So, after my big move, I am being questioned from every other person I meet as to what I do for a living. When I tell them that I am a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter, many of them are very interested to find out if it pays well at all. And when I say YES, the next obvious question is if they can become a freelance writer too. To be completely honest, no, not everyone can, but if you really think you can write well, your chances are not bad.
So for all those filled to the brim with the curiosity about how I make my living through freelance writing alone and those new learners who wish to make a career in freelance writing, this post will hopefully answer a lot of your questions and help you succeed in the freelance writing industry.
Why Become a Freelance Writer in the First Place?
Whether you are thinking of making a career switch, just do not love your current job as much as you used to or can't work away from home because of having a family or for any other reason, freelancing is a great choice. After all, who does not like being their own boss? And if you can write well, freelance writing can help you earn a decent income from the comfort of your home. Sounds good? Keep reading to learn more...
How Does Freelance Writing Work?
Let's admit it. We have all got bills to pay and tummies to feed. If we cannot go out and work, there has to be another option where we can be our own bosses and work from our own homes. Working from home does not not mean that we cannot take vacations or not make enough to save for a better future. We deserve better! Don't we? After all, we work hard too!
The good news is freelance writing can earn you enough to quit your daytime job completely. You just have to look in the right places, pitch and market yourself and find clients who will pay you what you deserve.
While it is important that you have strong and captivating writing skills, there is more that you need to succeed in the world of freelance writing. What are those traits you need to succeed in the field of freelance writing? Here is my list of honest tips with real-life experiences that's helped me earn better as a freelance writer.
1. Treat Your Writing Like Any Other Business
First things first. Freelance writing is no different from any other business. Treat it like one and you will succeed. When I first started writing on low paid freelance writing websites like Elance, I knew this wasn't working. When I am putting in time and effort, I deserve to be paid better. That's when it hit me: start my own writing business. I set out my rates, terms of service and contracts. As a matter of fact, I do everything that any other business would do. Had I not done that and worked on low-paying freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr, I would have never been able to earn what another professional does with a full time 9 to 5 job.
2. Have Faith in Yourself and Your Talents
Do you love earning low? I guess not! Why are you stuck up with those low-paying clients then? Do you not deserve better? You do!
Get over your fears and demand your own rates, set out your own terms. Trust me this will work. It did for me. For several years, even after I had set up my own writing business, I was asking for a pennies for work that would take me several hours to complete. There was no doubt a lot of work because my clients were getting a wholesome value for their money, but I wasn't making enough for the effort I was putting in. It just wasn't fair on me.
It was then that my fellow writers made me realise the rates I was charging were the lowest rates they had heard of and that I should consider increasing them. While I knew I was working for peanuts, I had this in-built fear of losing my valued clients. It's natural. Isn't it? But then, I had had enough sleepless nights for nothing. I deserved to earn better. That's when I kicked out the fears dwelling inside me. I gave self-confidence a home in there instead.
I went ahead and increased my rates. This was early last year in 2017. Yes, I admit it, I lost a handful of clients, but many still stayed. They were happy to pay me more for I knew exactly what they needed and delivered up to their expectations. It was so worth saying goodbye to those low-paying clients because I picked up some really good new better paying ones. Earlier this year in 2018, I increased my rates once again. The majority of my clients still stayed and continued to work with me and more added through clever marketing and the word of mouth. See what having faith in yourself can bring to you?
Don't wait to ask for what you deserve. Do it now! Get through your fears and low self esteem. Tell yourself you are an artist. You paint pictures with words.
Your clients ought to appreciate your creativity. If they can pay an artist a $2000 for a piece of artwork, why can't they appreciate your writing talent and pay you for your piece of art? If they don't, simply wave them goodbye. Trust me there are better higher paying clients out there. Go out and find them. Show them what you can do. Ask the experts in the area for help if you are stuck but do not compromise on your rates. Get up and find a way out to help yourself!
This is how you will build a successful lucrative writing business for yourself.
3. Get Organised
As writing is like any other work, you need to get organised. Create a comfortable yet motivational space where you would like to work: an environment where you would love to work. It does not have to be a big space. It can be small but nothing too cluttered up to set you off and distract you while working.
Set up your working hours. Decide what you want to do in those hours. Forget about doing other house chores like cooking food or doing your laundry during these hours. If you have kids, it is best to work when they are at school or nursery. You do not need any distractions. No Facebook, Instagram or Twitter either (unless you explicitly use them to pitch to clients or for marketing your services). No watching your favourite TV or munching on the deep-fried or sugary snacks. Just work: write, market and deliver. Find better prospects.
Remember that at the end of the day, it is only you who can do it all. Nobody is going to help you succeed in your writing business unless you put in some honest effort in yourself. You don't do it, you just lose the game!
4. Never Stop Learning
No matter how young or old you are, how experienced or inexperienced you are, there is always something new to learn for you. Keep updating yourself with the latest technology, softwares and apps to make the most out of your gifted talent.
Keep looking for new learning resources and invest some time to
educate yourself with them. Just like technology keeps growing, the
field of writing is emerging with something new everyday. Also, there are new marketing techniques and tools to pick up and use to find yourself better paying clients and prospects.
You can also follow blogs of experienced writers to find their secret ways and tips to succeed and see which methods work the best for you.
Once you develop this inquisitiveness to learn a new thing or two everyday and use it to expand upon your writing skills, you will find unbelievable pleasure in freelance writing.
5. Look for a Niche
Gone are the
days when writing was limited to letters and newspapers alone. From
books to Facebook posts, stories to Tweets on Twitter, articles to
YouTube video scripts, product descriptions to story boards, everything
requires a writer. That's where you play your role.
Keep finding new areas and niches where you could offer your writing services. Don't stop! If you are more experienced or knowledgeable in a particular industry, you will always stay in demand.
Say for example you have a degree in medicine but enjoy writing and want to use it to generate a side income, you can offer your services to write content for medicinal blogs, websites for hospitals, nursing homes, text books or other course material and learning resources for students studying medicine, and the similar. Pay for such writers knowledgeable in a particular field or industry is usually very high. Use your degree or knowledge in a particular industry as a tool to find your better paying clients and stand out from the other writers competing against you.
My degree in engineering has helped me win many technology and engineering related work. If it can work for me, it can for you too!
6. Make Your Clients Love Your Work
So you are talented and your writing shows it all but that's not enough. You need to make your clients come back to you for more work or at least spread the word out to others. I made a lot of business through word of mouth alone. I didn't have a website or Facebook page a few years ago, and I still managed to find decent clients. I knew nothing about marketing back then either. It was just my old clients telling their friends over a cuppa that they had worked with me and they could make use of my services too.
How did I get new clients through word of mouth alone? Simple: I devoted my time to writing and showed my love towards it. I worked hard and made sure I was living up to my clients' expectations. I created a draft, read it and reread it. I edited it and kept doing it until I was fully satisfied with it. It took time and dedication but I made sure I delivered before the deadline and that the work lived up to my clients' expectations. When I did that, my clients were always happy to offer me more work and even refer me to other new clients.
Just keep loving what you do and you are bound to succeed!
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