Freelance Writing

There are many ways that you can increase your productivity, but I bet you never thought buying a dog was one of them. To tell you the truth, when I recently brought my new puppy home I had no clue how it would affect my work life. In fact, I thought it might take away from it a bit because training and housebreaking a puppy can be hard work. But luckily, this has not been the case. Instead, Sammy has helped me to become more productive, which is something that I am always interested in.

So you want to know the details before you head out and buy a dog, right? Well, here is what I have learned over the first week of caring for my new puppy.

First and foremost, he likes to stay up late. And even when he does go to bed, he likes to get up every few hours to stretch and head outside to go to the bathroom. Instead of sitting around and watching him sleep, I have taken to working while he lies at my feet. This is a great way for me to keep an eye on him (don’t want any accidents on the floor) while also increasing my productivity. All in all, this has resulted to an extra three to four hours of work per day; many of these in the middle of the night.

Sammy has also given me quite a few ideas that I have been thinking on for a few days now. For instance, I have never written many pet articles in the past. But now that I have a bit more experience, this is something that I am definitely considering.

Additionally, I am thinking about starting a blog about Sammy as well as his breed. This would be a great way to dive into a new topic, but of course, I need to assess my situation first.

Are you going to buy a dog in order to increase your productivity? Probably not! While I could have done all of this without buying a dog, this is what it took to open my eyes. And I am thankful for it! I am a firm believer that increased productivity will eventually lead to increased profits.

As I have openly admitted, I do not know much about web site design. In fact, that is why I am using a free theme for this blog. While I am happy with the way that ChrisBlogging looks, I would not mind paying for a custom design in the near future.

Over the past couple of years I have hired several web designers. But with that being said, I have not been overwhelmed with any of them. Maybe I have been unlucky, or maybe I am not asking the right questions.

So how do you hire a web designer? If any readers work in this capacity I would love to hear what you need to know before you take on work with a client.

Here are the three questions that I usually ask before hiring a web designer. There is a good chance that there are other inquiries that I should probably add to this list.

1. Just like most, I always ask how much money I will be charged. This is never too big of a problem because I do not have any issue paying a bit more if high quality is sure to follow.

2. Can I see some samples? Before I hire a web designer I always like to study some past work. As a freelance writer I am used to sending out samples, and figure that web designers probably feel the same way.

3. What is the process for making changes after the first draft? Even though it would be nice to get exactly what I want the first time around, this very rarely happens.

These three questions have done alright for me in the past. But with that being said, I really want to get this hire right. A new layout for this blog could really help in the near future. 

Since day one I have been tracking this blogs Technorati ranking. While I do not feel that this is the best indicator of a blog’s performance, it does have a bit to offer. On August 11, 2007, I made a post discussing whether or not a high Technorati ranking is something to get excited about. Most people who commented felt that Technorati can be beneficial, but traffic is what matters the most. And I totally agree with this.

The first time that I checked my ranking it was 700,100. Of course, this was a few months back after my first post. As of writing this, my ranking has dropped to 94,996. As you can see, this is not the best ranking, but it does show that I am moving in the right direction. Even more so it shows that other bloggers are willing to link to ChrisBlogging.

Here are three things that have helped me to steadily increase my Technorati ranking.

1. I always take the time to comment on blogs with similar content as mine. This lets others know that I am out there, and in turn, helps to increase incoming links.

2. Do not be afraid to email other bloggers and ask to exchange links. While this may not always work, it has been successful for me a high percentage of the time. You may even get your blog mentioned without having to exchange!

3. There is no replacement for great content. If you provide posts that people want to read, you will increase your incoming link count. In turn, your Technorati ranking will continue to fall.

I don’t really have a goal as far as my Technorati ranking is concerned. But with that being said, I am interested in seeing just how low it can go! 

The majority of people who are self-employed work at home. While this may seem like a great benefit of working for yourself, it also means that you need to set up a designated workspace. Sure, you could get away with sharing a room, but a place used solely for your business is always beneficial.

My workspace is nothing to be envious of. In fact, I am always looking to upgrade. Generally speaking, I have an L-shaped desk, a smaller table next to this desk, two printers, a USB hard drive, a desktop computer, and a laptop. This works out well for me because I have a spare bedroom that I use as an office.

But what if you don’t have any extra space? If this is a problem you are running into, there are some solutions. One, you may be able to clear out a little nook in your bedroom. Or maybe you can get creative and build an office in the attic or basement. Any place where there is extra space could serve you just fine. This is especially true if you have a career, such as a freelance writer, where you do not need much more than a laptop and a printer.

In my opinion, having a proper workspace is very important. If you feel comfortable and are proud of your surroundings, you will surely work better. In turn, this will pay off in the way of happiness, and of course, profits.

As a freelance writer, I am always searching for long term clients that offer steady work. This is the best way to grow my income, while also making it easy to plan my money from month to month. But of course, there are times when a client will only offer one job and then move on. While there is nothing wrong with this, I have found that keeping in touch with these clients is a great way to garner future business.

Last year I completed a large project for a client that I met on GetAFreelancer. At first, this was a one time job, and I was fine with that. For 10 articles of 500 words I got paid just about $1,000.  Once the project was over the client told me that he had no more work, but would keep me in mind for future jobs. So what do you think I did? About once per month I emailed him just to check in. And up until a few days ago he would always say the same thing: “nothing yet, but I will get back to you when I have something.”

Finally, he did get in touch a few days back, and I am quite happy about this. His new company just signed me up for a one year contract worth $8,000. This consists of nothing more than writing 20-25, 500 word articles per month; this is less than one per day.

The point is this: you need to keep in touch with past clients. Even when I feel that they have nothing for me, I always send a quick email just to make sure. You never know when something will come up. As long as you are fresh on their mind, you will more than likely get first dibs on the work!

One of the most difficult things about being a freelance writer is earning a steady income. When I worked in the corporate world, a set amount of money would show up in my bank account twice per month. But as you probably know, self employed writers do not have this luxury.

Through my experience, there are three reasons that ones freelance writing income may begin to decline.

1. You may see a decrease in income if you decide to start working on other projects outside of your primary career. For instance, this blog has taken a bit away from my freelance writing income. Even though I made nearly $5,000 last month, this is several thousand less per month than earlier this year. While I am not happy about this, taking the chance to build this blog is something that I hope will pay off in the end.

2. Losing a big job can greatly affect your freelance writing income. For instance, if I were to lose a $1,000/month job, my income would drop to $4k/month right away. If this were to happen, I would immediately begin to search for a way to make up some or most of this money. My backup plan always has been, and always will be Associated Content. I know that I can write for them whenever necessary, and if I can do so in quantity, there is money to be had.

3. Simply put, when the quality of your work decreases, so will the amount of money that you make. This may not happen right away, but shoddy work will lead to clients dumping you. In turn, your income will suffer.

Some of these things are unavoidable, so it will not do you much good to worry about them. Instead, do your best to build your freelance writing income to a steady level. This way, you can at least have a ballpark figure of the money you will earn each month. 

For me, one of the most essential components of a successful blog is being organized. And by being organized I mean keeping a to-do list. I have a list for anything related to my blogging or freelance writing work. While these lists never stay the same due to a varying work load, they are always next to my computer no matter what.

My blogging to-do list is nothing special. Generally speaking, at the end of each work day I write my blogging tasks for the next day on a sticky note. There are two details that I always include as well as some extras that change from time to time.

1. Topic ideas for the posts that I want to write the next day. It is important for me to have topics in mind a day in advance as opposed to thinking them up on the spot. This not only helps the quality of my content, but also ensures that I do not have a run in with a bout of writer’s block.

2. The times that I want to add my blog posts. As you can imagine, this can change based on my freelance writing work and many other variables. Even though I could probably do without this reminder, it helps to keep me on track. Since I have to work in blogging around my freelance writing work, it is always nice to have a “set time” each day that I can devote to this.

Some of the variables that are often added to my to-do list include: marketing efforts, replying to emails and comments, researching new monetization methods, etc.

It is safe to say that I take things to an extreme when it comes to being organized. But this is only because I have found it difficult to stay on track with my blog if my work is not scheduled.

Do you think I am overdoing it? Do you have a blogging to-do list?

No matter what type of blog you are running, chances are that you have given readers the ability to get in touch with you. Some bloggers (like me) offer their email address, whereas others use a contact form that is forwarded to the address of their choice.

But the question is: do you answer the emails that you receive at your blog address? I have found through first hand experience that most bloggers are more than willing to answer emails. At the same time, some of the busier and better known bloggers either ignore emails altogether or send off short replies. While I know that these people have tons of email and busy lives, relationships are quite important; at least to me.

I strive to answer every email that I receive. In fact, if I receive a comment that touches me right, I will take the initiative and email that person. This lets them know that I care about what they have to say, and of course, shows that I am willing to lend my expertise when possible.

With all of that being said, I want to let my readers know that they are free to email me with questions, comments, or anything else on their mind. Meeting new people and helping others out is what this blog is all about.

I was not sure how my first contest was going to turn out, but for the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised. While I did not get hundreds of entries, I did break into the double digits.

Congratulations to Michael Kwan for winning contest number 1. Michael is a fellow freelance writer, and runs Beyond the Rhetoric.

For the rest of you guys and gals, no need to worry. I have more contests lined up, and they are sure to be even better than this one. Keep an eye out for contest number 2 in the near future!

How do you test the updates that you make to your blog? If you are tech savvy you may simply know that what you did will work. But for me, or anybody else who does not have a lot of tech skills, this can be a bit difficult.

Although I am working hard to learn a bit more about the technical side of blogging, I am still far behind. It only takes me a minute or so to get plugins working, but when it comes to more difficult tasks such as changing code, I am still working on my skills.

I guess the only way to test blog updates, as well as tech skills, is by trial and error. Until my skills improve, this is the way that I will have to do things. Unless you have a better idea of course?