This may be something that you think about all the time; I know I do. But at the same time, some new freelance writers may never take it into consideration. Working as a freelancer of any kind gives you a lot of freedom. This is not something to take lightly because it is a huge benefit of this type of career.
When you are a freelancer you don’t answer to anybody. Sure, you have clients that want to speak with you and give you direction. Fortunately, you are not tied to one client that can make or break your career. You have the freedom to move around and find clients that are willing to work with you to build a mutually beneficial relationship.
You also have the freedom to do what you want during work hours. Do you want to run to the grocery store in the middle of the morning? How about a doctor appointment late in the workday? When you work as a freelance writer you make your own hours. This is a great benefit no matter if you are single or have a family that you want to spend time with.
Freedom is a great benefit of working as a freelance writer. This is something to think about before you follow this career path, as well as after you have started. You never want to forget about why you became a freelance professional in the first place. With the freedom to do what you want, when you want, many people are excited about the prospects of working as a freelance writer.
Chris, why am I failing as a freelance writer? Believe it or not, I receive this sort of message at least once per week. It is hard to see that so many people are aspiring to become full-time freelance writers but are coming up way short. It is never easy for me to tell somebody why they are not achieving success. After all, I don’t know exactly what each person is doing or what goals they are trying to reach.
Through my years of addressing this situation I have found that most freelance writers fail for the same common reasons:
1. They don’t put in enough time. Contrary to popular belief, becoming a freelance writer takes time. Don’t think you are going to start writing today, find new clients tomorrow, and begin making tens of thousands of dollars by next month. It is very important that you are patient while putting in the time necessary to succeed.
2. They don’t have the proper skills. Not everybody is a good writer. I am good at writing, but stink at math. Some people are great with numbers but don’t have the skills to write compelling content. If you don’t enjoy writing and/or don’t have the skills, find a career path that better suits you.
3. They lack a business and marketing plan. If you are going to achieve success you need a plan. Early in my career I put together a business and marketing plan. To this day I still rely on both, although they have changed quite a bit over the years. Even if your plan is not in-depth, it is better than nothing.Â
Are you not achieving as much success as you would like? Consider the three points above and whether or not they are causing your problems.Â
Are you an aspiring freelance writer? It can be difficult to start a career, especially if you do not know much about what you are doing. This will lead to what seems like one snag after the next. In other words, just as you gain momentum you run into something that slows you down. Does this sound all too familiar?
Hitting snags as a freelance writer, new or not, is going to happen. Even though I have seen just about every possible situation, there are still things that come up that perplex me – this is part of being a freelance writer. If you are not willing to deal with both the good and the bad, this is the wrong career for you.
When you hit a snag as an aspiring freelance writer you may feel as if your entire career is coming down around you. After all, you don’t know much about the industry, where you are headed, or how to solve the problem. In my experience, the best thing you can do is take your time in assessing your situation. Look at your problem from every different angle, and then make an educated decision on which move to make next.
Believe it or not, every problem you solve will help you in the long run. During my first year as a freelance writer I was stiffed a couple of times by clients. While this hurt at the time, I also learned a lot from the experiences. Now, it is easier for me to pinpoint from the start which “clients†don’t have my best interest in mind.
When you hit a snag make sure you solve your problem before moving on. You can learn from every experience, and when you do it ensures a better career in the future.Â
So you want to become a freelance writer? This is something that many people are thinking about at this very second. But before you decide that this is the career for you, make sure you think long and hard about what you are doing. Remember, a career as a freelance writer sounds like a lot of fun right now but things do not always stay this way. In other words, there are good times and bad – just like any career.
I am not trying to talk anybody out of following their dream. What I am trying to do is show you that there are pros and cons of working as a freelancer. This is true no matter if you are a freelance writer, a freelance web designer, a freelance coder, etc.
One of the best ways to decide if a career as a freelance writer is a good choice is to go at it part-time to start. Keep your current job, even if you do not like it, and work on the side as a freelance writer. Give yourself at least two hours per day, five days per week for a month or so. At the end of this you can look back and see where you stand. Did you enjoy your time as a freelance writer even though you were only working a few hours per day? Do you see solid income potential? You have to be honest with yourself when assessing the past. This is the only way you can make the right decision for the future.
When I decided to become a full-time freelance writer most people told me that it was a bad idea. They did not believe in the income that was available, or that it was possible to catch on quickly. After a couple of months I proved them wrong. You don’t want to let outside sources dictate whether or not you become a freelance writer. This is a decision you have to make on your own. Of course, there is nothing wrong with listening to others and taking their opinion for what it is worth.
If you are sure you want to become a freelance writer you should stop thinking about it and go for the gusto. Soon enough you will find out if you made the right decision.
When you work as a freelance writer you are the only person in charge of managing your career. The same cannot be said when you work for an employer. Sure, you are still your own person but at the same time your company has a lot to say about what you do, how you advance, and much more.
Below are three tips for successfully managing your freelance writing career:
1. Be prepared for both the good and bad. Some freelance writers expect fun, games, and lots of money day after day – this is not the way things work. Just like any other career, some days are going to be better than others. Make sure you are fully prepared to deal with both the good and bad.
2. Don’t forget about anything that is bothering you. The easiest way to get past a problem is to brush it aside and hope that it does not get worse. This is a big mistake. If you are going to successfully manage your freelance writing career you need to be ready deal with any problem, big or small.
3. Stay organized. Early in my career I was not as organized as I should have been. This led to a lot of mistakes including missed deadlines and accounting errors. Soon enough I realized how important it was to stay organized, even if it meant extra time out of my day. Good organization is a habit. Once you get into the flow you will want to stay organized because you know just how much it can do for you.
It is impossible for me to sit down and write all the ways to successfully manage a freelance writing career. What I do is different than the next person. That being said, the three tips above have greatly helped me over the years and should be able to do the same for you.
At least once per week, but usually more, somebody emails and asks what they can earn as a freelance writer. They are interested in all the finer details of earning a substantial freelance writing income. While I commend them for being so excited, this is one detail that is very hard to address on my end. The reason is simple: my freelance writing income is not the same as the next persons. Some of you earn more, some less, and some none at all.
In my eyes, the sky is the limit when you work as a freelance writer. Not only do you get to control your own career, but this includes how much money you can earn. If you are not happy with your freelance writing income right now, change things around so you can begin to earn more. If you are satisfied, do what you can to keep up your career and build in the right direction.
When I say the sky is the limit I really mean it. As I have said before, my first month as a freelance writer brought in a total of $52. Even though this was a small amount it gave me confidence. After a couple years in the industry I broke the $5k barrier, then $10k, and so on. Don’t worry about how fast you climb the income ladder. Instead, be patient and work on slowly growing your career day after day. If you are always moving forward your income is going to follow.
I hate to give out any hard and fast freelance writing income numbers any longer. Instead, I think it is important to set your own goals and be happy when you reach them. After all, what I earn has nothing to do with your money and how you use it. If you have any further questions on freelance writing income, leave a comment or feel free to send me an email. This is one topic that a lot of readers like to talk about, so I have no problem continuing the discussion indefinitely.
I am going to keep this post short. I currently have two openings in my freelance writing course as two members did not stay on after five months. I hated to see them go, but after such a long period of time I am confident that both of them are ready for a full-time career.
If you want to suck up one of these spots, get in touch with me as soon as possible. In most cases, openings in my freelance writing course stay available for 24 hours or less. Of course, if you have any questions I would be happy to answer them before you decide to move forward.
Hope to be working with a couple more of you in the days to come!
As a freelance writer you need particular equipment and supplies to succeed. At the same time, you don’t want to blow all your profits on these expenses. After all, this is supposed to be a relatively cheap career. Believe it or not, I am friends with a few freelance writers who have every “toy†you could possibly imagine. Their offices have more technology and related items than I knew existed. I don’t want to say that they are wrong for buying all of these items. In fact, if they can afford it all that is a good thing. With that being said, it is important for new freelance writers to realize that this is not a path they have to follow.
Some freelance writers spend too much on equipment and supplies because they don’t know what they need. They buy, buy, buy and never seem to get what they want. Instead of doing this, why not write down what you need and then stick to this for the time being? As long as you have what you need to continue forward you are in good shape. There is no point in going overboard; especially if you are buying items that you do not necessarily need.
Do you believe that more equipment means a better chance of success? If so, you are both right and wrong. Yes, you need the right setup to achieve success while feeling comfortable day in and day out. But if you think that a super high powered computer is going to land you new clients, you are mistaken. When it comes down to it, you are in charge of selling yourself as a freelance writer – not your home office or what is in it.
You will know if you are spending too much on freelance writing equipment and supplies. If you get this feeling, tone it back for a bit. This doesn’t mean you should stop spending money, just get a grip on what you are doing.Â
Many members of my freelance writing course ask about how they should be communicating with clients. Obviously, email is common right now and probably always will be. It is simple and efficient to send and receive emails. But remember, this is far from your only option. You must also consider the benefits of phone communication. I know that some of you guys and gals probably think I am crazy. Even though you may not enjoy speaking with clients on the phone, many of you will fall in love with it soon enough.
Here are three benefits of phone communication:
1. Quicker than email. This may be hard to believe, but it is true. In one phone call you can cover a lot of ground. This is much more efficient than sending a large quantity of emails back and forth. Most of my client phone calls don’t last for more than five to ten minutes. Upon completion of the conversation we are on the same page and probably won’t need to speak again for a few days.
2. It breaks up the boredom of working alone day after day. I love speaking with clients on the phone because it allows me to hear a live voice instead of simply reading emails and instant messages.
3. You can easily gauge your customer’s satisfaction and overall tone. Let’s face it; this is not always easy to do via email. When you speak on the phone it is easy to determine what the client is feeling, good or bad. In turn, you know for sure if you are making the right moves or need to change things as you continue your relationship.
This does not mean that email and other forms of communication are bad for you, but you should be comfortable using the phone to communicate with clients. This is especially true if they stress a desire to do so.Â
Becoming a freelance writer is something you should do for yourself. In other words, don’t take your career in this direction because somebody else, such as me, says it is a good idea. When you truly want to become a freelance writer it becomes much easier to make this a reality.
Believe it or not, you have all the help you need within your own mind and body. This does not mean that you should never talk to others or get help with your career. But it does mean that you have to do most of the leg work on your own. You know you better than anybody else. For this reason, within should be the first place you turn if you want to become a freelance writer.
Try these tips if you are finding it difficult to move forward:
1. Don’t weigh yourself down. It is very easy to become overwhelmed as a freelance writer trying to learn the business. If you want to help yourself, stick to the basics for the time being. As you grow your career you will find it easier to expand without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Have a plan. With a business and marketing plan in hand it becomes much easier to answer any question that comes up. Anytime you are stumped you can turn to your plan for help. Your business and marketing plans do not have to be complex and full of every last detail. As long as it gives you guidance it is perfect for the time being.
3. Get in the right frame of mind. Do you know what to expect from a career as a freelance writer? Do you know which step to take next? You have to be 100 percent dedicated to getting started before you move forward. If you are not, you will find a little voice holding you back. Any freelance writer, no matter their experience level, will tell you that dedication is essential to success.
You are your own best help. If becoming a freelance writer is your career goal, look within so you can get started.
