A lot of my freelance writing business comes from referrals. In other words, I do a good job for a client and they in turn pass my name along to their clients, colleagues, and contacts. Believe it or not, referral business is one of the best ways to grow your freelance writing career. The nice thing about this type of business is that you do not have to go find it for yourself. Instead, it will find you if you do a good job.
In the same thought as referral business, you should also consider what references and testimonials can do for your freelance writing career. When it comes down to it, these are two more ways for you to increase the number of projects you secure and the amount of money you earn.
First off, let’s take a closer look at references. Generally speaking, a reference is somebody that you can have a potential client contact before they hire you. As you probably know, you want to make sure that you choose references that will put you in the best possible light. After all, your references will be telling potential clients about the benefits of working with you.
It does not take a lot of hard work to secure a reference. After you have completed a project for a client, send them a quick note asking if you can use them as a reference in the future. In most cases, clients are more than happy to help you out. Keep a list of your best references handy so that you can send them to those who ask without delay.
Testimonials are similar to references, but not exactly the same. A testimonial is more or less a few nice words about you and what you have to offer. The nice thing about a testimonial is that you can put it on your website or in the sales material that you have on file. A testimonial is words that you already have from past clients, whereas a reference is somebody who a potential client will have to contact on their own.
Consider how references and testimonials can help your freelance writing business. By using both of these tools to your advantage, you will find that you are securing more work than you ever thought possible.
Every so often I receive an email about how my freelance writing rates are lower than the industry norm. While this may be true in some cases, I always find it hard to believe that others get so caught up in what their competition is charging. The way I see it, you should set your freelance writing rates based on your experience, feelings, and career goals.
Making money through small freelance writing projects is more than possible. This is how I started my career, and it has helped my freelance writing income to increase big time since my first day on the job. This is not to say that you only want to take on small jobs, but they can add up over the course of a month.
Take this scenario for example. You could spend the entire month chasing two feature article opportunities that pay you a total of $500. This would be a great accomplishment, but since these jobs can be hard to land as a beginner, you may be wasting a lot of time.
On the other side of things, you could attempt to write 50 articles at $10 each. These types of articles are commonly purchased by webmasters who need content for their site or blog. Sure, you will have to put in more work because you are writing 50 articles instead of two, but in the end you will have the same amount of money. Then if the feature article projects come through, you are now sitting at $1,000/month.
The above scenario is similar to what I faced as a new freelance writer. Everybody wants the fun, high paying jobs. But they are not the only ones out there. Remember, small paying freelance writing jobs usually take up less time than high paying ones; it is all relative.
Instead of spending day after day chasing jobs that may not come about, you should also take some time to look for smaller, more attainable projects that could put a little bit of money in your pocket. I don’t take on these jobs nearly as much as I once did, but they definitely helped me to get to where I am today.
Being an excellent writer will not do you any good if you have no clue on where to find work. You need to decide what markets you are most interested in. When it comes to finding freelance writing markets, there are several market options that you will want to consider.
1. Get in touch directly with corporations both large and small. There are tens of thousands of companies in the United States that are in need of writers. Sure, some of them have people on staff that can help, but this is not always the case. Believe it or not, many Fortune 500 companies use freelance writers from time to time. And this definitely holds true for smaller operations that cannot afford to hire a full-time writer.Â
2. Advertising agencies can supply you with a lot of work. To get started within this market, contact agencies in your local area; this will give you a leg up on the competition from the start. Tell the person in charge that you are a freelance writer, and that you would be more than happy to work with them on any projects that they have coming up. It can be difficult to get your foot in the door, but once you do, make sure that you do a good job. From there, you will be sure to get the first call anytime a new project comes into play. I have only worked with a couple of advertising agencies, but anytime they get a new client I usually get a phone call.
3. Online freelance writing is very popular. Webmasters are always looking for writers to provide them with fresh content. After all, search engines love new, unique content. You may not get paid the best rates working online, but the money can add up. Of course, bigger companies also look for web writers as well.
These are three common freelance writing markets to tap into. There are others including but not limited to public relations agencies, government organizations, and non-profits. You may want to look into some of these markets as well. Once you begin to call on the above markets, you will get a better feel for what niche you want to concentrate on.
