Getting High Paying “Targeted Assignments” from Associated Content
Hi all!
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but things have been hectic. Earlier this week, I accepted 6 assignments from Associated Content, which was pretty exciting, being that they were targeted assignments, each paying $15-$20 a piece. For what may be the first time in my life, I’m getting more per-hour for my writing than I am at the fast food restaurant where I work!
As an aside for anyone interested, what I learned from these recent “targeted assignments” from Associated Content is this: if you want a shot at assignments that actually pay, list some very specific areas of expertise in the “Interests” box on your profile.
No one cares that you like “philosophy,” I guarantee that associated content isnt offering any peer-reviewed assignments, and even if they were, they’d give preference to someone who offered an interest more specific to their particular needs. FOr example, if they wanted a a short bio on Jean-PAul Sartre, they’d choose the person with the listed interest “Sarterian Existentialism,” over someone with plain old, boring “philosophy.”
Its this principal of specificity regarding relevant, traffic-drawing interests, that I think gets the attention of AC editors, and draws targeted assignments in your direction. For example, the 6 targeted assignments that I recently received were all related to Marathon running. Apparently Yahoo! (AC’s host website), is trying to run a little section devoted to the sport.
Of course, it didn’t take long for my shrewd, deductive self to notice that the secend “interest” shown on my AC profile was “running marathons.” Go figure.
Of course, this would all be too obvious to be worth noting were it not for a couple key facts:
A. marathon running was my only interest listed that was both specific, and relevant. In other words, when AC editors had assignments requiring a talented writer with niche experience, this was the only listed interest working in my favor.
B. By listing “marathon running” as an interest, I made $100 dollars.
C. By listing more specific, relavant intersests, I could make hundereds more dollars.
Already, I’ve gone back and added “blogging,” “internet marketing”, and “SEO,” to my interests, and I think I might go back and add even more things as soon as I get a good brain storming sesh in. I have a strong gut feeling that reliable, high quality performance, and a myriad of declared interests (that I can actually back up with knowledge), will gain me a good enough reputation with AC editors to create for myself a nice little part-time job out of targeted assignments.
I first attempted to use Stumbleupon.com early on in my Associated Content career. Like most naive upstarts, I had the misguided idea that the Internet was so powerful, so teeming with users, that merely tossing an article in its direction would ensure innumerable views. So I began using Stumbleupon like a billboard, posting only my own content on it, and waiting for viewers to come. I never stumbled other content, thinking that it would crowd out the page space that my articles occupied, making my articles harder to viewers to find. Of course, the irony of worrying about a viewer friendly layout when my total monthly viewership was 4 was beginning to dawn on me, but, I didn’t know what to do about it, so I dismissed Stumbleupon, and sought out greener pastures on Twitter.
It was only the other day, while scanning Google for useful website trafficking tips, that I came across a site that really changed my perspective. As I’ve been emphasizing in my posts, I have a certain affinity for website trafficking plans that are based on honest and transparent tactics. Too many of the sites that offered to “Increase Viewership Ten Fold with Stumbleupon,” referenced covert “like-for-like” agreements amongst weird Stumbler cartels. I will admit, I tried some of the more popular “StumbleExchages,” and, I got out of it what I put in: nothing, not a single stumble.
So this website’s proposal of a Stumbling action plan that was transparent, legitimate, and win-win grabbed my attention. The plan had three componets:
First, stumble. And stumble a lot. But, just as I suggested in my Twitter post and article, don’t just stumble about anything, stumble only those engage and helpful websites that pertain the service, website, or blog that you are trying to promote. In time, you should both gain a hearty friend base of interested Stumblers, and a high degree of clout within the Stumbleupon engine: you generate lots of Stumbles and likes within a given category, other Stumblers like what you like, therefore, if your most recent blog post or article just so happens to be liked by you, you’ve got a fair shot that Stumbleupon will trust your judgment, and give you a good amount of exposure.
Second, and this one isn’t a must, you can, if you have a little pocket change, buy a Stumbleupon advertising campaign. For a grand total of five cents per Stumble, you can buy as much exposure to as many people as you like. So, for example, if you pay $5, Stumbleupon will display your website to 100 Stumblers. Of course, the goal isn’t merely to be “displayed,” the advertising campaign only really pays off if people like what your selling, thus raising your standing in the Stumbleupon engine, and creating an self perpetuating and ever increasing source of views.
Finally, and this one is the neatest, is a little tool called Su.Pr. It’s quite simple- just another URL shortener, no different in essence that all the rest out there. But, Su.Pr has a unique advantage over other URL shorteners: simply by using Su.Pr as your shortener of choice, you automatically increase traffic to your website. The reason behind this is simple: Su.Pr is Stumbleupon’s URL, and it drives traffic towards Stumbleupon, thus, it’s in their best interest to promote your content, a little quid-pro-quo between business partners.
As an added perk, Su.Pr might just have the most useful website layout I’ve ever seen. It’s all in one structure making URL shortening, scheduled tweets, and Stumbleupon likes available, all-in-one place, it can even be turned into a WordPress app, so that you’d never even need to leave your blog.
So, with these straightforward tools, it’s not so hard to develop both a Stumbleupon following, and a personal clout within the Stumbleupon engine, that can, in time, drive large amounts of traffic towards your website.
This post will be short and simple. Why? Because Twitter is simple.
If you want to accumulate an empire of Twitter followers capable of generating hundreds of views for a blog or other website, you don’t have to do anything particularly mind-boggling. Ignore complex and time consuming schemes involving following thousands of Twitter friends at random. More importantly, ignore all of the many costly online ploys offering “exponential Twitter follower growth for only a small fee.” When it comes down to it, you can bypass all that needless effort, develop a healthy looking Twitter account, and have thousands of Twitter followers at your disposal, just by sticking to tradition.
Yes, Twitter is one of the few facets of the modern world that rewards wholesomeness, you know, genuine human interaction, with no subtle motives or quiet agenda. Basically, to succeed on Twitter, all you have to do is Tweet. Maybe add a few random Twitter friends in the begginning to get the ball rolling, but mainly, just Tweet.
Don’t just Tweet about anything though. Think for a moment- what are you trying to promote? What is making all this Twitter time worth while? Is it a blog? Website? Small business? Whatever it may be, it surely has a focal point- some kind of service or information it provides that is unique. In the case of this Blog, for example, I focus on providing top-notch information for up and coming freelancers based on my own personal experience. Now, think about what that would equate to in Twitter Tweets. Obviously, I’d be better of Tweeting my most useful blog posts, and re-Tweeting other useful freelance writing tidbits scattered around the net, than I would tweeting about, say, Barrack Obama.
Tweeting about the right topic has a two-fold benefit. First, it will gradually gain your a reputation amongst your Twitter followers as a useful source of information. If your Twitter followers are trying to do the same thing that you are, they may begin to use your Twitter account as place to find their tweets. Thus, not only will you get more views from your existing Twitter followers, but you’ll find more and more people of your ilk requesting to befriend you. This will quickly build up your Twitter Empire.
The second benefit is even more pertinent. Surely, your not just building up a Twitter account for it’s own sake. Your hoping that the content your promoting on Twitter will draw your like-minded Twitter followers to your website. And thus, the magic of Twitter earnesty! Did you notice the keyword in the previous sentence? “Like-minded” Twitter followers. These Twitter followers are the ones who might actually use your website, buy your services! Your only going to get this group of real Twitter followers by using your brain, and picking and choosing which Tweets you Tweet based on their applicability to your service.
So basically, you provide useful information to people, based on your area of expertise, for free. And it pays off! Much, much faster, more easily, and less boringly that adding thousands of friends at random even would.
Often thought of as the holy grail of online writing, Demand Studios is the highest paying, and most well respected provider of web content available to online writers. Offering an average of $15 dollars an article, Demand Studios offers something almost unheard of in the world of online publishing: a living wage. But, like any real job opportunity, the money doesn’t come easy. The average freelance writer for Demand Studios has 9 years of experience in the publishing world and a college degree in Journalism.
This is, seemingly, no job for the college upstart. But, let’s stop one moment to consider: yes, most writers may have 9 years experience, most may have a college degree, but is that what’s getting them hired? Or is it possible that, due to the death of print and the recent recession, veterans of the Journalism industry are turning to Demand Studios and competing with a younger, more tech-savvy generation? If this is the case, which it very well may be, non-degree decorated, non-print-published writers, who have a good deal of proven experience in the online writing world, may have a fair shot at getting accepted.
This is what I’m going on right now, as I churn out my all-or-nothing application for Demand Studios. The stress level is high: officially, Demand Studios offers applicants only one shot at landing the job. No repeat applications are allowed. Off the record, of course, there are ways around this, reapplying with a different email address being the most notorious. But, either way, this application is not petty: with or without one or two extra shots at readmission, a rejection of this application tells me that, at least right now, I lack the experience to be particularly competitive in the online marketplace.
It’s this logic that both justifies my application, and makes it stressful as hell. I have nothing to lose- if I get turned down, it wouldn’t make sense to reapply for years (I’d have to take the statements like “9 years experience” and “journalism degree” at face value). Which is of course, exactly the problem: getting turned down suggests that breaking into the freelance writing industry is much harder than I’d imagined.
I’ll keep you up to date. For now, here are some links for those interested in Demand Studios.
More Advice on Getting Accepted:
http://www.nojobformom.com/2010/03/24/how-to-get-accepted-as-a-demand-studios-writer/
Self Improvement Tutorial for Demand Studios Writers:
http://writingjobresource.com/tutorials/demand-studios/
Making a Full Time Income from Demand Studios:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5927058_make-full_time-income-demand-studios.html
Demand Studios Website:
Finding Time to Write: Tips for Freelance Writers
If your reading this blog, then your probably like me – you want to make a living writing, and you work hard at it, but right now, your writing career more of a dream than a reality. And, like me, your reality is probably chock full of things that can distract you from you freelance dreams. As a college student, with 15 credit hours each week and a heaping pile of papers, essays, and exams to attend to, a 30-minute breather is a godsend. So how do I find time for freelance writing?
The key, of course, is scheduling, but a mere to-do list isn’t enough. If your trying to moonlight as a freelance writer, you have to have your day’s planned out to the minute: this is a job, and like every job, your pay is based on the hours you put in. So, you need to have time in each day, an hour at least, that you know will always be set aside for freelance writing.
Thus, the key is to know exactly what you need to get accomplished each day, and to fit those things into neat little boxes of time, so that open time can be left over at the end of the day. And this sort of regimented schedule has to be the norm.
In college, my school week starts on Tuesday. So I’ve made it a solid, weekly commitment to sit down on Monday, and lay out everything- my school syllabus, my work schedule, my exercise goals, even the books I’d like to read and the time I’d like to set aside for friends- and I compile one big list of all of these things. Then, I write estimates of how many hours each of these endeavors will require, and I carefully distribute them throughout my weekly calendar. If done right, I haven’t bitten off more time than I can chew, and I’ll have at least one hour per-day to ex-off, lock away, and save specifically for writing.
All these may seem commonsensical and small, but ultimately, every goal is a question of time, and if you don’t create a special place for that time everyday, it’s liable to disappear.
Writing Romance Novels: An Easy Route To Authordom?
Over half of all new books sold in a given year are romance novels. As one might guess, with such a large quantity of books on the market, quality takes a back seat. In fact, most romance novels are churned out in a simple, formulaic fashion, by authors who can grind several of these books out in one year. This may not sound glamourous, but, being that the average author can make ten to fifteen thousand dollars off of a single romance novel, this hungry market may just be the best way for a wanna-be writer to get a book published.
At least, thats what most are thinking when they set out to write their first romance novel. As any member of the Romance Writer’s of America would attest, romance writing is hard work, involving long hours, endless re-writes, and an ever-present uncertainty about their book’s publish-ability. In fact, of those romance writing wanna-be’s determined enough to be dues paying members of the Romance Writers of America, only a small fraction of them (less than 20%) ever publish romance novels.
But, if your like me, and your determined, one way or another, to make a living with words, a carefully crafted romance novel may be your ticket into the world of published novelists.
Here are some links- funny, fascinating, and sometimes foreboding- about the world of romance writing.
A fresh look at the life of a Romance Novelist.
Journalism Majors: The prospects may not be great, but the Degree is still a Must
If your interested in majoring in journalism or involving yourself in the journalism marketplace, check out these two links:
The Journalism Market may be on the mend: innovationandgrowth.wordpress.com
But it’s still in very, very bad shape: www.grady.uga.edu
Note: the second link connects to a very long and detailed statistical analysis of the journalism job market. It may be harrowing, but it’s worth a skim: Journalist’s average salaries and job prospects are covered, and data is provided that suggests that getting an MA in Journalism may be the way to go.
To me, these links suggest that the job market for journalists isn’t as dismal as its cracked up to be: 2009 was a recession year, and employment prospects were low across the board. A 60% chance of landing a full-time job in your first year after college doesn’t sound dismal to me, especially when the year in question is one in which millions off AMericans LOST jobs. The most important message I got out of these links is that the journalism market is changing, and many recent grads felt under-equipped to handle the technological demands of a more web based market. Therefore, gaining experience in webdesign and social networking may be as important as understanding AP formatting.
