Archives for March 2016

5 Ways for Remote Workers to Stay in Shape

March 29, 2016 by FWJ Leave a Comment

Being a freelance writer means spending lots of time at home sitting in front of a computer. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the opportunity to stay in shape. Because your time is a bit more flexible than the rest of the nine to five world, you have some other perks, if you’re willing to use them.

When it comes to fitness and exercise, though some of you may have to learn how to push through the barrier of “I can’t do it” mindset, the actual keeping in shape part really isn’t all that difficult.

Consider the following five ways for remote workers to stay in shape. [Read more…]

How to Stay On Top of Your Freelance Taxes

March 29, 2016 by FWJ Leave a Comment

When you first went freelance you likely heard horror stories about having to wait for months for your work to be published so that you could finally get paid for it. Other freelancers told you all about that time they had to hound a client like crazy to get them to pay for work that had been completed. You were prepared for that. You were prepared for potential clients to convince you that you should work for “exposure,” and to have to work your way up to the big publications and really well-paying work.

What you weren’t prepared for were taxes. [Read more…]

Blog Post Ideas: How to Identify what Your Audience Wants to Read

March 28, 2016 by FWJ 1 Comment

Content is probably the single most important thing when you are content writer, blogger, or a content marketer. This is why so much effort is poured in by people in those niches every day to make it as good as it can be. However, creating brilliant content is only half the battle. You need to make sure to promote it properly and get it in front of your target audience.

But what if that fails? You’ve written a post which you are proud of, and you’ve done a hell of a job promoting it across all social media platforms, only to receive a lukewarm response from your audience.

The Case for Running Your Own Blog While Freelance Writing

First of all, don’t beat yourself up, because this sort of thing is quite common. Bloggers will often work hard to put out truly brilliant content, which they think their audience will want to read, and end up with meager results.

The problem with this approach is that just because you think your audience will love the topic, doesn’t mean you are right. So, in order to engage your audience, you need to figure what it is they are going to love. Here are 6 effective ways to get the right blog post ideas. [Read more…]

Keep a Healthy Balance Sheet With This Freelance Tax 2016 Guide

March 17, 2016 by Noemi 1 Comment

Most everyone does a Christmas countdown, but I don’t know a single person who does one for Tax Day. We might as well do it since there is no escaping paying taxes – unless you want a visit from the IRS.

So, 32 days till that wondrous day: April 18. [Read more…]

Beyond Going Viral: How to Write For People Who Love To Read

March 17, 2016 by FWJ Leave a Comment

Writing for the web requires a keen understanding of social media. If an article or blog post is going to gain traction, it needs to have a highly sharable angle. But beyond going viral, the best writers create content that is rewarding and informative.

This doesn’t mean every piece you write has to be a scholarly dissertation. In fact, readers often find a simple, direct style to be the most appealing. But there’s a hitch: achieving a simple style is harder than it might initially seem. [Read more…]

How to Write Compelling Content That Grabs Your Readers’ Attention

March 16, 2016 by FWJ 3 Comments

Part of the challenge of being a professional writer is always being “on.” In other words, when you write for six, eight, or 10 hours per day, how can you continue to pump out quality content that’s both engaging and error-free? It’s difficult, for sure. However, it’s also incredibly important if you want to have a healthy and profitable career. [Read more…]

How to Set Goals as a Freelance Writer

March 14, 2016 by Noemi 5 Comments

As a freelance writer, setting goals is crucial to getting out into the world and being successful at it. There’s no boss standing over our shoulder, telling us what work needs to be done and when. You are the employer and the employee. It’s completely up to us how much work get done and how well we do it.

Goal setting will keep you accountable and gives you something to work towards. [Read more…]

Quick Ways to Earn Extra Money When You’re in Dire Straits

March 9, 2016 by Noemi 3 Comments

Most freelance writers cannot imagine themselves going back to a corporate setting where job stability – and salary – is practically guaranteed. As we found out in our survey, The State of Freelance Writers in 2015 , the main issue that freelance writers face is uncertainty in income.

For sure, all of us have faced this problem at least once. There are those periods when we are flush, but there are times when we just don’t know how we’re going to manage.

During these times, it’s easy to fall prey to desperation and depression, but there are ways to handle things. When you’re in dire financial straits, you can either “give up” or find solutions.

Let’s be positive and choose the latter, shall we? [Read more…]