effective outcome.

How To Choose Your Topics

If you are tasked to create your own persuasive writing topics and you need to write about it, then it can be quite difficult especially if you are not inclined to writing. The same goes to people who are not that opinionated. So how do you choose your persuasive writing topics?

The first thing you need to consider when choosing for a topic is whether it is interesting or not. This does not pertain to the interest of your possible readers, but of your interest. You need to choose a topic that sparks interest in you. How will you be able to persuade a reader if you can't even persuade yourself with the specific topic?

Second, before you choose the topic, you need to reflect on what the purpose of your persuasive article is. You need to have an objective to make it easier to choose your topic.

When you already have a list of your potential persuasive writing topics, you can now ask the opinions of other people. Through this, you can find out which of your topics can also spark the interests of other people.

Want to earn a 5-figure monthly income through freelance writing jobs? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/5figurewriter.htm and discover how to earn massive amounts of money by becoming a freelance writer.