Have you ever taken the time to look back at your former client list and think about the question, “How much does losing a client cost a freelance writer?” If you are looking at only the lost income that you will need to replace, you are missing the point. There are also hidden costs associated with losing a client that have an impact on your business.
Need Backup? How Freelance Writers Can Find Subcontractors to Work With
If you have been working as a freelance writer for any length of time, you know that life can sometimes get in the way of work deadlines. All freelance writers should have a plan in place for when they need backup and strategies for how to find subcontractors to work with during challenging times.
Having a Personal Crisis? How to Deal and Keep your Freelance Writing Clients
In a perfect world, your personal and business lives would run smoothly and completely independently from each other. One of the benefits of working as a freelance writer is that you get to make your own schedule for the most part. As long as you turn in your assignments on time, your clients don’t really know (or care) whether you do your best work at the crack of dawn or you like to tackle it in the small hours of the night. What happens when a personal crisis crops up? How do you deal with it in a professional manner and keep your freelance writing clients?
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5 Questions Freelance Writers Should Ask Prospective Clients
There’s a time when you are in discussions with a prospective client about a project but haven’t been hired for the gig (yet).Before you can say, “Yes” or “No,” you’ll need to get clear about a few things first. Here are some suggestions about questions freelance writers should ask prospective clients before deciding whether to take on a particular gig. [Read more…]
22 Websites That Pay Freelance Writers in 2015
There are several ways to find freelance writing gigs. Answering ads posted on job boards is one method, and you probably want to try more than one approach in your search for gigs. Another way to find work (and one that may lead to a steady gig in some cases) is to approach websites that freelance writers for contributions for guest posts.
30 Job Boards for Freelance Writers
One of the questions that I get asked most often about being a freelance writer is where do I find clients. One of the strategies that works is to visit job boards for freelance writers and applying for available gigs.
Freelance Writing Jobs Blog – The Best of January
Every month, the bloggers at FWJ work hard to provide quality and helpful content. Hardworking freelance writers click through looking for great leads and info, but let’s face it, some posts may slip by in the daily hustle and bustle. Here’s some great posts you may have missed:
Writing From Home: Warnings & Tips on How to Survive When You Have No Office by Robin Parrish
Robin captures the writing from home experience perfectly. My favorite:
Get Out of the House. As important as it is to guard your at-home work time, sometimes you just have to get away from all the around-the-house distractions in order to get anything done. So grab the laptop and head out to someplace where there’s free wifi, like Barnes & Noble or Starbucks.
How to Use Your Freelance Work Personality to Your Advantage: Know Yourself Before Applying for a Gig by Jodee Redmond
Jodee gives great advice on shifting your job search to looking for work that fits you:
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.
How to Get Your Contracts Signed: How to Deal with a Physical Act in an Electronic World by Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan saved me time and photoshopping time by giving these great alternatives to the whole snail-mail-signature thing:
A Better Answer
There are several companies that offer digital contract signing. They include the following:
- RightSignature: Offers a free trial with up to five documents, paid accounts start at $14 per month for unlimited documents and 1 template.
- FillAnyPDF: Can be used for free without an account but a free account opens up more editing options and allows storage of 5 filled forms. Paid accounts start at $19 per month and allow the storage of up to 1,000 filled forms
DocQ: Offers a free account for up to 5 signatures per month and a paid personal account starts at $7 per month and offers 25 signatures.
If I Lay Here… Using Lie and Lay Correctly by Noemi Twigg
I have several web pages bookmarked that explains the freaking lie and lay conspiracy in several different ways. *Don’t judge me* I’ve added Noemi’s to the top spot:
Let’s get the meanings of the words straight, once and for all.
Lay is a transitive verb and needs a direct object – a receiver of the action. It means to put something down.Example: This bag of groceries is heavy. I will lay it down on the bench while I wait for the bus.
Lie is an intransitive verb and does not need a direct object. It means to recline. 2
Example: My back hurts. I think I’ll lie down for a bit.
Can Anyone Make Money Blogging? by Gayla Baer-Taylor
A great response to a timeless question:
First and foremost, the critical ingredient to blogging success is having staying power. The ability to not allow defeat due to setbacks. A successful blogger must be willing to put their self out there and put in the hours upon hours of hard work that’s the proven foundation for successful blogs.
Article Clip 911: Protect your career and back-up your work by Terreece M. Clarke
Not to toot my horn, this is great info for writers:
Not saving your clips, backing up your blog posts, etc. is like throwing money away. Why work so hard, research so thoroughly only to toss your work to the wind? Three steps will save you time and tears:
What were your favorite blog posts?
The Job Pyramid and What it Means to You
The job market is shaped like a pyramid. Consider the pyramid shape for a minute. It’s broader at the base and gets narrower as it rises to the top.
The same thing is true when you are looking at freelance writing jobs. If you are looking at entry-level opportunities, there are many of them out there. I’m just talking about numbers, not whether they would be a good fit for you or whether they pay a rate that you would feel comfortable accepting.
One of the reasons that I like checking out leads on Indeed.com is that this job search engine gives you information about the number of jobs it has currently listed, as well as estimated salary. This morning, I typed in “freelance writer” as a search term and got these results back for estimated salaries and number of jobs:
$20,000+ (6666)
$40,000+ (4392)
$60,000+ (2075)
$80,000+ (1172)
$100,000+ (984)
Following the job pyramid example, the entry-level gigs form the base of the pyramid. This is good news for people who want to get started as freelance writers, because they are looking for a chance to get experience and build up a portfolio of work.
As you move into the higher-paying levels, the number of jobs decreases. As you move toward the top of the pyramid, it gets smaller too. The shrinking job market for higher-paying gigs is actually good news for freelance writers. Why? As you move up toward the pyramid toward more lucrative work, the number of people applying for those gigs also decreases.
It takes time to develop your skills and gain the experience necessary to go after the bigger jobs. Most people who decide that they want to be freelance writers either give up after a short time or focus on the lower-hanging fruit when it comes to job opportunities, because they are more plentiful and considered easier to get.
If you have been holding yourself back from going after a freelance writing job that is a bit higher up the job pyramid than you are used to applying for, why don’t you put yourself out there and do it anyway? The only way you will edge closer to the top is to challenge yourself to do so. There may be fewer gigs the closer you get to the top, but there is less competition as well. Go for it!
Newspapers: A Source of Freelance Writing Jobs Leads
Did you know that your daily newspaper can be a good source of leads for freelance writing jobs? I’m not necessarily talking about the job ads, either, in case you are wondering.
If you are looking for work from local clients, the newspaper is a good way to find out what’s happening with businesses and organizations in your community. Check out the business section to find out which companies are introducing new products or hiring more staff. A business that is launching a new product may be interested in your pitch to update their marketing materials or web site to showcase the new addition to their line. The company newsletter may need to be redrafted – or the company may be interested in starting one for staff or loyal customers.
A business that is on a hiring drive may need the assistance of a writer to draft updated job descriptions or ads for new workers. The employee manual may need a facelift, or the “Careers” page on the company web site may need to be updated.
The newspaper may also profile new businesses in your area. Carefully studying the profile will give you some valuable information. You will find out exactly what the company does and who the owner’s target market is. The most important piece of information you will find in a newspaper profile is the owner’s name and contact information.
You may want to mention that you saw the profile in the newspaper and include a clip of the page when you make your pitch. The fact that you took the time to do so will get the recipient’s attention and make them more receptive to the services you can offer to the company.
Have you ever used the newspaper as a source of leads for your freelance writing business?
Freelance Writing Isn't Brain Surgery, But….
Recently in my online travels, I came across a comment on a message board that got me thinking. The commenter stated that freelance writing is “an open door that invites anyone in.” This person goes on to say that well-educated and informed writers have to prove themselves.
I agree that the Internet has opened up many possibilities for freelance writers. There are opportunities available online that simply weren’t offered a few years ago. And yes, many people think that they want to “get into” writing. It’s a situation of many being called, and few having what it takes to stick to it, build their skills and develop the contacts they need to make money from it.
It may seem like the doors are open and everyone is welcome, that’s not really the case. Some clients are very open to giving new writers a chance to work for them, but rest assured that if you submit work that is subpar, riddled with errors or you simply don’t follow instructions properly, you won’t be given more assignments.
I do agree that freelance writing isn’t brain surgery, or even rocket science, but that doesn’t mean everyone can do it. I used to have a gig where I reviewed aerospace research sites with educational content and the basic principles of rocket science are relatively simple to understand. It doesn’t mean that I can go out and build my own X-plane, though.
Freelance writing is part art and part skill. Even if someone has the skill part down, i.e. they can put a sentence together correctly, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they have a talent for choosing the right word patterns to effectively convey an idea or evoke a feeling in the reader. I used to get criticized when I was in school for not pumping up my work with a lot of flowery language; my writing was relatively short and to the point. Who knew that this style would be what works best online?
The second comment about how well-educated and informed writers have to prove themselves applies to any field of endeavor. Someone hiring you wants to know what you can do for them moreso than what you have done in the past. You will get a lot further by showing up, getting your hands dirty (figuratively speaking) and doing the work than trying to impress someone with your background.
And the brain surgeon I mentioned earlier? Part of their training involved reading texts, which were written by someone who at that moment at least, was a writer. We may not be brain surgeons, but the work that we do educates, informs, entertains and persuades people to buy a product or support a cause. Pretty cool stuff, if you ask me.
