In the wake of the worst recession to hit the global economy in most people’s lifetimes, many are turning to the Internet as a way of making a living. Vast numbers are investigating ways to work from home until things turnaround – if they ever do. Increasingly, people are looking to job sourcing companies to find employment they can do with just a computer, an Internet connection and a little business savvy.
Now is the perfect time to become a content producer. With the Internet’s increasing popularity forcing much of the world’s printed media out of use, the need for new content whether journalistic, informational or entertaining has never been greater. People from many walks of life are finding that making a living as a writer has its advantages.
We have all heard the stories about people who started a blog and found fame. Take for example the experience of Julie Powell, the woman who cooked her way through Julia Child’s ‘The Art of French Cooking’ and blogged about her experiences every day. The popularity of the blog caught the attention of Nora Ephron who adapted excerpts from Child’s book and Powell’s blog into the screenplay that became the smash hit movie, “Julie & Julia.”
Everyone would like to achieve that type of success and while it is not possible for all of us, writing content for online outlets and private clients can be a lucrative field. Once you have the computer with some type of word processing program – a simple netbook will suffice to get started – and Internet connection, you have the essentials needed to work as a content writer.
There are a variety of ways you can go as a content writer. You can find sites that allow you to write on the topics of your choice. They will either pay you a small fee upfront or in residuals as your work accumulates page views. Blogging is another avenue. You can choose a topic that you enjoy writing about and write frequently. You can add features such as advertising and affiliates to your blog to earn money from your efforts. You can also become a paid blogger. Many companies will pay writers to blog for them.
One of the most lucrative ways to earn a living as a content writer is by writing for private clients. You can go about this in two ways. First, you can develop your own website complete with samples of your work and a price list. Then you promote yourself through social media and pray for clients to find you.
The other and more reliable way is to use a job desk. Some websites bring together writers and employers by allowing employers to post job descriptions and letting writers bid on those positions. In this way, you can choose the clients whose jobs fall within your area of expertise and desired pay range. All the parameters of the job are laid out so there are no surprises. Like other sites, both parties can leave feedback for one another once the job is completed. This tells other writers and employers whether or not a specific writer or employer is good to work with. Building a reputation can net you a great deal of steady work and long lasting clients.
One of the greatest advantages of being a work-from-home content writer is the flexibility it provides. Not only can you choose what to work on, how much work to take on and areas within your field of expertise but you can select the hours of the day you work. You can even work in your pajamas, as they say. Not many traditional jobs will stand for that.



