As a freelance blogger, it can be tricky to explain to folks why I get paid to blog.

When you meet new people and reacquaint with long lost friends, the conversation invariably turns to careers. The most common question of “What are you doing” turns a bit strange for someone who blogs for a living.

It goes something like this:

“So, where do you work now?”

“I work from home as a blogger.”

“They pay you for that?”

“Yes, I get paid to blog.”

“Why do they pay you to blog?”

“Well, that’s a great question that has several answers.”

Great Bloggers Provide Entertainment

The best writers who get paid to blog work a little humor into the posts. They captivate readers by telling amusing or funny stories that directly relate to the topic at hand. The goal of any writer who wants to get paid to blog is to evoke emotions from readers that create an online viral buzz.

Unique Voice Projected Through Various Writing Techniques

Freelance bloggers who get paid to blog present information in unique voices. They do not mimic the latest trends in the blogosphere or produce content that follows predictable writing techniques. Great bloggers keep their readers guessing as to how they present information via unique voices.

Pithy is Not Only a Word for O’Reilly

News talk show host Bill O’Reilly overuses the word pithy, but pithy is a word that writers who get paid to blog must always remember when writing their posts. The best blogs contain between 350 – 550 words and freelance bloggers make sure every word counts. If you want to get paid to blog, you need to learn how to convey useful information concisely.

Helpful Information that Solves Reader Problems

Too many bloggers believe they need to create inflammatory content based on personal opinions. However, the writers that get paid to blog produce content that helps readers solve problems. Very few readers are going to care about your stance on political issues, but they’ll flock to your blog if you offer helpful information that pertains to their daily lives.

Producing Great Content like Clockwork

Blog readers expect writers who get paid to blog to publish content that follows consistent schedules. Whether you publish content once a month or three times per week, you must adhere to the publication schedule if you expect to earn a living as a freelance blogger. The best bloggers create content like clockwork.

Readers First

Writers who get paid to blog are not only great writers, but they accomplish perhaps the most important goal of writing great blogs. They think first of the readers who read the blogs, instead of writing in a style and voice that conflicts with reader preferences. If you want to earn a living as a blogger, you have to make the reader the focus of everything thing you do, from the topics that you select to the way you present content.

Writing blog posts for a living provides writers with reliable sources of income and a highly fulfilling career. Aspiring freelance bloggers need to learn that blogging involves several skills that take time and practice to develop. Once you master the skills, it becomes apparent why I get paid to blog.

The post Why I Get Paid to Blog appeared first on Blogger Freelance.

Do not quit your day job. At least not yet.

One of the most common questions I get asked is how I became a successful full-time freelance blogger.

The answer?

The truth is I’m NOT a full-time blogger.

In my experience there are many benefits to keeping your full-time job while setting out on a path to become a freelance blogger.

Here are a few things to think about before quitting a job and embarking on a freelance blogging career.

CALCULATE THE LOSS OF BENEFITS

Most people do not enjoy being ‘just a number’ at a corporation. Most people hate having to play political games. But that’s often the exchange for health benefits, vacation time, and other perks that are part of your employer’s overall compensation package.

When looking to quit a job and become a freelance blogger, you need to figure out how much you can charge for your services AND how much money you need to make. While money isn’t everything, it is prudent to be confident that your blogging can make up for your loss of salary — and the additional benefits you will be losing.

DON’T PUT ALL OF YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET

One of the reasons I encourage aspiring freelance bloggers to stick with their full-time jobs is to give themselves options. Putting yourself on a dual track, one where you are growing at your full-time job AND growing as a blogger, is the best of both worlds. Sure, it can be a struggle to manage your time efficiently, but with some hard work and structure, it’s possible.

Maximizing your time at a full-time job to grow your blogging empire is one of the secrets of success. There are pockets of time everywhere if you open your eyes to them. There are ways to use your commute, lunch hour, and other ‘dead’ time zones to blog.

YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE BEING A FREELANCE BLOGGER

Writing for clients is very different than writing for your own blog(s). Each client has a different set of demands, a different set of expectations. You might not enjoy blogging as much when presented with difficult personalities, paperwork (invoicing), deadlines, etc.

I recommend you test the waters and build blogging relationships for at least a year. I know that sounds like forever, especially when you are dreaming of walking away from a dead-end career. But building your dream career and working for yourself is not for the impatient. This is another reason why putting yourself on a dual track is smart.

SO YOU’RE STILL CONVINCED YOU WANT TO BLOG FULL-TIME…

Good for you! Blogging can be extremely rewarding and financially lucrative. If you are looking to get started as a freelance blogger, follow these tips:

– Write for free. As a blogging beginner, this is usually the only true way to get your name out there. Getting published on other blogs will help you build back links, gain solid experience, and give you material that
you can show off to potential clients.  It will also make you a better blogger.

– Be proactive when it comes to getting jobs. If you take anything away from this blog post on your quest to be a freelance blogger, make it this bullet point.

99% of your freelance blogging competition will be responding to ads looking for bloggers. However the best blogging jobs, are often the ones that aren’t announced anywhere. In fact, often, they are with businesses that have been thinking about blogging, but haven’t started one yet.

Don’t be afraid to pitch for the blogging gigs you want and attempt to create your own.

– Have a central place to display your blogging work. Most of the bloggers I know write for more than one blog. This makes it important to have a single website/feed/blog where you can put your best work on display. You can’t expect potential clients to click through dozens or hundreds of blog posts. Take the time to create a resource that puts your best work under one roof. You should also create a blogger resume.

It should go without saying, but it’s of paramount importance to be responsive to potential client inquiries. I have found that the sooner you respond with a personalized reply, the better the odds of getting hired.

If you are dreaming of becoming a freelance blogger there is no better time to start. Just use caution before  leaving your day job behind.

The post So You Want to Be a Full-Time Freelance Blogger? appeared first on Blogger Freelance.

Of course, I’m hoping you’ll hire me as a freelance blogger to delegate your company’s Web content strategy.  However, if you decide to run a blog on your own, here are several essential blog tips to help get you on the right track.

DON’T SELL

This is the most common mistake I come across on small business blogs.  Owners think that tailoring each blog post to be a sales pitch is the best way to convert readers into consumers.  It’s quite the opposite.

Think about it.  You’re asking someone with a gazillion content choices to read advertising. That’s akin to expecting someone to buy the New York Times to simply scan the ads.  It’s not a realistic expectation.

Instead, give people thought-provoking content and/or actionable information.  Leave them with something memorable enough and the sell will occur organically.

BE CONVERSATIONAL

As a business owner it is important to establish yourself as an authority in your given field, but it is equally important to come across as the reader’s peer.  Talking down to the reader, or making a subject feel as if it is unapproachable, is the kiss of death when it comes to blog content.  The best bloggers can get across information, no matter how complex, and still make you feel as if you’re talking to a next-door neighbor.  Blogs are meant to be fun…don’t be afraid to let your hair down!

DELIVER QUALITY

Seemingly unimportant things like spelling, grammar, syntax, and tone cannot be taken for granted. One small error can cost you money, or worse yet, hurt your brand’s reputation.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

When I’m asked for a freelance blogger quote, I always make it clear to the business that committing to a blog is a long-term strategy – and that’s not my recommendation so I can generate more business.  The reality is, the majority of blogs are left to die on the vine, and that’s bad for business.  If there’s any question if you can provide regular content on your blog, don’t start one. Nothing looks worse for your brand than a blog that is grossly outdated or abandoned.

Also, improving search engine results in a legitimate fashion requires time.  It might be several months, or could take years.  You must be patient with the algorithms set up by each major search engine.  “Training” these search portals to expect well-written content on a regular basis, is part of the recipe for success.  That’s why a handful of well-written blog posts will usually not make a dent.

If you do not have the skill set or the time to blog, you are not alone. Join the dozens of clients who have hired Blogger Freelance for all of their blogging needs.  And when I need a service outside of blogging, I will consider hiring you too!

Get started by filling out our quickie questionnaire.

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Here are five of the best blog editors that are currently available:

Qumana
One of the biggest drawbacks to the different blog editors is that many of the best products are limited to either Windows or Apple. The fact that Qumana can work on both is reason enough to let it stand out from the pack since it offers all of the necessary features you need for composing posts, formatting them, and uploading them to a variety of blogging platforms without limiting you. Qumana provides all of the essentials for a blog editor and is a free download, even if its user interface isn’t quite as sleek as the editors that come with a price tag.

MarsEdit
MarsEdit is currently one of the most popular blogging programs for a Mac because it easily integrates with a wide variety of existing programs and plugins that are commonly used by website designers. For instance, MarsEdit integrates with BBEdit, TextMate, WriteRoom, TextWrangler, or any editor that supports the ODBEditor suite. Mac users will especially like the ability to add pictures from iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, or Flickr libraries with the click of a button.

Unlike its free Windows counterparts such as Live Writer, MarsEdit does come with a $29.95 price tag. However, it provides all of the features you need in a blog editor while also making it convenient to integrate the tools that designers and Mac users rely on.

Ecto
Ecto has long been one of the standard blog editors for Mac users searching for an equivalent to Windows Live Writer. Ecto offers a lower price of $19.95 and provides a range of features that Mac users will find helpful, including intregration with your address book, iTunes, or iPhoto. You can use Ecto natively in a variety of languages and use with both HTML and WYSIWIG editors.  It is clean and easy to use, though it doesn’t offer the same range of integrations as MarsEdit.

Windows Live Writer
This free blog editor has been a long time favorite of bloggers who run Windows because it integrates all of the best features of Microsoft Word into a free, intuitive blogging program that makes it simple to customize your blog posts, add media to them, and upload them to your site. The image editor is particularly robust and easy to use, saving bloggers quite a bit of time if they need to make major modifications to an image. You can also save drafts, create pages, and track your post’s word count and spelling mistakes.

In addition, more advanced users can add a series of plugins to Live Writer in order to add additional features such as automated social media integration. The downside to this program is that Windows downloads five other programs to your computer.

BlogJet
Windows Live Writer provides what most bloggers need for an unbeatable price, but if you need more features, then you may consider paying $60 for Blog Jet. Blog Jet takes the features in Live Writer to the next level, offering language options, feed reader integration, and full Unicode support. You can use BlogJet with any blogging program, though designers looking for a more feature rich program are probably the ideal users for this program.

Some of the best blog editors are free programs that will enable you to get started right away with all of the features you need—with Qumana and Windows Live Writer standing out. If you need something a little more specialized for a Mac, then Ecto or MarsEdit will provide just about everything you need for an affordable price. Whichever program you choose from this list, a blog editor will make writing blog posts easier and more secure.

The post 5 Offline Blog Editors Reviewed appeared first on Blogger Freelance.

There are many benefits to guest blogging, and one that is often near the top of the list is generating traffic for YOUR blog/website. Hire Blogger Freelance to write for you and we can help you leverage this awesome marketing opportunity.

After reviewing why my initial guest blogging efforts were lackluster, I discovered several issues..

1) My anchor text, which was strong, was shifted to the bottom of the post on two of these blogs. Location matters, and this hurt my click-through rate.
LESSON: Arrange with publisher in advance whether or not your anchor text can me moved.

2) Both sites I wrote for have recently started accepting a glut of guest posts. This will likely turn off their readers and make it less likely that I’ll be able to win them over.
LESSON: Research the frequency in which a blog accepts guest posts. Aim for blogs where it’s the exception rather than the rule.

3) Does the blog publisher get comments on a regular basis? The more comments they receive, the more likely the community with click-through to your links. LESSON: Solicit bloggers with strong communities.

I also recommend that you establish with the blogger where your blog will appear. I have found several larger blogs creating a separate section for guest posts, meaning that you will not get the same exposure as one of their homegrown posts.

What are you waiting for? Get a freelance blogging quote today and let us do the heavy lifting for you.

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