Freelance Writer Not Afraid to Go Against the Grain

Here's a great example of a writer not being afraid to write something that flies in the face of conventional thought. WorldGolf.com writer Brandon Tucker has placed a somewhat new twist, certainly a forceful one, on why Tiger Woods is so successful. A well-written and well-supported article. Have a look at "It's the golf courses - not the lack of competition - that makes Tiger Woods unstoppable on the PGA Tour."

Don't be afraid to put forth your own opinion. Just do like Tucker has done, make sure to support your claims.

Finding Sportswriting Assignments

If you're a beginning freelancer, one of your first questions may be, "Where do I find sportswriting jobs/assignments?" There are several ways.

One way is to find a site like Suite101.com (discussed in an earlier post). Suite101.com is a large, general interest website with several sections, one of which is the Sports section. With Suite 101, and others like it, you can apply to become a writer. Pay for your work depends on revenue sharing from ads placed on your articles. The more traffic to your articles, the more money you should make. If you go this route, most of your income will come after you have built up a portfolio and traffic to your articles. There are sites that pay per article rather than the revenue share model. There are advantages to both. With Suite101.com, your main benefit, at least initially, is the legitimacy that writing for them will provide. That legitimacy will lead to other, higher paying jobs, with persistence, of course.

Another route you can take is with sites that let you bid on job postings. The website typically accepted as the best of these is Elance.com. On Elance, you join, post a profile and examples of your work (optional) and bid on writing or other projects that fit your interest and ability. As with anything, being selected for projects come more readily once you've established a good rating and a few completed projects. Most anytime, you can find sports-related projects that need good writers on Elance.

Whatever road you decide to take in beginning your freelance writing career, beware of avenues. For example, there are other job posting sites that aren't as respected as Elance. At Elance, you can join free of charge or pay for premium placement when bidding, and several other perks, which has the effect of weeding out low bidders (someone who offers to write full articles for $2 or $3 each, often possibly using programs that re-write the work of others quickly). Some other sites are more conducive to such people.

Most online writing will pay less than print publications, but it is financially worthwhile and your portfolio is growing all the while.

Here's a link to the articles I've written on Suite101.com, just to give you an idea of what can be done in a year - Golf Feature Writer Articles. I published nearly 100 articles last year, and that wasn't even near the top on Suite 101.

Sports-Related Press Release Writing

One of the innumerable ways to put your interest and knowledge about your favorite sport(s) to work is through press release writing.

There are a number of companies related to sports in some fashion. Tons of websites, web companies, fitness centers, businesses hosting charity sports events, etc., need knowledgeable experts to help promote their sports-related events. If you know and love your sport, learn to write press releases.

Sports press release writing does entail a bit more than, say, an in depth knowledge of golf, or basketball, or tennis, for example. Writers should obtain a fair amount of knowledge of written sales techniques, since that is essentially what you will be doing. They should also learn about the companies for which they will be writing.

For tons of press release samples, visit PRWeb.com and PRNewsWire.com. You'll have to register, but it's free and they'll be great resources for the future.

Another good reason to branch out, or specialize, in sports press releases is the pay is often better. Companies stand to make a lot of money from getting the word out, as a result, they are often willing to pay for a great, impactful press release.

Further your sportswriting reach, learn to write sports press releases.