If you are going to become a freelance writer you are sure to run into many myths during the early stages of your career. In fact, you may run into these before you ever decide to take the leap. During this time, you need to make sure that you ignore these common freelance writing myths. If you don’t, there is a good chance that they could scare you away from chasing your dream.
So what are some of the more common freelance writing myths that you will come across?
1. Freelance writers don’t make good money. I am tired of this one, but guess what? It is never going away. Simply put, you should completely ignore this statement. Just like any other industry, there are those who earn a lot and those who do not. That being said, there is nothing standing between you and earning a nice freelance writing income.
2. Becoming a freelance writer is hard work. I agree that becoming a success and earning money can be time consuming, and that it takes a devoted professional. But at the same time, it is a myth that you have to break down many walls in order to get started. Even if you have no experience, you can call yourself a freelance writer and begin to market your services in no time at all. This does not mean that you will become a success, but you can get started quickly and easily.Â
3. The competition is so fierce that you will never find quality clients. Again, this is downright ridiculous. There are plenty of clients to go around, and if you offer quality service you are going to find a few that enjoy working with you. Competition can be fierce; there is no denying this. But don’t think that there are so many freelancers that you have no chance of breaking into the business.
These common freelance writing myths have been around for many years. The best thing that you can do is ignore them. Thinking that any of the above myths are true is only going to slow down the progress of your career.
Has a potential buyer asked you for samples? If so, there are a few things that you can do. First off, and the best option, is to give them exactly what they want. If this does not work, there is a good chance that you do not have a sample that is related to what they are looking for. In this case, any sample may do; but this is something that you will have to ask the buyer.
Obviously, you want to give the buyer what he wants. If this means samples, so be it. Even if you cannot meet his exact needs, open up a conversation to see what else you can offer. Believe it or not, many clients will take any samples that you have. Simply put, they want to make sure that you can write quality content no matter the subject matter.
What samples are you going to offer? On my desktop, I have a folder full of a variety of samples. When a buyer asks for one, I know exactly where to look. From there, I find the sample that most closely resembles what I am being asked for. If nothing works, I head to other folders to try to find something better.
When a buyer asks for a sample you should have something to send. In other words, saying that you have nothing to show is not a good idea. Fortunately, most freelance writers, even though who are just starting out, have a few samples on hand. And remember, as you grow your career your collection of samples will grow as well.Â
Guess what? You should try being nice to your freelance writing clients from time to time. Okay, most of you probably are nice to clients. But guess what? There are many in the industry who do not know what it means to provide good customer service. Instead, they treat clients poorly. Soon enough, they are losing these clients and their freelance writing business is suffering.
What does it mean to be nice? Well, this depends on who you are and the situation you are in. For me, being nice is respecting clients at all times. I have found out time after time that it does not cost anything to be nice. Take for instance a situation that I ran into a few weeks ago. I emailed an SEO company about the possibility of working with them. After a day or so I received an email that was far from “nice.†They more or less told me that I was wasting their time if my budget was not X dollars. Of course, I simply moved on and left well enough alone. Believe it or not, this has happened to me more times than I care to remember.
When you are nice to clients you are making things better for every party involved. Not only will it make them feel good, but it will do the same for you. Why would you want to be rude to your clients? In the end, this is not going to benefit you in any way, shape, or form. In fact, it is just going to make things worse. Even if somebody is rude to you, killing them with kindness is the best thing to do.
If you have the tendency to treat your freelance writing clients poorly, try to change this right away. You will find that this simple change will keep clients coming back for more as opposed to seeking out a new freelancer.
