Is Assocated Content Good For Beginning Freelance Writers?
July 16, 2008 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Hi Anne,
I am just launching myself into freelance writing and someone advised to write a couple of articles for associated content and ezine articles to get me going. as i am an overseas writer, i am not eligible for payment on associated content. i have churned out about 10 articles so far and i am wondering if putting up my articles for free. is this really a good way to get started in freelance writing.
Lafani (in comments)
Hi Lafani,
Ten articles on Associated Content, etc. is plenty, particularly if they are good ones – take down any you think don’t show off your writing skills really well. If you have any way to tell that these articles are popular, like a page count, etc., you might list that next to your resume which, I assume, lists each one with a link. I’m also assuming you have a website – if you don’t, get one ASAP. (See You’re a Writer – You Need a Website! for more info.)
Since you’re overseas, you’ll have to make it super easy for people to pay you, without fussing with exchange rates, etc. PayPal is the obvious choice, and you might also want to add credit card processing through 2checkout.com where you will pay a one time fee and no monthly fees. Their discount rate is a bit high, but it’s worth considering.
The trick, of course, is not only to demonstrate how well you write, but how easy it is to hire and work with you.
Do you have a question about freelance writing? Ask Anne, The Writing Pro – that’s me ;) Ask in the comments or send an email and put Q&A in the subject line so I can sort it out from spam and I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, you’ll find some more Q&A’s here
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You don’t really have the option of taking them down. It can be a real problem- particularly if you put an article up that you later discover has typos or formatting problems. They’re there forever.
well, you do have the option to link to only the best. mostly what employers want is a sense you can write – very few of them will do more than read a ‘graph or two
AC is an exploiter.
seems that way to me, but one or two articles there as a showcase for your own work let’s you use them instead…
For US writers – AC is a great way for them to “get their feet wet,” so to speak. The pay isn’t always the greatest, but the performance bonus payments can make up for it if you have any excellent article and/or know how to promote it.
For out-of-US writers… the pay can be a bit less, but again, the Performance Bonus system is nice. Plus – not to long ago AC upped the CPM rate for certain high-profile writers (up to $2.00 CPM instead of only $1.50 across the board). It’s a place where you can make some cash and get some exposure – overall it’s not a bad place to make a few bucks, but I wouldn’t want to try and make a living out of it. If you’re a decent writer, you can make a whole lot more money than AC will ever offer you for a lot less hours.