What is the best freelance writing advice that you have ever received? This is a question that I have thought about a lot lately due to many people asking me for general advice. You would think it would be easy to give basic freelance writing advice, but this is far from the case.
I usually answer this question the same way: work hard day in and day out and good things will come of your career. Sure, this is vague and may not work for everybody, but in most cases it is good advice to follow. Even if you have no experience and are yet to make any progress as a freelance writer, you can begin to achieve success if you are simply willing to work hard everyday of the work. In my opinion, hard work will pay huge dividends in the long run.
Of course, this type of advice does not even scratch the surface. Yes, hard work will help you to build a successful freelance writing career, but what does this mean, exactly? In other words, what does it mean to work hard? Obviously, getting into all of these finer details is much more than a bit of basic advice. The way that you work is up to you. What one person considers working hard another may consider nothing more than a half day’s work.
The bottom line is simple: no matter what freelance writing advice you receive, you need to do your “own thing†with it. Advice from a successful freelance writer is a good start, but only if you take it and work it into your career.Â
Over the past three days, I have detailed three common types of freelance writing projects: keyword articles, sales letters, and feature articles. Next in line are newsletters. Believe it or not, you can earn quite a bit of money by focusing on this niche. I have one friend in the industry who charges $400/page for a newsletter project. It may not be easy to find clients that pay that well, but believe me, they do exist.
What is a Newsletter?
A newsletter is content that a company sends out to employees as well as anybody else who may be interested in what is going on within the business. I have written one page newsletters, as well as some in excess of 10 pages. Generally speaking, a client will base the length of a newsletter on two things. 1. The amount of information that they wish to send out. 2. The amount of money that they can afford to spend on the newsletter; if they are hiring a freelancer, of course.
Many freelance writers avoid newsletters because they are more specific by nature, and usually take more research and time to write. After all, when writing content for a newsletter it has to be based around the company. For this reason, you will probably have to do a lot of research including interviews, competitor analysis, and much more. Of course, the more work that you put into a project the more you can charge your client.
Newsletter Payment
As mentioned above, you can earn a lot of money by specializing in newsletters. A lot of companies are interested in sending out a regular newsletter, but hold back because they cannot afford an employee to handle this task. By offering your services on a freelance basis, you will find that there are many companies willing to throw some business your way. It is not uncommon to find clients who are willing to pay $100 or more for a single page of newsletter content.
In my experience, there are two ways to charge for newsletter projects: by the page or by the project. I like to charge per page because you never know how long a piece will be, or what changes will be made. By charging by the page, it not only protects me but it does the same for the client.
Finding Clients
Are you ready to move forward with newsletter writing? If so, you need to find clients. The best way to do this is to cold call as many businesses as possible. If you are told by a company that they already have a newsletter, ask if they would consider adding you as a contributor.
The best companies are those that do not yet have a newsletter, and do not want to add an employee or delegate this task to an existing worker. In this case, you will be able to sell your services by showcasing your expertise and benefits to a company.
You can earn a lot of money as a newsletter writer. Additionally, it can be tons of fun to write these pieces. They give you the chance to learn a lot about the company you are working for, while also networking along the way.Â
With so many types of freelance writing projects out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. Over the past two days, I posted about keyword articles and sales letters. Today, I want to talk a bit about feature articles. These pieces make up a large portion of my business, and for this reason I truly believe that every freelance writer should look into moving in this direction.
What is a Feature Article?
Many people are under the impression that a feature article has to appear on the front page of a magazine or similar publication. While this can be true, it is not a prerequisite of being considered a feature article. In fact, I can only think of a couple past pieces of mine that have been mentioned on the front cover.
Generally speaking, you will write feature articles for magazines. But keep in mind that these publications also ask for other pieces such as small fillers, etc. In most cases, your editor will be able to tell you whether your article will be used as a feature or in another capacity. When writing a query letter, I usually make it clear that the piece is going to be long enough to qualify as a feature. This way there is no confusion and the editor knows what to expect.
Feature articles can vary in length. I have put together pieces as small as 500 words, whereas others have exceeded 2,500 words. The length of your article depends on many factors. In most cases, your editor will give you guidance in this department.
 Feature Article Payment
How much money can you get paid for writing a feature article? For many freelance writers, this is the best part of these types of projects. Once again, the amount that you get paid depends on the publication that you are working for. Small, local magazines may only pay $.05/word. Although this may seem low, it gives you a start which will allow you to more easily break into larger publications over time. Speaking of larger publications, they have a bigger budget which allows you, the freelance writer, to earn more money. It is not uncommon to come across publications that pay $1/word or more. Keep in mind that these publications are the most difficult to break into. After all, who wouldn’t like to write for $1/word?
In most cases, I receive anywhere from $.25/word to $.75/word. After writing a few features for one publication they may decide to offer you a pay increase. This is why it is important to keep a good relationship with every editor, and to always turn in your best work.Â
Finding Markets
Are you interested in writing feature articles? If so, you must start out by finding magazines that accept freelance writers. As I have mentioned many times in the past, the best way of doing this is through Writer’s Market. You can either purchase the book or signup for an online subscription; I do both. Once you have access to Writer’s Market, you can then search for publications that suit your experience level, desired pay rate, and topics of choice. In my opinion, there is no better way to break into writing feature articles.
It can be a lot of fun to write feature articles. In fact, some writers earn so much from these pieces that they never have to dabble in other projects. Once you begin to form relationships and receive repeat work, you will find that increasing your regular income through feature articles is a definite possibility.
