What makes a client choose one freelance writer over another? This is a question you have probably asked yourself many times. There are so many answers that you will never be able to pinpoint them all. That being said, there are a few things that standout in my mind.
If you have something special to offer you have a much better chance of becoming a successful freelance writer. This will give clients more of a reason to choose your services.
Here are three things that you can “play up†when searching for clients:
1. Specific knowledge. Do you pride yourself in knowing more about one subject than anybody else? If so, you should find clients in this area, no matter what it may be, and then concentrate on showing why you are the best hire.
2. Customer service. Every client wants to know that you care about them. Even though great customer service is something that every freelance writer can give, many never realize how important it is. From the very first contact with a potential client you should show that you are willing to do whatever it takes to service all their needs.
3. Experience. In most cases, a client is interested in hiring a freelance writer with experience in a given field. Being able to show work samples can go a long way in making clients fall in love with you. Remember this: any type of experience can be used to your advantage.
Anything that sets you apart from your competition in a good way is a detail you should use to your advantage when selling your freelance writing services.
The number of people interested freelance writing is astonishing. Everyday I receive a couple of emails from aspiring writers, asking me what they can do to get their career off the ground. Along with this, 90 percent of those in my freelance writing course are new to the industry and hoping to take off in the near future.
This leads to the question: why are so many interested in freelance writing?
1. You are your own boss. I think that this is the main reason why freelance writing has become so popular. To me, it appears that more and more people are getting fed up working long hours so somebody else can get rich. When you are a freelance writer you are in charge – it is that simple.
2. The internet makes it easy. Let’s be honest, freelance writing is not what it used to be. Gone are the days of using snail mail and fax to communicate. With the internet anybody can create a website, add samples, and begin to search for clients. Ease of entry has definitely led to more interest in freelance writing.
3. Money, money, money. Everybody wants to make good money, and as a freelance writer you have the chance to do just that. There are quite a few top level writers earning tens of thousands of dollars per month. While it may take a few years to reach the top of the industry, hard work and dedication will get you there soon enough.
Did you get your start in freelance writing thanks to any of the reasons listed above? Do you have any other ideas as to why this career choice has become so popular? It is safe to say that freelance writing is growing in popularity, and that this trend is not going to settle down anytime soon.
Before I get started with this post, let me define what I consider to be a freelance writing budget. This is the amount of money that you can comfortably spend on items that you need to sustain and/or advance your freelance writing career. Now that this is cleared up, we can move onto why it is so important to have a budget.
First things first, a budget helps to ensure that you do not spend on things you don’t need. Everybody loves new office equipment. There is nothing better than buying the latest and greatest computer, printer, fax, etc. But guess what? You probably don’t have money in your freelance writing budget to do this every few months. Don’t buy a computer (or anything else) just to do it. Instead, save your money now so you have it when the time finally comes to make a purchase.
Moving on, you don’t want to put all your profits back into the business. There is nothing wrong with spending money to make money – I strongly believe in doing this. That being said, you need to save some of your income as well. After all, you have bills to pay, expenses to save for, etc.
Finally, a freelance writing budget will make you feel as if you are in more control of your business. This is definitely a great feeling. When you know of every dollar that is coming in and out of your business you will be confident in all financial related decisions.
Do you have a freelance writing budget? If so, how has it worked out for you in the past? This is one area of being a freelancer that many people forget about. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
