1000 Ways to Make Money Writing - #3 - Write articles for websites

#3 in our grand list of 1000 ways to make money writing is: to write website content in the form of articles. Is this different from writing blog content? Indeed it is! Blogs have the benefit of being incredibly cheap (often free) to set up, and are equally as fast to set up. (Blogs at blogger.com are free and only take a few minutes, for instance, which is handy for all of us who are not technologically inclined.) Whereas, writing for websites takes a little more work - but it could very well earn you a paycheck.

Writing website content should be considered just like writing professional content for offline publications such as newspapers and magazines. (I've done both of those things, and also plan to offer you advice on finding such assignments in another blog posting. We've got 997 more posts to go before we hit 1000, so I'm sure I'll have adequate space to write about such things!)

How to get your articles published on websites:

1. Find the websites you'd like to be published on. Make a list of those sites that offer quality content, and that actually pay you for your articles and content.



2. Find contact information for those sites, preferably the editors who are looking for such content.



3. Send query letters to these editors. A good query letter should provide the: idea of the article, the 'hook' (why your article will be a great one that catches attention), and why you are the one to write the piece. Don't worry if you don't have much writing experience - if you're a naturally gifted writer, that will speak for itself. AND, any published piece is one you can add to your portfolio of publishing writing work.



4. Work on writing the pieces. I like sending queries out first, to find out which article ideas make sense to work on. If an editor is interested, I go ahead and write the piece. Others may argue this fact -- but I like to know that I'll have an assignment before I waste any time writing. You may work differently, and like to have at least part of an article written before sending out queries.



5. Land an assignment! Your first paid assignment will be a cause for celebration! Don't worry if it doesn't pay much, but make sure it pays enough to make it worth your time and expertise. (Yes, you do have expertise! You just need to believe it...) Even if it pays $5 or $10, it's your first published piece, and you should be very proud.



6. Complete the article on time. Editors love writers who respect a deadline. Create a good first (and lasting) impression by getting your article or written work in on deadline. If for any reason you can't have it completed by deadline, then contact the editor and explain why before you miss the deadline.



7. Celebrate your first published article! When you get the "A-OK" from the editor, you'll have that familiar writerly sigh of relief. Getting the paycheck is just as nice. :)

Now, get out there and write!

The Almost Wealthy Writer