Freelancewritingtips.com: Heather Johnson on 'how to become a well-fed professional blogger'

DO you have aspirations of paying your bills by blogging? Many of you may already be earning a part-time wage from your blog(s), but there are some of us who are making a very comfortable living from the craft. No, there isn't a secret formula or a special handshake that allows you to become a problogger. Follow my advice and I'm sure you'll see some amazing results.

Starting Out

Here's a harsh reality for you: You know that free blog you started on Blogger.com? The one you stuffed with Google ads that only a dozen people visit? That will never make you any money. Even if you market the heck out of it and build a halfway decent readership, your chances of becoming the next blogging superstar are very slim.

If you want to earn some serious dough, I recommend you blog for someone else. That means you may have to get comfortable with the idea of ghostwriting. Trust me, ghostwriting can be great and your bruised ego will be crying all the way to the bank.

Here's the second caveat: you may have to ghostwrite several blogs for several different clients in order to make a decent income. So, get ready to spin some plates. Luckily, blogging isn't as labor-intensive as other forms of writing. Plus, you will most likely be able to work at any time. (Personally, I don't mind working seven days a week if I have to, as long as I'm making good money.)

If you already have some writing samples to send out and some freelance experience, you should be able to start landing jobs immediately. Like applying for any other job, it also helps if you have a degree (preferably in English or Journalism). If you have none of the above, don't worry. You too can become a problogger – it just might take a little more hustling in the beginning.

Finding Work

It's time now to write a killer resume if you haven't already. Look here and here for some great tips on writing a freelance writer's resume. If you don't have any work history pertaining to writing, then start an online portfolio of some writing samples. (This is where that free Blogger.com site can come in handy, though you should take down those tacky Google ads.)

Once you've perfected a resume, you need to learn how to write a killer cover letter. Remember, you will be competing against thousands of other applicants… maybe more. So, don't slack where the cover letter is concerned. Also, don't rely on a form letter as your cover letter. You need to tweak it to fit each job.

Here are the only three sites you will ever need to visit to find blogging work:

1. Crazedlist – This amazing site allows you to "search Craigslist like a madman." Craigslist is a great source for freelance job opportunities, but you normally have to search each city individually. Crazedlist, however, allows you search many cities at once.
2. Problogger – Although there aren't nearly as many writing leads on Problogger as Craigslist, they are all devoted to just blogging. Also, it costs money to post a job ad on Problogger, so the potential clients are more likely to offer real money.
3. Freelance Writing Jobs – This is the #1 freelance writing community online. Deb Ng is a problogger who updates the site with daily leads. A majority of them come from Craigslist, but sometimes it's nice to let someone else do all the legwork.

Top 5 Problogging FAQs

1. How much money can I earn with blogging?

With commitment and determination, you can earn a full-time living. I personally know many bloggers who earn at least $4,000 a month and even a few who earn twice that.

Before you accept a position, you should try to figure out about how much you would be making per hour. Personally, I won't blog for less than $20 per hour and that's the lowest I will go. That hourly rate is figured by me, mind you. I never accept a job that is offering "per hour" pay.

(Side rant about "per hour" rates: As a telecommuting writer, I don't like to get into semantics about how long it takes me to write something, as every assignment is different and there is no way to predict exactly how many hours it could take. As long as I make the deadline, that's all that matters. I can't tell you how many times a client has hired me on an hourly scale, then told me how long it should take me. In other words, they already had a set amount of money in mind! Nothing irks me more, which is why I no longer accept gigs on a "per hour" pay scale.)

2. A client said they would like me to write several free samples on provided topics so that they could determine if I'm well suited for the job. Should I do it?
Let me put it this way: Would you ask a plumber to come into your house and fix a toilet for free in order to determine if he's well suited to fix your sink? Would you ask a roofer to shingle half of your house for free in order to determine if he is well suited to complete the roof?

Blogging is real work and you deserve real pay for it. If you've provided a client with writing samples and a resume, then that should be enough for them to determine if you are a good writer. If they really want some new samples, they will pay you for them.

Writing for free demeans you and your talent, wastes your time and makes it harder for other bloggers to be taken seriously.

3. A client offered to pay me with ad revenue. Is that a good deal?

No matter what anyone will tell you, it is absolutely not a good deal. If they want to pay you a decent salary plus some ad revenue, then that is a different story. However, you should only accept real money and not projected money. We are all tempted to take less-than-ideal positions when we are starting out, but you mustn't fall into this trap.

4. Should I work for a blogging network?

A blogging network, which is a series of blogs owned by one company, may be able to offer you some decent money. In my personal experience, however, these networks are often stretching themselves very thin and are offering meager pay plus a little ad revenue. Don't accept it, even if it's a network you've heard of and you're tempted by their reputation. If they aren't paying top dollar for full-time work, then they are no better than crooks (in my humble opinion).

5. How soon can I start making money as a problogger?

Assuming you can write at a sixth grade level (which is the level you'll want to shoot for, believe it or not) and are committed to applying for gigs every day, then I think you can land a paying job within the next two weeks. You may not be making $4,000 a month in the beginning, but you have to start small and build.

Good luck and happy blogging!

Heather Johnson is a freelance business, finance and economics writer, as well as a regular contributor at Business Credit Cards, a site for best business credit cards and best business credit cards offers. Heather welcomes comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address.