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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/23/2013
Posts: 73
Location: U.S.A
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From reading the posts in these forums it looks like some of you hard working writers have figured out how to carve out decent livings using the Zerys platform. Personally, I can't imagine bringing in more than a couple hundred bucks each pay period on here, but maybe I'm not doing it right. So...
What are your best tips for new writers to the platform?
It can be about landing clients, building relationships with clients and other writers, how to write great pieces, setting up the best profile... whatever it is you think a newcomer should know so they can also be on their way to seeing success using this platform.
Thank you. |
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/2/2014
Posts: 84
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Amanda, As a new writer who started in March of this year I thought that I could never make more than $200 per pay period too but as time went on my pay started creeping up. When I started I didn't have a very specific profile about the kinds of assignments I like to do. Now I have a writer profile that states what kind of assignments I like to write. I took a chance on one client who didn't really have any idea how to make an assignment here, their instructions were terrible but I worked with them to set up templates for the work they needed done. I am now the writer for their new web site. From my profile I have had a few clients automatically favorite me and then send me direct assignments or favorite writer assignments. It is nice when you have clients who keep coming back to you because they not only like your work but your work clicks with what they need. If I could write 8 to 10 hours a day I could do that here with the work that I have available. I am a stay at home father and my 3 year old takes a lot of my time. The money is good here if you work your way up above the 3.5c/w rate. Stick with it and if you consistently get 5star ratings raise your rates. Clients will pay what you are worth. You can also renegotiate rates with clients you currently get DA's from.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/5/2013
Posts: 42
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$200 seems to be the magic number because that's what I thought too. :-) Now I make at least double that per pay period and that's working part-time. Robert has given good suggestions about making it easier for clients to find you. In my experience, I also found that simply building a track record of completed jobs with high ratings helped to open up more opportunities.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/25/2013
Posts: 546
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This is my favorite topic because I kinda feel like I have something to offer 
I struggled with the 1.4c pieces longer than I think most people do, and even though I was at 5 stars by my fourth (or something like that piece), I still never had access to anything.
I could write a book about my tips (maybe I should... would you pay for a copy???  )
Here are some of my all-time faves (written in a form as though I'm submitting a piece to you because that's how my Zerys brain works these days! Sorry!!):
- Don't be picky. Pick up whatever job is available to you no matter what the rate (choose the highest rate, of course, if you have options) for so long as you feel you're capable of doing it. As you gain experience and ratings, the rest will fall into place.
- Build rapport. Every single time I write for a new client, I send a note that says something like, "Hey! Thanks for allowing me to write for you! Please know that I'm happy to make revisions, and I ask that you please be kind enough to permit any changes that are necessary before you reject my work or rate me poorly." Until this silly censorship went into place, that worked like I charm. I almost never got rejections, and even clients that hated my work for whatever reason sent it back for revisions (the key is the "please be kind enough..." statement because it plays on their psychology of not wanting to be the bad guy). After the initial piece, I still shoot a "Hey, thanks for allowing me to work for you again" note for the next several articles.
- Follow up. Once you've submitted a piece and gotten approved, shoot the client a private message thanking them for the experience, and personalize it with whatever was specifically great (subject matter, rapid approval, kind communication...)
- Respond to revision requests. Don't ever just make the changes, and send the work back. Shoot a note back acknowledging your client's concerns, and let them know that you think you've adhered to the requested changes, but that you're open to feedback if you've missed the mark.
- Don't limit yourself. Up until very recently, I abided by an "at least one new client a week" rule. That meant that, regardless of ratings, I would give someone that I hadn't worked for previously a shot. Of course, I shot for the highest paying, best rated buyers, but the odds weren't always in my favor. For those scary bears that had horrible ratings (when those were my only "new client" option), I would accept the job, and IMMEDIATELY put the job on hold with a note acknowledging that I see that they've had trouble finding the right fit sometimes, so if they have specific "xyz # of LMNOPs" that they want listed, please let me know or whatever personalized relevant message I could send them. I usually still proceeded with writing whatever I could until they responded, and only ONCE did it not work out (the guy was a dick... it happens!)
I have a few more, but my dog has to pee. Hope this helped a little ! |
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/23/2013
Posts: 73
Location: U.S.A
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Thank you so much Robert, Beth, and Kristin. Your tips are wonderful and I'm already finding many things to improve and up my performance. Especially the tips on building relationships and getting the writer profile set up right.
One more question: Do you folks write your bio in third person or first person on your profile page?
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/25/2013
Posts: 546
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My bios are always in first person unless expressly instructed to write otherwise. I think looking at someone's own profile and seeing third person narrative is just weird.... looks like the writer hired a writer to write his or her profile ;-)
Just my own opinion :-)
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/1/2014
Posts: 2
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Just want to chime in with a 'thanks a million' to you guys. I am new on Zerys, and fairly new to content writing in general. I've only been writing here a week or so, but so far I am really pleased. I am getting good ratings and I like the work (most of it anyway), and either way, I am learning a lot. I particularly like the advice of a thank you note - great idea. Looking forward to working with you all. Cheers, Cindy
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/5/2015
Posts: 2
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Aloha and hello everyone! I just started a couple days ago as well and it has been slow going so far but I have gotten an assignment to start with already. I really like the user-friendly way this platform is set up to bring content-writers and clients together in an easy, fast and fun way. All it takes is a little patience, haunting that refresh button, and a dash of luck. I do sometimes wonder why I am not seeing more assignments on the message board now that I have submitted one for review. Can it be simply because I just started so am limited for a little bit until I can get my feedback and my rating up? Or is it because I am waiting on a reply by a client to the piece I just submitted and have not signed up for the editing side of it, only the writing side? Either way, slow to start or not, this site is awesome and I hope everyone will keep making it a wonderful place to write and hang out, especially the writers and not only the developers and admin. Have a good day everyone and I know we will start getting to know one another real soon.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/24/2013
Posts: 117
Location: Belleville, ON Canada
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Hello, Beatrice and welcome to Zerys :) Once you submit your first piece for a client, you won't see any more of their postings until it has been accepted. This saves clients from getting a writer that isn't a good fit write several pieces at once. Depending on your current rating, the good ole' refresh will hopefully help you land another client with a posting you can try.
A lot of patience, hard work and great writing should open up more jobs for you.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/6/2013
Posts: 151
Location: London, United Kingdom
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Hi and Welcome!
The only reason you're seeing nothing is because you're new - clients don't only select on category, they can also select by star rating and (I think) by various percentages including jobs completed.
Make friends with your refresh button, and don't rely on those emails as they're not necessarily telling you about jobs you'd be able to see anyway. As soon as you *do* see something that you know you can write, grab it straight away even if the pay level isn't necessarily what you're looking for - my first job here over four years ago was about yogurt; 600 words at 0.7c per word which I slaved over. Do the best job you can, get a five star rating, rinse, and repeat. After four or five of these, you'll see a better selection and more regular jobs and will hopefully be added to a few favourite lists as well.
It's a tough slog to start - I'm not going to dress that up - but it *is* worth it in the end if you're persistent.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/18/2016
Posts: 14
Location: Nelson, England
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I can only agree with what Zoe is saying. I am a 5 star (new) writer with a couple of jobs under my belt. I am not seeing anything at the moment, so live with a the refresh button! I firmly believe that work will come to those who refresh, and that is my current mantra! Best of luck....
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/12/2015
Posts: 21
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It gets better the more pieces you do. You gain experience and your stats go up. The suggestions about building relationships with clients are spot on. When I first started I did lots of work at .7 a word. It helped me get my stats built up. Now I wouldn't even consider working for that. Taking auditions you feel you are a good fit for is a great way to get some DA clients, and that's usually where the good money is. You can always negotiate your DA rate. I set mine on the lower side at first and then raised it and renegotiated with my clients once I had done a substantial amount of work for them. It takes a little time and work to make good money on here, but it can be done. I would try to stay away from the clients with a high rejection rate to start with. Now I feel comfortable taking a chance sometimes, but I know that my stats can take it. When you are first building your reputation, clients that consistently give you five stars can be worth more than higher paying ones. This keeps one or two bad ratings from bringing your star level down.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/5/2016
Posts: 1
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Hi,
Esteemed members of the Zerys community. My name is Michael. I have been freelancing as a writer for roughly 5 years now, but in other fields and not content writing. So I am fairly new to content writing. I learnt to write and freelance on my own; in the same way I am teaching myself about content writing. In my other forms of writing that I have had experience with, papers are of different formats e.g APA, MLA, IEE, Bibtex et cetra. However, for the time I have researched and learnt about content and article writing, I have not come across any source that states or emphasizes on the need for inserting a referencing page or following a specific format , except for bullet points, which of-course are a fundamental in this field. As a new and motivated member of this community, I am requesting any tips on the format of both long and short articles and other additional tips that will aid me in delivering quality articles. Thank you once again
Regards
Michael.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 8/7/2014
Posts: 8
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Compared to educational writing, very little referencing is done in content writing. At least in the U.S., content writing follows AP rules. Purdue University puts out a short reference guide that can be quite useful and is available online.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/11/2016
Posts: 6
Location: South Africa
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I really like this forum and find it very informative.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/26/2018
Posts: 1
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I've gotten some great tips here. Thank you guys!
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