Should You Become a Blogger?

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I know FWJ has covered a great deal of ground since it began, but for the sake of not missing a step, I’d like to start at the beginning for those who may be new and perhaps bring something new to the table for those who have been around for a while.

As I stated in my initial introduction post, this blog is all about you! If there’s something in particular you’d like us to focus on, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email or leave a suggestion in the comments section.

Thanks to the advancements of social media – most people know what a “blog” is. For the sake of discussion we’ll jump back to the very definition and move forward.

How does that sound?

What is a Blog?

Blog a slang term derived from the words web log. Blogs quickly became one of the most widespread, quick growing, trends on the internet. More and more websites are starting their own blogs or even converting their existing websites to blogs. Blogs are often used to deliver fresh content, promote products, or just about anything you can think of.

Since blogging began, there have been a handful of types that have emerged:

  • Personal bloggers – Without doubt, personal blogs are the most popular. The writer posts journal-like entries on a variety of topics. Many cover politics, daily-life, sports, fashion, news events, etc. These blogs have no point really other than being a form of entertainment for the writer. This seems to be a great medium for “Mommy Bloggers” to feel as though they have a social life too!
  • Business bloggers – With the explosion of social media, businesses have begun using blogs to promote their products or services. Businesses have learned to use blogs as informational resources that add value for their readers rather than using a blog to post in-your-face advertising. Overtly promotional blogs are of little interest to those reading. Strategic uses of a blog in your business can definitely increase sales and enhance the experience of your customers.
  • Organizational bloggers – These bloggers use blogs to communicate with groups of people. Whether the group is a church, school, employees or charitable organization, this can be an excellent way to communicate.

Communication is the key to all human relations and a blog provides an excellent means to do just that. Whether it has to do with the latest news or trends, or just talking about the latest happenings of Hollywood celebrities, a blog is an excellent way to bring communication and information to everyone. And if you can educate and entertain, you’ll likely develop quite a following.

Now you want to know…

Should you blog?

Anyone can blog, but not everyone has what it takes to make it worth your time.

Standard guidelines that may help in determining whether have what it takes to blog:

  • You have a strong interest in a particular topic and could easily speak on the topic regularly and with the public.
  • You have the time and drive to update your blog regularly. Nobody wants to read a blog that is updated once a month.
  • You run a site which promotes your business and desire a means to communicate with your clients.
  • You can handle feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly. Rest assured, at some point, someone will disagree with you.

One of the biggest mistakes a blogger can make is not posting enough. This is something I’ve personally struggled with at times. It’s easy to fall in the trap. However, if you begin a blog I highly recommend you don’t begin posting 2 posts a day if you ultimately wish to post once a week. Whatever you begin with, stick to it.

I won’t lie — a truly successful blog takes a lot of work – and by a lot, I can honestly say there were days I’d invest as much as 10 – 12 hours into my blogging.

Enough preaching – just take special care to post well and post often. You want your readers to return, subscribe, and become engaged – posting regularly will help accomplish that.

10 Skills Freelance Writers Must Have if They Want to Succeed

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Since there are a lot of aspiring freelance writers in the Freelance Writing Jobs community, I thought it would be a good idea to go over some of the most important skills that freelance writers must have if they want to have a chance at being successful.

In other words, if you want to get paid for your writing, you need to make sure you can do the things in the list below.

1. Spell

If you can’t spell and you choose not to use a dictionary or effective spell-checking tool, then you won’t get far as a freelance writer.

2. Follow Grammar Rules

If you don’t know where to put commas and when to capitalize, then you need to learn how — quickly!

3. Proofread

As you write, you need to be aware of spelling and grammar, but it doesn’t end there.  You also need to proofread your work.  Keep in mind, proofreading your own work is never full-proof, but you should try to catch and fix as many errors and inconsistencies as possible.

4. Write Well

If you can’t write well, you won’t get quality writing assignments that can truly grow your career and business.  Make sure you get feedback on your writing by joining a writer’s group or taking some courses.  You can also pursue self-study online or through books about writing to ensure you can actually craft clear, compelling, and well-written content.

5. Market Yourself

You can’t be modest when you’re trying to get work as a freelance writer.  Instead, you need to turn into a marketer and really sell yourself as the person for every gig!  It takes a while to learn how to market yourself, so be prepared to spend time on this part of your business.

6. Research and Fact Check

In order to write, you’ll often need to do research, double check that facts used in your writing are accurate, cite sources, and make sure you can backup your claims.  If research bores you, then freelance writing might not be right for you.

7. Learn New Things

The worlds of publishing and media are changing so fast that writers need to be prepared to write for a wider variety of media and to learn new skills applicable to new media.  For example, writing for the web often requires a knowledge of search engine optimization writing techniques.  Today’s freelance writers are constantly learning new things.

8. Think Like a Business Owner

Freelance writers who work for themselves are small business owners.  They need to manage expenses, pay taxes, invoice clients, collect payments, and more.  These are all business-related tasks that take up time but can’t be avoided.

9. Be Thick-Skinned

Freelance writers need to be able to handle rejection and criticism.  If you’re easily offended when someone tells you they don’t like something you wrote, then freelance writing is probably not the best career choice for you.

10. Be Professional and Communicative

Freelance writers have to communicate with clients, editors, and more on a daily basis.  You need to remain professional at all times.  While the worlds of publishing and media are changing, they’re still proverbially small worlds — which means your reputation is at stake with every interaction because word travels fast within both worlds.

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Tools to Record Interviews Using Skype

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Last week, I published an article called 5 Online Tools Freelance Writers Can Use to Make Life and Business Easier, which offered my suggestions for free and cheap tools that any freelance writer can try.  One of the items on that list was Skype, which enables you to make free calls (including international calls) from your computer.  Skype is free and not only helps freelance writers manage client communication, but it’s also an incredible tool for conducting audio and video interviews.

Want to see a sample of a video taken via a Skype call?  Check out the videos I took using Call Recorder for Mac (discussed later in this post) for Newstex.com.  The video recording feature in Call Recorder allows you to record both parties on the call (using a picture-in-picture feature) or just one party (which is great for those of us who work at home in our pajamas).  You control everything on your end.  The person on the other end of the call just needs a Skype account, a webcam, and a microphone.

Convinced these tools work well?  Take a look at some of the great choices to record the audio and/or video of your own Skype calls.

1. Call Recorder for Mac

I use Call Recorder and love it!  It’s easy to use, cheap, and takes seconds to install.  You can even download a free demo to give it a test drive before you buy the software.  When you’re ready to buy, it’s only $19.95.

2. Total Recorder

Total Recorder for Windows comes in three versions from $17.95 to $53.95 with the more expensive versions offering more capabilities such as video recording.  Even the base version allows you to record online audio from any source, such as Skype, webinars, and more.

3. Pamela Call Recorder

If you want a free, bare-bones audio recorder that works only with Skype, then the Pamela Call Recorder Skype Extra is a good solution for you!

There are some other options to record Skype calls, but the above are the ones I have used or have heard positive things about from others who have used them.  Do you have a preferred tool for recording Skype calls?  Leave a comment and share your suggestions!

5 Online Tools Freelance Writers Can Use to Make Life and Business Easier

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There are a lot of free and cheap tools available online that freelance writers can use to make both their lives and work easier.  Some make a simple task easier while others streamline processes so you can spend more time writing and finding new business and less time on busy work.

Following are a few of the free tools that consistently get great reviews from small business owners.  I use (or have used) most of these tools and each offers its own benefits that may or may not be right for you.  Since most are free to try, you can test them out and see if they meet your needs without investing a penny!

1. Freshbooks

Freshbooks is a great tool for invoicing.  You can track time, send invoices (by email allowing clients to pay via PayPal) or mail, add your logo to invoices to brand them for your business, automate some billing, and more.  There is a free account that works for people with 3 or fewer clients and paid accounts for bigger businesses.  There is also a free 30 -day trial.  I’ve tested Freshbooks and know many small business owners and freelancers that use it and give it rave reviews.

Take a look at more billing software programs for freelancers that will make your workflow easier.

2. YouSendIt.com

Do you ever need to email huge files to your clients but either your email or your client’s email can’t process large message or attachments?  If so, then YouSendIt.com is a great option.  YouSendIt.com offers a free account that allows you to send files up to 100MB as well as paid accounts.  I have used the free option more than once to send large files to publishers and it works perfectly!  The recipient receives an email message that includes a unique link that he or she clicks on to visit a special web page where the file can be downloaded with a click of the mouse!

3. Google Docs

Google Docs is perfect for projects that require collaboration. You can give multiple people access through Google Docs to word processing documents, spreadsheets, forms, drawings, or presentations.  As long as you (and your colleagues — if you’re collaborating on a document) have access to the Internet and free Google accounts, you can access Google Docs as well as set sharing permissions!

4. Skype

If you’re not using Skype for business related calls and chats, then you really need to try it.  Skype is incredibly easy to use and it’s an excellent way to make free calls with people around the world.  If you and the person you’re speaking with both have webcams, you can even conduct video conversations.  Not only is Skype a great way to speak with clients, but it’s also a great way to conduct interviews for pieces you’re writing!

5. MailChimp

There are many email marketing tools that enable you to send promotional emails about your freelance business or newsletters to help build relationships with your clients and boost your business.  However, MailChimp is one of the few options that has both a solid reputation and a free account option!

What are your favorite free or cheap online tools that make your freelancing life or business easier?  Leave a comment and share your can’t-live-without tools.

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5 Tips for Finding Work Between Freelance Writing Gigs

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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?

5 Reasons Not to Burn Your Bridges

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Dewey Bridge Fire

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

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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?

Which Type of Writer Are You?

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Are you a fast writer? Can you slam out a page in no time at all? Do you book tons of work and get it all done in a day so that you can lark away the rest of the week? Or maybe you book yourself solid and procrastinate until the day before it’s all due. Then you ride the high of deadline pressure and knock it out victoriously.

Or, maybe you’re slow. Maybe you have to do a little every day and chip away at it. Maybe you struggle a bit on long projects or need to take breaks often to keep the creativity flowing. You have to keep at it, edit a few times and schedule really well to make sure it comes together when it’s all due.

Slow writer or fast writer? Which is best?
[Read more…]

What's Your Specialty?

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If you’re a writer, you have a lot of competition out there, especially if you sell your services on the web. There are thousands upon thousands of writers clamoring for clients, and buyers have a vast choice of which person to choose.

That’s why specialization is important. You can’t just be a writer these days. You have to figure out what type of writing you do best and promote that specialty heavily.

Most buyers aren’t looking for a great writer. They assume that if you market yourself as a writer, that you write well already. Buyers look for writers who perfectly to their needs: the specialist.

Start With the Basics

You’ll need to decide which type of writing you like to do best before determining your specialty. What type of writing do you like to do best? Is it articles for magazines or writing ebooks? Do you itch to improve someone’s website copy, or do you love writing on current events? There are all sorts of areas to choose from, so pick your niche.

What’s Your Expertise?

So you’ve decided that you’re not just a writer, you’re an article writer, or a journalist, or a website content writer. Good job. You’re on your way to specialization – but that isn’t enough to make you stand out just yet.

Narrow it down further. If you’re a magazine writer, which topics are you best at? Do you love travel and tourism or parenting? If you’re an article writer, what type of articles do you write? Are you great with real estate topics or best with gardening subjects? Figure out the expertise you have that makes you the pro in the area of writing you’ve chosen.

Be the Go-To Person

You have your area, you have a niche, now you need to become the go-to specialist for a very specific type of work.

Let’s say you’ve decided that you’re a travel mag article writer. Perfect. But travel is a vague term. What kind of travel and tourism do you specialize in? Is it outdoor adventures? Are you the expert on all things Japanese?

The more you establish exactly what your specialty is and market that to prospective buyers, the better your career will solidify. You’ll become the pro in the know, the writer every thinks of first when they want exactly what you do.

For great info from pro in the know on how to build the best writing business you can have, check out James’ book, the Unlimited Freelancer. You won’t regret it.

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