Ever since I first started reading about moving overseas, I’ve been reading about writing articles as a way to make money while living in another country. However, back then, they were talking about writing for travel magazines and newspapers. It was a nice idea, but there were a limited number of places you could sell your articles.
With the Internet, the market for articles has exploded. Everyone with a website needs more “content”. In order to keep their readers coming back (and buying more products), they need to have new articles.
Unfortunately, for writers, the Internet has also made finding writers easier. And the cost to pay a writer has decreased. You can find an English-speaking writer in countries where the cost of living is low, and pay them a few dollars for each article they write. That’s your competition.
However, if you’ve moved to a country where the cost of living is low, now you don’t need to make as many Dollars or Euros per hour as you used to, so you can charge a competitive rate. Plus, if you’re a native English-speaker, you have an edge over other writers.
So when you sell your services as a writer, focus on the fact that you’re a native English-speaker (if you are). You can also take advantage of your real-world life experiences. If I want to have an article written on how to improve the manufacturing process in a factory, I’d love to be able to hire a writer who was a factory supervisor, instead of a college student who just read a few articles on manufacturing.
What you’ll need to start working as a writer
Since we’re talking about working over the Internet, you’ll need a computer and Internet connection (or, at least be able to get to an Internet café).
It helps to have a good word processing program. You can save money by using the free one in the OpenOffice suite. This will make it easier to edit your articles and perform a check of the spelling (so it looks more professional).
In order to be paid, you’ll probably want to get a PayPal account. That’s how many people prefer to pay their writers.
Where to find writing projects
The writers I know who are doing the best are people who have direct relationships with the people who buy their articles. However, you have to start somewhere, in order to get those first clients. The easiest way I’ve seen to do this is through several websites that connect workers with the people who want to hire them for projects.
A few websites you can register at are:
After you sign up for the accounts, start to look for projects you can complete and place a bid for them. The current rate that people generally look to pay a writer is around 1 to 2 cents per word. So a 400-word article will earn you 4 to 8 dollars. As you build a reputation, and if you have special skills, you can start to charge a higher rate.
Read the project requests and write a proposal specifically for it. Don’t just have a generic message that you send out to everyone who has a writing project. Those are usually ignored. In fact, many people who write a request for work will stick in a trick sentence in the middle of the request. It will say something like, “Please include the word ‘towel’ in your proposal, so I can tell that you read the whole proposal.” Then they know that you are a serious candidate who has actually read their request and can follow instructions.
Your first focus should be on being selected to do projects. This will let you build a work history and references. If you do good work on one project, you may end up being hired on a regular basis, and at higher pay.
Getting your first articles (to build your portfolio)
Most people will want to see a sample of your writing work before hiring you. If you haven’t had anything published yet, you can always write a few things on your own, to use as samples.
A more powerful method is to find people with blogs about something you’re interested in and have some knowledge about. Send the blog owner a message or comment and let them know that you’re willing to write an article (for free) that you’d like them to post on their blog. You may have to do this with several people, but many blog owners will be glad to get a good article. Do this a few times, and you have a portfolio to show to new clients.
Summary
This isn’t a way to get rich quick. You need to work for the money you make, and it will probably take a while to build up a steady flow of work, but it is a nice way to add a few dollars to your bank account while living abroad.
You can apply the same principles to other types of work. Maybe you’re good at design or artwork and can create logos for people instead. Look for things that leverage your skills, and don’t require that you spend a lot of money to do the work. Then find the people who need that work done.
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