Friday, April 27, 2012

Bid Sites: Breaking into Freelance Writing

Post submitted by John Holzapfel -


New freelance writers can get their start with contract sites, also known as bid sites, such as ElanceGetAFreelancer or Ifreelance. Using these sites can help one deal with issues associated with freelance writing, such as, the need to make money, the ability to create an online presence and reputation.
  Like everything else in life, it takes money to make money. After a small start-up fee, one can begin choosing and bidding for projects that appeal to their interests. Many established freelance writers scoff at the notion of using a bid site. For new writers, however, they provide an important foundation for continued growth and success, not to mention a certain level of stability.
  Many of these sites work in a fashion that recommends writers to take on a premium membership for an additional charge.  Features included in many premium memberships include a broader range of projects to bid on and more storage space for clips and highlighted bid proposals.
  Bid sites allow one to build their own personal website, creating an opportunity to expand one’s web presence. This profile should include an archive of previous articles, sample clips, resumes, bios and photos.
  Once your profile is set up and you begin bidding on projects, it is only a matter of time before project managers start selecting you for stories on your highlighted bids.  Then you start completing the assignments, your reputation enhances, your portfolio strengthens and the money starts rolling in.

BJB - Not our standard format, but nonetheless useful.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for your insightful post. I always thought what were the advantages to upgrade a freelance account. Do this upgrade give you less competition to writing jobs versus the free account?

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