Online writing for free and writing for pay - know the difference

Confused about writing "for free" and writing for pay on the Web?

Here's part of a message I received this week (published with permission):

I don't see how a serious writer can make money writing articles for the Web, when there are so many sites that want content for free.

Here's my response:

Writing articles online is VERY lucrative. There are many "for pay" venues and with the competition for content hotting up as many print publications move online, some venues pay as much for Web articles as they do for print.

If you want to be paid to write articles, there are limitless opportunities to do that, but before you start, spend time getting to know the online world. There are free venues, and there are for-pay options and you must know the difference.

Writing articles for pay - find venues which appeal to you

Many sites are looking for competent writers. Find them - it's not difficult.

In addition to selling your articles to sites, there are many other options for you for writing articles for pay online, too.

One is marketing your articles yourself, and selling them as Private Label Rights Content.

Another option is collecting a batch of articles, creating a Web site with them, and then selling the site.

And yet another option is offering article-writing services from your own Web site.

There are many, many ways in which you can make money writing articles on the Web. You need to spend some time assessing venues however.

You're not in competition with "free" article venues

As a writer, you're not in competition with venues which accept articles written for "free." If you investigate most of these venues, they're article directories, on which business people post articles as marketing for services and products.

You may eventually use some of these venues yourself as a marketing tool.

If you want to write articles for pay, please realize that your opportunities are endless: content has been called "king" online, and that's very true. However, you do need to spend time orienting yourself, and getting to know the online environment.

For a competent writer, the online world is a place of limitless opportunities. Spend time exploring and discovering these opportunities for yourself. If you're completely new to writing articles for the Web, my Cash For Content primer is an excellent resource.

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