Note: this is a follow up post to 5 Ways Moms Can Get Paid to Work At Home Writing Articles. If you haven’t yet read that, be sure to do so now. This post is meant for moms who are ready to try leveraging their writing skills to earning a $xx,xxx yearly income.
So you’ve discovered the wonderful world of freelance writing and you want to see how far you can take it. Use this post as your guide to finding more clients and maximizing your income as a SAHM freelancer writer.
Following these 5 steps will enable you to not only earn more money as a stay at home mom, but also enjoy your job more.
1. Establish high ratings on content marketplaces. The reason we suggested moms try out writing beginning on content marketplaces in our last past is because they give you a real taste of freelance writing while simultaneously building your personal brand. These marketplaces operate on an experience based rating system; allowing the most experienced and highly rated writers to earn a higher wage. On sites like Text Broker the difference can be as much as an increase of $4.30 per 100 words, or about an $18 difference on a 500 word article. It can be a grind getting up to the highest ratings, but it’s worth it in the long run.
2. Building up freelancer profiles. Very similar to the first point, but even more important. The two biggest freelancer sites are eLance and Upwork (formerly oDesk). These mega-sites match freelancers with people in need of all kinds of services, including writing services. Building up a reputation on these sites will likely take even longer than the content-only marketplaces. You need to think about the longterm – a highly rated eLance profile is a tool you can use to find a lot of work.
3. Contact your favorite websites. Now that you have a solid track record to prove your worth, you’re entitled to write about topics you’re interested in. Love yoga? Are you a really good parent? Obsessed with working out? Start getting in contact with websites relevant to your own interests and tell them you want to write for them. They may not be ready to take on a new writer, but it’s hard to pass up a great writer who’s passionate about the given topic.
4. Keep updated on blogger job boards. If you haven’t already bookmarked our page showcasing jobs for moms, do that now. For writing specific jobs the Pro Blogger job board is a must. Another awesome tip is using a tool like Search Tempest to search multiple Craiglist locations at once. Make sure you go through the “writing” category under the jobs heading and check the “telecommute” box.
5. Supply and demand. Following these steps should put you in a position to earn a full time income through writing. The next step is to raise your prices and start turning down jobs that you don’t get excited about. Often times working on a project you dread isn’t worth the money; especially when you can replace that job with another fairly easily.
–
That is exactly how any ambitious SAHM can leverage writing talent into a full time income. It’s not easy, and often times it will feel like “real work”, but it is an accessible job that pays very well for any mom with enough time to climb the ranks.