As a freelance writer, I have learned a lot over the years. That being said, one of the most important lessons to date is that time management is very important. If you are not efficient with the time that is available, you will find it difficult to excel. Fortunately, this is something that you will become better at as your freelance writing career moves forward. In my early days, I struggled with this much like many others. But today, I do a nice job of managing my time no matter what projects I have on my plate or what other tasks are on my to-do list.
Here are three time management tips that will serve you well as a freelance writer:
1. As I have said in the past, having a to-do list will allow you to more efficiently manage your time. In the past, I made the mistake of trying to handle my workload without a to-do list. Soon enough, I was forgetting about deadlines and running into other related issues. But as soon as I put a to-do list in action I found it easy to stay on track.
2. Make the most of every minute. No matter if you are a full-time or part-time freelance writer, you want to make sure that you are using every minute of your work time to complete essential tasks. There are many distractions that are sure to be calling your name. After all, it is easy to browse the internet or check your email accounts. But if you make a habit of wasting a few minutes here and there, you will find out soon enough that you are not making any progress.
3. Keep distractions out. I have found that managing my time is much easier when I am concentrating 100 percent on the task at hand. This goes along with tip number two to a certain extent. When working, make sure that you turn off the television and keep other distractions as far away as possible. In the long run, you will find that this makes you a much more efficient writer.
Time management skills will help you succeed as a freelance writer. If you are struggling with this, try to implement the three tips above. As you become better at managing your time, you will find that your productivity is on the rise. And when this happens, you should expect to see an increase in income as well.
Every freelance writer wants to have a stable of regular clients. This is something that can take time, and even then, you never know what is going to happen. I have several clients that I work with on a regular basis, but at the same time there are others that are “one and done.” That being said, you never know when one small project is going to turn into a large, long term gig. For this reason, you should always do your best work while also pushing to turn a client into a regular.
If you are interested in expanding your client base, and you should be, there are several basic tips that you can follow:
1. Do not limit yourself when you are starting out as a freelance writer. In other words, be open to different types of projects and topics. This will help you to get a good feel for what you like best.
When I started as a freelance writer I really liked web content. And while I still write for the web, I learned that corporate writing and feature articles are also very interesting. By keeping an open mind, I quickly found which areas I was most interested in. And by being willing to work on a variety of projects, it allowed me to expand my client base in the shortest possible period of time.
2. Network with as many other freelance writers and online entrepreneurs as possible. My friends in the industry are always sending leads my way. And when possible, I do the same for them. The more people that you network with the more clients you are going to find. It can take a while to build a network, but in the long run it will work to your advantage.
3. Use every possible marketing method. This includes a website, blog, cold calling, cold emailing, and query letters among others. Through marketing, you will find potential clients while also getting your name in front of a lot of people.
These three tips are basic, but they will go a long way in helping you to expand your client base. And as you expand your client base, you have a much better chance of finding buyers that offer regular work.
When I first started this blog, my main goal was to reach out to the freelance writing industry in an attempt to give something back. After only one year, I feel that I have reached a few of my goals. Traffic is currently growing, my RSS readership is hovering around 350, and my freelance writing course has taken off.
This past weekend I was surprised to receive an email from somebody who is interested in purchasing ChrisBlogging. Over the past few months I began to move away from personal posts and more into freelance writing information in general. That being said, I never thought that somebody would make an offer to purchase the blog; especially since it is not listed for sale.
I was not sure what to make of this offer, so I asked the potential buyer to contact me via phone; which he did. While I believe that the buyer is serious, I immediately turned down the deal. Simply put, I am not ready to give up the blog at this time. It has become a big part of my freelance writing career, and is beginning to generate more revenue than I ever thought possible; this is probably why the offer was extended to me.
This leads me to the question of whether or not you would ever sell your blog? The offer for my blog was not huge, but at the same time, enough to get me thinking. Of course, a lot of this has to do with the increasing RSS count as well as the $1,000 monthly income from my course.
Are you like me? Or would you jump at the opportunity to sell your blog if a solid offer was made?
Being self-employed as a freelance writer offers many benefits. And while most people think that it is easy for a self-employed professional to take a vacation, this is not always the case. In fact, I think it is more difficult for freelancers to vacation than those who work for a company.
As a freelance writer, you only get paid when you work. To go along with this, you are not given a set amount of vacation days at the beginning of the year. Sure, you can take off when you feel like it, but if you do, you can be rest assured that you are not going to get paid. This is much different than somebody who works for a company and gets paid when they take a vacation.
Of course, this does not mean that you should never take a vacation from freelance writing. If you are ready to take a few days off, there are several tips that you can use in order to ensure that you do not get behind:
1. Make sure that your clients know that you are leaving. You do not have to go into detail, but if you regularly communicate with a client, tell them that you will be out of the office. This way, they do not think that you are avoiding them or putting them off.
2. Get caught up before you leave. There is nothing worse than taking a vacation when you are already behind on your work. Remember, the work will still be there when you get back. And by that time, it has probably doubled!
3. Check your email when you are gone. I know, this is a big no-no. Most people believe that a vacation is a vacation, and this means no work. And while I agree with this to a certain extent, I like to stay connected no matter if I am on vacation or not. This helps to ensure that no fires break out, and that my clients are getting taken care of to the best of my ability.
There is nothing wrong with taking a vacation from your freelance writing workload. In fact, I encourage that you do so. If you decide to take some time off, use the three tips above to help you along the way.
As a freelance writer, do you ever think about adding another income stream? If you are like me, this is something that you are always looking into. Sure, freelance writing is my main gig and probably always will be. But that being said, there is nothing wrong with expanding into other areas that may be able to bring in some extra cash each month.
For many freelance writers, a natural addition is income through blogging. Although I do not earn a lot of money through this blog, it does help to pay some bills each month. To go along with this blog, I have several others which bring in extra money. Since I enjoy writing, I do not have any problems updating these blogs on a regular basis. And as you probably know, the more that you update the more traffic you will receive. From there, the only thing you have to do is decide how you are going to convert your traffic into profits.
As you probably know, I decided to start a freelance writing course last month. This was a great way for me to add another stream of income while also helping others. After a day or so I had sold out 10 slots at $100 each. While this is only an extra $1k per month, it is a good start. This was an easy addition for me because I enjoy teaching freelance writing and connecting with others who have similar interests.
By adding new income streams, you will find that you are earning more money than ever before. As a freelance writer, you should be able to find time for other money making activities such as blogging, etc.
Most freelance writers want to earn as much money as they can. This pretty much holds true for most people regardless of their career. With that being said, you need to make sure that your freelance writing rates are good for both you and your client. In other words, if you are the only one benefiting from your rates you are not going to get far. Sure, you may find some clients, but in the long run it will become difficult to sustain your momentum. Remember, you want to give clients a reason to work with you. And while producing quality work is usually reason enough, fair rates can put you over the top and make you an important asset to any company or webmaster.
Setting freelance writing rates that are beneficial to both you and your clients is never an easy task. This is one area that most newcomers struggle. In fact, I receive emails every week about setting rates and this is one area that my writing course is focusing on in-depth. Obviously, your rates are going to change over time. I charge more now than I did when I started, but even then, my rates are far from set in stone. Simply put, different clients ask for different things. For me, having a set rate for each type of project would be next to impossible. After all, a 500 word article for one client could be much different than a 500 word article for another. Differences can be seen in the topic, research, sources, and much more.
You will know if your freelance writing rates are favoring you or your client. If you are getting a lot of work and being told that your rates are too low, they probably are. But on the other side of things, if every potential client is telling you that your rates are higher than others, you may want to consider a change.
When you find a happy medium, you will see that you are earning a solid income and that your clients feel that they are getting a good deal.
If you want to earn more money as a freelance writer there is one thing that you can do to increase your chances: ask! Does that sound too easy? Even though this is a simple thing, it can most definitely go a long way in increasing your income. Believe it or not, there are many freelance writers who are afraid to open their mouths. In turn, they simply sit back and earn the same wages month in and month out.
There are two situations in which you can ask for more money. First off, you can ask current clients to pay more. Of course, you need to base this on how much you are currently charging as well as the status of your relationship. If you are already earning a reasonable wage, asking for more may put the client off. In other words, you need to pick and choose which clients you ask for a “raise.” Chances are that you will be able to find a couple that you can ask to bump-up your pay.
The other situation is when you are first starting to work for a client. In this case, you want to ask more during the quote process. For instance, in the past you may have quoted $.10/word for a feature article. The next time you are dealing with a similar quote, why not see if you can secure the job at $.15/word? This may seem like a big leap in pay, but the client may not think so. Remember, you will never know unless you ask. If the client does not want to pay this much they will simply tell you no. From there, you can negotiate down to your old rate of $.10/word.
In some cases, all it takes to earn more money as a freelance writer is the guts to ask. If you are willing to ask for more money from both current and new clients, you should be able to increase your freelance writing income.
Yesterday, my doctor asked me what I do for a living. From there, I explained that I was a freelance writer and that I worked on other online related projects, etc. Much to my surprise, she replied, “do you get paid for that?” I nicely explained that I studied journalism in college, and that there are a lot of freelance writers and online professionals who are earning good money.
Do any of you guys and gals ever get questions like this? I always wonder why so many people think that freelance writers work for free. It seems as if more and more people are beginning to believe this myth for one reason or the next. And by the way that my doctor phrased the question, it really sounded as if she believed I had no chance of ever making money.
Keep one thing in mind: it does not matter what other people think of your career. I could have easily become frustrated yesterday, and in turn told my doctor that she has no idea what she is talking about. Instead, I explained what freelance writing is all about and hopefully opened her eyes to what this career path has to offer. From where I sit, being a freelance writer is better than being a doctor. Of course, she probably believes that being a doctor is the best job in the world because of the money or the ability to help people.
There are many benefits of being a freelance writer, and getting paid is one of them. How often do you field similar questions? And do you ever get upset after hearing them time and time again?
I wanted to post a quick message letting everybody know that I have two open slots for my freelance writing course. I carried over seven members from last month, and one out of the three spots has already been taken advantage of.
If interested in grabbing one of the final two openings, send me an email right away. I am not expecting them to last past tomorrow!
Thanks again, and I am looking forward to finding out who will be joining the course.
Are you itching to become a successful freelance writer? Is this a goal that you really want to achieve? Time after time, I hear from people who want to become a freelance writer and tell me that they are ready to work hard to reach this goal; and that is just what I like to hear. Unfortunately, many of these aspiring freelance writers never reach their goal for one main reason: they are not willing to “go full steam ahead.” In other words, they want to become a writer but would rather have everything given to them. This sounds nice, but it is far from reality.
The main ingredient to becoming a successful freelance writer is hard work. It does not matter if you have great writing skills and can sell your services to anybody. If you are not willing to work hard, you will find your career standing still, month in and month out.
What does it mean to work hard? The answer to this question is different to everybody. A full-time freelance writer may tell you that hard work is being at the computer for at least eight hours per day. Of course, a part-timer may define this as getting up a few hours early to get a head start on building their writing career before heading to the day job.
In my opinion, if you are not willing to move forward with gusto you should not move forward at all. If you are not totally committed to your success, how can you expect anybody else to get on board with what you are trying to accomplish? This includes everybody from your friends and family to potential clients. Your enthusiasm shows through, and if you are not moving forward with a full head of steam you will have a difficult time convincing others that you are serious about your career choice.
Why not put yourself in the best position to achieve long term success? With hard work, I guarantee that you will reach your freelance writing goals sooner or later. It may take a year or more, but if you push forward everyday there is nothing that can stop you.
