As a freelance writer you definitely need a website and/or blog to showcase your abilities to potential clients. If you are not attempting to generate new clients via the internet you are holding yourself back. In my opinion, it is very important for every freelance writer to have and use a website.
I have several websites that bring in new clients. Additionally, I manage this blog which also attracts clients and those interested in partnering with me. Believe it or not, it is very easy to create a website and blog that can be used to show off your talent and offerings. If you are not up to it, you can always hire a professional to design and code your site. For a few hundred dollars you should be able to get exactly what you want and need.
Will my site bring in a lot of new clients? Right away, the answer is usually no. It will take a while before your site gains traction. For instance, the first six months of this blog were slow. I had a few readers, but not too many people were asking about my services. Sometime around the one year mark I gained traction, my search engine rankings increased, and more and more people were asking about my services. You need to be patient if you want your website/blog to payoff in the long run.
If you are serious about your career as a freelance writer you need a website to showcase your talent. Soon enough your website(s) will be attracting new clients and making it easy for you to expand your business.
There are many ways to land new clients as a freelance writer. One that I talk about from time to time is cold calling. This is not something that most freelance writers like to do, but it can be quite effective. Just like anything else, if you want to have success with cold calling you need to know what you are doing. There is a right and a wrong way of doing this. What you say and how you say it will determine the success you have.
Keep in mind that not every cold call is going to result in a new client. In fact, you are bound to get hung up on and told no more times than not. Your goal is to stick with things until something breaks your way. It may take a couple of calls to land a client. It may take 50 or more. Will you stay persistent?
Have a list. If you are going to make cold calls you need to have a list to work from. For instance, you may want to cold call every real estate agent in your area to offer your services. Start out by compiling a list of agents by searching online and in the phone book. This way you can move from one call to the next without stopping.
Once you get the proper person on the phone you should give a short introduction explaining who you are and what you offer. If the person shows interest you can continue to offer more information on yourself and what you can do for them. Some people will give you a job on the spot. Others will tell you to email your resume, clips, etc. It should be your main goal to either land a gig or setup a second conversation on the phone or via email. It often times takes several calls and/or emails until you receive good news.
Finally, don’t give up if you are getting rejected time after time. This is a mistake. As noted above, you will get rejected more times than not. You have to continue forward with the thought that you will eventually land a new client.
Hopefully this information gives you the knowledge and confidence needed to implement a cold calling strategy.
Last week I received a couple of emails about the cost of being a freelance writer. These people wanted to know how much money it costs to start a career in this industry, as well as what I spend from month to month. While this is different for everybody, you should know one thing: freelance writing is a relatively inexpensive career. This is not a career that will suck your bank account dry from one month to the next. Of course, you have to be smart about how you spend and save.
Starting a freelance writing career can be semi-expensive, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. The biggest expenses you will face are for a computer, printer, and internet connection. Do you have all three of these things already? If so, you are way ahead of the game and pretty much ready to start your career without spending more than a few bucks on some office supplies, etc. Those who don’t have the above three items should shop for them on a budget. In my experience you can buy a quality computer and printer for roughly $500. This may not buy you the best of the best, but it is more than enough to get your career started.
I don’t spend much money on a monthly basis to further my career. My biggest expenses are for offices supplies, such as printer paper, as well as my internet connection. To go along with these, I also spend a bit on domain names, hosting, design work, and other things for some of my own projects.
All in all, it is not expensive to start a career as a freelance writer. If you are interested in becoming a freelance writer you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get started. Most people already have what they need.
