Lately, I've been feeling like my content writing is based on hurling articles at the catalog and seeing what sells, or plain dumb luck. I know articles can sit in the catalog for months before being sold and that it's far from a steady source of income. I've still set a small goal of "sell at least one article per month this year". Having no concepts of what could eventually sell makes it difficult for me to keep motivated. The forum posts about selling more are from 2009, making them seem too old to be reliable, and the "writing ideas" section doesn't seem to provide much useful information.
It seems like the articles I write thinking "this is a popular thing" don't sell, while ones I write thinking nobody will buy them quickly are picked up. However, I've only written 27 articles and sold 4 in the catalog, so my data pool is tiny. (My CC account name is the same, if you want to check it out.)
How do you motivate yourself to write more when it feels like you're desperately trying everything for one shot at success?
Throwing Articles at the Catalog
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed
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Gauderbock
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 8:26 am
Re: Throwing Articles at the Catalog
As well as keeping a regular eye on sold articles page, so getting a feel for both the topics and writing styles which seem to be the most sought after, you could try writing for as many of the customer-posted requests as you can.
That way, you'll not only be working on subjects you know there's a market of at least one for, but you can see which of your efforts get picked up and which get passed over, and adjust your style and approach accordingly
That way, you'll not only be working on subjects you know there's a market of at least one for, but you can see which of your efforts get picked up and which get passed over, and adjust your style and approach accordingly
Re: Throwing Articles at the Catalog
I stick to stuff I know or stuff I've been through. For instance, my dog was diagnosed with Addisons and I went through a terrible time where she almost died, I had to go to the doggie vet, and now the maintenance for it. I wrote a couple articles on it. One sold. Other than that, I write things I know well. I've gone through days where I just want to get a certain amount up there, but generally my quicker sales are articles I do that aren't like others in the catalog. I try to put a spin on something that's been done to death already.
The thing with CC is that it's about volume. That's the toughest part. I didn't start making a payout every month until I had 150+ articles up. You have to consistently feed the machine. I find it hard coming up with ideas too. These people who push out 5+ a day... hats off to them. lol I read sites in my industry and try to pull ideas from them. You don't have to write about the same thing. For instance, I might read about a recent hack and then create an article on what happens when you allow a hacker to breach your system in that way. Stuff like that.
I have some same ol' same ol' too. I usually fall back on it when I'm out of ideas.
There is one writer here where I thought she was just piggybacking off of my ideas, but I think she just writes the same stuff that's already sold. She does OK but doesn't seem to do as well as the people who come up with their own ideas.
The thing with CC is that it's about volume. That's the toughest part. I didn't start making a payout every month until I had 150+ articles up. You have to consistently feed the machine. I find it hard coming up with ideas too. These people who push out 5+ a day... hats off to them. lol I read sites in my industry and try to pull ideas from them. You don't have to write about the same thing. For instance, I might read about a recent hack and then create an article on what happens when you allow a hacker to breach your system in that way. Stuff like that.
I have some same ol' same ol' too. I usually fall back on it when I'm out of ideas.
There is one writer here where I thought she was just piggybacking off of my ideas, but I think she just writes the same stuff that's already sold. She does OK but doesn't seem to do as well as the people who come up with their own ideas.
Re: Throwing Articles at the Catalog
I'm far from being a great CC success story still, but I do well here, even during December when I was dealing with family emergencies and unable to write a single article.
I don't know how the metrics work or why it happened this way for me, but I did not begin making a really decent income until I had approximately 50 articles available, by the time I had 100 articles available, I felt like I reached a bit more of an "auto-pilot" mode where I could count on selling 1/2 of everything I write. I anticipate as my catalog continues to grow, my sold percentages will increase as well.
At first, I tried to diversify and become an expert in every category listed, but then I learned that the articles that sold the quickest are the ones that I enjoyed writing the most, regardless of the category and whether or not the article has anything to do with my college degree or any perceived area of expertise.
Write as much as you can, about everything you enjoy and you will find out what sells. I suspect what works for each writer is different because our "voice" truly does change based on how interested we are in each topic.
I don't know how the metrics work or why it happened this way for me, but I did not begin making a really decent income until I had approximately 50 articles available, by the time I had 100 articles available, I felt like I reached a bit more of an "auto-pilot" mode where I could count on selling 1/2 of everything I write. I anticipate as my catalog continues to grow, my sold percentages will increase as well.
At first, I tried to diversify and become an expert in every category listed, but then I learned that the articles that sold the quickest are the ones that I enjoyed writing the most, regardless of the category and whether or not the article has anything to do with my college degree or any perceived area of expertise.
Write as much as you can, about everything you enjoy and you will find out what sells. I suspect what works for each writer is different because our "voice" truly does change based on how interested we are in each topic.