Getting Creative with Content: Alternative Freelance Writing Gigs

Getting Creative with Content

Expert Guest Post by Award-Winning Author, Mark Plets

Last year proved just how viable remote work can be. From companies that required their employees to temporarily work from home to innovative individuals who turned disheartening layoffs into opportunities for crafting independent income, 2020 transformed the way we look at jobs.

This shift in the job market has created a plethora of new online work, much of which includes—or is entirely focused on—quality writing. Freelance writing offers both a means to generate multiple income streams and to free yourself partially or entirely from the ever-increasing constraints of the new in-person work world.

Blog posts are often a freelance writer’s bread and butter, but writing blogs is also very common and a highly competitive market, frequently reducing the pay rate to one-quarter minimum wage (U.S.) when all is said and done… discouraging, to say the least.

If high-paying blogging doesn’t come your way, think creatively about other types of content that you could provide.

Alternative Freelance Writing Gigs

When I realized one day that I was making about five bucks an hour for the amount of time I invested into finding, negotiating, writing, editing, and revising some clients’ blog posts, I started second-guessing this sort of work.

That’s when I made a list of topics I was both interested in and had at least some knowledge about or wouldn’t mind spending the extra time researching.

Creative with Content

Here are some of the new target content writing areas that arose from that search:

Product Descriptions

Many online stores have dry ad copy as well as mechanical-sounding product descriptions. While it is sometimes important to have plain language to be user-friendly, products need more than just weight and dimensions in their descriptions to really sell. Spicing up these sections can turn a save-for-later into a buy-it-now!

Beyond obvious products like clothing, coffee beans, and cosmetics, think about other businesses that constantly require new descriptions. Real estate agents need copy written for houses and property all the time and, if you have basic photography skills, can make a little extra if you take pictures of the places as well.

Freelance writing offers a means to generate multiple income streams, especially with these alternative freelance writing gigs from Author Mark Plets. #freelancewritinggigs #creativewithcontent #contentwritingPromotional Materials

Brochures, flyers, business cards, menus—you name it—both large and small businesses need creative copy written for promotional materials.

This is where I find it useful to list your topics of interest and knowledge because it will set you apart when approaching a given business and likely make your work experience smoother.

I find yoga teachers, independent coffee shops, and other small businesses and classes welcome promotional copy on their social media and websites since these individuals tend to already be busy running their businesses.

You will find that a lot of entrepreneurs and independent businesses are only too happy to hand over writing tasks to you.

Class schedules, different coffee bean roasts, alternative health providers, all need their blank pages filled with attractive copy.

Bios

I’ve never met anyone who likes writing about themselves (including myself!). By the time we writers have finished an article, a book, a blog, we usually are eager to publish it, not dissect our life story for the twelfth time.

When we are required to fill in those “about me”, “my story”, etc. blanks, then begins the back-and-forth conflict of the writing sounding too self-congratulatory or not flattering enough, or too bland because it falls in the middle safe ground. Sheesh! And we are writers!

Imagine how it feels for small businesses and entrepreneurs that have sweat blood to get their business going and now they have to write 500 words here, 1,500 words there, like they’re back in a college English class.

You, freelance writer, are their best friend in these situations.

Writing bios is a great freelancing niche since this work varies from social media “about” sections to mini-biographies for entrepreneurs.

Who knows? You may just end up writing the bio for another writer or author who doesn’t want to write it themselves.

The interesting dichotomy of bios is, while the work is usually a one-off, there is so much need for it that it can almost always be readily found.

A major advantage of this freelance writing niche is the never-ending need for this sort of work. I’ve had bio writing work come to me without seeking it.

I get to talking to people in line at the coffee shop or in the gym without self-promotion and somehow or other they start talking about a project they are working on or a friend who needs a bio written and before I know it, I have some extra work. Keep your ears open out there for people who need help telling their story.

Pique Your Perspective

Words are needed everywhere. When the glow of freelance writing first started to wane because of long hours and low pay, it was finding less-obvious content writing avenues that renewed my interest and boosted my income. Suddenly I saw content writing in everything and casual talk with people generated jobs without the back-breaking constant pitching on freelance websites.

Acknowledge your knowledge, get close to topics that interest you, and see the possibilities of freelance writing in the world around you.

Niching your writing skills is key. This topic and much more are discussed in my new book Content to Cash, a start-to-finish guide on making it happen and keeping it going in the arena of freelance writing.

Mark Plets Author Content to Cash

About the Author

Mark Plets is an award-winning author who writes fiction, non-fiction, web content, and blogs.

With a love of writing combined with a passion for languages, Mark’s life is driven by the power and beauty of words.

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Dreaming of Dropping Out the Rat Race?

Dropping out the rat race

Are you just itching to fire your boss?

Looking for an escape from a dead-end job?

Dreaming of Dropping Out the Rat Race?

Then you’re going to love the practical ideas outlined in the contributed post below.  There are ways to take back your independence.  This post ties in beautifully to my recent post:  How to Start a Side Hustle that Rocks 2018.

Living Independently: Alternatives To The Common Career

Thinking of dropping out the rat race? Ready to fire your boss? Here are some great alternatives. Read more at laurenkinghorn.com Featured Image Source

The permanent, full-time career under an employer is not the only option you have. In fact, as permanent job positions fluctuate, going up and down, many are questioning the reliability of such a career path.

Here, we’re going to look at your alternatives. What are the ways of making your own way when you don’t want to be entirely reliant on an employer?

Sharing those resources

One thing you can always rely on to help you make money is the assets you already have. The most valuable assets a person is likely to own is their car and their home.

If you have a car, you can join the sharing economy through apps like Uber and Lyft.

If you’re fortunate enough to have bought your own home, you can make money renting it out by the hour, whether it’s letting others use your driveway or by providing storage or even office space.

Sharing your knowledge

Do you have industry experience and insights that others could potentially benefit from?

Nowadays, education is no longer confined to the classroom. People are going online to learn all they can and if you have the knowledge, you could be valuable to them.

There are platforms that allow you to create online courses and resources that students can then go on to pay for.

Of course, you need a comprehensive knowledge of whatever you endeavor to teach, but you can also go on to share your knowledge through blogs, eBooks, and more with plenty of opportunities for monetization.

Trading full-time

Investment is one of the key pillars of any strong personal financial plan.

But you can make a full-time career out of trading, as well. Learning about markets like Forex and CFDs and getting more detailed information on how to join the market and start using trading platforms can take time. It also takes money, which will mean you need an interim job to help you raise your initial capital.

However, if you’re able to learn your way around it and you keep reinvesting your winnings, investing can become a highly lucrative activity to take on long-term

Adjusting to the gig economy

One of the reasons that many worry about the number of permanent employment options out there is thanks to the gig economy. Business owners are proving more willing to rely on short-term contracts with freelancers as opposed to permanent employees.

The key to working within this gig economy is to ensure that you’re not tied down to one “employer”.

Building a side-income through freelancing is all well and good, but you need to diversify the source of your earnings.

Take on more than one freelance position at a time, for instance, ensuring you have enough hours in the day for both of them. If one falls through, you still have the other to rely on while you find a replacement gig. If there’s one thing worth knowing, it’s that there is always another gig.

There’s no denying that making your own way and making your own career can be risky.

However, in the current market, it’s not unreasonable to see the risk of looking for a permanent position that might not be there in the future. The world of employment is changing, so it might be worth considering changing your strategy, too.

Over to You

Are you ready to take that leap of faith?  Escape the rat race and fire your boss so that you can become your own boss?

Or are you already working independently?  Are you already an entrepreneur or freelancer?  

Or do you already have a side hustle that’s generating some income?

We’d love to hear your story. Please go ahead and join the conversation below. 

How to Start a Side Hustle that Rocks 2021

How to Start a Side Hustle

Are you thinking of starting a side hustle?

When I think Side Hustle, I think of something that you can start small, in your spare time that could turn into a real business over the years.

It’s not uncommon for working Moms or stay-at-home Moms to start something on the side that they are truly passionate about and find that it develops into something awesome. Something way bigger than originally planned.  A full-on business.  An empire.  Some m

A side hustle can be just that, something you do in your spare time for some spare cash.

Or it can be the birth of your entrepreneurial journey.  

It can allow to you work from home, full-time.  Or set you free to become a digital nomad.

Either way, it all starts with YOU and your passions, your interests, your strengths.

Why start a Side Hustle?

  • If you’re stuck in a dead-end job, bored out of your mind, you’ll be looking for something that makes your heart sing, something that suits your personality.
  • Or you may be in the right job right now but you feel you’re running yourself ragged for a boss and you’re looking for something for a bit of flexibility and time freedom.
  • Or maybe you’ve just got from maternity leave and realised you’d rather be home with your baby.  You’re looking for something you can do from home.
  • Or you’re just plain done with the daily grind and the daily commute.
  • Or you might be where I was a year ago, you’ve started working on your main hustle but it’s taking longer than you expected to bring in money so you try out a few side jobs for extra cash.

Whatever your reason for starting a side hustle, you’re going to want to choose something you’ll enjoy.  

So here’s where I suggest you start.  First, find out your Wealth Profile.

Huh?  What’s a Wealth Profile?

Glad you asked.
How to Start a Side Hustle Infographic

Do You Know Your Wealth Profile?

Roger Hamilton identified 8 Different Wealth Profiles and created the nifty Wealth Dynamics Profiling Test so that you can discover your own personal Wealth Profile.

The test works very similarly to any other Psychometric Profiling Test, except this one is to help you uncover which path to wealth would be best for you.

To put it simply, you’ll learn what type of entrepreneur you are.  Once you are armed with this knowledge, you’re going to be able to make money faster because you’ll be working within your own strengths, passions and interests.

Do what you love and the money will follow.

Marsha Sinetar 

Very briefly, here are the 8 Wealth Profiles.

  1. Creators are best at creating. They love new ideas and starting new projects.
  2. Stars love to shine brightly or promote something or someone.
  3. Supporters are great team leaders.
  4. Dealmakers are matchmakers, often matching investors and opportunities.
  5. Traders know how to strike when the iron is hot.  Timing is everything to them.
  6. Accumulators build their wealth by building their asset base.
  7. Lords rule quietly, behind the scenes. Their focus is on money, not people.
  8. Mechanics create systems or franchises that work. Perfectly.

You can read more here or click here to Take the Test.

Okey dokey. Now that you know Your Own Personal Wealth Profile, you can take your pick of Side Hustles from the lists below:


Side Hustles for Creators

As a Creator, you are really spoilt for choice. There are so many side hustles online for those who love Creating and Inventing.

You could create Handmade Greeting Cards for:

  • Paper Magic Group – http://www.cssindustries.com/web/guest/paper-magic
  • Recycled Paper Greetings – http://www.prgreetings.com/Recycled Paper Greetings

Or Write Card Greetings for:

Blue Mountain  pay up to $300 per poem – Go to https://www.sps.com/greeting-card-guidelines-submissions

Calypso accepts written submissions as well as artwork – https://www.calypsocards.com/Submissions_ep_49.html

Photographer? Sell your Photos

  • Dreamstime – Make 50 – 80% profit each time your photo is sold – https://www.dreamstime.com/sell-stock-photos-images
  • Fotolia – 50% for each photo sold – https://us.fotolia.com/
  • Shutterstock – Refer uploaders, Refer buyers, Provide pictures for 25 cents per purchase (no exclusivity clause) – https://contributor.stock.adobe.com/
  • http://www.photostockplus.com/ – Pay you 85%
  • https://prime.500px.com/ – Pay you 70%
  • https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ – 30 cents to $3 per image
  • https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ – 50% plus 15% of profits for referrals plus 10% for referring other photographers

Writers could Freelance for Content Mills:

  • Constant Content –  https://www.constant-content.com/about/writer-guidelines.htm  – $7 to $20 per article
  • Text Brokers – https://www.textbroker.com/how-does-textbroker-work
  • Post Loop – http://www.postloop.com/

Comedy Sites

  • Cracked pays Writer or Artists –  http://www.cracked.com/write-for-cracked/ – pay $100 per article or artwork

Sites that Pay you to Write

  • Listverse – write a list – get paid – http://listverse.com/write-get-paid/ – Pay $100
  • Love to Know – https://www.lovetoknow.com/Careers/careers.html
  • Knowledge Nuts – http://knowledgenuts.com/submit-a-nut/ – $10 for every knowledge nut

Bloggers and Content Writer’s can:

Or find freelance jobs on:

  • Job Boards: https://problogger.com/jobs/
  • http://snipsly.com/ – write short articles (only 150 words) – 80% of Adsense Revenue

Are you an Influencer on Pinterest? Ready to make some money with Viraliti? Sign up now. Read more at laurenkinghorn.com #howtostartasidehustleSide Hustles for Stars

If you’re a budding Music Star, you might want to rate music at:

  • Slice the Pie – https://www.slicethepie.com/ – 2 to 20 cents per review
  • Hit Predictor – http://www.hitpredictor.com/
  • Music XRay – http://www.musicxray.com/ work your way up from 5 cents to $1 per review (the more you work, the more you earn)

Into Advertising and Promotions? 

Come up with Slogans – http://www.namingforce.com/

Create and Sell Videos:

Both Creators and Stars may love this one.  Make High-Quality Videos you expect to go Viral and sell them to:

  • http://www.break.com/
  • https://www.youtube.com/ – Make money on Advertising
  • http://official.dailymotion.com/en/ – Make a higher cut on Advertising but to a smaller audience
  • http://www.metacafe.com/ – Earn 5 times what you can on You Tube

Or Rent Out Your Videos:

  • https://www.brightcove.com/en –  Post videos or self-shot movies for rental for minimum $1 and earn 70% of the Revenue
  • Either Rent or Sell Videos on Amazon Instant via https://www.createspace.com/

For Social Media Influencers:

  • Viraliti – Are you a Pinterest Influencer?  Viraliti is a  way to monetize your Pinterest account.
  • http://paidpertweet.com/ – up to $5 per Tweet
  • https://www.loop88.com/pinners/ – Pin what they tell you to and get paid (previously Pin Booster)
  • https://sharemagnet.com/account/signup/ – Like It, Share It, Earn Cash, Share on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other favourite social media platforms.
  • https://sponsoredtweets.com/  – We connect influential content Creators with the world’s biggest brands.
  • http://twitpub.com/ – convince followers to sign up to a Premium Feed and earn 80% – sign up to sell tweets or buy tweets
  • http://gen.video/ – influencer marketing on Video

Side Hustles for Supporters

Sites that pay you to Tutor:Are you ready to start a side hustle that rocks 2020? It helps to know what type of entrepreneur you are first. Here are loads of side hustle ideas based on the 8 different entrepreneur profiles. #howtostartasidehustle #entrepreneurprofile #wealthdynamics

  • For Peer to Peer Tutoring: https://buddyschool.com/
  • Happy Tutors:  http://www.happytutors.com/  (there is a cost to be listed)
  • Tutor Hub (UK only) : https://tutorhub.com/ (paid per minute)
  • Verbal Planet:  https://www.verbalplanet.com/tutorhome.asp

Psychic?

  • https://www.keen.com/give/advice.asp – Paid for Psychic Advice (not accepting new listings at the moment)

Or Have Knowledge you’d Like to Offer Others?

  • https://www.maven.co/  – Become a Maven Micro Consultant “Everyone knows something”

Sites that Pay You Write Reviews:

  • Review anything on Review Stream – https://www.reviewstream.com/writereview.php – Write Reviews – get paid $2 per review plus 10 cents for votes
  • Review Software – http://www.softwarejudge.com/ – limited to 3 reviews a day.  $1 per review, popular reviews up to $50

Side Hustles for Deal Makers

Deal Makers might enjoy this one:  Get paid for your opinion

Become a Mock Juror:   

  • https://www.onlineverdict.com/  (only for US citizens over 18)  (20 to 50 minutes reviewing each case, pay $20 to $60 per case)
  • http://www.ejury.com/jurors_signup.html   – $ 5 to $10 per review

Sell Your Used Laptops or Phones:

  • https://www.bestbuy.com/site/misc/best-buy-trade-in/pcmcat133600050011.c?id=pcmcat133600050011
  • https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=9187220011
  • http://www.nextworth.com/
  • http://www.cashyourlaptop.com/
  • http://www.quicklaptopcash.com/
  • http://www.sellalaptop.com/

Side Hustles for Traders

Online Trading – You might want to start out by checking out these sites:

  • https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/the-best-online-brokers-for-beginners/
  • https://www.thebalance.com/top-online-stock-trading-sites-3140818
  • https://www.reviews.com/online-stock-trading/
  • https://www.stocktrader.com/online-stock-brokers/

What if you just want to play games for a living?  These might suit Traders who just want to have fun and don’t mind taking risks:

Games of Chance:

  • Cash Dazzle – http://www.cashdazzle.com/ – Play Spin and win
  • Lala Loot – http://www.lalaloot.com/
  • Play and Win (UK) – https://www.playandwin.co.uk/
  • Exodus 3000 – http://www.exodus3000.com/
  • Pogo – http://www.pogo.com/
  • World Winner by GSN – https://www.worldwinner.com/ – may also suit Accumulators

Know a lot about Finance And Investment?

  • Share your Knowledge at Seeking Alpha – this could work for Traders or Accumulators
  • https://seekingalpha.com/page/become-a-seeking-alpha-contributor – Earn up to $500 per article

Side Hustles for Accumulators

If you’re an accumulator, and you’ve accumulated a lot of books, here are a couple of places to sell them:

  • https://www.sellbackyourbook.com/
  • http://www.ckybooks.com/

Accumulators may also enjoy this side hustle. 

Get paid to be a Mystery shopper:

  • A Closer Look – Become a Mystery Shopper (North America Only)  – https://insight.a-closer-look.com/ShopperApplication-Start.aspx
  • A Customer’s Point of View – Become a Mystery Shopper – http://www.acpview.com/mystery-shopper-application/
  • Shoppers View – Become a Mystery Shopper – https://shoppersview.com/shoppers/ – includes work from home with telephone mystery shopping
  • Anonymous Insights – http://www.a-insights.com/shoppers.html
  • Mystery Shoppers Inc – http://www.mystery-shoppers.com/shoppers/
  • Secret Shopper – https://www.secretshopper.com/info/shoppers/ShopperIntro.asp – worldwide
  • Field Agent – https://app.fieldagent.net/  – make money with your phone
  • Swagbucks – https://www.swagbucks.com/

Side Hustles for Lords

If you’re an Expert in anything, you can get paid for your Expert Opinion:

https://www.experts123.com/

https://www.justanswer.com/ – Doctors, Lawyers, Vets etc. – make $5 to $25 per response

Small Biz Advice – http://www.smallbizadvice.com/

Virtual Bookkeepers

https://www.accountingdepartment.com/

This game is definitely for the Lords among us:

  • http://secondlife.com/ – Anything you can do in real life you can play online
  • Exodus 3000 – http://www.exodus3000.com/

Lords might also make great Virtual Bookkeepers

  • https://www.accountingdepartment.com/

Side Hustles for Mechanics

If you’re an expert in anything, you can get paid for your expert opinion:

  • https://www.experts123.com/

Mechanics also Make Very Good Affiliate Marketers. Start here.

Of course, once a Mechanic has mastered the basics, they will more than likely want to start their own Affiliate Program:

  • Read this post first: https://moz.com/blog/roll-your-own-affiliate-program
  • https://www.affiliationsoftware.com/
  • https://www.leaddyno.com/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program/
  • https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program/

501 Free Sites Money PantryRetired?

How about trying?

  • Bingo Zone: http://www.bingozone.com/

Enjoyed this post?   Then you’ll love the book I just bought for only $3.44 in the Amazon Kindle Store.   It’s AWESOME!!

501 Free Sites You Can Use To Earn Extra Money by Money Pantry

I found most of these Side Hustle ideas in this book and there are so many more.

Over to You

Which side hustles have you tried?

And have you ever started a side hustle and found it turned into your main hustle?

Do let me know if you try any of these. I’d love to know how they’re working out for you.