When is it time to make the leap?
It wasn’t too long after I started writing content that I realized that many of the people I was writing for were middlemen. They were paying me small sums of money to turn around and sell the content at a mark up to other people. It wasn’t too long after that I began learning about Internet marketing and figuring out where exactly this content was going and how it was being used.
Since that time, I’ve tried to balance my client work and work on my own Internet marketing projects. I’ve seen the writing on the wall, and I know that if I never make that leap from service provider to top dog, I’ll continue on the cycle of getting paid to make someone else thousands of dollars online.
That’s why I encourage all writers, especially those who focus on writing web content, to take the time to learn about the basics of Internet marketing. My biggest mistake was not getting started on my own projects early enough. I shudder to think what I could have accomplished if I had just created one site for myself per week. I’d have a virtual real estate empire by now.
But there’s no point in looking to the past and regretting. I’ve made the mental leaps and the business leaps to make my business more about balance and less about giving till it hurts. It’s an appropriate time of the year to start planning for your own leap, whatever form that may take. My largest goal for the coming year is to inspire others to stretch their content writing business beyond keyword articles and solely working for others. If you can write online, you hold all of the cards to succeed in other parts of Internet marketing.
What’s your personal “leap” and how are you planning to make it? Or have you already?
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8 Responses to “When is it time to make the leap?”
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I’m right there with you, Courtney, as you know from our lengthy discussions about this. For writers who enjoy writing for others and don’t desire anything more, writing for IMers is an excellent way to build an income. But for people like you and I, it’s not enough.
My personal leap for 2008 is to segue into copywriting. To do this, I’ll launch a new website, specifically for this purpose. I’ve signed up for AWAI’s copywriting course, too. I also have some books on copywriting and freelancing that I’m studying. And finally, I’m going to register my trade name (in LA) and file my Assumed Business Name.
I’m taking my career into my own hands!
Great article, Courtney.
That’s right. We could all think of things we did in the past and think “what was I thinking?” The main thing is that we realize it later on down the road, rather than not at all.
I started out writing (although I’m a louzy writer and probably shouldn’t have) then moved on to arbitrage (ordering articles for $8 and selling them for $12 (middle-man.) Then I started putting up my own sites and learning everything I could about IM.
Now I don’t deal with writing, although it is a solid business model for people like yourself who can write well,
and I do pretty well for my family.
I have twelve websites that are live and quite a few others that I’m waiting to develop. In order, to do so I’ll have to hire writers. The ones I have now are doing fairly well monetarily and I know this year they will do even better.
Okay, now I’m curious and I’d like to hear the whole story… about how you were working for middle men, and then learned the ins and outs of Internet marketing. What kind of projects are we talking about? How did you figure out where you content was being used? How did you get the clients that your middle men were previously hooking you up with? Where did you learn Internet marketing, how much did it cost, what worked? Most importantly, was the time and money spent doing your own marketing worth it?
As you can see, I have lots of questions about this
Great post, Courtney. I’m sitting here, staring at my computer screen and ready to cry. I’m working up to 80 hours a week to make SEOs rich. Although I’m making a middle-class income now, I never have time to enjoy it!
I want to be that guy, too! I want to be the one who flips sites for major $$$. I have the skills to do it now, but no time because I’m still writing link bait for other people!
I’d love to make the leap, but I’m buried under other people’s work. Blah.
Amy above said it best! I can’t see writing for myself because I’m buried in mounds and mounds of work for others. I need to learn better time management (which seems impossible with a 5 months old) to get it all done. I KNOW that they are using my work to make tons more $$ for themselves…so why is it taking me so long to start/finish my own projects?
Great post! I realized the same thing recently…so I’m starting up my first internet marketing campaign. It felt great posting my first writing project on Elance instead of being on the other end…now I’m just prepping the copy and getting ready to test things out.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has been inspired to put their writing skills to good use!
Okay, and this is primarily in response to Melissa’s post, here’s the lowdown.
My dad started getting into Internet Marketing nearly 3 years ago and I began reading everything I could get my hands on. Then I started writing, and then started visiting Internet marketing forums. I realized some of my clients were paying me and either a) reselling the content as PLR or b) selling my services at a mark up.
Learning about Internet marketing has definitely helped me understand better about what my clients are looking for. There are a lot, and I mean A LOT, of people who need someone to write intelligently about pay per click, or article marketing or virtual real estate, but there aren’t a lot of writers who know that well.
I will say that I have spent a lot in the past on ebooks on various Internet marketing methods, but that’s just because I’m an ebook junkie.
In all honesty, the best resources to learn about IM are the Warrior forum (free) and the Earn 1 K a Day forum (paid membership forum for about $1 a day - there’s a link in my IM resources)
If you’re tired of writing about niche topics, understanding a little about internet marketing opens up a whole new world of topics.