This is Part 2 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.
When viewing an income opportunity like Demand Studios, many freelance writers want to submit an application and start writing for Demand Studios right away. If you rush, chances are you’ll get rejected. I was one of these individuals. And while I’m not proud to admit defeat, I sure learned my lesson. There’s nothing worst than to receive a rejection letter in your email inbox after waiting days and building anticipation. It’s like sitting there for months waiting to hear if you got accepted to your favorite college, only to receive an apology that you weren’t what they were looking for.
Well my job is to help you not to get rejected. Sound too negative? Let me try a different approach. My goal is to help you succeed at writing for Demand Studios. But before we send in our application, we need to prepare. If you love writing, you’ll most likely enjoy this section.
Writing portfolios are where freelance writers showcase their writing samples and achievements. Like the requirements of many freelance writing jobs, you need to submit a few writing samples in order to be considered for acceptance before writing for Demand Studios. Once you make your writing portfolio, you can even use it for other writing gigs when you’re ready to start working for clients, adding to and editing the portfolio when necessary. If you’ve been freelance writing for a while, you probably already have a collection of articles you can use when submitting your application. However, if you’re relatively new to freelance writing or haven’t been freelancing for long, you should consider building or expanding your writing portfolio.
Getting writing samples is the most crucial task you need to accomplish before applying to begin writing for Demand Studios. Without writing samples, you provide no proof that you’re an experienced freelance writer. Demand Studios won’t just take your word for it, even if you drop down out of the sky and beg and plead to be considered. They just won’t do it. To learn more on what writing samples to choose when applying as a Demand Studios writer, check out my post on Demand Studios writing samples.
So, this leaves us to the task of creating a collection of writing samples (the larger the better). Does this mean to pay some random writing expert to create these samples for you in your name? No. If that’s what you want to do, you’re on the wrong blog. Instead, why not get paid to write your own writing samples? There are actually ways to do that, and you get paid residual income for each article you write. Residual income opportunities generally pay you every time your articles receive page views or every time a viewer clicks an advertisement on the page. Getting paid for advertisement clicks has the most earning potential from my experience. How you get paid depends on the residual income opportunity, and sometimes you get paid for both page views and advertisement clicks. You can then link to a few of these articles on your resume or your writing portfolio and impress potential employers. It’s a win/win in my book!
The money you’ll make from residual income opportunities will be a lot less than the money you’ll make from writing for Demand Studios originally, but the best part about residual income is that you continue to earn income even if you stop writing. On upfront payment websites like Demand Studios, the money stops flowing in when you stop writing (though, Demand Studios does allow you to submit articles for residual income as well).
Some people don’t think writing for residual income opportunities is worth the time spent because the money comes in slow. However, I love it. I have an article library of over 110 articles written for eHow, and I receive pretty good extra spending money at the end of each month even when I don’t write. At the moment of writing this article, I haven’t written for eHow in several months, and I’m still getting paid. I’ll probably still be making money when I’m dead, though that’s another story for another time.
To build up your writing portfolio and make money during the process, these are the residual income opportunities I recommend:
Stating that you won rewards on your writing portfolio is a great way to impress people who are considering hiring you, especially if you’re interested in writing for Demand Studios. You may also win some pretty decent cash on the side, and it’s a wonderful way to get your work out there. Some contests have an entry fee though. However, you can still get hired for Demand Studios even if you don’t enter contests. They’re just an added bonus.
Though you’ll be doing your work for free, you’ll have a chance to build up your overall writing experience and possibly provide some writing samples in your portfolio as well. Doing projects for non profit organizations also looks good on your resume because of the fact that you’re providing your services for free.
Creating a website for your writing portfolio before writing for Demand Studios can be great as preparation for when you start writing for clients as well. A website helps you to look professional and tells your employer that you’re serious about writing. Creating a website on your own hosting provider is even better and gives you more control over your website. Moreover, a website is easier to manage and saves a good deal of time in the long run. However, a website isn’t required and, if you’re new to dealing with WordPress, I recommend just putting your portfolio on Microsoft Word for now.
Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Bonus
Tags: Demand Studios
I've been making money with my writing since 2008. With this income, I'm able to travel the world, indulge in my hobbies, and govern my own life. And the best thing is, I love every second of it!
Hillary Bost (1)
I am loving this 7-Part Series Christina!
I started a blog to link my published articles to called “According to Jason…”
—>http://jasoncuthbert.blogspot.com
It currently features links for articles I have written for a company called Break Studios. If you want info about them —> http://breakstudios.break.com.
I am trying to apply to Demand Studios soon and I am wondering whether or not I should include my blog in my writer’s resume. My fear is that my Break Studios content way be too different from Demand Studios’ format (Top Ten Lists, Entertainment pieces).
In your opinion do you think my blog would turn them off because the tone is more humorous then they may be looking for? I am planning to write all original articles to send to Demand Studios that include the style aspects you have outlined: Active Voice, Fact-based/No Opinions, Concise, Not in First Person, 300 word minimum, and at least one “How-To” article.
I REALLY want to start working for Demand Studios and I want to put my best foot forward. Are certain subjects better than others for my samples? What should I do? Thanks! Be Blessed Christina!
-Jason
Haha, glad you’re liking the series Jason!
I love how your site looks by the way, and I love the idea behind it. And yep, I’ve heard of Break Studios, though I have way too much writing on my plate to write for another article directory.
As for including your blog in your resume, I would simply link to the Break Studios articles directly (1 or 2 that you’re most proud of, which are written in active – not passive – voice). When linking, I would include these at the end of your resume, and save the writing sample slots for articles more in-tune with DS regulations (if you feel that they may be too different).
Even though you’re linking to awesome stuff on your blog, I think there’s just not that much content in each blog post to use the blog as a sample (but that’s only my opinion).
As for the subject matter, any subject, as long as it’s relevant to your resume, should be fine. In your resume, you should pick 1 or 2 industries that you specialize in (once you get accepted, you can write about anything you like). As an added bonus (and to create a bigger impact), I highly recommend including samples about some aspect of your chosen specialization.
For example, I chose to specialize in health and business for my resume, so I included health and business-related writing samples.
Lastly, if you want me to look over any samples for you, don’t be afraid to ask.
Christina
Hi Christina!
Thanks so much for the information you offer on your blog! I have been searching for quite some time to find a realistic way to write and earn liveable income. I am a single parent and the last few years have been financially difficult. I have remained optimistic and your blog has absolutely helped with that.
Demand Studios seems to be ideal for me for more than one reason, but what appeals to me the most is their style. Guidelines and structure suites me just fine as I transition to freelance writing. I am very much a beginner with a little SEO knowledge and a few articles on HubPage. Ironically, being laid off from my last job has allowed me to step back and reconnect with my passion for writing. So, today I am happy to get the ball rolling and get it done!
So here’s my dilemma..the articles I have on HubPages are in a different writing style than required by DS. I was also writing for an online magazine in order to build a portfolio, but the editor was more concerned about keywords and such, and edited the articles so much that they don’t sound natural at all. I wouldn’t consider them a serious source of samples of my writing. Other than that…I have nothing else published online and I’m stubbed as to what my next move should be.
What would you do in my situation? I would like to apply as soon as I can, but I also want to make sure I give my best the 1st time around. I’ve also researched around the web and see that MANY have difficulty when applying to DS. Any advice you have to offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time!
Any advice
Thanks so much for all the Demand info. I would like to know if DS allows “you” to be used in articles. Or is that too casual and personal? For example “Have you ever seen a low quality camera?”