write for outsourcing sites
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Writing Tips

Picture by Raúl Hernández González, http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahego/3863524572/


Writing Projects on Outsourcing Sites

Outsourcing sites offer writing opportunities of every possible type. It is usually the way the writing is used that is different, rather than what is written. Also many of the writing projects are ghost writing projects where writers give your employers full copyright to use the material however they wish. This applies to articles, website content and to projects that involve the compilation and production of ebooks.

Here are some very basic writing tips.

Freelance Categories

All the established and reputable outsourcing sites offer freelance opportunities in a variety of categories. Writing is one category on its own and is commonly combined with translation. While some projects might combine photography and/or design work – like designing ebooks or supplying photographs for web sites – employers more commonly post these jobs in the design and multimedia category.

Guru’s writing category is titled Writing, Editing & Translation (though this is set to change soon to just writing and translation) and there are usually between 500 and 600 jobs available at any one time. Elance’s writing category is titled simply Writing & Translation, although editing is also included in the category. There are usually 750 to 800 of these jobs available at any one time.

Generally project types include:

  • writing articles of every conceivable type, including articles for Internet “magazines”,
  • copywriting,
  • sales writing,
  • technical writing,
  • creative writing,
  • press releases,
  • writing of resumes,
  • grant writing,
  • proposals,
  • writing for children,
  • writing web content for Internet sites, including articles,
  • writing blog posts,
  • writing, editing and rewriting ebooks,
  • producing newsletters,
  • creating speeches,
  • editing all types of writing done by others, and
  • translation from many different languages, for which there is a big demand.

Guru’s four most popular sub-categories (in terms of employer needs) are creative writing, web content, articles and press releases, and ghost writing and books – in that order. Elance’s two most popular categories are article writing and web content, followed by ebooks and blogs.

You don’t necessarily have to register with outsourcing sites to see exactly what jobs are on offer. You can browse sites and search for jobs and then click on some that interest you. This is an excellent way to get a feel for different sites, and ultimately decide which particular outsourcing site meets you personal needs.

However some sites do have restrictions. For example, while you can access all projects on Elance and some other sites, when you click on projects posted on Guru, you will need to sign in to view complete details. This means you will need to register, which is quick and easy and doesn’t cost any money. Once you register you will have access to all standard projects. Some employers post jobs for Guru Vendors only, which is a paid membership option.

I found it very frustrating when I first registered with Guru, because the vast majority of writing jobs were for Guru Vendors. I wasn’t prepared to opt for a paid membership without establishing whether or not the site worked for me. This is one of the reasons I have done much more work through Elance (now called UpWork), and ironically now have paid membership with them. However in the past year the pattern on Guru has changed, and now most of the writing jobs are open to all members. Only a small number are for paying Gurus only.

But at least there is choice – and lots of it!

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