Bringing Community Back! FWJ is Giving Away $150

Once upon a time there was a blog. This blog had several thousand visitors each day. They shared. They chatted. They commiserated. It was all good. Soon some mean people came by and began scaring away the happy chatters. The vibe changed from warm and fuzzy to not so much fun anymore. The owner did her best to build up community, but she was so busy with her projects and her job it wasn’t happening. She put a comment policy into place but the damage was already done. She had a reputation for having a community that liked to bicker.

She wants to change that.

If you remember the days when FWJ was a huge, lively community of writers helping writers, you may miss the golden days as well. Let’s try and get it all back. Several years ago, we built this community with a contest – a comments contest. We offered a $25 gift certficate to the person with the most comments. People came and never left. It was good.

We’re doing it again, except we’re upping the ante.

Beginning today, October 1st, we’re giving away $150 to the people who help to bring back this wonderful community. We’re giving away three $50 prizes.

• The person with the most comments between now and October 31st, on the homepage Freelance Writing Jobs blog, will receive $50.
• The person with the most comments across the whole FWJ network by the end of the month, that’s all of the blogs, will receive $50.
• The FWJ blogger who does the most to build community and join the conversation will win $50 at the end of the month.

Just a few notes:

• Comments that only say ” I agree” or add nothing to the conversation won’t count.
• Comments not adhering to our comment policy will be deleted and won’t count.
• Spammy comments or comment dropping links – unless they’re truly offering something to the conversation – won’t count.

I know you’re here. I see the numbers. Thousand of people visit each day and even more subscribe. Come join the conversation. Let’s bring community back!

Do Freelance Writers Need Business Cards?

I just splurged on some new business cards. My friend Randa Clay designed them and I paid for quality printing. I didn’t use one of those free except for shipping places as I had in the past, because I wanted a unique design.

When I first began freelancing I didn’t really think much of business cards. My work was mostly web based and I had a website and some blogs, so why did I need a business card? Once I began face to face networking, I realized the importance of sending folks home with my number and email address.

Let me throw out a few scenarios:

Scenario #1

You’re in a restaurant. The menu is filled with misspellings and grammatical errors. You would like to help. You approach the manager and he’s interested. You reach into your purse, pull out a matchbook and eyeliner and give him your number.

Not too professional, right? You may have blown it. The restaurant manager may see you write on a matchbook or even using a pen on a scrap of paper and wonder if you have much experience with this sort of thing. However, handing him a business card shows him you’re a true professional. Plus, there’s less chance of it being thrown out by accident.

Scenario #2

You’re at a conference. You’re taking to the people around you while waiting for a speakers to take the podim. One of the people sitting at your table hires writers for various projects. You rummage through your bag for something to write with but the session begins. Not wanting to make noise, you decide to wait until the session is over. The potential client leaves before it ends, without your details and you never see her again. If you had a business card you could have handed her one right away, which she could then tuck  in her pocket for future reference.

Scenario #3

You’re at a networking session for local businesses.  You mix and mingle and you’re rocking the house. An executive from a reputable, big budget firm asks for your card. You don’t have one but hunt up a paper and pen. By the time you’re done the executive is gone, unimpressed with your lack of professionalism.

Ok. Granted. You probably wouldn’t attend any kind of networking event without business cards. Even so, I think you get the point. You never know when a situation will present itself. You never know when the school principal or local car dealership will need to hire a writer. You may even encounter some people who are planning to hire writers but haven’t yet taken the steps to do so. By giving them your card, you may have effectively eliminated the competition.

I splurged for custom desgined business cards, but if that’s out of your budget, you have plenty of options. You can try a service such as Vista Print that will print up a couple of hundred business cards and you only pay shipping (less than $15), or you can buy a program and the card stock and print up your own. There was a time when I didn’t think business cards were necessary, but I was wrong. In fact, having business cards took my career to a whole other level. Something about business cards tells people you’re a professional and you can get the job done.

Leave those matchbooks and scraps of paper in the bottom of your briefcase where they belong. Instead, stick some business cards in your pocket. You’ll find the effort is well worth it.

5 Tips for Finding Work Between Freelance Writing Gigs

When it comes to making money, we’re only as good as our paying clients. Whether we’re providing content for websites or copy for a brochure, we rely on these projects to keep us from going into debt. What happens when the projects dry up or we’re between clients?

How do we work when there is no work? By finding more work, of course!

1. Troll the job boards: If your existing clients don’t have work for you, it’s time to find some new clients. Go back to your favorite job boards to find new people to work for, or one off gigs to keep busy. Some job boards such as Craigslist get a bum rap, the truth is, all job boards have their share of scammers and Craigslist has more legitimate, high paying opportunities than it does scammy people.
2. Find some online writing work to supplement your income: Demand Studios, WiseGeek and LoveToKnow are just a few content sites with good reputations. Use these to keep the money flowing between clients.
3. Do some cold calling: Clients don’t always come to us, we also have to find clients. Cold calling is not a freelance writer’s favorite thing to do, but it can yield some very lucrative results.
4. Touch base with former clients: Just because your clients aren’t calling, doesn’t mean they don’t have projects. They might have several jobs piling up but haven’t had a chance to reach out. Call or email clients just to “touch base.” Even if they don’t have work, it will keep you fresh in their minds for future projects.
5. Network: Meeting people at conferences, professional organizations and via online social networks can lead to opportunities. Don’t rule out the face to face just because it’s so much easier to network online.

What are some of the ways you find work when you’re between gigs?

The Phone is Your Friend – Use it!

If I had my druthers, all of my freelance writing business would be conducted via email and Skype. It’s so much easier. I don’t have to put on my happy voice. Don’t have to wear my game face. If I don’t feel like getting all schmoozy, I don’t have to.  For me though, a telephone is an essential tool, one too many freelance writers are quick to avoid.

Let me explain a bit more…

I have a client. She hired me to help build her online presence and she hates the phone too. We’ve been emailing back and forth for weeks and I’m still failing to see her mission. Finally I insisted on a phone call and she reluctantly agreed. In 20 minutes I was able to determine what it is she really wanted and now we’re rocking the gig.

By taking to the phone I was able to:

• Use her voice to gauge her feelings about my ideas
• Use sincerity in my voice to reassure her that the project will go well
• Flesh out her wants and needs
• Take our relationship to a whole other level

Email, instant messaging and social media are great tools. They’re tools used to build relationships and land business connections. Sometimes a face to face meeting or a phone call is needed to hit that home run.  When we hear voices we can judge emotions better as tones can’t be conveyed as well via email. Voices help to build trust and confidence.

Many writers don’t want to do the face to face or voice thing as they insist they can do all their business via email. This is true. A phone isn’t needed nowadays at all. Just because something isn’t necessary doesn’t mean it doesn’t make good business sense though.

Don’t just go the distance, go the extra mile. You may think your clients won’t notice, but they will.

5 Reasons Not to Burn Your Bridges

So you lost a gig. Maybe your client felt you weren’t a good fit. Maybe she ran out of funding or maybe  it was you who wasn’t feeling the job. Does that mean you should go openly badmouthing your former employer all over Twitter or the forums? Does that mean you should ignore this former clients emails and questions? No. No, it doesn’t.

You may be unhappy with the present circumstances, but burning bridges doesn’t do anyone any good. Before you start talking smack about the people you used to work for, consider this:

5 Reasons Not to Burn Your Bridges

1. Your Client May Be Back in Business One Day

If your client had to let you go or take a break because his funding ran out, that doesn’t mean he has no intention of using you again in the future. That money may begin flowing again soon. By burning your bridges, you’re erasing the possibility of him contacting you once he’s back in a position to hire your services.

2. Your Client May Want to Recommend You to Others

If you did a good job for your client and parted on good terms, she may want to recommend you to others. If she doesn’t trust you anymore, this won’t happen. Every future client has the ability to recommend you to another client or two and so on, don’t blow it by saying or doing things you may regret.

3. You May Need that Client One Day

What happens when you need a job recommendation or testimonial? If you’re bashing your former clients on your blog and it’s not pretty, they’re not going to want to put in a good word for you.

4. No One Wants to Hang Around with Mr. Grumpy

Self explanatory, really.

5. It May Turn Off a Potential Client

Why would any potential client want to hire someone who is indiscreet or saying unkind things about the people he has worked for before? Before you bash a client, keep in mind that words do stay online forever and they can come back to haunt you.

Bad feelings happen, it’s only natural and writing is a good release. Before you fire off angry missives and hit “enter” or “send”, think about what you’re doing and how it will affect your future.

When you burn bridges you’re not hurting your client as much as you’re hurting yourself.

5 Rocking Good Business Practices for Freelance Writers

Being a success as a freelance writer isn’t only about being a good writer. It’s about rocking the customer service and being a good communicator.  When your clients are happy, they’re less likely to argue over pay increases and more likely to refer you to other potential clients.  Here are some tips to help:

5 Rocking Good Business Practices for Freelance Writers

1. Be Flexible:

Good clients are hard to find. I mean, we’ve all had annoying clients and we’ve all had ok clients but model clients are few and far between. Why clients act the way they do is another post for another time, however, it should go without saying that we want our clients to be happy. We especially want our model clients to be happy. This means we have to be a bit flexible.

Being flexible can mean several different things. For instance, we can be flexible with our rates. We don’t want to sell ourselves short but there’s nothing wrong with adjusting our rates to land a desired project or giving a discount on a large project to our good clients.

We can also be flexible with our time now and then by staying up later to talk to an overseas client or meeting a tough deadline.  This isn’t to say we should always give in to difficult clients, but being flexible for our good clients is never a bad thing.

2. Say Thank You:

Do you send thank you notes after job interviews?  I do. Even if I don’t get the gig I think it’s a good practice. It keeps me on the potential client’s radar as being someone who goes the extra mile.Clients and employers are impressed by good manners and may tuck that thank you away for future reference.

Do you send thank you notes to clients after projects are completed? I do. I thank clients for the opportunity. Again, the good manners stand out. I’m not just someone who takes the money and runs. I thank clients for opportunities and I thank potential clients for their consideration. This is the difference between “save” and “delete”.

3. Follow Up:

Ok. So you finished a project. Now what? Send it in and wait for your check? Well, you could do that. Wouldn’t it be a better practice to send a note to your client to follow up? How did he like the project? Was it to his expectations? Were there any issues? Any tweaks?

Chances are, if there were any changes to be your client would have contacted you, but your following up will win points in your favor. Points that can add up to referrals, recommendations and raises.

4. Don’t Ignore Your Email:

If not tended to regularly email can pile up to become the bane of a writers existence. This can be a mistake if a client or potential client’s email is lost in the shuffle. No one likes to feel ignored. If you’re swamped for time, at least send a “I have received your email. I am not able to respond at the moment, but I will look it over in a couple of hours when I have more time to give it the response it deserves.” This lets the client know you did see his email and will respond, even if it’s not right away.

5. Communicate:

Clients like freelancers who can work independently, but they also like to feel as if they’re in control – or at least that they know what’s going on. Many freelancers have successful relationships with their clients because they send them a daily or weekly status report. This lets the client know where the freelancer is with the project, if there have been any problems, and if the client needs to send the freelancer more information or tools.

Your client may not respond at all, but receiving periodic updates will offer reassurance that he has selected a mature, responsible freelancer for his task.

It’s all about respect

These things aren’t rocket science, in most cases they’re good manners and good business. It used to be second nature to treat our clients with respect, and make them feel important. Somehow though, we’re losing a little of this.

It’s not enough to land the client, what will you do to keep your client?

How Are We Doing? Please Take the Survey

Hi friends of the Freelance Writing Jobs blog network. In order to make FWJ a more pleasant, user friendly and informative experience, we need to periodically gauge our readers’ opinions. I hope you don’t mind taking a couple of minutes out of your busy schedule and taking our brief survey.

It’s all anonymous, we’re not collecting names. By filling it out it will let us know a little about your habits and your thoughts about this network.

Click Here to take survey

Thanks, once again, for your continued support.

Thank you so much for your time!

- Deb