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Finding The Best Freelance Online Writing Jobs: Great Techniques For Beginners


For a guy like me, finding writing jobs isn't just something I want to do, it's a necessity. Being somewhat disabled, the money I make from writing jobs I find online means the difference sometimes between feeding my family and going hungry, so I'm pretty diligent about keeping my eye out for work!

But for someone new to writing as a way to earn money, it will be extremely frustrating to dig through thousands of search results and apply for hundreds of writing gigs, only to find out that the offer was a fake, or isn't as good as it was cracked up to be. There are far too many sites that sound great, but when you actually submit your work, tend not to pay what they originally claimed—or even pay at all!

So, how do you, as a new writer, find legitimate work? Well, let's look at it from your point of view, but with my experience, shall we?

  • When In Doubt—Google It!
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    The first thing you want to do is to search for “online writing jobs.” This will, as noted above, generate thousands of potential results; my own sample search in Google gave me about 300 pages of results, all of which seemed to have some connection to the online writing business.

  • Look Behind The Curtain!
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    That first page of results looks great, doesn't it? Now, let's apply that other factor: experience. Having gotten my 300 pages of results, the first thing I do is look at the first few and then open another tab on my browser so that I can look for reviews of each site I find listed there.

  • The Blog Site
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    My results today took me to a new Blogging Site which claims that anyone can write for them and get paid every Monday via Paypal. Sounds great doesn't it? I even see that it's considered absolutely possible to earn as much as a few hundred dollars per day! Awesome!

    Now let's look at reviews: I typed in “(SITE) reviews” and instantly found some things about the site that make it considerably less appealing, like the fact that you have to apply, and you are only ever allowed to apply once. Also, you can only have an article rejected five times overall, and if you reach five rejections, your account is terminated and any unpaid earnings are forfeited. Other reviews confirmed this information. Not so attractive now, is it?

  • Maybe It's Worth A Try, Anyway
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    Does that mean you should avoid the site completely? Not necessarily; just be aware that there are things about it that may make your tenure there a short one, and you may make some money while you're looking for better opportunities.

    That's only one example, but the principle holds true for any search for work. Look at every opportunity, but also look for the experiences others have had with it. A few minutes of simple research can save you hours or days of agonizing frustration later!

Follow this same process through the rest of the results you want to check out, and you're well on your way to finding some extra writing income!

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Tip of the day

There are so many clients in need of writers it is ridiculous for any writer to say they cannot get work. You need to study the market carefully and know what to say when approaching potential clients.