One of the first things you learn when you start writing is that writing isn’t easy.
Whether you’re nearing the end of a long novel or writing the first sentence in a short story, coming up with the inspiration and the verve to keep the words flowing – and having the confidence to stop yourself from throwing the pages out – is far from a simple task. [Read more…]
Did you know that 6.7 million people blog on blogging sites? Are you looking for how to stand out from the crowd by having beautiful images?
Blogging isn’t just about creating original and new content for the internet and ranking in the search results, it’s also about providing value to your audience and giving them a nice experience while on your site as well.
As a freelancer writer, the option to just focus on writing text and articles is often key, but images also play an importance role in this overall process as well. Images provide better finalized work, engagement and reading for site visitors, and of course better value and content for the site owners and brands that are buying it.
In this article, discover the secrets to finding a great image for your blog articles every time. Read on to discover these secrets so you’ll ensure you can have a successful blog and not a flop.
When is the last time you read an article online that was just straight text and no images in it? It probably wasn’t any time recently. Nearly all articles have some type of visuals and the best ones are using them to break apart content, use visuals as examples and even to create original infographics to bring data to life.
With all of this in mind, as a freelancer, you should always consider adding images to the content you are writing for your clients. Here are a few reasons why.
For the most part, the writing process is what’s going to take the most time. When looking for images for your content, there are so many free resources and royalty free images available, it’s just a matter of knowing where to look and spending a few minutes to get the job done.
When an article is sent to the client for review, a doc full of words and content is always great. However, what’s even better is having a document full of content and visuals as well. This way the client can post everything right to the site, while making it easier to read and visually appealing for all site visitors.
There are also plenty of images that you can use with royalty free rights to help you create better content for your own or client sites. Be sure to check out a site like Stock Photo Secrets to not only find some of the best sites out there for images, but also how you can start using free image editing software to create and modify your own images.
As simple as it is to find and add a few images to your article content, this little addition can go a long way–and not just in the form of better engagement and content being easier to read. It’s also a service that freelancers can offer to upsell their services and earn more per completed article as well.
Now that you have a better understanding on why images should always be a requirement when creating content online, now let’s walk through a few tips and resources to make the image finding process even easier.
When you’re searching for high-quality images, don’t use a super long search and don’t use a one-word search either. Instead, use a 2-3 word phrase to find an image. Consider related images as well when using your search term. Avoid pictures that seem like they’re from a stock photo site, and ensure they go with your brand.
Plan out what you want your images to convey to your audience. Visit the top websites in your niche to see what images they choose and that are successful.
Ensure the image you choose will look good no matter if your audience is on their computer, phone, or tablet. When you save your images, experiment with the different types to see what works best. PNG is great for illustration and color, GIF is great for animation, and JPEG loses quality even though it’s good for images.
In order to find an image and think, I really really really like this image, it’s best to take your own photos. You’ll firstly have your own unique images that can be SEO friendly. Not only can you save money, but you don’t have to worry about copyright infringement.
You can even create color palette on images to make it more fun and colorful.
Pixabay has free images for blogging you can find. Whether you’re looking for serious or crazy images, Pixabay has you covered. You just click on any image to see a pop-up box with several image sizes available. You can then download and save images, plus it’s easy to use.
You can either search on Bigstock through their on-site search box or use their home page footer. You can also use autocomplete for quick searches. You can easily find images that are popular or aren’t popular yet. If you create an account, you can choose a free image every week.
It has a subscription model where you can receive a certain amount of downloads for a monthly fee. You can try out their 7-day free trial to see how you like their image choices.
If you are going to be doing any type of infographic creation, you will likely find a great selection of vectors and images that can be used within your artwork. The important thing to remember during the image selection and infographic process, is to make sure you are using high-quality content visuals, while also focusing your effort on bullet-points and key words and phrases — meaning, you shouldn’t have a lot of text.
iStockPhoto has credit packs and subscription plans available. It has a large range of filters you can choose to find the right managed stock photography. You can also find flash and audio animations, as well as video. When you click on an image thumbnail, a large photo will pop out.
Flickr is great for high-quality nice images of real-life such as nature or landscape. You can also choose graphic works for abstract concepts.
Now that you read this guide, you can find a great image for your blogging needs while also potentially increasing your profits and revenue in the process.
Would you like to learn more about bringing your business to life? Check out our other articles on Freelance Writing Gigs.
It is predicted that by 2027, the majority of the US workforce will be freelancers.
Just let that sink in for a second. In less than ten years’ time, more people will be in freelance than in traditional employment.
If you’re a freelance writer, it will become increasingly important to ensure you remain visible in a crowded market. That’s why creating a writing portfolio is vital. With more money pouring into this space, there will also be a lot more freelancers and competitors to fight against. However, for those who are willing to put in the time, work and effort… the potential for higher earnings and revenue is also there.
Read on as take a look at how to put together a writing portfolio that will make you stand out from the crowd.
With so much competition out there, one of the best ways to get ahead is to get a strong track record for writing in specific niches.
That way you can market yourself to people needing content in that niche. Your portfolio should give examples of how well you can write on that specific topic.
A perfect example of this would be social media marketing vs. ecommerce and online shops. They are both focused towards promotion and end users converting to buyers, but they are also two completely different styles of writing. Social media marketing is more about engagment and interest, while ecommerce is more product focused and informational.
You don’t need to limit yourself to just one niche, but don’t go overboard. The more niches you offer, the more diluted your expertise can appear.
By the same token, don’t fill your portfolio with every piece you’ve ever written. It’s all about quality, not quantity.
There are two things you need to keep in mind when selecting the pieces you’ll include. Firstly, choose those pieces that show off your writing skills the most, and are solidly within the niche that you’re targeting.
Secondly, select those pieces that you’ve done for well-known clients. If you’ve had work published by big names, this is going to make you stand out from the crowd, so make sure you put that work front and center. Try not to include work that is too out of date.
If a client finds two portfolios that both have great writing in the desired niche, then how do they choose?
One deciding factor might be your bio. Clients will want to know a little about the writer that will be working for them. This is your chance to sell yourself although you shouldn’t go over the top.
Explain what you do and how you do it, and remember that this is a chance to show off your writing skills. Include your experience, especially in the niches that you’re targeting. If you’ve worked for any big-name clients, be sure to drop their names in.
In addition to comparing two portfolios or resumes side by side, there is also an advantage for any freelancer that has a strong social media profile as well. Not only does social media bring legitimacy to individuals over those who don’t have it, it also shows another enhanced skill that might be sought after by the client.
The better your personal bio, brand and social media presense looks online, the more likely you are to stand out from the crowd.
You can have the best writing in the world, but if your portfolio looks a mess, no one is going to read it.
Make sure it looks clean and easy to read. Don’t include full articles on the page; instead, use snippets with links to the full articles.
There are plenty of online portfolio templates you can use to make sure that it looks as smart as possible. It’s worth making the effort to create a portfolio page that people want to visit.
And again, focusing on the social media aspect — make sure you are linking out to your portfolio and resume through your social profiles. Not only will this share your expertise and work with different audiences, it will also help potential clients find your work if they are looking your name up through Google or on different platforms.
If you’re creating a writing portfolio or doing any type of freelance writing, you should definitely be implementing these recommendations and tips into your daily efforts. As more people enter into this space, it will be harder to find new work, while also keeping consistant buyers month after month.
To learn more about this process and how to become a better writer, be sure to check out the various writing resources throughout this site. There are hundreds of articles that cover a wide range of other topics related to creative writing, starting a freelance business and also a job board to help you find more work.
There’s a lot to juggle as a small business owner and you have to make the most of every minute to move your business forward.
Unfortunately, many fail to optimize their productivity. Some ignore self-care to the detriment of their mental clarity and ability to focus while others spend their time on low-value busywork that doesn’t yield high-impact results.
Here are 12 tips to help you stay productive throughout the day: [Read more…]
In 2012, there were more than three million job openings. If you think about how many people will have applied for those jobs, then the number of job applications is off the charts. Throw the world of freelance writing and design, and outsourced projects into the mix and this number likely doubles.
With so many freelancers and professionals applying for jobs, it’s easy for your application to get lost in the crowd. You might be the perfect candidate for the job, but if you don’t make the interviews, they’ll never get the chance to find out.
Before they even get to your resume, recruiters will look at your cover letter. Creating cover letters that stand out is vital if you want your resume to make it to the right pile.
Read on as we look at the characteristics of the best cover letters.
Imagine you’re hiring for a position. Then imagine how bored you’re going to get from reading the following line: I am writing to apply for the position of blah, blah, blah.
As a freelancer, you are already fighting for posititon amongst millions of other freelancers. This is why it’s impotant to make your cover letter stand out by opening strongly. They already know what job you’re applying for, so get straight in there and tell them why you’re the person they should be hiring.
You would be amazed at how many people never mention this in their cover letter. And also keep in mind, this isn’t just for your benefit, but also for anyone who is looking to hire as well. The easier you can make the hiring and decision process for the end user, the more likely you are to get the job.
They fill it with information about their experience and skills and why it makes them the ideal candidate. But they never actually say why it is that they want the job they’re applying for.
Tell them why you want the job and you’re in a much stronger position.
It’s all too easy when writing your cover letter to get bogged down in generalizations.
Saying you have “four years of experience in IT” doesn’t really say anything at all. Four years doing what, exactly? What kind of IT?
Be specific about your experience, but also make sure that the specifics that you focus on are the ones most relevant to the role. Telling them about your excellent Word skills is not much use if the job requires you to work in Google Docs.
We’ve already looked at the sheer number of applications that get submitted every year.
Pity the person that has to read them all. They will honestly thank you for your brevity if you keep your cover letter to just the important information, and nothing more. Make sure you use a lot of empty space rather than cramping all your text together making it harder to read.
You should also try to make it look as appealing as possible. There are plenty of cover letter for resume templates out there that you can use.
Having a website is now standard practice for freelancers and anyone who might be looking for new work. However, it would also be a huge mistake to not take advantage of social media as well. This is especially true if you want to use social media for business.
Just some quick reasons to include your social information within your cover letter are:
In short, unless you have a bad history or content on social media, there is really no reason for you to not list your social profiles amongst your general contact information on your cover letters.
For freelancers in content writing or design, it’s extremely important to make sure you have a cover letter than stands out and grabs the attention of the user’s eye. With hundreds or thousands of potential hires submitting resumes for new work, you need to take advantage of every opportunity available.
If you aren’t a graphic design, adding some color and excitement to your cover page can be as simple as loading your Word Doc of files into PowerPoint or Google Slides, and then creating a presentation, but then also saving it as a PDF file.
Lastly, if you are taking the time to critique your resume for each different job or opportunity you are applying for, you may want to look over the job training specs listed on their site. That way, if they are listing Microsoft Word or Excel program training, and this is something you are already specialized in, then this is something you would want to highlight or point out.
You can then submit this more attractive cover sheet or resume the same way you would submit any other PDF files.
As a freelancer, creating cover letters that stand out is only the first step on your journey to your dream job. If you’re looking for more tips and advice then you’re in the right place.
For more great content on all aspects of business and the world of freelancing, be sure to check out the latest job openings and articles posted on Freelance Writing Gigs.
If you’re looking for more online writing jobs, the CBD and cannabis industry maybe one of the fastest-growing markets. The global cannabinoid market was worth $4.6 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to continue growing with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.2% every year until 2025. The demand for CBD for medical and wellness purposes is high as a result of its healing properties. This is the key factor driving the growth of the market.
That’s great news if you’re a freelance writer. [Read more…]
If you’re a freelance writer or a blog owner, you can relate to this: you’ve put in a lot of hard work in writing your article, no matter if it’s a 500- or 3,000-word post. You’ve created well-researched content full of substance and value, and written in a compelling yet easy-to-understand manner but you’re still not getting the desired number of readers. How to get traffic to your blog is a perennial problem for the likes of us. Sounds familiar? [Read more…]
