Fab Freelance Writing Ezine - Issue 15: Top Five Tips For Writing For The Web



Publisher: Angela Booth.

Copyright 2007 Angela Booth

All rights reserved.

Blog: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com/blog/

Site: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com

Not a subscriber?
Subscribe to our fabulous free weekly ezine for freelance writers, Fab Freelance Writing Ezine, and receive a FREE 21-page report, Write And Sell Your Writing: The Power-Write Report". It's 21 pages packed with information to help you to develop a six-figure writing career. Send a blank email message to: fab-freelance@aweber.com

Or fill in the form below.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Issue # 15

* Date: January 24, 2007

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Includes:

* Editorial: Writers Are Golden Online Right Now* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Write Your Story To Date* Article: Top Five Tips For Writing For The Web



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Discouraged Because Your Writing's Not Selling? **

In today's world, there are vast opportunities for writers. In the midst of all this dazzling plenty, some writers are stuck. Frankly, they don't know how to sell themselves as writers - that is, how to promote their skills. Nor do they know how to sell the words they've written.

My new ebook "You CAN Sell Your Writing Now: Marketing Skills For Writers" shows you exactly how to compete and win all the contracts you want in today's writing marketplace -

http://www.//Market-writing/sell-writing.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


[Editorial] Writers Are Golden Online Right Now



Hi Fellow Writer - I hope you're having a great writing week.

This week's issue is all about selling your words, specifically about writing for the Web, which is the easiest market for any writer to break into. Whatever your experience (basically as long as you have a pulse), you can write for the Web.

Web Publishers Need Your Words Right Now


I frequent a lot of Internet marketers' and publishers' forums and discussion groups. I also hang out at out-sourcing sites like elance.com. The big challenge for all Web site owners and business owners, who have lots of money to spend on writers, is finding enough writers to meet their needs. They need writers to write Web content, in vast amounts.

In 2007, I'm amazed that writers still bother writing for the mainstream media. The pay is much better on the Web. Yes, you can get teeny tiny pay for online articles, BUT if you learn how the online world works, you'll soon be getting payment rates which are not only comparable to the offline world - they're better. Online, it's a provider's market.

This week's article is the "Top Five Tips For Writing For The Web" - scroll down to read it.


A Basic Web Writing Glossary: Two Terms With Which To Familiarize Yourself

Two terms you need to know as a Web writer are "content" and "Web sales pages":

"Content" is essentially just Web words, whether those words are articles, news, product descriptions - whatever.

"Web sales pages" are Web advertising copy, but with a difference. These pages resemble direct mail advertising more than anything else. (And writing them is lucrative - a single sales page can net you anywhere from $1000 to $20,000 and beyond.)

If you haven't yet approached Web writing - especially if you're finding it hard to get commissions - I encourage you to try this new writing arena. If you're an experienced writer, you'll find Web writing delightful. If you're new to writing, then Web writing is your future, so embrace it now.

Affectionately,

Angela

P.S. My ebook, Writing For The Web, gets you started in tapping the huge new markets for writers -

http://www.//Web_Write/Web_write.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Struggling To Find Writing Gigs? **



Freelance writers just don't realize how much money there is to be made by writing for the Web: many writers use the Web as a research tool, they don't see the Web as a mass of millions of markets. They don't realize that Web sites are STARVED for good writers.

Want to get paid REAL money to write? How does $120 an hour sound to you? Discover "Writing For The Web" at:

http://www.//Web_Write/Web_write.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Write Your Story To Date



When you write, whatever you're writing, you're writing about yourself. This is true even if you're writing about electrical conduit. Your writing is you - it's the way you see the world, given your biology and the experiences you've had. Your writing style, the sentence structure and word choice, identifies you as clearly as your fingerprints.

Once you understand this clearly, you can make use of it.

Try this brief exercise.

Explain how and why you became a writer, or if you're starting out, why you want to become a professional writer. Write 250 words. Write quickly, without thinking about it too much. Come back and reread what you've written tomorrow.

The point of this exercise is to get you comfortable writing about yourself. Many writers aren't comfortable doing this. Like much of the population, they've been bamboozled by marketing hype to believe that they're not good enough.

You're a treasure. You're unique. Just in your first six years of life, you learned enough to keep writing for a hundred lifetimes. Mine the treasure of your Self, consciously. You'll find that you're much less judgmental as a writer (your internal editor will relax) and thus more creative.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Discover Blogging And Increase Your Freelance Income **



What's a blog? A blog is a fantastic way to make BIG money as a freelance writer. Find out how to blog with my blogging best-seller "Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want". It's my complete ebook package, with free coaching/ consultations as well.

Find out more at:

http://www.//Blog/blogging.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* Article: Top Five Tips For Writing For The Web




(c) Copyright 2007 Angela Booth. All Rights Reserved.


The Web is a provider's market for writers now, and for the foreseeable future. It can hardly be otherwise. Millions of pages are added to the Web every day. Someone has to write them.

Many writers, both new and experienced, fail to see the plenty in front of them. They remind me of poddy calves. A "poddy" is a calf which needs to be hand-reared, for whatever reason. You can stick a bucket full of warm creamy milk in front of a poddy's nose, and it won't touch it. As far as the poddy's concerned, milk doesn't come in buckets. You need to teach the poddy to drink from a bucket.

Follow these five tips to see the plenty in front of you, and you'll soon be slurping up all the Web writing commissions you can handle.


Tip One: Discover How The Web Works

To successfully and profitably write for the Web, you need to know how the Web works. This means, you need to create your own Web site, which will act both as an advertisement for your writing skills, and as an online portfolio.

Many writers resist creating a site. This is a mistake. Think of your Web site as your billboard in the global marketplace. Your site brings you work, and it also cuts down on the time spent looking for writing contracts.

Your site will also teach you why writing for the Web is different from writing for print. You need to "get" (understand) Web writing. Many writers don't.

There's no shame in this. When they first transfer their operations to the online world print magazines and book publishers don't get the Web either. It takes time to see how people use the Web, and how you can present information to them so that they respond. You can practice Web writing on your own Web site - treat it as your writing lab.


Tip Two: Communicate - Join Relevant Groups And Network

Please engrave this on your heart: "other writers don't buy your words".

Writers want to hang out with other writers. This is fine. It's fun, it can be stimulating, entertaining and educational. But other writers can't hire you.

Go to where the buyers are. This means discussion groups and forums where people who work on the Web hang out. People like Internet marketers, Web writers, graphic designers, and webmasters. Initially, the conversations will seem as if they're being conducted in a foreign language.

Gradually however, as you get a few Web writing commissions, the conversations will start to make sense.


Tip Three: Promote Yourself As A Web Writer

Promoting yourself online as a Web writer begins with your Web site. Once you have a site address, and you've joined some online discussion groups, you can add your Web address to the end of your forum postings in what's called your sig (signature) file.

Yes, just a few simple lines with what you do, and your Web address, gets you work online. Web site owners are desperately hungry for content - their income depends on it. Remember Tip Two however - promote where the BUYERS are.


Tip Four: Expect Rejection And Get Over It

If you get hung up about rejection, I have three words for you - "get over it." And do it quickly.

You won't win every Web writing gig that you compete for, but so what? Within a month of starting your Web writing career, you'll have more work than you can handle. Rejection is never a problem. Expect it. Treat it as feedback and move on.


Tip Five: Know What You're Worth

At the beginning of your Web writing career, when you have no contacts, no portfolio, and really don't know much about the Web, you can't expect to be paid top rates.

Conversely, once you have a portfolio, it's time to start charging what you're worth. Check other Web writers' Web sites and the out-sourcing sites to see what established Web writers are paid. Adjust your rates upward as you complete commissions and become more experienced.

So there you have it: the top five tips for writing for the Web. I wish you much success. May your all commissions be profitable for both your clients, and for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Your Blog: Your Vital Sales And Promotions Tool For 2007 **



Gotta blog? My ebook, Writing Success with Blogs by Angela Booth, helps you to take the first steps into the new world for writers: instant publishing on blogs.

Your writers' blog is your must-have branding tool. It also has a very practical use - it's a writing portfolio. From the ebook: "Before editors will pay you to write, they want to know that you can write. They want clips - copies of material you've published. This seems like a Catch-22: you can only get published if you've been published. Your writing on your blog can be in lieu of clips. Your blog lets editors gauge your abilities and style, before they put down the cash."

The book helps you to create your own writer's bog:

http:////page11/Blog%20book/page16.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get the latest freelance blogging news on Blogging For Dollars at:

http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Copywriting Success: Your Stepping Stone To A New Career **

Copywriters are in high demand. Develop a lucrative career with "First Steps in Your Copywriting Career: cash in on the demand for business writers" at

http:////page11/First%20steps/steps.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


YOUR PRIVACY

Your privacy is important. You've signed on for this ezine in good faith. Thank you. I will never betray your trust by making the subscriber list available to others.

Contact Angela at: angela.booth@gmail.com

Or, use the forms on my Web site: http:////

Or on this site - click here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~