Ebyline is a network that links professional freelance writers with some of the best publishers and editors in the business. They regularly offer assignments from extremely well known publications such as The Miami Herald, The L.A. Times and even copywriting work from Intel. These are some of the best writing gigs available anywhere so you want to try getting in with this company.

I’m sure you are all busy this week, but you really want to take the time to read about this company. Ebyline is a real treasure. For those who use the system the amount of money you earn is entirely up to how much effort you put into it.

Getting Started

Signing up is easy enough, just visit the website at Ebyline.com. The application process is a bit more difficult as they want not only the normal profile information but also a full resume. For the kind of money you can earn, it is well worth the time and effort. There are several things that go into the application process and it’s important to pay close attention when applying.

Samples

The samples they want are recent, within the last year. These are examples of paid freelance work you have done. If you have older samples from print, editorial and reporting jobs you can also include them.

Education

A degree in journalism isn’t required but it helps. They want to know that you are academically qualified. Degrees in communication and English are also good. Any degree can be useful as it could be why you have the in-depth knowledge of a particular area that they are wanting.

Knowledge

The application will ask you to demonstrate a deep knowledge of a particular area or beat. Play this up, it’s important. Your knowledge and recent freelance samples are the most important components. It doesn’t really matter what the particular area of knowledge is, just that you have one. I have friends there who run the gamut: one is an expert in political economy and another on Poodles. The articles you will be pitching are very diverse and you are not limited to your specific area of expertise.

References

If you have journalism or editorial references be sure to include them. This leads to an interesting way to bypass the entire application process: if you are working with an editor that already uses Ebyline, ask for an invite. If they send you one then you don’t have to fill out the application process at all.

After all of that you wait….for about a week. Often it’s less but give them a week to get to your application. After you are approved you can login to the platform and get started.

Your profile

This is very important. Even after you have developed a reputation on Ebyline, new clients are going to be looking for writers with particular skills. You want to be sure that all skills, interests and abilities are listed and searchable. The profile is easy to set up and shouldn’t take very long but it is important to be thorough.

Unlike most online writing platforms, Ebyline doesn’t just do the pitch and sell. Companies that are actively looking for new freelance writers will search here. These clients may never post an assignment on the Pitch Board but they will be searching through profiles and contacting those writers who have skills that match their needs. Make sure that you view your profile as they would and make sure it showcases your talents.

Pitching a story

Once you find topics that interest you, pitch the story directly to the company. If they like it you will write the article and once it’s accepted you get paid. Here is how it works:

After you login to your account you click on the link to the Pitch Board. You will see all sorts of topics and jobs. You can sort through them to find the ones you want or you can browse looking for something that sparks your interest. After you find it you should read all of the details and then pitch the story. You will be paid the amount listed or you can negotiate the amount. If you feel the amount is low, then make the pitch and request more money. They can accept or counter offer. Once the amount is agreed upon you will write the story by the deadline set by the system, typically a week.

Once you have pitched and written several articles, it’s probable that you will start being contacted by those who liked the previous work that you have done for them. This is a platform that builds long-term relationships between writers and clients.

Selling your own work

Ebyline is also a great place to post and sell your own content. In a manner similar to pitching, you write and post your article. A client sees it and purchases it from you. You set the price but you should expect a bit of negotiation from the client. It’s not unusual though for the client to simply pay for the article to have immediate access to it.

You also have the ability to post and sell photos and videos through Ebyline. This is done in the same manner as an article. This is especially helpful for clients because they can buy a photo from one person and an article from another. This ability to fulfill all of their needs in one place keeps them coming back to Ebyline.

If you sell your own articles, photos and videos, Ebyline will take 8% of the fee. That’s reasonable for offering the platform and it makes it easy to simply calculate that fee into the price of the media.

Writing the article

This company has a great writing platform with all of the bells and whistles you could want including a great automatic save feature. Unlike the vast majority of companies, you can even include photos and videos. It’s certainly not required in most cases but it’s nice to have it available.

In the event you pitch an article and the client wants a photo, you can always use one of the Commons free photos or fair use photos. Links are available on Ebyline to necessary photo sources.

Editing

There is editing here but the editors are quick, friendly and very efficient. It’s primarily grammar and spelling checks being done as the content itself is between you and the client. I’ve never heard of a complaint with the editing process at Ebyline and that is a huge plus for the company.

The Dashboard

There was no point in mentioning the Dashboard until now. Until you start working it’s a pretty pointless place. It has all of your data on it but that is nothing special. When you start working the Dashboard roars to life! You will see your deadlines, the projects you have completed, projects waiting approval, how much you have earned and any comments or questions from clients. It’s a fantastic hub of activity that lets you see at a glance everything you have going on at Ebyline.

Payment

Would you be surprised to learn that they pay through Paypal? I didn’t think so but you will be pleasantly surprised to hear that they also pay weekly. This is one of the few companies that pays weekly and that makes it easy to plan your expenses as well as your work.

Ebyline has one of the best automated invoicing systems in the business. For the writer, it gets no easier than this: You do nothing. Everything is automatic on your end. You just write and the platform takes care of the rest. The client pays a small fee to Ebyline but that doesn’t concern you. You get paid the full quoted price.

How much can you earn?

The answer to this question is based entirely on how much you work, what projects you accept etc. The low range for a 500-word article is $50. This makes Ebyline one of the best paying sites on the Internet. If you are tired of bidding sites where you get maybe $5 for a 500-word article, give this place a shot.

What you need to focus on at Ebyline

• Getting hired. You want to do an extremely good job on your application. This is probably the most important factor. Once you are in then you need to set up a good profile and start pitching jobs. You should anticipate 15-20 jobs being completed before you will generate enough interest to have clients requesting you.

• Consider putting your own content up for sale here. This is going to be where you get the top dollar for it on the Internet so this should be your first place to try selling it.

• Your profile is the final thing you need to place a great deal of focus on because it’s how clients will find you when they are scouting for new freelancers.

That’s it folks. Ebyline is probably one of the top three websites when it comes to pay scale so even though the application may seem a little daunting and involved it is certainly worth the effort. This site, unlike most others, can also be a springboard for national and even international recognition for your writing so apply today you have nothing to lose.