Get Freelance Writing Jobs With Elance

Writing Bidding Site Always Has Projects Available

Sep 13, 2008

Writing bidding sites are an effective way for new freelance writers to find clients. It's also a way for more experienced freelancers to keep new clients coming in.

Elance is one of the largest freelance bidding sites. It allows buyers to post projects in several categories which are then open for members to submit a proposal and bid price. Freelance writers and freelance web designers use Elance to find new clients.

Some use it as a supplemental income to their other writing, some use it to find new long-term clients and some freelance writers make their living with Elance projects.

Elance, like many other freelance bidding sites, charges a monthly fee for freelancers. While buyers can post jobs for free, the bidding members pay a flat monthly fee that is determined by the type of membership they want and how much bidding they want to do.

Elance Connects

The freelancer chooses an account that has the number of "connects" they anticipate using over the course of a month. The connects are used like bidding currency, with each bid costing at least one connect. The higher the budget for the project, the higher the number of connects it takes to bid on the project. Projects with the highest budgets cost eight connects to submit a proposal and bid.

To be eligible to submit a proposal, a member must belong to the category that is hosting the project. To be eligible to bid on projects in two categories, the member must pay a larger monthly membership fee.

Freelance Writing Jobs

The Writing and Translation may not be the largest category, but there are hundreds of projects available at any given time. A freelance writer can choose from among subcategories such as ghost writing, copywriting and Web content. The freelance writer can also search through projects by keywords to find specific topics.

Like other writing bidding sites, Elance allows buyers to look through the profiles of the freelance writers to find ones that match their needs. The buyers can then send project invitations to the writers they choose. This makes it important to have a profile that is as professional and thorough as possible.

Elance Account Set Up

To have the best chance of landing freelance writing jobs, set up an account that allows for enough bidding to have a better chance of getting one. It often takes bidding on several projects before being chosen for one. Choosing an account that allows at least 20 connects per month is preferable, but more connects can be purchased if needed.

Each member has the option of setting up a portfolio to display their work. Potential clients can look though Word files in the case of the freelance writers or other file types for other freelancers. To have the best chance of getting freelance writing jobs through the site, have plenty of writing samples available in the portfolio.

There is also a bio area where the freelance writer can describe their experience and the types of writing they specialize in. This section should be filled out with attention to the keywords that buyers will search through profiles for.

Elance Bidding

Once the account is set up and the portfolio and bio are in place, the freelance writer can start bidding on projects. This is done by searching through either the writing and Translation category, a subcategory or by a project search. Once a suitable project is found, the freelancer submits a detailed bid proposal, including their writing experience, their experience with the subject matter and the turnaround time for the project and their asking price for the job.

Buyers generally choose one of the bidders based on their experience, the price or the timeframe they have specified. Some buyers cancel the project and never award it to anyone and some award it to more than one freelance writer.

Those interested in freelance writing or freelance Web design have an enormous number of projects to choose from on Elance. As one of the largest writing bidding sites, it has a continual influx of new projects of every description.

The copyright of the article Get Freelance Writing Jobs With Elance in Resources for Writers is owned by Lizz Shepherd. Permission to republish Get Freelance Writing Jobs With Elance in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.