Comments on: 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs

By: Writing Roundup, June 26 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey

Writing Roundup, June 26 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:42:51 +0000

[...] 5 Places to Find Higher-Paying Freelance Writing Jobs How to Attract the High-Paying Writing Jobs These two posts are not from this week, but I am including them to help my visitors create strategies to find writing jobs that pay a living wage. Low-paying jobs are everywhere, and they are a good place to begin earning money while you cut your teeth on writing for clients. Use the lessons you learn in the lower-paying gigs to build your skill and portfolio so that you can go after the higher-paying jobs. Related Posts:Writing Roundup, October 23Writing Roundup, September 11Writing Roundup, September 4Writing Roundup, August 28Writing Roundup, Aug. 14 [...]

By: Freelance Writing Guest Spots and Some Recommended Reading : Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:31:14 +0000

[...] 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs [...]

By: How Content Site Writers Can Avoid a Bad Reputation : Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:02:53 +0000

[...] mean there aren’t writers turning out poor content, either. Because content sites don’t pay on the high end of the spectrum there are writers who don’t feel it worth their while to put out their best [...]

By: 5 Articles About Finding Writing Gigs That Pay Well - Resource Roundup Tuesday

5 Articles About Finding Writing Gigs That Pay Well - Resource Roundup Tuesday — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:08:31 +0000

[...] Freelance Writing Markets Paying $100 or More (Much More); early this year she also published 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs. If you notice the latter makes many of the same suggestions I do it’s because they [...]

By: Marcia

Marcia — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:49:04 +0000

BTW, I’ve gotten two long term decent-paying clients from Craigslist. That said, it takes MANY responses to ads to get a gig.

I live in a small city in New England and rarely go after local business — most of my clients are online or print publications — far flung throughout the country. But I think this has been a mistake on my part because there is probably many high paying clients to be had right here in my back yard.

I’m also looking to take on more technical writing projects. Any technical writers out there? I’ve been a biz writer for the bulk of my career (some consumer too), but after I read the Money Magazine articles on the “Best Jobs in America” http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2006/snapshots/13.html and saw that technical writing ranks up there in terms of low stress, high pay, and demand I think I want some of those gigs too!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:27:10 +0000

My cousin was my inspiration for starting to freelance because she got a gig with her local newspaper, but I have never once tried to get a local gig myself. After reading this post, though, I’m going to draft a letter to send to my local paper and other local businesses. Who knows what might happen? Thanks for the encouragement!

By: Writing Roundup, June 26 « Jen’s Writing Journey

Writing Roundup, June 26 « Jen’s Writing Journey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:22:34 +0000

[...] 5 Places to Find Higher-Paying Freelance Writing Jobs How to Attract the High-Paying Writing Jobs These two posts are not from this week, but I am including them to help my visitors create strategies to find writing jobs that pay a living wage. Low-paying jobs are everywhere, and they are a good place to begin earning money while you cut your teeth on writing for clients. Use the lessons you learn in the lower-paying gigs to build your skill and portfolio so that you can go after the higher-paying jobs. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Writing Roundup, June 19Non-technology ToolsA Balancing ActA Daddy of a Contest! [...]

By: » Not Earning Enough as a Freelance Writer? You Have Only Yourself to Blame : All Freelance Writing

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:41:16 +0000

[...] 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs [...]

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:11:57 +0000

Deborah,

Thank you for this web site.

I would like to do corporate work. When you mentioned corporate job boards were you talking about media companies or really any corporation?

Would anyone like to share their experience getting into the world of corporate freelance writing? How does one get started? What are some specific resources that might be helpful?

Thanks

Gary,

By: Plan

Plan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:54:28 +0000

“As an after thought, may I ask what are the effective methods for dealing with non-paying clients, or for those clients who simply “disappear” after a freelancer submitted the articles?”

The best thing to do is set a firm policy of NEVER doing work for free. I’ve come across a lot of people who ask for custom “samples” before they offer paying work. Not gonna happen. I send my resume and clips but I never do free work for anyone. If the potential client/employer is asking you to do free work, they probably have no intention of ever paying you.

Second, always deal with people with a phone number, a street address and a reputable business. If you agree to do work for some asshole with a Hotmail account and no other contact information, you’re guaranteed to get burned.

And lastly, if you are dealing with otherwise reputable people and you have agreed to a contract, and they still won’t pay, harass them. It’s my experience that payment for freelance work is almost always late, but if it’s well past due and the client is giving you the cold shoulder, get them on the phone and remind them of the contract you have.

In regards to the posts about cold-calling, for what it’s worth I’ve never heard of anyone finding success that way. If you do, more power to you, but I find networking and aiming at niche publications is the way to go.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:46:53 +0000

Might I also suggest LinkedIn.com? It takes networking to another level. I joined groups that were appropriate to my writing/editing niche and have applied to posted jobs.
I also just went through my Facebook friends, a list of past colleagues, LinkedIn connections, etc. and wrote down who is currently working at a company or in a field that might have a need for my services. I then created a great cover letter template and custom fit it to each person/company. I just did all of this in the past week so I can’t say what my ROI is but there seemed to be interest. We’ll see…

By: Mark Terry

Mark Terry — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:33:31 +0000

I highly recommend Peter Bowerman’s “The Well-Fed Writer” for how to cold call, who to cold call, and various types of writing assignments and ways to find good-paying writing work. It’s out there. Figuring out where is the trick.

By: Abby

Abby — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:05:08 +0000

I base my decision to e-mail prospects on whether their sites/blogs have been recently updated. If I find a legal blog that has a new post every day, I don’t e-mail them because it stands to reason that they have a dedicated blog writer, or at least someone in the firm updates the blog regularly. But, if I go to a site and see a legal newsletter with the last issue dated 2004, I will e-mail them and say that I would love to help them get the newsletter published on a regular basis. If a site is just a shell and has no content other than the home page, I will write a pitch that outlines the benefits of Web content, and then offer my services.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:38:33 +0000

Thanks, Abbie! I, too, sometimes “cold email” and then follow up with a phone call (did just that last week). It does help to email even if you’re not hard of hearing, because it gives the callee a reference point (did you get my email? oh – yes!).

But I wonder more or less what your positive response rate is? Do you find that you get responses from most?

I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that unless I have a pretty good expectation that the callee is actually in the market for a writer, I don’t call. And I make that decision based on (1) they’ve placed a clearly legit ad; (2) someone we mutually know has told me they need a writer; (3) people in their line of work ALWAYS need writers; (4) now is the season when people in their line of work are likely to need writers.

Lisa

By: Abby

Abby — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:31:21 +0000

Lisa: I’d be happy to provide more info. As I stated in my comment, I do not cold call because I am hard of hearing and it’s too difficult for me to try to hear and get details correct. I cold e-mail prospects, which eliminates the problem of getting people on the phone and tracking down the right person. I’ve mostly been targeting attorneys who have Web sites, but lack content. I’ll compile a list of prospects, and e-mail each of them a customized e-mail (no templates sent out to everyone). I let them know I came across their site while doing research on other projects. I thank them for offering such quality information, and then note that the best results come from updating your content frequently. I included a list of my qualifications, info about the types of law I have written about, and links to my previous work. I close with an offer to review their site and let them know what I could do to make it a better marketing and client relations tool.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:19:24 +0000

Abbie – maybe you could provide a bit more detail about how your cold calling results in so much action. My experience (over 20 years, during some of which I made as much as $96,000) has been great when the calls are based on recommendations and/or word of mouth (my buddy needs a writer and I suggested you).

But I’ve never been able to find work simply by calling, say, the head of marketing at the local pharmaceutical company and saying “hi there, I’ve written brochures for your competitors, and would like to offer my services to you.”

First of all, it can take six tries just to get the guy on the phone. Then it turns out he’s not the one who makes assignments. Then it takes six calls to get the right person on the phone. That person has a staff writer, but occasionally does have overflow work. You stay in touch for months (another 8, 10, or 12 calls)- and maybe, just maybe, they’ll toss you a $300 project. Then the need for extra help disappears, and that’s the end of that.

With all that cold calling for one project, it seems to me to be the hard way to build business.

Lisa

By: Abby

Abby — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:09:06 +0000

Deb brings up a good point. I think how people go about finding work separates writers into two groups. One group relies only on job boards for finding work. While FWJ is a wonderful resource, Deb and company can only pull ads that are actually placed. Some companies prefer to ask for referrals to copywriters instead of placing an ad. Some companies don’t use online ads for recruiting freelancers. Other companies may not even know they need a freelancer yet, so obviously they won’t be placing ads either.

The other group is proactive. These writers talk up their businesses whenever appropriate, spend time cold calling and sending out queries, and have their marketing priorities in order. I’m a bit hard of hearing, so I do “cold e-mailing;” it has been how I have found my highest-paying jobs. This is because I target potential clients that I know have the money to pay good rates.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:34:40 +0000

I have to say that schmoozing and cold calling has not worked well for me. Nor has advertising (I tend to get really lousy leads, along the lines of “can you write my kid’s college essay?”).

If you’re really going to cold call, I suggest calling the editor of a hand-out publication at the doctor’s office or in the hotel lobby (that is, people who are accustomed to hiring writing). A better choice, though, is word-of-mouth connections through friends and colleagues (ie, Joe suggested I call).

Lisa

By: Chuck Gibson

Chuck Gibson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:24:35 +0000

You have to be kidding me! Accepting $2 – $5 for a writing assignment seems ludicrous to me. I have been making my living-sole source of household income-as a freelance writer for over 5 years now. I have found Writer’s Digest Magazine to be a great resource for inspiration, opportunity and gudiance as a writer. I have also “been there, done that” Google-searched for freelance writing gigs. I have walked away every time when seeing proposed pay rates as low as $16 for a piece. I can’t even imagine writing more than an e-mail reply of “No thank you” for that rate let alone $2-$5. It is hard work finding well paying writing gigs, but the opportunity is out there. Do not sell out for low rates. If you can write-you are valuable to business and publishing. Just for the record, my first paid freelance assignment was a $35.00 feature for one of those local community newspapers. It is a great joy to see my byline and to hear from friends and even strangers in the community when a story I’ve written appears in the local papers. I’m not trying to mislead anyone. I make my living writing for businesses, but it is a treat to have the opportunity to get a byline in a local magazine or newspaper. I work hard to establish relationships with editors and with marketing managers to create opportunity where it might not otherwise exist. Deb’s advice is all good. Sure, you can take the cheap and lazy way out. Or…you can work hard and be rewarded justly with a good living wage for good writing. Good luck to all of you-especially those just taking the leap into freelance writing.

By: Davina

Davina — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 08:13:19 +0000

Hi Deborah. Well this has been encouraging. Thank you! I’ve heard so often that you have to start out with $2 or $5 jobs. No matter how hard I try to accept that perspective I can’t — it just sounds too ludicrous. My challenge is definitely marketing and in these times it becomes even more important to make connections and stand out in the crowd. Thanks for the tips.

By: Arlyn

Arlyn — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:22:06 +0000

Interesting post, Deb!

Being a freelancer but with no writing project at present, I feel inspired by your ideas.

Thank you.

( By the way, I miss your posts for these past few days!)

As an after thought, may I ask what are the effective methods for dealing with non-paying clients, or for those clients who simply “disappear” after a freelancer submitted the articles?

To T,
Thank you for sharing your ideas.

I don’t want to bother you but I would surely appreciate it if you could share with me some writing projects.

I’m good(so my previous clients say) on web content writing.

Thanks in advance!

By: T

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:02:19 +0000

I’ve been writing on and off for my local weekly paper as a result of basically interrupting a meeting with the editor at a local coffeehouse. I had overhead him tell the other editor that he couldn’t find any decent freelance writers and was going to put out an ad. I jumped right in (after apologizing for interrupting) with my card and as a result I write on and off for them. Deb is right though – it’s low paying but it’s been fun and I’ve established a good rapport with the executive editor.
Unfortunately, a lot of print publications (like local newspapers and magazines – especially in smaller towns where I live) are going to the wayside due to money (and low ad sales).

I’m a marketing consultant as well as a freelance copywriter and for me, networking is probably one of my strongest skills. If you are not a networker by nature, I suggest you start hitting the pavement. I live in a small town so the competition is tough here. I gave a free marketing seminar this past month as a way of trying to drum up more business. It worked because as a result I think I just landed a new client (for copywriting and marketing consulting).

Also, get out of your home office and work in other places – break up your routine. I love the coffeehouse culture and I do most of my writing on my laptop at a local coffeehouse. Last week I made two new contacts/leads for work because I was in the right place at the right time.

I don’t work in a large city so there aren’t any big corporations around here, but there are a lot of small businesses. Small businesses need the most help right now. Most of the copywriting I’ve been doing has been for smaller businesses.

Also, I recently read a report from a copywriter who pointed out some hot trends for 2009 when it comes to “hot” writing markets – here are a few that I’d like to share (and it’s true because I’m writing a lot of copy for eco-friendly products and health and wellness)

- Anything “green” and eco-friendly (from organic foods to renewable energy)
- Health and wellness (especially alternative health/medicine)
- Financial (especially related to the mortgage and real estate industries, financial planning, etc.)