It is not uncommon to become bogged down by minor details. This is something that many freelance writers struggle with, and you are probably the same in many ways. But listen up. You are not perfect so you need to keep moving on no matter what it takes. Of course, you need to use this advice wisely. Here are two situations: one when you need to be perfect and one when you should do your best and then move on.
1. When working on a project for a client you need to be perfect. No matter how long it takes you want to make sure the end result is accurate in terms of spelling, grammar, structure, etc. After all, if you don’t do your best you should not expect the client to come back to you time after time. Even though it can be difficult to proof your work several times it will work out in your favor in the end.
2. If you are a freelance writer you may not have many technical and design skills. Even if you don’t excel in these areas you may need to tackle related tasks from time to time. For instance, I prefer to do a lot of the work on my blogs and other sites. I may not do all the design and tech work, but in the long run the maintenance and other minor details rest on my shoulders. While I try to make everything as perfect as possible, I have found that this is not always easy. In turn, I have learned to move past minor imperfections and onto details that are more important. So what if I can’t line up an image exactly as I want it? So what if a particular plugin isn’t working? These are minor details that don’t mean too much in the long run. No, you don’t want to get sloppy with your work, but you do need to know when to move on.
Nobody is perfect. As a freelance writer you want to strive for perfection when it comes to work for your clients. But with some details, such as minor imperfections (noted above) with your own projects, make sure you spend your time on what matters most. As long as you keep moving forward you are always taking another step towards success.
Many new freelance writers feel that the best way to land new clients is through forums such as Digital Point. The question is: is this a good idea, or are you more or less wasting your time? The answer to this question depends on who you are, the stage of your career, and what type of gigs you are chasing.
Through my experience, the majority of jobs in forums are not worth chasing. Most of the buyers are only offering a few bucks per article, if that. To go along with this, you should not expect to find many clients outside of webmasters scouting for talent in forums. In other words, magazine editors usually don’t post online to find freelance writers.
Are there any good jobs available through these boards? Yes, there are. But as noted above, they are usually few and far between. If you have some time, any it only takes a few minutes, you may want to scour the most popular boards once per day to see if there are any jobs worth applying for. You never know what you are going to find.
Also, don’t forget that a lot of “scam artists” hang out in these forums. They are in the business of doing whatever they can to scam others, and in turn make more money on their own. In many cases this means taking unsuspecting freelance writers for a ride. They will request a batch of articles, tell you that you will be paid upon completion, and then disappear once you give them the finished product. If you are going to accept work you find in forums be sure to ask for at least 50 percent payment upfront. And if you really want to cover yourself you should request payment in full.
While you can find freelance writing jobs in forums you should not get so caught up in this method that you don’t look elsewhere. Remember, you need to have a solid marketing plan that gives you the chance to find new work in a variety of areas. You may want to add forums to your marketing plan; just make sure they don’t dominate your time.
A couple weeks ago I got started a new project, Workathomescoop.com. I decided to start another blog; this time based on the work at home industry. As you probably know, millions of people either work from home or are interested in moving in this direction. Although there are many blogs based around this topic, after doing my research it is obvious that there is plenty of room for more high quality information.
Why a blog on working at home?
1. The economy is bad. For this reason, more people are interested in taking their career into their own hands. To go along with this, quite a few Americans are being pushed into a new career because they were recently laid off. What better way to take control of your career than to work for yourself? Since I have more than five years experience working from home I figured I could lend some insight on everything from getting started to setting goals and much more.
2. A lot of people say they want to work from home, but never get started because it is either “too much work” or there “isn’t enough help out there.” It is my goal to help interested work at home professionals get past whatever is holding them back. Starting a work at home career is not impossible with the right information. I hope to offer this.
3. I know a lot about working from home! As a freelance writer I work from home day in and day out. Over the years I have learned a lot about what it takes to get started, succeed, and maintain a successful work at home career. Hopefully this experience will rub off on my readers, and help them reach all of their goals.
Top Posts, so far
Although the blog has only been active and live for a few weeks I have already added some great “pillar posts.” To get a better idea of the content behind Workathomescoop.com take a look at the following posts:
For two years I have been interacting with my audience here at ChrisBlogging.com. It has been a pleasure, and I hope that many of you will take the time to join me at Workathomescoop.com as well. If you get the time, check out my new blog and let me know what you think. And of course, I would greatly appreciate it if you would also subscribe to my RSS feed and/or opt to receive updates via email.
Workathomescoop.com is already bringing in a bit of traffic here and there, and I hope it will become a success, just like this blog, soon enough. Hope to see many of you guys and gals both here and there!
To achieve success as a freelance writer, or any other career for that matter, you need to set goals. I believe strongly that the proper income goals can go a long way in helping you better your freelance writing career. But of course, you need to know that setting goals based around your income is a delicate matter. In other words, this is not something you should do without thinking long and hard while also considering what is reasonable.
Every so often a member of my freelance writing course will send me updates on their income goals. Not only do they tell me how much they are earning, but they also lend information on their goals and what they are doing to reach them. While some are on target and have not set their sights too high, others are off base and setup for failure.
When it comes to setting freelance writing income goals you need to remember one thing: be reasonable. Yes, you want to reach for the stars so you can earn a solid income and live a good life. But you don’t want to set unrealistic goals that you have no chance of achieving. If you do this you will be setting yourself up for failure, and in turn not giving yourself the chance to become a successful freelance writer.
Your income goals should be based on two factors: 1. what you need to survive. 2. What you think you can achieve at this point in your career. Your income goals can and will change over time. When I started as a freelance writer my first goal was to earn $2k per month. This was not a huge amount of money, but it was enough to pay my bills and to get me on the right path. By my third month I passed this goal, and now have my eyes set on a higher bar. There is nothing wrong with setting small, reasonable, and attainable goals to start. Soon enough you can begin to climb the income ladder as you make more contacts, and realize what it takes to succeed on a higher level.
While it is important to set income goals, you don’t want them to be impossible to reach in a reasonable amount of time.
From time to time you are going to get hooked up with a client that is not sure of what they want. They know they need a freelance writer but are unsure of how to get started, where to go, and what the finished product will look like. This is where you need to step in and become more than just an average freelance writer. You need to show the client you are not only willing to help, but that you can show them every step to take.
Generally speaking, you will know if a client needs help. How so, you may ask? Most of them will tell you upfront. For instance, I began working with a new client last week. Upon starting our relationship he told me that this was his first time hiring a freelance writer, and he really didn’t know how the process worked or what to expect. This opened the door for me to show the client the way. Things have progressed nicely to this point, despite the fact that our relationship is only one week old. I like to believe that I have shown the client how easy it can be to work with a freelance writer.
Of course, there are going to be clients who think they know what they are doing but find out differently as they move forward. In this case you want to make sure the client knows you are available, but at the same time you don’t want to be pushy. Remember, there is a fine line between offering your help and coming across as a “know it all.” You may want to offer your expertise, but don’t push so much that you are seen as being a nuisance.
Some of my clients always ask for my help. Others know exactly what they want, and only ask for assistance from time to time. You are sure to deal with a variety of clients, so make sure you are ready for every situation that comes up. And if you are asked for help you should see this as your big opportunity to prove that you are more than a freelance writer.
The best type of freelance writing client is one that sends you work time after time. This is more or less a long term client that enjoys working with you so they always keep you busy. Of course, as you have probably found out, not every client fits this mold. Some will send you work here and there, and others only want to hire you for one job.
If you want to make more money and feel better about your career you should never be afraid to ask clients for more work. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to increase business and overall success.
Here are three times when you should ask a client for more work:
1. The best time to do this is once you complete a project. For instance, the email you write to turn in a project can be the same one you use to ask for more work. If the client likes what they see it is safe to say that more work will be coming your way if it is available. In fact, if your work is really good you may land another project even if the client wasn’t planning on moving forward just yet.
2. Have you been out of touch with a client for a few weeks or longer? Don’t let clients forget about you. Instead, send a quick email stating that you enjoy working with them and you would love to take on another project if available. Staying in touch with clients is important if you are going to form a long term, mutually beneficial relationship.
3. Do you have clients that send you regular work? Can you handle more than what they give you? If so, you may want to ask if there is anything else you can do. Believe it or not, many companies hire several freelance writers. If you show that you are capable and willing to work hard you may be able to pick up another project in addition to your regular work.
It is important to ask clients for more work from time to time. Remember, the easiest projects to land are from clients you have worked with in the past. Once you have your foot in the door you want to keep things this way.
Every so often I like to add a post about starting a successful freelance writing career. The reason for this is simple: a few times per week I receive an email from an aspiring writer telling me that they are afraid to branch out and start their freelance career. This is a common fear, and one that holds many people back from chasing what they want.
If you are afraid to start a freelance writing career you should consider the details below:
1. What is holding you back? What is causing your fear? These are the questions you need to answer before you do anything else. Some people are feeling afraid because they don’t want to leave the “comfort and security” of their day job. Others are worried that they won’t make it, and will end up living on the street. No matter what you need to know what is causing your fear so you can face it and move on.
2. Learn what you can do to not only get past your fear, but to do so in a manner that will make you more confident. For instance, if you are afraid of leaving your current job you should consider the fact that it may not be as secure as you think. The number one reason that people don’t go into a career as a freelancer is that they think this job is not secure. But guess what? When you are working for yourself you will have more security than you ever will when you work for somebody else. As a self-employed professional you are in charge, you put your trust in your own hands.
3. Make a list of the benefits of starting a freelance writing career. I find it peculiar that some aspiring freelancers dwell on the potential negatives, but never take the time to consider the positives. Once you realize the pros and cons you will see just what this type of career offers.
These three details should help you face and conquer your fears. If you truly want to become a freelance writer nothing should hold you back. No matter how scared you are, you should find a way to move on and eventually get what you want.
As a freelance writer you need to know your schedule, for the most part. This does not mean you have to work the same hours everyday, but you should definitely have an idea of what you are trying to accomplish. This will ensure that you get your work done, and that you also have the proper communications with clients.
Do you tell clients that you operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? If so, you are not alone. My first freelance writing website made it pretty clear I am always available to talk about a project no matter what time of the day it is. And while I have not used this site in a year or so it is still live and receives some daily search engine traffic. Last night, for the first time in a long time, I received a call from a potential client well after my regular work hours. In fact, it was close to midnight. Fortunately, I was still awake and had just powered down my computer.
The point of my brief story is simple: don’t tell people anything that isn’t true. While I don’t have a problem talking with anybody about a project I would rather not do so late at night when my computer is not on. After all, I want to give a high level of customer service and being in bed without a computer makes this a difficult task. I made a mistake by stating that I accept calls 24/7.
If you are in the process of building your first freelance writing website or already have one, make sure you are 100 percent sure of the information you include. I have seen many websites with the “24/7 lingo” and yours may be one of them. If so, you may want to think twice about this. You never know when somebody will take you up on your offer to talk.
Some freelance writers get into the habit of accepting projects and not keeping their client in the “loop.” I have found this to be a big mistake. Simply put, you want to keep your client involved from start to finish. While most clients will make sure that this happens, others will rely on you to keep them current with what is going on.
Here are three ways to keep freelance writing clients in the loop:
1. Send regular updates. It is not as difficult as you may think to send updates to clients from time to time. This does not mean that you should email every client everyday. What it does mean is that you should keep them in the loop through regular correspondence. The amount of updates you give a client depends largely on your relationship, as well as the deadline.
2. Be sure to answer emails and phone calls on time. If a client has a question or checks in to see how much progress you have made you need to get back to them in a timely manner. This is the case no matter if they email or call. A freelance writer who keeps clients in the loop is one who will receive repeat work. Be sure to answer inquiries as quickly as possible as to keep clients happy.
3. Never be afraid to call a client if email is not going to work. There may come a time when you need to ask a detailed question, or explain yourself in-depth. As you know this can be difficult to do via email. If you need to call a client you should do so. You may be surprised at how much good this does.
These three tips should go a long way in helping you keep your clients in the loop.
Time after time I receive emails from struggling freelance writers asking where they can turn for high paying gigs. As you can imagine this is a difficult question to answer. There is so much that goes into this inquiry that it would be impossible to list all of the possibilities.
There is no easy way to answer the question of where to find high paying gigs. When I am asked this question I almost always respond with some questions of my own: what does high paying mean to you? What type of projects are you most interested in? What type of marketing are you currently doing? What audience are you targeting? These are all questions that need to be answered before you can determine where to find high paying jobs.
A lot of my highest paying jobs have come to me through referrals. In other words, my clients pass my name along to others. In the end the result is the ability to land a new client without having to market my services. While this will be something you can rely on in the future, new freelance writers have yet to establish themselves so this is not possible for the time being.
High paying freelance writing gigs are all over the place. I work with “one man shows” who pay $.50/word, as well as large companies that pay twice as much. You need to remember two things: 1. there are clients of all types in every industry that are willing to pay your rates. 2. You set your rates. Know how much money you want to earn, and then ask for this when negotiating with potential clients. This gives you the chance to turn any client into one that is high paying.
Believe me, there are tens of thousands of high paying freelance writing gigs out there. They are not going to fall into your lap in most cases. Instead, you have to go out and find them. Once you get used to landing high paying clients you will find it easier to continue this trend as your freelance writing career grows.
