As a freelancer, you are always on the lookout for new clients and new projects. You may have a great portfolio and plenty of experience, but you’ll never get the work you want if you don’t market yourself well.
One way to market yourself is through cold pitching for freelance work. Cold pitching is the process of contacting potential clients who you have not worked with before in an attempt to get them to hire you for a project.
Most writers who are looking to take on extra freelance work flock to online job boards.
This makes sense, after all these platforms are used by people who are actively looking for writers. [Read more…]
Editor’s note: This post was written by Jennifer Parris, career writer at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for telecommuting and flexible job listings. FlexJobs lists thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home jobs and other types of flexibility like part-time positions, freelancing, and flexible schedules. Jennifer provides career and job search advice through the FlexJobs Blog and social media. Learn more at www.FlexJobs.com.
From the time you could hold a crayon in your hand, you knew that you wanted to be a writer. Writing is not only your career, but the way you express yourself to the world. Thing is, freelance writing jobs can be sporadic at best, so you need to be creative when it comes to keeping a steady income. Put pen to paper—and get paid—with these six ways to earn extra income through writing.
Use your network.
Some people might think that they’re the next Hemingway, but as a writer, you know the real deal. So if you have friends and family who are in need of a writer, offer up your services. Let them know the specific type of writing you do (after all, no two writers are created equal) and your rate as well. That way, when they speak of your services to their own nearest and dearest, they have the most accurate information.
Reach out to local businesses.
Just because you’re looking to work from home doesn’t mean that you can’t venture out to local businesses and offer your writing skills. Look for companies close by that might be in need of some writing help; perhaps their website needs some sprucing up. Identify what the company’s needs might be—and how you can help it—and then reach out. Finding a neighborhood business that needs an occasional writer might translate into having a steady freelance client in the future.
Use niche job boards.
If you’ve ever searched through generic job boards, you’ll spend a lot of time weeding through hundreds of job postings to find the few that you want to apply for. (And that’s not counting the numerous job scams you might come across, either.) So it’s best to use niche job boards, such as FlexJobs, where you can find legitimate work-from-home writing jobs. It will save you time, stress, and money in the long run.
Create an online portfolio.
You might be surprised how many hiring managers are crawling the web looking for a writer just like yourself. But if you don’t have anything online that spotlights your work, you’ll definitely get passed over for any potential position. You can easily create an online portfolio that includes links to your published articles, or a basic website that showcases your writing skills.
Establish yourself as an expert.
When you are looking to freelance, it’s important to be as social as possible. Create a Facebook page for your business, as well as a Twitter account and a LinkedIn profile, too. It’s not enough to set up your social media channels unless you’re actively involved in them, though. In addition to posting all of your new published works, you can offer advice, writing tips, and answer online questions that you come across that pertain to writing. By being active on the Internet, you’ll create a name for yourself—and attract the attention of potential clients, too. That can lead to extra income.
Think outside the box.
Sure, you may be primarily a magazine writer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write for other outlets, either. For example, you can create content for websites, or even write press releases for companies. You can get in touch with your softer side by writing for greeting card companies or even be a social media manager for an organization or individual.
There are many, many opportunities for writers to find side gigs. It may require a little extra effort, but you could soon be writing your way to extra income in no time.
If you have decided that an infographic resume is the right style for you, then you’ll need to decide on a style that can present your skills and experience in a way that will make you an attractive candidate to potential clients. Unlike a standard resume, you only have a single page in which to tell your story, so space is definitely at a premium here. How do you find the right template for your resume?
[Read more…]
Don’t let the title of this post fool you. I’m not suggesting that you become some type of chameleon and develop an entirely different persona at work. (If you have already done so and it’s working for you, carry on, though. Why mess with success?)
I got the idea for the post from watching a medical show on television. I enjoy watching real life ones that show medical professionals as problem solvers. Since I’m always curious about what other people do for a living and why they were drawn to a particular type of work, I pay particular attention to any interviews that are included.
In one episode, an emergency room doctor was explaining why he chose to specialize in that area of medicine. He is the type of person who is interested in dealing with a specific condition, as opposed to providing continuous care to a patient. Dr. Marcus Welby this guy was not, but he was very good at thinking on his feet and dealing with the medical issue in front of him.
Writers are just as varied as people working in any other job category. Some of us write for others because we have to and for ourselves because we can, while others treat this as strictly business. We may write web content, web copy, print copy, white papers, technical manuals or blogs. Some of us are generalists while others have a specific niche that we focus on.
Some writers like to have several (relatively) small projects going, while others would ideally prefer to have a brobdingnag one that will keep them busy for a time. Once they finish it, they focus on the next one.
When you are looking for freelance writing jobs, first consider your work personality. If you are someone who enjoys the relative security of working with a client over the long term, then look for someone who can offer a steady gig (or the potential for a series of projects). If you are someone who gets bogged down working on large projects, move on and apply for something that is a better fit for your freelance work personality.
Knowing yourself well means that you will find it much easier to answer the question that all prospective clients want to ask: why should I hire you?
Have you ever thought about what a potential client thinks when you describe yourself as a “freelance” writer? The dictionary software on my Mac defines freelance as follows:
“working for different companies at different times rather than being permanently employed by one company” [Read more…]
