Imagine the Joy of receiving a credit alert from your bank on a rainy day, and it’s not from mummy or daddy, trust me I understand how hard life on campus is especially when you are fully dependent on your pocket money.

Are you studying Mass Communication? English Studies? Or any related course? Or maybe you are a graduate, a serving corps member or you are seeking admission into any higher institution to study any of these courses, then this article is for you….so calm down and take a cold bottle of La Casera, Zobo or Pepsi as this article will put some bucks into your pocket.



Before You continue, I want to make you understand that this is not a magic or ‘get rich quick’ formula, but I promise you that with hardwork and dedication, you would be wondering what hit you with a bag of money in no distance time.

In this article I will show you two tested methods of making thousands of naira from the comfort of your bedroom, using your writing and presentation skills acquired as a Mass Communication Student.

NOTE: BE SURE TO READ THIS ARTICLE TO THE END.

Method One

Freelance Content Writing

Hundreds of thousands of writing opportunities exist. Making the most of them is where the art of the freelancer really comes into play. A freelance writer is someone who writes without belonging to any single company or entity but acts like a small business or an independent contractor.





It’s possible to be a full-time freelance writer earning a living, or to be a part-time freelancer supplementing a regular income. Another role is to simply do it for fun or to build up a broader portfolio of skills. In this article, you’ll get the basics on what it takes to ease your way into freelance writing as a career or hobby.

STEPS

Freelance Writting

1.Be a good writer. It may seem self-evident but there is a substantial group of people who believe that they can write but when they attempt it, their lack of originality, good grammar, and self-discipline prove otherwise. Be sure that you’re comfortable with writing, that it is a medium in which you can express yourself with ease and clarity, and that it is something you don’t mind doing almost every single day of your life without respite. If you don’t already have writing qualifications, consider doing a college degree in journalism or English, or taking a workshop so that you’re at least aware of the major requirements in writing, and the terminology used. Even if you already have a degree in a non-writing related course, you may find it easier to either get a writing diploma or to get an entry-level job as a copywriter or editor in a field related to what you graduated in.

Decide whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction or perhaps even both. Non-fiction is much easier to sell than fiction, so bear this in mind when making your choice. If you’re writing for fun, you have more leeway to experiment, though.

Decide whether you want to write for a living, for extra money, or for fun. The reason for your freelance writing will impact the approach that you take to running your freelance operation. Bear in mind that treating freelance writing as a full-time income will require a lot of hard work and establishing yourself in the niche, so be prepared to put in the effort and time.

If you already have qualifications, from a degree to a diploma, always make use of these to support your expertise. These are extremely helpful in a competitive world where many people are seeking the same thing but who don’t have the qualifications to stand out.

Be comfortable communicating. Unless you want to be the hermit novelist living in poverty, you’ll need to reach out to other people as a freelance writer. You’ll need to be prepared to market yourself, to drum up business, and to chase leads. You will also need to be happy to turn around work quickly and according to the client’s or employer’s needs and changes, and all of this requires good negotiation and interaction skills. Fortunately, much of this can be done by email, meaning that you can rely on writing to connect but it does mean you’ll need to be prepared to put yourself out there and not just sit about waiting for leads.

As part of this, you’ll need to know how to write a query letter. A query letter explains the concept of what you’re proposing to write, along with a very brief explanation of your experience and qualifications. This letter has to sell your idea to an editor, blog owner, or website operator and will become a regular part of your toolkit. The sooner you’re comfortable with it, the better.

Realize that turning a creative passion into a job can dampen your enthusiasm. No matter how much you love writing, there will be occasional writing jobs that you’ll hate doing. In this situation, you’ll need to learn the art of “just doing it” regardless of your feelings, your desire to procrastinate, and your temptation to rush through it. Master pushing through the dislike barrier by treating it as the work that it is and looking forward to the more interesting writing coming up. Some freelance writers find it helps to maintain their own writing on the side, as a means for ensuring that at least something they’re writing remains a pure joy.

Balance the joys of working alone with soaking up the vibes from being around other people. Working from home or for yourself can be very lonely at times (no matter how much you love your writing) and you can feel as if you’re working in a vacuum. Part of the answer to this is to accept the unusual (and often liberating) nature of being a freelance writer; the other part is to get out and be around people as much as you can. Get portable by having a notebook or laptop, and portable Wi-Fi access, and go and write around people when you’re feeling lonely – a cafe, a library, a park, anywhere that you feel involved in society again. You might find you need to do this regularly, or every now and then; just find your own rhythm and don’t box yourself inside your house all day.

Be prepared for a lot of self-discipline and good money management. If you’re planning on making a career from writing freelance, you’ll need to have a good sense of responsibility toward your clients or employers and yourself.

Have financial systems set up before you start taking in work and be regular with your invoicing, tax filing, and reconciliation of accounts. You cannot afford to be sloppy when it comes to your income!

Be organized; have a dedicated writing space, all of your reference books in one place and easily obtained, all the writing equipment that you need in good working order, and a decent ergonomic work station set-up. Writing daily can do terrible things to your posture if you don’t take good care of it!

Have a deadline system in place. Whether you use a diary, an online reminder system, a wall chart, a whiteboard, or whatever, be sure to have some sort of system in place that allows you to see at a glance what writing work is due when and for whom. That way you can prioritize accordingly and not have last minute rushes.

Communicate well and regularly. It’s very important that you feel comfortable reaching out to people to make queries, to reassure them of your skills and ability to meet deadlines, and to keep clients and companies informed as to your progress and any issues that may come up.

Don’t take on more than you can do. Part of being organized is knowing your limits. Once you do get into a flow of regular writing, don’t be lulled into a false sense of confidence that you can do more than the hours in the day. Remember to maintain a good balance in your daily life.

Decide what type of writing you’re going to do. These days the choice includes print writing (magazines, trade publications, newsletters, and newspapers) and online writing. It’s possible to do both, although you may find yourself very stretched trying to keep up. Even within the online writing sphere, there are various possibilities, including blog writing, guest blog writing, topic specific websites (for example, green living, pet care, collectibles, etc.), “article mill” sites (these vary in their quality), and so forth. There is also official writing for government, but for this type of writing you’ll often need qualifications and experience in the policy-making areas you’ll be writing for; contact a company that handles such writing to ask them what they’re looking for.





Be aware that many print publications such as newsletters and trade publications are done in-house or outsourced to a company specializing in writing. In this case, you may be better off trying to get on the books of a company that is happy for you to do freelance work across a range of topics using their contacts. They’ll take a commission but you’ll gain the benefit of their expertise and established market.

Start looking for opportunities to write to build your portfolio. Initially it is important to establish your credentials and build a portfolio. It may be simplest to begin by writing for small, non-paying publications and websites. By writing articles for smaller publications, you will gain experience, get known, and get a bunch of published articles with your name on them that you can use to show clients and employers. You need that portfolio for established publications to take you seriously and hire you.

Write your article. If you haven’t already sent a full article but just the query, then it’s time to get started once the client or employer confirms that they want your writing. (Congratulations, by the way.) Write in your own unique and brilliant way and avoid conforming to the mold of other writers. By all means conform to the required guidelines of the publication in question, but try to avoid cliches, hackneyed turns of phrase, dull prose, and deadly boring content. You’ve got that worked out already, right?

Keep a thesaurus, dictionary, and grammar book with you at all times. If you’re writing in an English that isn’t your own dialect, or isn’t your native language, also have a grammar resource for the English in which you are writing.

Find steady freelance writing jobs or even ongoing contracts. There are plenty of possibilities in both print media and online media. The difficulty will always be the competition, so you’ll need to keep your style sharp and interesting, your list of contacts detailed, and your motivation stoked. Keep improving your writing skills by reading widely, attending relevant talks and seminars, and staying up-to-date in the areas you’re writing about. This is especially important if you’re writing in areas that change rapidly, such as technology and fashion.

Update your portfolio every time you have an article published.

Are You shaking already? Bro abi Sister calm down first…..

STARTING ONLINE FREELANCE WRITING

After reading the above, I believe you have made up your mind and you are ready to start working.

I know most of us would prefer online Jobs because of its many benefits, so follow these simple steps to start freelance writing online and get PAID!!!.

Visit www.Freelancer.com, click the “Sign Up” link on the front page. Registration is free!
On the Sign Up page, choose either “Sign up with Facebook” to use your Facebook account details, or enter your email address plus a username and password in the boxes provided. Confirm your password.
Tick the “Hire” box if you want to hire a freelancer, or “Work” if you want to be a freelancer.
Read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Click “Create Account” then confirm your email address, and you’re in!
After registration, you’ll be taken to your Freelancer.com Dashboard. The key thing is to fill out your Profile page.

If you’re a freelancer, a complete profile page will increase your chances of winning jobs. See the article “Is your Freelancer.com profile working for you?” for tips on having a great profile page.
Once you have your profile page, you’re all set! You can now start bidding on projects. Don’t forget Freelancer is for those who want to write matured and quality contents for clients.

There are also tons of Websites where you can post your written articles and earn up to N60,000 at http://houseofnaira.com/websites-that-pay-up-to-n60000-for-your-articles/