Day in and day out, I receive emails from aspiring writers who want to find all of their work via freelance bidding sites such as GetAFreelancer, Elance, etc. While this is a good place to start your search for work, it should not be the end all. The fact of the matter is that high paying, high quality clients do not usually hire freelance writers via bidding sites. Sure, some of them do, but there are not many. I can count on one hand how many quality clients I have found through these sites.
Are bidding sites legitimate? The short answer to this question is yes. These sites are not a scam; you can secure work through them if you know what you are doing. But that being said, there is a lot of competition, and as noted above, it can be difficult to find clients that you are going to want to work with on a long term basis. In my experience, especially as of late, more and more buyers on these sites are looking for the freelance writer offering the lowest rate; even if they do not have good writing skills.
If you are going to use a bidding site to find work and new clients, make sure that this is not the only technique within your marketing strategy. There is nothing wrong with bidding for jobs, but if this is your sole means of finding work it can be a major problem. Instead, mix cold calling and sending query letters in with bidding on jobs. This way, if things begin to run dry in one area you can always rely on finding work in other ways.
The earlier in your career that you begin to stray away from relying solely on freelance bidding sites the better off you are going to be. Yes, there are some jobs that are worth winning and some buyers that are of high quality and integrity. But at the same time, it is important to remember that bidding sites should not be used as your only way of finding work. It should simply be one part of your marketing plan.
Last month, my freelance writing income totaled more than $9,200. This was my highest earning month of 2008. And while it would be nice to earn this much money each month, it is quite difficult to keep up the pace. Going into June, I was thinking that an income of $7k to $9k was a reasonable goal. While my income goals are never that high, with some new clients on board I felt that it was more than doable.
So how did June shape up? Was my freelance writing income more than it was in May?
Number of Completed Projects: 30
Payment by PayPal: 26
Payment by Check: 3
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $10,073.34
Although I did not see it coming, I ended up earning approximately $800 more in June than I did in May. The main reason for this was simple: I completed eight more jobs while also adding a few new clients to the mix. As I mentioned last month, completing more jobs usually equals more income as far as my career is concerned.
June was the first month of 2008 in which I broke the $10k mark. Again, this is not what I strive for but it would surely be nice to keep this up for the rest of the year. Is this possible? Sure it is. That being said, I don’t see it happening. As a freelance writer you have to get used to the up and down flow of the business. Last month I earned more than $10k, but in July this number could slide back down to the $5k range. It all depends on how much work my clients need, and of course, when they send payment. As always, I will be happy with $4,500 or so.
To stay up to date with my progress and learn how to earn a living through freelance writing, subscribe to my RSS feed via email. Additionally, if you have a spare second, I would appreciate a Stumble and/or Digg. My income report is always the most popular post of the month, and I want to keep things that way. As mentioned before, my goal is to have more than 300 RSS subscribers by the end of July. Here is to hoping that you can help me reach my goal!
Many people are afraid of marketing their services because they think that they will fail. While it is true that you will have your setbacks from time to time, you should not get caught thinking like this. Instead, you should learn how to find more clients and then implement each strategy into your marketing plan.
Here are five ways that you can find more freelance writing clients next month. Believe it or not, it only takes a few weeks for a good marketing plan to kick in and begin to show results:
1. Contact clients that you worked with in the past. This is perhaps one of the best ways to obtain more work. While these may not be “new clients†they can help you to increase business and profits. And since you worked with them in the past, you know what you are getting yourself into.
2. Ask current freelance writing clients for referrals. Many freelancers are embarrassed of doing so, but you should never feel this way. Do not go overboard or become forceful when asking for referrals. Instead, explain your situation to current clients and ask if they could pass your name along when feasible. If a client loves the work that you do for them they will have no problem passing your name along to others.
3. Always keep your eyes open for jobs when browsing the internet. They can be found on job boards, classified sites, or through a basic email address on a random website. If you keep your eye opens for new opportunities, you may be surprised at what you find on a regular basis.
4. Have you tried getting in touch with local businesses? This is a great way to locate new clients in no time at all. In my experience, local businesses like to work with those in their area. You can use this as a hook, and as long as you have solid samples to back up your claims, there is a good chance of success.
5. Try different types of freelance writing. Have you been focusing mainly on website content? If so, getting involved with sales letters, feature articles, or other projects is a great way to expand your reach and hopefully find new clients.
Next month, why not put a lot of time into your marketing efforts? This can help you to increase your reach while also giving you the chance to earn more money.Â
