There's a topic that comes up occasionally on various forums here in the AW Water Cooler that seems worthy of mention here in the Trade Press forum, if for no other reason than to clarify some frequently-asked questions ... and maybe help us to focus on what brings each of us the best results for our efforts.
Specifically, it's about writing articles for free in order to derive some sort of benefit other than being directly paid. In some threads when this topic has come up, it's tended to polarize opinions about whether or not we should ever write "for free." So at the onset, let me say that although I have written "free" articles myself on occasion (three occasions, to be exact), I would never recommend that a serious writer put in time and effort with no visible, tangible benefit ... UNLESS it's for a cause that the writer chooses to support.
Considering alternative ways to make money as a writer
The AW discussion that sparked this thread happened in the Freelance forum recently, when a website was flagged recommending that writers use their talents to make money from their own websites. Partly because that website's author used a headline that seemed to suggest we stop writing for paying publishers, it caused some debate that, to me, confused the issue. But as the moderator there pointed out, the author was simply using an effective attention-getting method ... and it worked. But for our purposes here, it may have seemed to run counter to the goals each of us as freelance writers are trying to achieve.
I make my living writing for paying publishers. Because I am in business, I look for new ways to increase my income as long as it:
1) relates to what I do, and ENJOY doing, professionally
2) doesn't detract from my time and energy needed to produce solid income
3) can be explored in my free time
4) doesn't require that I rely on a single source for its success (no "gurus")
5) produces a tangible benefit whether or not I actually make money.
If it's to be a viable business pursuit, it also must potentially provide an ROI (Return On Investment) close to or better than my ROI from proven areas ... like writing for paying publishers. But there's no way to know unless I stick my toe in the waters to see how I personally operate in them.
This year I decided to dabble in making a little extra money from Google's AdSense program. If you're not familiar with it, it's simply where you put classified ads on your website. These little ads are (supposedly) related to your page content, and pay you each time someone clicks on them.
Since I own hundreds of previously published articles, and wanted to beef up my writing samples online for marketing purposes anyway, I went ahead and added a few of these AdSense ads to my online portfolio. Each page is basically optimized for search engines (SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is becoming increasingly important these days if you want to be found online), and truth be told, I wanted to increase the ability of people to find me by name on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.
Bottom line: I did the SEO stuff for marketing purposes.
I also wrote a few of those "free" articles that come under fire in order to increase the number of sites that link to mine ... also a major factor in getting good rankings. It worked. Now when someone (a past client, for example) wants to find me, my website pops up on the first page of all three of the big search engines. (By the way, Jenna "owns" the first pages of all three as well.)
But as for the AdSense ... well, let's just say that I'm not about to give up my day job. To date I've earned enough for about two cups of coffee.
What business are you in?
Because I'd become invested in my website, I found myself trying hard to find more ways to increase the AdSense potential. And the truth is, I've found them. AND, I've decided that if I'm bored and want to entertain myself, that's one option for keeping myself busy.
Now that I've actually experienced DOING the SEO/website stuff, I have a better feel for how long it takes me to complete a specific task. And from several years' experience, I also know how long it takes me to market my writing services to new clients, and how long various assignment types will take to complete.
Here's what I discovered:
1) Although I COULD put more effort into website marketing, I don't ENJOY it enough to take it seriously. Therefore it's not worthy (to me) of a business focus. YOUR TAKE MAY BE DIFFERENT.
2) Writing those "free" articles brought a huge jump in traffic and search engine results, so from a marketing perspective, it was very much worth the few hours I invested. (Sidebar: I also felt good about what I wrote because it contributed to helping people keep their businesses alive in the face of disaster, and how to get help if you're struck by something like Katrina.)
3) By doing it the way I did, I learned that ... well ... that I still have a lot to learn about marketing. But now I know more and will do better next time.
But as to looking at ROI, last night I was able to make an INFORMED analysis of what it would take to pursue increasing my revenue from my website via AdSense. What I discovered (and again, this is specific to me because of how I do things in general) was that if I spent 100 hours on EITHER my website OR marketing for new paid work from publishers, I would make a minimum of SEVEN TIMES MORE by focusing on paid writing.
I can't emphasize this enough: that's how it works for me.
So I think the point of this whole thing is to suggest that our BEST outcomes can be found in focusing on knowing what business we're in.
I'll continue to dabble in website stuff because I enjoy it a little. But if I want to really increase my income, I'll stick to what I enjoy a lot.
For me, that's being (primarily) a writer ... for paying publishers.
Specifically, it's about writing articles for free in order to derive some sort of benefit other than being directly paid. In some threads when this topic has come up, it's tended to polarize opinions about whether or not we should ever write "for free." So at the onset, let me say that although I have written "free" articles myself on occasion (three occasions, to be exact), I would never recommend that a serious writer put in time and effort with no visible, tangible benefit ... UNLESS it's for a cause that the writer chooses to support.
Considering alternative ways to make money as a writer
The AW discussion that sparked this thread happened in the Freelance forum recently, when a website was flagged recommending that writers use their talents to make money from their own websites. Partly because that website's author used a headline that seemed to suggest we stop writing for paying publishers, it caused some debate that, to me, confused the issue. But as the moderator there pointed out, the author was simply using an effective attention-getting method ... and it worked. But for our purposes here, it may have seemed to run counter to the goals each of us as freelance writers are trying to achieve.
I make my living writing for paying publishers. Because I am in business, I look for new ways to increase my income as long as it:
1) relates to what I do, and ENJOY doing, professionally
2) doesn't detract from my time and energy needed to produce solid income
3) can be explored in my free time
4) doesn't require that I rely on a single source for its success (no "gurus")
5) produces a tangible benefit whether or not I actually make money.
If it's to be a viable business pursuit, it also must potentially provide an ROI (Return On Investment) close to or better than my ROI from proven areas ... like writing for paying publishers. But there's no way to know unless I stick my toe in the waters to see how I personally operate in them.
This year I decided to dabble in making a little extra money from Google's AdSense program. If you're not familiar with it, it's simply where you put classified ads on your website. These little ads are (supposedly) related to your page content, and pay you each time someone clicks on them.
Since I own hundreds of previously published articles, and wanted to beef up my writing samples online for marketing purposes anyway, I went ahead and added a few of these AdSense ads to my online portfolio. Each page is basically optimized for search engines (SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is becoming increasingly important these days if you want to be found online), and truth be told, I wanted to increase the ability of people to find me by name on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.
Bottom line: I did the SEO stuff for marketing purposes.
I also wrote a few of those "free" articles that come under fire in order to increase the number of sites that link to mine ... also a major factor in getting good rankings. It worked. Now when someone (a past client, for example) wants to find me, my website pops up on the first page of all three of the big search engines. (By the way, Jenna "owns" the first pages of all three as well.)
But as for the AdSense ... well, let's just say that I'm not about to give up my day job. To date I've earned enough for about two cups of coffee.
What business are you in?
Because I'd become invested in my website, I found myself trying hard to find more ways to increase the AdSense potential. And the truth is, I've found them. AND, I've decided that if I'm bored and want to entertain myself, that's one option for keeping myself busy.
Now that I've actually experienced DOING the SEO/website stuff, I have a better feel for how long it takes me to complete a specific task. And from several years' experience, I also know how long it takes me to market my writing services to new clients, and how long various assignment types will take to complete.
Here's what I discovered:
1) Although I COULD put more effort into website marketing, I don't ENJOY it enough to take it seriously. Therefore it's not worthy (to me) of a business focus. YOUR TAKE MAY BE DIFFERENT.
2) Writing those "free" articles brought a huge jump in traffic and search engine results, so from a marketing perspective, it was very much worth the few hours I invested. (Sidebar: I also felt good about what I wrote because it contributed to helping people keep their businesses alive in the face of disaster, and how to get help if you're struck by something like Katrina.)
3) By doing it the way I did, I learned that ... well ... that I still have a lot to learn about marketing. But now I know more and will do better next time.
But as to looking at ROI, last night I was able to make an INFORMED analysis of what it would take to pursue increasing my revenue from my website via AdSense. What I discovered (and again, this is specific to me because of how I do things in general) was that if I spent 100 hours on EITHER my website OR marketing for new paid work from publishers, I would make a minimum of SEVEN TIMES MORE by focusing on paid writing.
I can't emphasize this enough: that's how it works for me.
So I think the point of this whole thing is to suggest that our BEST outcomes can be found in focusing on knowing what business we're in.
I'll continue to dabble in website stuff because I enjoy it a little. But if I want to really increase my income, I'll stick to what I enjoy a lot.
For me, that's being (primarily) a writer ... for paying publishers.