Getting started as a problogger

I was reading one of Deb’s posts, “Why You Won’t Get Famous Blogging for Someone Else” and noticed the following comment.

“I am looking to go into blogging or freelance writing to earn money and to be able to stay at home with my children. All I know is that I truly love to write and give my opinions. In between cooking and my household duties, I can spend up to 4 hrs or more a day just on FaceBook alone. Somehow there has got to be a way to make a living doing this and get paid for it. As a new blogger or freelance writer, I would love if someone could tell me how to get started.”

The major part of this comment that stood out to me was the “4 hrs” issues. I wanted to address that up front because to make a living as a blogger requires FAR more than 4 hrs a day. My typical schedule varies between 8-10 hr days and more if I’ve taken on extra jobs. Plus I get few days off. I know other bloggers who spend more time than 10 hrs a day working. If you’re working for blog clients and have your own blogs you can end up working with literally no days off as you work to get better traffic rankings and build community on your own blogs and still keep up with your paid gigs.

Still overall it’s a good question – how to get started blogging. Many people want to break into blogging and this is one of the most frequently asked questions at this blog and others like it. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up some get started posts. Back before I took a break from this blog, I actually started a series on how to get started, and following are some of the issues we talk about here…

Getting started:

• 16 things you need to make it as a problogger
• What kind of jobs can blogging skills lead to?
• How to get blogging jobs and web writing jobs – getting started
• Finding blog gigs – starting out with no clips
• What does it mean to be a community manager? – something you should know if you want to make real money in the blog venue.

Finding paid blogging gigs:

• Online resume mistakes you may be making
• How to get a blogging job – advice from b5media’s hiring editor
• How to get a blogging job – advice from Deb Ng of FWJ
• How to bomb out all the time when looking for blogging jobs
• Blog and online writing gig danger signs!

Make a living wage right from the start:

• Score high paying online writing and blogging gigs
• Which online writing and blogging jobs pay the best?
• Make living wages as a freelance writer – how to quit writing for low wages
• Avoiding the temptation of easy to score but low paying gigs
• Calculate your hourly blogging wage and figure out if a client is even worth it

Being realistic about your career choice:

• Can you avoid distractions while working?
• Maybe you’re not getting jobs because you just can’t write
• Who actually makes a living as a blogger
• Why you should not try to become a problogger

Hopefully this round up of tips will help you to kick off your blogging adventure or at least point you in the right direction. This list also might make you realize that blogging is not for you, and that’s fine; it’s better to realize this now rather than later.

If you have any specific questions about getting started as a blogger that are not answered above leave a comment and I’ll respond or try to post about it.

How to bomb out all the time when looking for writing gigs

You apply for one or two gigs a month: There’s something to be said for the law of averages. If you’re applying for five or less blog or web writing gigs a month your odds of getting hired are slimmer than the odds of a blogger who gets out there and applies for 20, 30, or more gigs a month.

You apply for lots of gigs but most are totally inappropriate for you: While the above tip about applying for a lot of gigs is good advice, it’s also important to apply for gigs you actually might get. You’re not right for every gig out there. For example if there’s a Mac tech blog gig open and your knowledge base on that topic is minimal, it’s not a good fit. With 500+ applicants applying for that gig besides you, at least 100 of them will likely know more about the topic than you do. Apply for gigs that you’ve got a shot at.

You’ve never blogged or written for the web before: This seems like a given, but so many clients note that people apply for gigs when they’ve never even written their own blog before that I figured I’d mention it. You may be a rockin’ writer but that doesn’t make you a blogger and you’ll be far less likely to get a gig than one of those other applicants who has blogged before. This is easily fixed though – anyone can start a blog.

You think blogging sounds like an easy job to break into: It’s not. There is actually a skill set required to blog well. Blogging isn’t tough once you get the swing of it, but there are lots of little pieces that make up the whole of the gig. I’ve written for print, businesses, and the web; and web writing, in my opinion, is just as much work as other markets if not more so because the face of the market is frequently changing and you have to keep up.

You’re lackadaisical: Looking for writing work is not a passive activity. You can’t simply write a personal blog and expect clients to flock to you based on your brilliant prose. Trust me, in most cases your personal blog just won’t be popular enough to get you noticed. You have to look for gigs. You have to apply for gigs. You have to network. You have to pay attention to those email applications you send out.

You work for free or for pennies all the time: If you don’t think you’re worth paying; if all your resume shows is content sites or article mills that anyone can write for; then why on earth would a client think you’re worth giving a gig to? I’ve had clients ask why they should hire me when other people are willing to work for free and I always say, “You get what you pay for” and guess what – most clients agree. If you’re not confident enough to work for pay, why are you trying to get work as a blogger anyhow? Allow yourself and your time to be worth something or other people won’t take you seriously.

You’ve heard of Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and all of that, but you can’t be bothered to jump on board: Two years ago, when applying for gigs, I never had potential clients ask me about my background in social networking. Now almost all my potential clients ask about my networking experience. If you’re not on board with some of the major social networking arenas, and at least somewhat versed in the less popular ones, you won’t get jobs as easily.

You spend most of your time whining about the lack of gigs out there: Whining will get you nowhere. No matter how much you whine it won’t change the fact that there are plenty of places out there still hiring writers and bloggers. All you’re doing is wasting time.

You’re too niche specific OR you’re not niche specific enough: Because green is my fave topic, I’ve concentrated most of my efforts on eco-issues for the last five years or so. However, I also stay on top of a few other specialty topics in case I see a job pop open in one of them. I can just as easily write about pregnancy, money or architecture. So, I keep it open but not too open. I think it’s smart to have a somewhat specific niche that you cover a lot because it makes you look like an expert in at least one area. If you claim to be able to write on dozens of topics you don’t look quite as valuable. Most of us don’t have enough time to follow trends and news on five topics, let alone dozens of topics, and following trends and news is an important part of blogging. When I’ve applied for gigs lately most of the potential clients have asked me about current trends and issues in my pet topics – if I was following too many niches, it’d be hard to stay current.

You give up too soon: Most probloggers I know (who blog for clients) have been at it a while. They’ve had ups and downs in the job market and they deal instead of giving up. If blogging isn’t working out, they’ll diversify as they continue to apply for blogging gigs. It can take years to establish yourself in the web writing world, just like it can take years to establish yourself in another writing arena.

Can you think of any other good ways to bomb out when looking for blogging and web writing gigs?

[image via stock.xchng]

Blogging & Web Writing Gigs for June 26, 2009

Very few decent gigs today – sorry. Also, no job tip today, because I already posted a lengthy one. Read: One job listing you should not apply for.

Anywhere gigs:

health/eco/lifestyle writers – MA or Phd – Too low of pay unless pieces are short (as in blog post size). Ask.

Freelancers Wanted

Freelance Food Writers Wanted

Green blogger – saw this up before, not sure whats up.

Assistant Medical Editor for Online Med Ed Company - (Midtown Manhattan)

Location specific gigs:

San Francisco Lifestyle Blogger – guess where (ha)

Site Merchandiser – Athletic & Outdoor Footwear, Shoes & Endless - (Seattle, WA)

Senior Content Manager, TechSoup.org - (SOMA / south beach)

Web Content Assistant - (san bruno)

Coutorture Editor – Sugar Inc – NY

Manager, Product Content – Music Choice – NY

Social Media Specialist – Kiwanis International – INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Web & Communications Assistant – Infectious Diseases Society of America – Arlington, VA

Online Assistant Editor and Online Editor – Maxim Digital – Franklin, TN

Freelance Writer- Fashion/Style – AOL StyleList – NY

New Media & Communications Director - (Campbell now, Peninsula soon)

Publications Specialist - print and web stuff – (Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

Writer for Health Care/Medical Equipment News Organization - (Financial District, NY)

Writer, Copy Editor Needed Immediately - (Pompano Beach)

Blogging & Web Writing Gigs for June 19, 2009

So in bad news I’ve seen almost zero decent anywhere gigs this week, however, if you’re lucky enough to live in the right areas, you may find a good job below. For you anywhere writers, you can also check out Deb’s latest job listings (not totally blog-web specific).

Job tip o’ the day: Do you have a contact me page at your personal blog? You should if you’re looking to score jobs. If people can’t contact you, they can’t hire you. You’d be surprised at how many blogs I come across that contain zip contact info; don’t be one of them.

Anywhere gigs:

Freelance Writers/Bloggers : Mosquito Control

Wedding Blogger

health/eco/lifestyle writers (Santa Monica) – says SM, but looks like an anywhere gig to me (ask)

Location specific gigs:

FoodNetwork.com Online Site Director – Food Network – NY

Staff Writer/Editor – PHI – Bronx, NY

Web Content Producer – WebMD – San Clemente, CA

Online Editor/Producer- Autos – 4 Month Contract – U.S. News & World Report – DC

Education Writer/Reporter – LRP Publications – Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Sr Content Strategist – Web Editor – General Mills – Minneapolis, MN

Social Media Paid Intern – Reser’s Fine Foods – Beaverton, OR

SOCIAL NETWORKING ON SOCIAL SITES - (HENDERSON)

Online Copywriter - danville / san ramon, CA

Entry Level: Web Writer/Marketing Copywriter - (Fort Lee near Washington Heights)

Associate Web Editor – BowTie Inc – Lexington, Kentucky

Web Content Writer/Blogger - Lynnwood, WA

Writer/Editor for CoverAwards.com - (New York)

Web content/copy writer - (Los Angeles)

Wiki Editor - mountain view, CA

SEM Specialist & Social Media Coordinator – Chicago, IL

Writer/Editor - (Seattle)

Writer/Assistant Editor - (Alexandria)

Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for June 16, 2009

Sorry about the lack of gigs posted the last few days. My son was home from school before camp kicked in, and since I work at home, that was less than ideal working conditions. This should be a busy week too, but I’m looking to get at least three job posts up for you all this week. Today’s listings kick ass btw; lots and lots of gigs to browse. I’m kind of surprised, as I haven’t seen too many great blog and online writing jobs lately.

Question o’ the day: So, are your kids home for the summer? Or have you made other arrangements so you can work?

Anywhere gigs:

Health Bloggers & Editor

Forex & MLM Bloggers Wanted

entertainment – modeling – photography – Fashion Blogger

Metal Music Blogger

Freelance Health, Diet Blogger

Rock Music Blogger

Professional Blogger for Web design/development blog

Experienced Bloggers at Everyday Christian Media Corp.

Copywriting Expert – web based

Online News Writers for Community Related News

Sports Minded Bloggers

Tech blogger

Television / Science Writer

Location specific gigs:

Freelance Web Copywriter - (SOMA / south beach)

Writers – FLEX Magazine web & print – Woodland Hills, CA

Organizer / writer – Clean Water Action- Ann Arbor, MI (East Lansing)

Sports/Education Reporter I – online and print – San Angelo, TX

Web copywriter/blogger/marketing assistant needed - (westchester/nyc)

Weekend News Writer/Editor/Producer – AOL – NY

Senior Editor and Director of Content – GreatSchools – San Francisco

Copy Editor – WebMD – NY

Research & Web Content Associate - (palo alto)

Online Producer / Web Editor – Classical TV (www.classicaltv.com) – NY

Our Growing Company Needs A Great Blogger/Press Release Manager - (Irvine)

Lead Online Marketing Manager – Social Media: AT&T - Atlanta

Interactive Media Copywriter - (Irvine)

Online Content Administrator - (Washington, DC)

Website Content Writer - (Aventura Florida)

Content Writer Needed - (San Marcos)

Part time Summer Producer needed for GREEN Radio Show - (San Diego & Orange Counties) – not really online, but cool, so I’m posting it.

SEO Copywriter - (Flatiron)

Freelance Writer for Light Green Website - (Chicago)

Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for June 8, 2009

Hardly any decent gigs today. With that in mind you might want to check out Deb’s list of freelance writing gigs – she’s got a bunch going on today.

Job tip o’ the day: Negotiate up. If you’ve been blogging with a client for six months or more see if you can’t get a raise. A lot of times what I notice about blogging gigs is you’re hired at a set wage and it’s simply never discussed again. If you’ve grown traffic, done your job, and been a trouble-free employee see if you can set up a client meeting and discuss a raise, either per piece or per month, depending on how you’re paid.

Anywhere gigs:

Copyeditor print & online

Contributors / Bloggers Wanted For Online Magazine - could be low pay because they’re selling, “Writers ready to build on their portfolio and build on their brand” but it says there’s comp, so who knows.

Part-time Cars Writer - Love To Know

Tattoos expert – part-time writer -Love To Know

Local specific gigs:

Communications Assistant – GLSEN, Inc. – NY

Home & Gardening Content Manager and Studio Editor - (Santa Monica, CA.) – both for Demand Media.

Web Content Assistant - (san bruno)

Online editor | writer - (Anchorage)

MySpace Social Media Search Manager – San Francisco

Online Marketing Manager for Conservation Mart – only candidates within 100 miles of Lawrenceville, GA (sob, this job looks awesome, but too far away for me).

Director of Marketing – Custom Community Social Media Solutions – Shoreview, MN

Facebook / Social Media Consultant – luxury, hospitality – Los Angeles, CA

Managing Editor, WebMD Newsletters - (Midtown Atlanta, GA)

What kind of jobs can blogging skills lead to?

Blogging for a career can be iffy. The pay can be good, but sometimes it’s beyond terrible. The hours on a cushy blogging gig may be easy but in many cases you put in long hours with few days off. Also, because of the popularity of blogs there are plenty of everyday Joes (or Sallys) who get it into their head that blogging is a snap and start a blog project which means in some cases you could end up applying for a gig where you know way more about blogs then the client who hires you (frustrating).

The good news is that blogging covers a wide range of skill-sets. Both my partner in crime Deb and me believe that your blogging skills can be used for not only blogging, but other cool gigs. It’s all about moving beyond blogging when you need to. If you’ve been blogging a while and have handled multiple projects you may have picked up enough skills to also tackle one of the following types of gigs.

Other sorts of short writing pieces: This is a given. If you blog it’s a good natural transition to magazine shorts, online content sites, and online magazines that are looking for shorter but still snappy pieces.

Longer writing pieces: Personally I transitioned from print to web, but there’s nothing to say you can’t do it the other way around. Even if you haven’t written for magazines, newspapers, or other print media before, you may have a better in at this point if you have an impressive blogging resume. Nowadays online pieces are considered a little more professional than they have been in the past, especially if you can score some gigs at major online sites, with big blog clients, or with blog networks that are well-known. It’s also useful if some of the posts you’ve done are interviews with well-known experts.

Social media gigs: If you’re a good blogger you’ve likely spent a lot of time on social networking. Currently companies are starting more and more to see the pros of having not only a company blog, but a forum, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and more, and of course companies need folks who are media and social networking savvy to run the show. Lately, if you look at the major job boards there almost always someone hiring for a social networking / community manager guru.

Business copy: Business copy such as brochures, snappy ads (both print and online), company newsletters, press releases, and more are all things you can try if you’ve been blogging posts such as reviews, recommendations, and breaking news. If you can say what you think, know how to promote, and can keep it short and interesting, then there’s many types of business writing that you might be good at. Bonus, business writing gigs tend to pay far above and beyond what typical blog gigs pay.

Web design and blog creation: Not all bloggers pick up HTML, coding, and design skills, but some do, and there are people who want to hire those folks to build a blog for them, set up a blog, design a website, and so on.

What other sorts of jobs do you think blogging skills naturally lead to?

Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for May 28, 2009

There were mainly suck jobs posted around the boards yesterday hence the me not posting any gigs here yesterday. However, today I found enough to post – not as many good anywhere ones as I’d like to see, but lots of local gigs.

Bonus job tip o’ the day: Clients hiring for blog and online gigs are not just looking for writers, they’re looking for folks who can find and edit images. It’s rare that a blog client wants to do this, and it’s usually included in your job tasks. With that in mind make sure you know where to find free blog images that you won’t get sued for using and how to edit them. You can use any old image editor, but if you don’t have one, you can take a look at my favorite FREE image editor.

Anywhere gigs:

Freelance Writer/Blogger

Web Editor – DailyCandy.com

Web 2.0 Writer Needed -might be low pay depending on word count.

Freelance Writer for Website

Location specific gigs:

Online Associate Editor – Intelligent Beauty – Southern California

Nutrition writer, Contract - (Houston)

Social Media Optimization Specialist, Email Marketing Specialist, Fraud Specialist, Product Manager – 1800HOTELS – Tampa

Technology Editor – Global Media Company – Boston or Southern NH, USA

Part-time Web Reporter - (Downtown Los Angeles)

Digital journalist – Ann Arbor

Assistant Online Editor – AOL – NYC

Online Community Editor – Deseret News - (Salt Lake City)

Seeking staff writers with personal finance experience – NYC

Online Content Editor – Gazette Communications – Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Scientific Director of Social Media: Simpson Healthcare Executives – Killingworth, CT

Coordinator, Online Marketing: EMI Music North America – NYC

Associate Publisher, Internet, Supervisor – San Francisco, CA • Alameda, CA

Blogging & Online Writing Gigs for May 20, 2009

Our list today is still low on decent telecommute gigs, but there’s more than earlier this week.

Job tip o’ the day: Two words for you – BE NICE. Some people think nice is a boring word sure, but in the realm landing gigs it’s good to be nice. This is basic networking 101. When you’re nice, clients will recommend you to other clients, friends will share job leads with you, and people won’t talk smack about you online (well, not as much) and your online presence will stay healthy. Of course there is the flip side – read When Do You Stop Being Polite?

Anywhere gigs:

About.com is always looking for writers. Interesting topics available to apply for currently include things like; coffee/tea, teen advice, sugar free cooking, San Francisco, flea markets/garage sales, and more.

Environmental Website Writer (Telecommute)

Parenting Site Seeks Games/Tech Blogger

Real estate escrow company – escrow blogger

Bloggers Needed in the Online Financial Industry – ad looks oddly like some others around lately, can’t tell if it’s legit, so be careful.

Review Writers for Teen Entertainment

YourDictionary.com is seeking a freelance writer to create web articles on topics pertaining to grammar, words and ESL. YourDictionary is part of a team of sites which include LoveToKnow.

Location specific:

Director of Media Relations – Linfield College, Oregon

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK/INTERNET SAVVY INTERN – MADISON, NJ – intern, but paid.

Food/Restaurant Blogger – Village Voice Media- NY

Food Blog Editor – Village Voice Media- L.A.

Content Partnership Director for New Blog Site – NYC

Writer for Web Content, SEO, Blogs etc. - (Ft. Lauderdale, I-95 & Cypress Crk. Rd.)

Seeking Writer with Education or Parenting Experience - (Redwood City, CA)

Fashion writer – Los Angeles, CA

Temp. FT Web Content Assistant with the National Wildlife Federation – Reston, VA

Web Managing Editor – Donald W Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism- Phoenix, AZ

Publishing Consultant - Brooklyn, NY

Web Site Programmmer/Builder Veggie Van Organization – Santa Monica, CA

Writing Gig with Blerp.com – (Chicago)

Nerve.com Seeks Editorial Interns - (SoHo) – small stipend, but it’s Nerve so perks apply.

Web-Savvy Social Media Manager – NY

The 3 Worst Things I Did for My Network Blogs

When I first began blogging for a network I didn’t have so much on my plate. Sure, I had a few of my own blogs and work with other clients, but the snowball didn’t really start rolling down the mountain. As a result, I had a successful start to my network blogging career. Towards the end of my network blogging career, it was apparent I was making some mistakes – all my own fault.

Here are the 3 Worst Things I Did for My Network Blogs

1. I posted the network minimum - Because I was so busy I posted the network minimum. This didn’t really do anything to help my blog grow. The more successful network bloggers were posting to their blogs at least twice a day, some more. Remember, not all blog posts have to be 300 words. You can write a paragraph and link to someone else’ s post, embed a great video, ask a question and let your community discuss…and so much more. Go the extra mile and reap the rewards.
2. Instead of working more on my existing blogs, I applied for more blogs – Every time a topic opened up I loved, I applied for the gig. Many times I got said gig. Then I did the minimum amount of work for each. Some of my network blogs brought in very good traffic. Others…meh. It would have made more sense for me to work on my existing blogs by posting more often and working on traffic and promotion than taking on more.
3. I let my blogging become a job - Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging. It got to the point where there were so many blogs, and not much time. Soon I was suffering from burnout. Blogs weren’t fun anymore, they were a job. Something I had to to.  This is the biggest reason I gave up my network blogs when I began working full time. I wanted blogging to be fun again and I had my hands in too many pots for that to happen.

I think a mistake many network bloggers make is to keep applying for more network blogs. We all have different reasons why we do this. For me it was because I needed a full time salary – and because I loved the topics. I made the mistake of taking on too much and blogging wasn’t fun for me anymore.

What are the worst things you did for your blogs and how di you fix them?

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