Why Freelance Writers Should Have Blogs
February 20, 2008 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
Recently I threw out 9 good reasons to blog. That was pretty general though and some of the regulars asked specifically why freelance writers need blogs. Some saw blogs as being self serving, while others didn’t see how they could help launch a career. The truth is, blogging can’t hurt. Well, unless you can’t write and can’t spell, then it’s probably not a good idea to blog. Or write for that matter.
But I digress…
Freelance writers don’t have to have blogs. In fact, many freelancers don’t want to deal with blogs because they don’t want to time away from paying projects. That’s understandable. If anyone understands about balancing gigs and personal projects, it’s me. I’ll say this though, my blog was the best thing to happen to my career. Before Freelance Writing Jobs, I was happy writing web content and my newspaper column, but clients weren’t coming to me.The day FWJ launched as a blog, one of the 11 visitors that day contacted me and asked if I could send him my resume. He’s still my client. That doesn’t mean that if you start posting to a blog clients are going to flood your inbox with offers –only that it can happen if a potential client lands on your blog and likes what he sees.
Good Practice
Blogging is great practice. When I was between jobs blogging helped to keep me fresh and my mind active. Whenever I want to write I can, about whatever I want.
Talk to Other Writers
One of the reasons I stuck with FWJ for so long is because of the great discussions we have here. I do believe this is the best community. I learned so much from the other writers who visit my blog. Many times my community inspires my blog posts. I’m always touched by how willing everyone is to share information and ideas. I wouldn’t have met many of you if not for blogging.
Sell Books, E-Books and Reports
If you’re a writer with something to sell, a blog is a great place to do it. Especially if you have an active community like this one. I actually have a couple of ebooks in the works and hope to one day sell them right here.
Build Up a Reputation
A blog is a great way to build up your online reputation. If you offer useful information, people will trust you not to steer them wrong. They’ll also recommend you for gigs.
Learn About Other Resources
Through blogging I learned about other blogs and bloggers, great websites, books and tools to help make our job easier.
Blogging is a Commitment
Blogging is a commitment. You’ll have to post at least several times a week to keep traffic flowing. Many successful blogs post several times a day. It’s easy to understand why a busy freelancer wouldn’t want to take the time away from a busy schedule (but it’s also easy to see why one would).
To be honest, I don’t blog because I feel it would benefit me as a freelance writer, I blog because I enjoy it, the perks are a plus.
Great article. I particularly agree with practice and commitment.
I have another reason that I regard as rather important. If you present thought and events from your own unique point of view, the audience will identify with you, root for you, and is more likely to like whatever it is that you do professionally. I encourage bands and novelists to be this active with their web presence (and I do some of that work, too). Finally, these people told me, “you first.” So I have start a blog along the lines I talk about: http://dudegoeswhat.com. Sorry for the shameless plug.
Deb:
I love this post, and I am extremely interested in starting my own blog. However, I am at a loss at how to begin. Can you refer me to any old posts of yours that may have some advice, or resources that can give an aspiring blogger some tips? Perhaps my biggest obstacle is that I don’t really know -what- to blog about.
I completely agree!! The reason I am a paid writer now is because I started blogging two years ago and made some great connections. Now I can pull samples on virtually any topic at the drop of a hat. Plus whenever I feel a bit of writer’s block coming on, I can switch over to my personal blog and post about whatever comes to mind
I have a personal blog and it gives me great writing practice, esp. since I usually get paid to write about family and my blog is on the same topic. It’s also a great place to have discussions with others that launch an article idea.
I hate to admit this, because everyone else here seems so talented and creative, but I fail to see what I know enough about to not only create, but to continue a blog.
I do have one blog, where I speak to various current events, but getting traffic to there has been very difficult.
But I am learning lots here from everyone, and hope to be able to correct those two issues in the near future.
Hey L.L! I said I was writing a blog, I didn’t say anybody was reading it.lol
Blogging certainly is a kick in the ass (a good way).
I’ve watched writers develop from blogs alone. People I knew who wanted to be writers, but never got jobs. They pestered me why, but didn’t listen when I told them their writing wasn’t up to snuff.
I told them to start blogs – and watched at their writing evolved over the course of a year. It’s amazing how much better someone gets from just doing it ;D
Anyway, I started blogs a couple years ago, and it was the best thing ever. Not only does it bring in enough in ads to play rent + electricity, but it shows potential employers that I work everyday, and they can see a huge archive of writing samples.
Hey Bill,
I guess I missed that point…but me and you…if we hope to wrangle any potential clients or do some networking, I think we have to work on getting some blog readers.
That’s what I want to know…what’s the best way to attract readers! I just set up a blog on blogger.com as a personal blog and I have another blog for a freelance company I work with. Both are fairly new and I wasn’t expecting results overnight, but I’m not even getting visits. What do I do? Do I just go to other blogs and beg them to visit mine? Does that actually work? Any advice is helpful!
Thanks!
I can attribute my blog directly to 3 regular gigs. While the clients didn’t contact me directly, they knew I could write because of my blog. I got the gigs through networking with the people I met via blogging.
@Kristy: no, do NOT beg for visitors on other blogs. but DO become part of the community. visit other blogs and comment. make sure your comments add to the conversation. people will visit your blog if you are interesting or witty in your comments (but don’t try to upstage your host).
Blogs certainly look like good marketing vehicles for many. I’m just afraid I’d spend too much time on a soapbox and not get any real business out of it.
I still haven’t been convinced about the necessity of a Web site either. I think they provide some benefit for many, but I still find the telephone gets me more work than anything else.
I agree that keeping a blog is great practice. It keeps your mind on writing and you never know what topic, style, or story you might come up with. And sometimes, it’s just nice to write for yourself and not for someone else.
If it wasn’t for my blog I probably wouldn’t be a writer right now. My passion for writing was born from my love for blogging (kind of like a moving growing thing).
Starting a blog was the best thing that could have happened to me and I have managed to turn my dream into becoming a full time freelance writer in 7 month. I’m very happy with this as I’m 6 month ahead of target and this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for readers who became long term clients.
While I have a blog, I tend to shove it to the backburner for more pressing projects. For me, the majority of my contacts come from author recommendations and flat out emailing the world looking for work.
I’ve been known to email websites with complements and even suggestions if I find typos or incorrect information. For example, one on website they had Montpelier, VT as the largest city in the state. While it is the capital, it is certainly not the largest city. That landed me a gig updating the restaurant information for a website. It’s paid off more than once.
I love to write, but I don’t want to freelance, so writing a blog is a great outlet. I’ve tried journals, with a pen and paper, but I always want to go back to the computer (I guess that’s how my generation grew up). Blogging is a great way to post my personal thoughts, but also a fun way to write about current events. I can definately see how writing a personal blog as a freelancer would give way to new ideas for the paying gigs.
I absolutely agree! I actually have two blogs. One blog I have had for a few years and recently started to really post regularly on it. It is very personal and a great place to just be myself.
I had been contemplating for a long time about what kind of I could create that would have more of a focus, and I finally created the second blog to discuss organizing. It’s still in the very beginning stages, but I have already created more traffic with this blog and I have made it onto other bloggers’ blog rolls.
Do you have any tips about getting my blog even more traffic? I am getting better about going to other blogs and commenting to bloggers who do not even know me. It actually works well. Bloggers are so welcoming!
I have my personal health blog, which has gotten me some new clients. It is very general and short (medhealthwriter.blogspot.com) but it tends to come up pretty well in search engines because I cover so many things. On the other hand, the helpmyhurt.com blog has shown prospective clients that I can stick to one specific topic as well.
I started my blog about a year ago and I will be honest in the beginning I didn’t have much traffic. I am looking for a literary agent still. I only have one book published “You Don’t Know Me” in 2005 it was a collection of poetry. I’m not giving up.
The thing is I am young openly gay black man and I know in the publishing industry I am marginalized due to my identity. I think every single blog has to have a hook something to keep on bringing the readers back. My blog focuses on the intersection of race, sexuality, pop culture, gender, and class. I notice since November 2007 the traffic on my blog has increased at a dramatic rate and I am shocked. I will definitely admit that it is hard work to keep a blog traffic flowing. I also blog because I think it is just a good way to express myself. Also I don’t have an editor censoring me telling me what to write. My blog is my own and I can write anything I want. I love having this freedom.
I’m new to blogging, but I like it so far. I think the biggest upside for me is that it keeps me accountable for my writing. Writing for oneself is great, but I like having the extra pressure to try to stay professional. My blog also keeps me in practice, because I feel guilty if I don’t post.
@LL: I got started by picking a topic that I’m passionate about: Taekwondo. I’ve been training on-and-off for years and have recently been going after my training full-throttle. I have so many topics that I want to discuss with a martial arts community – I keep my mind on the readers, so that they’ll want to discuss with me. I’m sure that you have a passion – it’ll just take some time to figure it out. And hey, there’s a learning curve to this blogging thing, so no one’s here to judge
Just keep at it, and you’ll get results.
@bill: well said. connections are essential to getting work.
@l.l: writing is the essential way of acting confident even if you don’t feel confident. So don’t identify to strongly with the text and let it rip.
@Kristy: good content + being social builds the readers. i don’t think the quick fixes really fix anything.
@phil: but standing on the soapbox is fun. certainly more fun that bending over for the soap.
@alice: sexy blog! i’m @tombreeves on twitter. i’ll see if i can find your twitter name somewhere. maybe put that on your blog.
@monika: nicely told story. and i like the ‘k’. it’s kool.
@(army)wife: i do all my writing long-hand, except perhaps comments to blog posts
@debbie: how are we supposed to find your two blogs?
@marijke: i think short and pithy are overlooked keys to successful blogging.
Tom asked about my blogs:
deb22faith.blogspot.com (personal and random)
organizingguru.blogspot.com
Feel free to stop by and offer me some helpful tips!!! or just contribute some witty comments. ;p
I enjoy posting at my blog – it’s a nice outlet. When I first started writing, I found the articles and blogs written by other writers to be very helpful. My goal for my blog is to help others, as others have helped me.
I have a personal blog that I don’t care about traffic or stats on. It’s just basically a journal for me and has been for about five or six years.
I have a professional blog that I use for writing about my industry (PR & Marketing, some writing). It’s growing slowly and I enjoy it.
http://www.thegirlwonder.com
http://www.robin-noelle.com/mavenblog.html
@ Becky and Tom,
Thanks for the advice. I was actually being facetious about begging for others to come visit my blog, clearly that isn’t going to work.
I guess I’m more curious of the netiquette with these kinds of things. Is it approriate to include a link to my blog when I comment on someone elses? If not, how will they know where my blog is? That’s really the root of my original question.
Hi guys,
I’ll be posting something today about driving traffic to your blog.
My little guy is home with a stomach virus the past couple of days – sorry my posts are going up so late!
Deb
The one thing I have to add is that many professionals tend to have very boring blogs. It seems reasonable to shy away from controversy if you’re using the blog as part of your online portfolio, as you don’t want to offend a potential client.
Me? Many of you know I’m an opinionated, arrogant SOB, and it shows on my blog. Actually, I try to be as reasonable as possible and explain my positions well. That’s gotten me more than a few gigs, especially from people in real estate and finance – areas where the subject matter is arcane enough to put veterans of the biz to sleep.
Don’t be afraid to tackle tough subjects. I get the most mail for politics and spirituality, so go figger. If you do it forcefully but gracefully, you might impress people you never thought you would.
Most importantly, just be yourself. Never be afraid to let your personality shine through (even if it is arrogant SOB).
That’s my advice. I’ve never had a penalty for calling ‘em as I see ‘em.
I have a blog on homeschooling (www.lifeatthezoowithshay.blogspot.com) and religion (www.lettersfromsatan.blogspot.com), but I want to start one on politics. I am trying to work something out with a friend of mine (she is a Democrat – I am a Republican) and see what we can get going with that. We love to debate politics – why not do it in public for the world to see? LOL
But these blogs are mostly for personal enjoyment – not income producing yet. Not sure how to make the move from hobby to income-producing.
@Kristy:
Just like at this site, most sites ask for your website address. So when someone clicks on your name, it’ll take them to your site.
As you join in on conversations, you’ll get to know the bloggers a bit, and most likely they’ll come visit you. It’s not an exact science, and it takes some time. But I know I’ve seen traffic from comments on other blogs, based on my referrer stats.
Writing is hard. Do not let that deter you if you are a new writer — or old writer for that matter. I am not detered. Not yet anyway.
To keep me in the “mood” for writing, I joined a writing school or I’m taking courses — however you want to phrase it, and unfortunately LIFE keeps happening to me. It seems to me that EVERYTHING keeps me from doing the thing that I know I was destined to do, write.
I’ll start something and invaribly something else will distract me; the phone, my spouse, the cat, the wind — you name it and it is a very present distraction for this pertinacious writer.
I long to develop the discipline of Grisham and the tenaciousness of Morrison. I wish I could have a brief, yet insightful, conversation with those writers. Those that have traveled the barren lands of writers. Just to have a talk with them about discipline. “How do you do it?” I would ask…I wonder how they would reply???Hmmmmmmm… How would you reply?
I just started blogging about a month ago. While it would be nice to be ‘ discovered ‘ I won’t hold my breath!
A writer here in Italy asked me why I would waste my time blogging for free instead of writing for money. He just didn’t get the concept of blogs after years of scrounging around for actual paid writing gigs. But I told him it’s great for those of us who don’t have the confidence or discipline to write everyday. Having an instant readership forces you to post often and is great practice.
My question about blogging (which I would love to do, by the way) is that I would like to write about things, people, activities in my own life, but I really don’t want those people I am writing about to know that I am writing about them. Do you know what I mean? I would like to share personal stuff (nothing scary, I promise), but things I know other people out there are dealing with (parental issues, infertility, raising a teenager, marital issues), but I don’t feel comfortable knowing that my subject matter may very well read what I have written about them. Maybe it is a personal problem on my part, and I need to work on my interpersonal skills and letting those close to me know how I really feel, but it scares me to think that my mother, for example, might stumble upon my rant about her some day.
Any help, everyone?
If I decide to use a “ghost name” – how will I be able to use my writings to secure other work? I would think that prospective clients would think I lifted someone else’s work.
Such a pickle…
@ Kirsten: If all you want to do is vent, you can choose to keep your blog post private. Writing under another name isn’t all that unusual; choose an identity with a name that fits who you want the blog to be written by and give the people you know pseudonyms in “” so your readers know the names have been changed.
There is no reason why you can’t share with a prospective client that you write “X” blog under Whatever name. Just make sure the people in your “real” life don’t know about your other identity!
I think it is very important to be careful here. There’s a very good chance that my blog has cost me gigs because there is a code among prospective employers – they want someone just like them. I don’t think it helps to be particularly smart or informative because smart people scare the less smart.
If you have a blog, you may want to keep it to yourself when trying for certain gigs.
If an employer is that weak-willed, then I don’t want to be working for him, LOL! No one is owed my individuality or intellect for a few measly bucks.
I have a few blogs (I have a lot to write about…) and it’s a wonderful outlet for me. I do struggle with the time-management end of things, but I think that will get easier in time. It’s my love of writing in my blogs that has propelled me into freelance writing. They say to find what you love and find a way to get paid for it, right? I think that writing for yourself and getting paid to write for someone else is a beautiful formula. I know it takes time, but I’m willing to be patient (which is a first for me, haha.)
HI, I agree. Blogs are great online resumes.
I am trying to help writers who don’t have the time or the know how to create blogs to get an online presence regardless. I have created a new blog to promote them, no charge, no registration, easy peasy.
Details here: http://www.find-writer.blogspot.com
I would never take advice from someone who feels the need to type something as trite as “but I digress.”
It’s that kind of automatic-writing style that makes professional writers fearful of being associated with blogs. The result can be a significant loss of credibility.
My recommendation would be to write on your own in any capacity – but if you feel compelled to blog, blog about your experiences as a writer – do not make the blog your actual writing sample.
Do not just slap things up online. Present yourself as if you are already a professional writer – not an everyday, self-absorbed blogger. You’ll keep your dignity in the long run.
S
Hi Boldly – Welcome and thanks for your thoughts and comments. One thing I’d like to clarify is that I never claim to be an expert, and this community knows that. I throw out some ideas for discussion and we all toss them around to see what works best for each individual writer. I can see you don’t approve of bloggers, but most of us do blog.
Thanks for your kind words – do come back often. And have a nice day.
I am a journalism student that just graduated college. The job market has been frustrating me and freelancing is becoming more and more appealing, so I decided to start a blog just to organize all my thoughts and monitor my career track.
I don’t any real world experience and don’t know much of anything about how to start freelancing, blogging and getting myself out there. But I figured this was a start, and I’m looking forward to going through this site for some great tips.
abcreativeintentions.blogspot.com
Okay, this answers a few of my questions on the other post (about writers having blogs). But I’m still confused by those who have personal blogs who say it landed them writing gigs. I’m always wary of being too personal, and some of the information I see on personal blogs just makes me cringe if I were to look at it through the eyes of a client.
I’ve been using my blog as a good personal writing outlet. It lets me be creative and passionate, so that I can save the professional stuff for paying gigs.
I appreciate the conversation here, but I am still confused about how to use my blog to further my freelance writing career. I am leaving full-time corporate communications work to begin freelancing. I already write and blog as the About.com Guide to Powerboating, but I cannot highlight that blog for potential employers yet. I also have a personal blog about Christian living, but since that is a niche topic and highly controversial, I don’t promote that blog either.
What I am wondering is: do I create another blog on a topic I am interested in (I don’t want to compete with the many other good freelance writing blogs) that I can write with a potential client in mind, or do I use one of the blogs I already write, regardless of the topic?
Thanks for your help.
–The truth is, blogging can’t hurt. –
Sure, blogging can hurt. Blogging takes time, and that’s time that could be devoted to other activities that may be better in helping you reach your goals. Blogging for the sake of blogging isn’t beneficial for most writers.
I thought I didn’t have anything to blog about either , but then I just started blogging about life with my 6 boys. Surprisingly , a lot of people like the stories I write.
http://talesfromthefunnyfarm.blogspot.com
Actually, I find blogging to be very therapeutic. It actually started while the ever-dreaded ‘writer’s block’ was bestowing a visit on me. At the time I was just starting out on my novel ( which I hope to actually finish this time ) and was searching the net for inspiration. In my search, I came across a website that suggested ‘just writing’ as a solution. Just writing as in.. about whatever came to your mind. With no purpose but to lay the block out there in front of you and dissect it like 6th period’s biology class.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I know as a very newbie freelancer blogging has helped me more often then naught. I’ve considered starting a more professional blog just so I can have something a bit less.. erm.. relaxed for possible clients to peruse, but haven’t gotten around to it as of yet.
When it comes right down to it.. I just enjoy writing about whatever seems to pop up in my day-to-day life.
I too, like most newbies, don’t really know what to blog about or how to start. I did start one on my interest in alternate energy vehicles at http://www.greenme-mogur@glogspot.com. I have thought about one to show off some of my short stories and poems, but wasn’t sure about it. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
I guess I had better learn to spell check my post. That web sight is: http://www.greenme-mogur@blogspot.com
I really agree with the ideas that you can use a blog to kind of blow off steam. I have a blog over on yahoo’s “shine” that I use maybe once or twice a month just to blow off political steam or blast my opinion about the Hollywood jerks that make money just for letting a tit be seen by a malfunctioning piece of clothing. That’s just me though, I guess a lot of good can also come of it. I like your justifications though.
Until next time….plant something,
Chris S
I just found this blog today and it’s really helpful! I’ve been blogging for almost a year and looking to become a little more serious about it, possibly start a third blog and try to get writing gigs. Thanks for your presence in the blogosphere