Freelance Writing

Members of my freelance writing course are always bringing up the question of how to best communicate with clients. Some of them love to call clients on the phone, and even visit in person when they can, but others would much rather use email. Is one type of communication better than the next? Well, this all depends on who you are and the client you are dealing with.

Through my years as a freelance writer I have found that most clients, about 75 percent in my case, prefer to communicate via email. This is usually easiest because it is quick and efficient while also leaving a trail.

What about the other 25 percent? These clients usually like to speak on the phone from time to time. No matter if they call me or vice versa, phone calls are the primary mode of communication. I know many freelance writers who hate to speak with clients on the phone. For me, this is a dream come true. I love to talk with clients on the phone because it gives me the chance to communicate with the “outside world” via a method other than email.

As of late, more and more new clients are asking for an initial phone consultation before starting a project. I love doing this because it gives me the chance to “meet” the client while also discussing project details. In my opinion, it is quicker and often times more efficient to talk about a project on the phone. A short call can go a long way in ensuring that both you and the client are on the same page.

This is a topic that I have discussed in the past, but one that is necessary to bring up again. Many aspiring freelance writers think they don’t have to communicate regularly with clients because they work from home. In some cases you may be right. But soon enough you will find a client that wants to communicate on a regular basis no matter if it is via email, telephone, or in person. The way you communicate with clients will determine the type of relationship you build. My best advice is to take cues from your client. Let them lead you towards the communication method that works best for them. 

Do you have a freelance writing portfolio full of samples to send potential clients? If not, this is something you should do right away. I usually advise aspiring freelance writers to create a basic portfolio sooner rather than later. I use the word “basic” because this does not have to be anything special. Many people think that a freelance writing portfolio has to be full of hundreds of samples that have been placed in national magazines and/or purchased by major corporations.
 
Here are five tips to keep in mind when creating your freelance writing portfolio:

1. Include a wide variety of projects. This makes it easy to find the right piece no matter what a buyer is looking for. For example, your portfolio may include a feature article, SEO article, sales letter, marketing brochure, etc. The more types of projects you have in your portfolio the better off you will be.

2. Your portfolio is meant to attract new business. For this reason, you only want to include your best pieces. It is safe to say that you know which pieces are best, and which ones you would rather keep from clients. If you have a few projects of the same type that you would like to include, this is fine. In fact, most clients request three to five samples so this is encouraged.

3. Always update your portfolio. Many of the samples I used when I started as a freelance writer are no longer in the portfolio I send to potential clients. Instead, I update it from time to time as more projects are completed.

4. But I don’t have any samples? Forget about this common excuse. Even if you don’t have samples you can put together a portfolio. My first portfolio was full of articles I wrote for my college newspaper, projects from my internship, and basic projects that I completed solely for this purpose. If you look long and hard and are willing to create projects specifically for your portfolio, you will be in a good place soon enough.

5. Organize your portfolio in a folder on your desktop. This allows you to quickly and easily find what you are looking for. To go along with this, making necessary updates is also simple.

These five tips will help you create a basic freelance writing portfolio.

I talk a lot about the benefits of becoming a freelance writer. You have the freedom to do what you want, you don’t have to answer to an annoying boss, and you have the ability to control your income. That being said, you are sure to hear the question “are you sure you want to be a freelance writer” time after time.

This is something that I dealt with quite a bit when I started my career. Many people thought it was a mistake. During that time one thing I found was that many people don’t understand the opportunity that is available. In other words, those who are asking the questions are not aware that you can earn $10k/month or more as a writer.

Here are three potential downfalls of becoming a freelance writer. These are sure to lead to many questions from friends and family as you start your career:

1. It takes a lot of hard work. When you are hired for a more traditional job you know you will be working hard, but at the same time you also know you are going to get paid no matter what. This is not the case when you become a freelance writer. Instead, you will be facing an uphill battle that will not yield any compensation until you get your footing. Do you have what it takes to work hard?

2. Are you willing to deal with the naysayers? In my opinion, this can be one of the most difficult parts of becoming a freelance writer. You will probably have to deal with people close to you questioning your career choice. If you stick to your guns the naysayers will realize soon enough that you did the right thing. Unfortunately, many aspiring freelance writers give up too soon due to outsiders telling them they made the wrong decision.

3. Not as much stability as a traditional job. This is a common worry, but one that I look at in another way. You may be giving up the stability of a “guaranteed” paycheck, but remember one thing: your employer can lay you off at any time. But when you work as a freelance writer you control your career.

If you are not worried about the potential downfalls listed above, you won’t have any major problems transitioning into a career as a freelance writer. 

What is your biggest strength as a freelance writer? If you cannot answer this question something is wrong. After all, the answer to this question has a lot to do with the way you market your services. Some writers know exactly what they offer and why a buyer should hire them. Others are a bit confused in this area. If you fit into the latter group, you should definitely define your biggest strength as soon as possible.

For some freelance writers, their biggest strength is knowledge. These writers know a lot about many subjects. These writers have the ability to accept a wide variety of projects thanks to an expansive knowledge base. Fortunately, the longer you stick around as a freelance writer the more knowledge you will gather. Even if this is not a strength of yours right now, it will be in the near future.

Other freelance writers hang their hat on their actual writing skills. This is definitely a strength that you want on your side. After all, you can be a genius, but if you can’t write you are going to find it difficult to make a living in this industry. Above all else, this is one area in which you want to improve day in and day out.

Believe it or not, some freelance writers feel that their biggest strength has to do with sales and marketing. They know they have the skills to write, and have no trouble finding new work thanks to their background and experience in sales and marketing. This may not be more important than the ability to produce quality content, but it is an area in which you want to excel.

So what is your biggest strength? If you aren’t sure, consider your knowledge, writing skills, and sales and marketing expertise. Chances are that you are above average in one or more of these areas. 

Many of you have expressed that you feel “silly” selling your freelance writing services. Some have even said that they feel like a used car salesman. Although this sounds funny, it is a major problem if you are in this frame of mind. The way that you sell your freelance writing services is very important. If you are afraid of doing so for one reason or the next, you are only hurting yourself.

There is a fine line between selling your freelance writing services and going overboard. On one side, you should have a marketing plan. With this in hand you can move step by step until you see what works for you. If you put together a quality marketing plan you will never have to worry about going overboard when it comes to selling your services.

What does it mean to sell your services too hard? Some freelance writers feel they are pushing themselves on clients or coming across as somebody who is begging for work. While you would have to go pretty far for this to happen, it is more than possible. For instance, if a buyer tells you that they are going a different direction you should leave well enough alone for the time being. You may think that you are the best person for the job, and maybe you are right. But remember, you are not the one doing the hiring. You should always put your best foot forward, but at some point in time you need to realize that backing off is in your best interest.

Don’t get be wrong. I strongly believe that you should market and sell your services day in and day out. On the same token I also believe you need to watch that you don’t push too hard. There is no reason to feel strange when talking about what you offer, and showing clients what you can do for them. But if you begin to feel that you are taking things too far, this is when you need to step back and let the process run its course.

Like a lot of you, I read as much as I can on the freelance writing industry. While there are many sites and blogs dedicated to this niche, there are two that have become my favorites.

All Freelance Writing: if you are a freelance writer you definitely want to check out this blog on a regular basis. Not only is it updated on a daily basis, but you can be rest assured that the information is of high quality. Jenn knows her stuff, and she can definitely help you reach your goals.

Beyond the Rhetoric: Michael Kwan is a successful freelance writer, and his blog offers tips on everything from the business of freelance writing to off-topic posts that are sure to make you smile.

If you have time, and have yet to do so, visit both of these blogs. Once you read through a few posts, I am sure you will agree that there is a lot you can learn from both Jenn and Michael. 

One site that I visit at least once per day is freelancewriting.com. Not only does the site offer useful tips, but there is also a “jobs” section that is updated on a regular basis. Although I enjoy this site, I feel that it could offer more in particular areas. For instance, the navigation is not the best and there is a lack of quality content from established freelance writers.

The reason I bring this up is that I am thinking of starting a new freelance writing site, and I want to base it on some of the basics of freelancewriting.com. There are a lot of freelance writing resources out there, but it seems as if freelancewriting.com is the largest in terms of information. With the right guidance I feel there is enough room for another major player in this niche.

What do you guys and gals think? Do you visit freelancewriting.com on a regular basis? If so, what do you like and what would you like to see more of?

All in all, my goal is to create a site that is a one-stop shop for everything freelance writing/work at home related. Any suggestions, ideas, or input of any kind would be greatly appreciated. You can either leave a comment or send me an email. Either way, I would love to hear what you think.

Do the most successful freelance writers get lucky time after time? I have heard many people say this in the past, and receive a few emails each month suggesting that this is true. There are two ways of looking at this:

1. Some freelance writers are in the right place at the right time. For instance, you may make a cold call to a company the day that they fired their last freelance writer. As you can see, this is easy to write off as being lucky.

2. Luck is something that you make on your own. Sticking with the above example, if the writer wouldn’t have taken the initiative to make a call they never would have landed the client. In this way of looking at things the freelance writer made his own luck.

How do you feel about luck as a freelance writer? I tend to agree more with the second example above. Sure, luck plays a small part in a successful career, but I strongly believe that you can make your own breaks. If you sit back and wait to get lucky you are not going to get very far. But if you have a quality marketing plan that you follow you are well on your way to generating luck.

I have had a few good breaks along the way, and am confident that this will continue well into the future. Not because I am the lucky type, but because I work hard. If you work hard you are going to make your own breaks.

The best advice I can give on this subject is forget about relying on luck. Instead, turn yourself into a success by working hard day in and day out. You have to stop using the excuse that other freelance writers are lucky, and that is why they are landing gigs and making a lot of money. It is time to generate your own luck and big breaks! 

There is nothing worse than a client rejecting your work and telling you that everything you wrote was a waste. While this is never good, it is something that will probably happen to you soon enough. Even if you try to avoid this, and you should, there will come a time when a client simply hates the work that you send them.

If this is happening to you on a regular basis something is wrong. Sure, there are going to be times when clients don’t like your work, but this is not a situation that you should face day in and day out. If you are, it is time to make some changes to ensure that you get out of this rut as soon as possible.

1. Ask for better instruction up front. When I don’t get clear instructions on what the client wants it often times turns bad. It is much better to be on the same page from the get-go than to guess what the client wants. If you guess wrong there is a good chance that you will be making extensive edits in the near future.

2. Don’t stray from what the client wants. Once you know what the client wants you should stick to this no matter what. Even if you don’t agree with the direction of the project it is your job as a freelance writer to do what you are told. You can make suggestions upfront, but when it comes down to it you are being paid to follow specific instructions. If you stick to them you should be fine.

3. You aren’t putting your best foot forward. Even the best freelance writers have off-days or times when they are a bit sloppy. You want to avoid these circumstances at all costs. No matter what the project make sure you do your best in giving the client what they want. Not only will this help with the project at hand, but it will also do wonders for gaining repeat business.

If more and more clients are rejecting your work something is going terribly wrong. There is a very good chance that one of the three points above pertains to you. If so, make the proper change in order to get back on track. 

Once a month I like to update you guys and gals on my freelance writing course. At this time I have two spots open. Both members who left the course are well on their way to reaching their goal of becoming full-time writers. If you want to join them I would be more than happy to assist you along your path to success.

For those of you who are still unsure of what the freelance writing course is all about, here is a brief email from one of my past members:

I wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given me this far. Your advice has definitely increased my monthly writing earnings. I’m going to spend the next few months following your advice and marketing like crazy to build my client base. Hopefully I’ll be able to rejoin your mentoring group in the future when I’m in the next stage of my writing career. You’ve certainly made a difference for me and I look forward to contacting you again in a few months. – Randy Laboy

As always, I expect these two spots to be claimed in a hurry. If you are interested in filling one of them, send me an email and we can move forward at once.

Thanks again to all of my past members, current members, and those who have spread the word. It is always nice to help others reach their freelance writing goals.