Online writing is one of the easiest options for wordsmiths looking to make a few bucks on the internet. Before elaborating on how to become an online writer, however, it is important to note that an author online is not necessarily a freelance writer from home, there are many companies that employ online writers on day jobs. On the other hand, a lot of writers in print also write from home.
- You are an online writer only if you write solely to be published on the internet, from home or otherwise.
- Being a writer on the Internet is different because the audience is unable to follow longer sentences on the screen, is happier with short articles, and prefers short paragraphs and easy writing. The online browser is looking more for information than anything else, so short and sweet is best.
- Once you have mastered this style, you must ensure you have impeccable spelling and grammar before you venture to write online. Get someone else to proofread your work if necessary.
- Using a word counter will help you keep track of the number of sentences and paragraphs.
Write a few samples on topics you are comfortable with, after having done adequate research. Armed with these samples, start browsing through the job portals and forums for freelance writers. These are easy to find through any of the common search engines. Subscribe for a few of their newsletters. Apply for jobs posted on the forums and job portals, with your samples ready to send in case they are required by a prospective client.
Offer to write a sample on a topic of the clients’ choice and ask to be paid only once they like it. Figure out the payment arrangement, whether it is through bank payment or other methods like online payment websites like Paypal. Once your work is accepted and paid for, you are on your way!
In the beginning, concentrate on creating a portfolio rather than earning money. It is better if you have a day job while you seek to become an online writer. Creating a portfolio involves writing for cheap, but for well-established websites. Find your niche subjects, and start specializing. Ask for your work to be credited as much as possible. Once you have a bunch of articles credited to you, you can open a page on any of the writer’s directories and post links to your articles there. This page can become your reference as you go for higher-paying online projects.
This is also the right moment to start thinking of a blog or a website of your own, on which you can post articles in between your other projects. You can later monetize it using methods like Google Adsense.
You may even submit your online writing work to websites which take a fee or a percentage of your article price for hosting the article for sale, or bid for freelance projects. Some gigs that you can try for are ghostwriting projects or creating search-engine optimized articles for websites. Spend some time sending queries to websites related to your speciality: a lot of websites look for authors to blog about their products or post on their forums.
Writing on the web could be an easy business to start because it needs very little investment. A computer and an internet connection is all you really need. Beginning an online writing career could always lead to better-paying work in print, because a good online portfolio would be impressive to an editor of a magazine or paper.
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