This post comes to us from Kevin Campbell, a writer who joined Constant Content this year and has really figured out how to effectively build a catalog of content for sale.
I believe that any success, no matter how big or small, that I’ve had with selling articles on Constant Content can be attributed to building and maintaining a well-stocked back catalog of content. I always try to keep in mind that an article written today probably won’t sell today or even tomorrow. Eventually, however, it will likely sell. With that in mind, I use the idea that if you write consistently now you’ll sell consistently later on as a motivator. If there’s one great motivator to freelance writers everywhere it’s the promise of a consistent income, as theoretical at this point as it may be.
I try to write at least five articles a day, Monday through Friday. In my mind, the only acceptable excuse for not meeting my goal is “I’m making money somewhere else today.” That or I’ve died. Death would also be an acceptable excuse.
At the start of my day, I always open up my Constant Content work desk to find out what types of pieces have been selling in the last few hours. While I don’t necessarily use the most recently sold articles as a guide to plan the next few pieces I’ll immediately write, I do use the information to try and identify trends. If I notice that articles about Apple’s iPad are continually showing up in the “Recently Sold” tab, I know that it’ll be a decent idea to write iPad articles at some point.
I keep a text file on my desktop at all times that I use to store ideas for potential articles. If I ever have an idea that I know I can get at least 300 words out of, it goes into the text file. That text file always keeps me writing, even on days when I’m not feeling particularly inspired. It allows me to have that glimmer of inspiration now and bank it for a rainy day when I’ll really need it.
When picking out ideas to eventually write about, I try to settle on a broad topic that I can then break down into many tiny pieces, so to speak. Instead of just writing a general information piece about Apple’s iPad, for example, I would try to cover the device from every conceivable angle. The benefits of this are twofold. In my mind, it enables me to cover each angle of the topic with as much space as I’ll need to get the job done as thoroughly as possible. Secondly, I can research many different articles in one sitting, thus saving me a great deal of time in the long run.
When selling from the catalog, I think it’s important not to sell yourself too short. Always make sure that your articles are priced fairly and that they can compensate you for your time. I’ve had some great success with using the “Best Offer” feature, for example, but I rarely accept anything less than what I’ve stated for full rights. I give the most amount of leeway to buyers for usage rights, but for full rights I don’t list a price on the site unless I already think it is more than fair.
I read two statistics when I started with Constant Content that helped me to remain motivated. The first was that three out of every four articles that you write will eventually sell. The second was that each article you place into your catalog averages out to be worth about $20 when everything is said and done. In my own personal experience, both of those statistics are turning out to be absolutely true. In the case of the theoretical value of each article, it has actually turned out to be a little higher than $20.