You’d think because there were so many cheap writing services online that adding one more to the fray would be a colossal waste of time. But as most of us in the Internet marketing niche quickly learn, you never know what’s going to happen until you just do it.

I didn’t know how true that statement would be when I started selling my writing services online a few weeks ago. But I can tell you with crazy confidence that if you have some writers chops, and you’re broke… you’re broke because you want to be, not because you have to be.

In case you missed the memo… writing is big business online. It’s one of the only services I know of that you can launch on a local library computer and make money with. Unlike other services, there’s not a single business niche that doesn’t use freelance writers.

The problem is a lot of wannabe freelance writers are:

(a) Afraid to take on low-priced jobs for fear they’ll get stuck in that category forever;

(b) Afraid to hang out the “Hire Me” sign because they don’t have experience in the field;

(c) Unwilling to experiment.

Capitalist Confucius say: "Sometimes you have to crawl before you can run with money bags."

I’m none of the above, thank you very much

And as a result, my little pockets are always full.

I decided to start writing press releases because there are far fewer competent press release writers than there are SEO article writers. Even though it’s easier for me to write a regular article, becoming a press release writer was a decision I haven’t grown to regret.

In a short period of time I’ve managed to develop a skill that not only generates traffic to this website, it has also given me a part-time job income stream. That’s good stuff! And it really didn’t take a lot of work to make it all happen.

I wanted to share these lessons here because I know there are many readers of this blog who are barely past broke. The no BS truth is that we can’t all launch a site that generates $5K a month in 7 days. That’s an exception, not the rule.

But with dedication to the freelance writing craft, you can easily put a few hundred dollars in your pocket every week. And sometimes that’s all the inspiration you need to keep moving forward towards your bigger goals.

So without further fanfare, here’s what I learned…

1) It’s easy to make money fast.
From a single advertisement on a private Internet marketing forum, I’ve managed to accumulate 7 new press release clients. Some have ordered as many as 8 releases at once, and I’m already seeing a few come back a second time.

I started off by showing these people a sample of a press release I wrote for my own website. With the help of a simple screenshot, they were able to see how that release ranked within Google. Saying you’re good is one thing. But showing you’re good with a screenshot displaying search engine rank is the fastest path to the cash.

Buyers want freelancers who can write well enough to keep people entertained and understand search engine logistics. If you can successfully do both, you’re good to go.

2) Use internet marketing forums to gain momentum fast.
Most major internet marketing forums have a place for you to promote your writing services. The Warrior Forum has the Warriors for Hire section. It costs $20 to list your service and once it reaches the third page you can pay another $20 to bump it back up to the top.

Hang around that forum for a while and you’ll see the same people bumping away. Sellers make money there. You don’t have to make it a permanent career move, but if you want to quickly get a feel for the wonders of freelance writing, give it a go.

3) Price low to get testimonials.
In my ad I mentioned that I was temporarily pricing my service low to generate testimonials. Even though I didn’t make as much money as other press release writers, NOTHING beat the positive feedback I gained.

Even though I’m new to press release writing, I’m not new to ghostwriting. I did it for more than a year. I know that in order to target offline or higher end customers, you must have testimonials.

Samples are nice, but testimonials give you greater street cred to charge higher prices. If that means you have to work for fries and a Coke for a few weeks, then suck it up and do what you gotta do. There’s no law that says if you’re cheap for a month you have to stay in that price range forever. The only shackle is the one you create in your mind.

I suggest you price low to learn how to better work with clients. Do it because you’ll figure out how to work faster and more efficiently. (Trust me on this one… nothing beats real life client experience.) And yes, do it for the testimonials. In the big scheme of things, it’s really a small price to pay.

4) Don’t be afraid to ask, “What else can I do for you?”
If you see a way to possibly generate greater results for your clients, say so. I recently got re-hired by one client because I suggested another press release tactic they could use for their site. It was something from the work I did for another client.

It cost me nothing to make the suggestion, I already had my foot in the door and since I’d already written for the company, I can do the new work even faster.

Needless to say, this is a very easy way to generate a few extra sales.

5) Think outside the SEO article box.
Everybody writes articles. Not everyone can write a press release, or an About Us page, or an AdWords advertisement, or a product review.

There are a bunch of other writing niches besides the traditional SEO article. And even if you decide that’s where you want to be, you can always target a vertical category like articles for travel sites or insurance companies.

You have far less competition in these alternative niches which means you have a greater opportunity to make money fast.

Have you thought about selling your writing services?

What’s stopping you? I’m curious to know. Leave a comment below and let’s talk!