by Nick Darlington | Feb 8, 2017 | Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 17 – Today’s topic; writing for content mills
For many established writer’s, the answer to this question will be no. Generally – I’d agree with them – and advise against writing for content mills as you earn peanuts, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, and in the long term, it doesn’t advance your career.
But there are times when it’s not a bad idea and for a beginner, I’d argue that It’s a good place to start. It allows you to improve your writing and gives you social proof when pitching to clients, and depending on the content mill you write for, you may even have clients reaching out to you.
I want to emphasise that it depends on the content mill you write for. This is important because certain content mills give you more exposure and credibility than others. Lifehack is one such content mill, and I want to share my experience with you.
I applied to write for them through a job board on ProBlogger. After following the process I became a paid contributor. Over a period of three months, I wrote 35 posts for them, earning very little (as of September 2016 I stopped writing for them). However, during this time, I worked on my writing skills all whilst gaining social proof (Lifehack is solid social proof).
The best thing about Lifehack is the exposure it gives you as a freelance writer. There are a serious amount of eyeballs on there. Sure, the quality of the content has become diluted and there’s some shit on there, but if you focus on improving your writing, you will stand out amongst the masses and you might very well have people reaching out to you.
Here’s one email:
Here’s my reply that kickstarted the negotiations.
Here’s her reply saying she’s happy.
Since then I’ve earned well over $1000 with this client.
Here’s another email:
I wrote a guest post for them. That guest post was followed by this email:
I knew I’m worth more than they’re offering, so I negotiated for a higher rate:
They obliged:
Again, I’m set to earn over $1000 with them in the next months.
So, my message is this. Writing for content mills may be a wise option if you’re a beginner freelance writer. It will allow you to refine your writing and give you social proof. However not all content mills are made equal or have the same clout, so choose wisely.
Lastly, know when to pull out to advance your writing career (I pulled out a month into Bamidele’s challenge as I landed a few clients) because it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.
Anyways, I’d love to hear your experience with content mills.
Have you written for them?
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
by Nick Darlington | Feb 7, 2017 | Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 16 – Today’s topic: make more money from existing freelance writing clients
Before I went to bed last night I decided to send this email to one of my clients: 
I received this response:
Often a working relationship with your client is established around you providing a specific service e.g. blog posts. But, often your clients aren’t aware of all the services you offer. So send them a gentle reminder. It’s a great way to make more money from your existing writing clients.
Also, you don’t have to convince them of your ability to deliver as you already have a working relationship.
So, why not give it a try and let me know what the outcome is?
Quick note: while the goal may be to make more money, your goal should always be to provide them with more value. The more value you provide, the happier they’ll be.
So, aside from upselling your services, consider helping them with their content strategy, keyword research, blogging strategy, growth initiatives, idea generation, etc. This will differentiate you from the other freelance writers who are often solely focused on the money and forget about providing value.
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
by Nick Darlington | Feb 5, 2017 | Daily Rants, Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 14. Today’s topic – give more.
One of my strongest strengths is my ability to give. Sounds like I’m blowing my own horn, but the people who know me well, know this to be true. I also know myself – so I know this be true – and that’s all that really matters.
I enjoy the feeling I get from giving. It’s something that comes naturally to me without even trying. I always felt it’s a trait that others possessed, but I’ve been proven wrong, time and time again. Many people simply don’t like giving. Are they scared of helping others achieve success? Do they feel that if they give that information away, they’re jeopardising their own success? It’s always baffled me.
The world would be a much better place if people openly and freely shared information. Despite living in a globalised world, we live in an increasingly disconnected society with invisible borders. Instead of operating in tandem, we increasingly operate in isolation.
I see this with the way we do business. There are companies who don’t want to include links to competitors in articles they’re writing because they’re scared of the exposure it’ll give them. Hey, hang on! If it adds value to you article, does it matter? Surely your goal is to provide value to your readers?
If adding that link achieves that goal, add it. Your readers will thank you for it. If you’re reading this and thinking, no those companies are right, well then give this post a read. Then try and disagree.
We seem to be increasingly money-hungry, only chasing the initial sales, not seeing the bigger picture. Recently, a friend of mine was looking for samples for a project. The company agreed to provide the samples, mentioning they would send them via post. Happy days.
My friend then got an email saying that she now had to pay for the postage fee (a measly $9) before the company would send them. Hey, hang on! You’re going back on your word and revealing what a money hungry, short-sighted moron you are.
You’re missing the bigger picture, both the initial sale, possible future sales and referrals. Needless to say, my friend went with another company who was more than happy to provide free samples, realising the potential pay-off.
Then the other day I received an email from an aspiring writer – I went to look for the email, but can’t seem to find it. Anyways, in the email, she was asking how she can get started as a writer. I responded, gave a few pointers, and shared the first thousand words of an eBook I was writing on this topic.
Do you know what her response was? Thank you – you’re the first person who hasn’t tried to link to a product they’re trying to sell. That was a real eye-opener for me.
Her response made me realise that freely giving isn’t as widespread as I thought it was. It also made me realise that it’s actually a USP for me. If no one else is doing it, well then I have a competitive advantage.
Gary Vaynerchuck – another digital marketing guru -, and entrepreneur who owns VaynerMedia, helps build businesses and took his family wine business from $3M to $60M in five years, believes strongly in giving without expectation.
Giving. That’s what I believe in.
This is why I started this blog: to share what I’ve learned with others. It’s perhaps also fitting because the reason I’m here today is because of someone else doing exactly that. Bamidele freely shared his knowledge with thousands in the expectation of nothing else in return, other than perhaps, someone using what he’s sharing to make a success out of their lives.
So my message is this: start giving more in life and in business.
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
by Nick Darlington | Feb 4, 2017 | Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 13 of my goal to write every day. Today’s topic – a free app that will improve the quality of your writing.
The other day I shared this post on Facebook.
I use the Hemmingway App as part of my editing process. Here’s how it works.
- Copy your text and paste it in the editor. The editor will tell you what to improve. Take note of the readability marker in the top right.
- Sentences highlighted in red are very hard to read. They’re too complex and dense. Edit the sentences to make them easy to read.
- Sentences highlighted in yellow are also complex. Again, split or edit sentences.
- Words highlighted in purple have simpler alternatives e.g. use “but” in instead of, “however”. Aim for simplicity!
- Phrases marked green show passive voice. You want to write in active voice. For example, change, “The ball was caught by Jonny”, to “Jonny caught the ball.” Based on the length of the article the app recommends the amount of passive voice that’s okay. Aim for no passive voice. Active voice is better as it gives your writing more power and conviction.
- Phrases marked purple are adverbs. They weaken your writing. Remove them.
The Hemmingway App will improve the quality of your writing. So, why don’t you give it a try?
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
by Nick Darlington | Feb 3, 2017 | Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 12 of my goal to write every day. Today’s topic: where to start your freelance writing journey.
I recently wrote an article for Rype – a new online language learning platform – on how to become a freelance writer. I shared it with a friend of mine who wants to start his journey.
I said, ” I wrote this for a site. It should get you started.”
He replied, “Appreciate it, bro. Been reading all the stuff you been putting up online. It’s overwhelming bro! Just need to get the snowball rolling, though. Thanks for all your help man. Again I really appreciate it!”
My response is this: don’t focus on the totality of what you’re trying to achieve. This will only cause overwhelm.
Rather focus on that small bit of action you can take right now.
For me, it was applying to write for Lifehack. It was an organic journey.
Obviously, everyone is starting from somewhere different. Someone might already be proficient in writing but needs to know how to land high paying gigs. Someone might be learning English with the idea of becoming a freelance writer who writes in English. Both need to start at different points.
What I would like to say to those who are proficient at writing (And by proficient I mean you can send an email without sounding like a bloody moron), don’t let “I need to perfect my craft” from holding you back.
You don’t need to perfect your craft. Perfecting your craft will happen as you engage in the process. Start with something small, like deciding what you want to write about (and yes you can write about more than one thing).
For those that want a definitive answer, I’d suggest you start with this post: Your Foundation For Success.
And remember…
Baby steps.
Eventually, these little micromovements add up.
** And let me reiterate. If you’re learning to speak and write in English, it would be wise to focus on that.
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
by Nick Darlington | Feb 2, 2017 | Freelance Writing Tips |
Day 11 of my goal to write every day. Today’s topic: how to manage your freelance writing clients.
If you don’t manage your clients you’ll find yourself in a situation where they think it’s okay to send you articles on Friday afternoon and tell you the deadline is Monday. “Yea, sure I’ll do that. I mean I don’t have weekends.”
They’ll think it’s okay to request something, and when you don’t respond immediately they’ll say, “If I don’t hear from you by 17:00 tomorrow…” “Yea sure I’m at your beck and all 24/7. Yea, sure you’re my only client. Yea, sure I’ll do anything you say. Yea, sure you’re in control.”
The harsh reality is: they are in control! Why? Because you’re not setting boundaries. You’re not managing them. In many cases, they have their own deadlines to meet, and they don’t even realise what they’re doing. Yes, harsh reality, I know.
So how do you manage your freelance writing clients?
You take back control.
You send them an email where you propose and suggest how to improve workflow. But, and this is a VERY BIG BUT.
You make sure the improved workflow highlights how it will benefit them.
Make the email is positive. Don’t moan. Don’t complain (even though you might want to). Ultimately you’ll get a good response and if you don’t, well then maybe it’s time you fire them altogether.
Here’s an example:
And the response? It was positive, but I won’t share it here.
Disclaimer: I have a friend (thank you, you know who you are) who I ask to check these emails before I send them. She checks that there’s always a positive spin to it because it’s easy to send something in the heat of the moment, only to regret it later. So, I usually let it simmer, type the mail, send to her, she makes changes, and then I send. Works like a charm!
If you enjoy writing and are serious about improving your writing skills, becoming a freelance writer, and want to earn more, I can help! Feel free to email me at nick@nickdarlington.com.
P.S. No, I’m not selling you anything. I’m not going to ask you to buy my book or even sign up for my course (I don’t have one) or weekly newsletter, I’m simply offering you help.
But remember while I can offer you assistance and support, you have to put in the work. No action = No results.
Cheers
Nick D
