How to Make More Money as a Freelance Writer Using Textbroker

Textbroker was one of the first freelancing writing sites I used when I started writing for a living. While I found the work generally enjoyable and easy, the rates made me a little nervous. It would take a LOT of articles to make any real money at those prices. I began reading blogs written by those who had found success on the site, but I was a little skeptical about their claims of making a living writing for Textbroker. After putting some of their pointers into practice, I can see that it is possible to make decent money on the site with the right strategy and a little hard work.

Here are some of the tips I picked up from these web writing whizzes:

1. Ask for a higher rating. You don't have to live forever with the rating you received when submitting your writing sample before being hired. I had written dozens of articles with consistent "4" ratings before I realized I could have requested a "promotion" after only 10 articles at that level. It took a few months for Textbroker to grant my request for a rating of "5," but it was worth the wait.

2. Actively seek out articles at your new level ASAP. They pay more, and help you build clout so you can attract direct orders. Articles at the top level go quickly, so it's worth checking in as frequently as possible. Often, I've attempted to claim an article and found that someone had grabbed it in the time it took to click on the title.

3. Ask for direct orders. When you receive particularly glowing feedback, be sure to thank the client, and consider soliciting future direct orders. You don't have to be overly assertive; just let him or her know that you appreciate the positive feedback, and that you would welcome direct orders on similar topics. Only do this when you genuinely enjoyed writing for the client. Otherwise, you might end up receiving time-consuming assignments you don't really even want. Asking for more work doesn't always result in direct orders, but don't take it personally. The client may only have a need for the occasional article, and only be willing to pay the minimum for it.

4. Once you start getting direct orders, you might consider upping your rate a bit. It becomes easier to get direct orders when you achieve a higher rating, and clients are usually willing to pay a little more for work by writers deemed "professional" by Textbroker. Be conservative, though; too large of an increase might cause you to lose work. And if you already have clients who send you direct orders, keep in mind that when you raise your price, they will be charged your new rate as well. If you are in the middle of writing a direct order, your client may not be too happy to see a price increase. You will need to manually change the individual client's rate to ensure he or she is charged the original price. If you want to request a higher rate for future articles, give advance warning after carefully weighing whether it's worth scaring away a valued client.

Following these tips won't guarantee a killer income from Textbroker alone. Dry spells aren't unheard of, but neither are high-paying direct orders. Putting these tips to work has meant more money, as well as a boost to my Textbroker writer's profile.