Ask HN: I want to make money by helping Hackers write better

[angelaenglund]

Hey Hacker News,

As I understand it I'm a good writer and a better editor. I also realized that I have an excellent source of information on the tech world due to my SO being a developer. I often find myself rewriting other people's works and recently an old developer friend called me up to see if I'd rewrite some of his copy for money because he doesn't write as well as he programs.

I realize this is an opportunity for business and that HN, according to my SO, is a source of not only developers but entrepreneurs.

So here I am asking HN: how should I get into this business? What steps should I take?

Thanks for reading.

[shanecleveland]

You could keep an eye on Hacker News for developers showing off their projects and spend some time going over their writing/copy, improve one page or section and the show it to them/offer it for free. They may see some value in having you do more or allow you to use them as an example for a "portfolio" or testimonial.

I assume much of this writing/copy will be online, so SEO knowledge will likely be important or something to emphasize.

Copy is often an afterthought, so you would need to develop concrete examples showing how your service is worthwhile.

[ssylee]

You mentioned the need to develop concrete examples showing how rewriting copy is worthwhile. However, even if you're starting out for free, you won't have examples to show for it. How appropriate do you think it is to show other people's examples before doing for free to gather your own examples?

[shanecleveland]

I'm not sure I understand your question. My suggestion is to seek out copy to rewrite by mining projects posted on HN, take the initiative to rewrite it and then present the new copy to the project owner. The project owner can use it as they see fit or not at all. But it may open up doors for actual paid work or at least provide testimonials, references, examples to show potential paying clients and demonstrate some value. Perhaps it won't work. And it may help to prove whether there is a viable market or not.

[angelaenglund]

I like your idea, it's pretty similar to what I've been thinking. I think I see what ssylee is getting at, that it might be a bit weird or rude to just show up with someone's polished up writing without getting their permission first. I'd rather they come to me.

Again, I think it's a good idea. Execution is key here.

[shanecleveland]

Right. I certainly wasn't suggesting to improve and publish someone else's copy without their permission. I meant for you to polish their copy and then approach them with it. Some may see it as weird or rude, but probably not if you broach the subject correctly. You wouldn't want to come of as a comment troll nitpicking minor grammar mistakes. You are doing them a favor – providing your editing and writing services for free. But hopefully they would agree to provide a reference or testimonial, and maybe they would pay you to do more. Execution is key. If clients just came to you, you probably wouldn't be asking.

[mnicole]

This is a great suggestion. Every day I see a Show HN or two that are probably losing potential users due to the lack of product information or overload of it. Today Tent.io falls in the latter category, way too much going on for me to digest at-a-glance. I just want a paragraph-pitch, if that.

[MarlonPro]

Write To Done (http://writetodone.com/) & Jeff Goins Writer (http://goinswriter.com/) come to mind.

Start offering something for FREE - a blog about how to write better for tech startups or ebook on the same topic, or better yet combination of those two.

Identify who you write for and have signup form on the blog. Offer free ebook for those who sign up. Build an email list.

Establish your authority on your niche.

This is not an overnight effort but this is one good way to get a headstart IMHO.

[angelaenglund]

Looks like some good websites, thanks for sharing.

I think what you're suggesting isn't a bad idea. However, it's editing I want to do, not writing. I had thought long and hard about doing something like you suggested before. It may still be worth doing with a focus on editing.

[adrianmsmith]

Ideally you could work for friends (e.g. of your SO) doing technical writing. For example charging by the hour.

Otherwise, you could advertise yourself on job platforms such as www.odesk.com or www.elance.com.

[treeder]

You could start by reaching out to companies you have relationships with. We could probably use someone like you.