5 Ways to Step Away from the Freelance Job Boards and Create Your Own Freelance Writing Opportunities
July 3, 2009 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
You know what I did yesterday? I contacted a webmaster out of the blue to see if he could use my writing services. His website content hadn’t been updated it a while and there were so many typos it served to detract rather than encourage. So I wrote him a very nice letter and bullet pointed all the things I could do for him. This is one of the ways I’m creating my own opportunities when the job boards aren’t showing me the love.
Relying solely on Craigslist or other boards can mean you’re missing out on some not so obvious opportunities. Here are 5 ways you can step away from the freelance job boards and create your own opportunities:
1. Contact website owners: Many larger websites or businesses have writers on staff, but some smaller businesses and individuals might write up their own content or have someone on staff do the writing- who really isn’t a writer. I see this most with mom and pop businesses and other small stores who wish to create content and buzz around a product or service. Browse the web to see if there’s someone in need of writing or editorial services and send a nice note. This doesn’t work every time but you might get one bite out of five inquiries.
2. Cold calling: For some reason cold calling drives fear into the most seasoned of veterans, but there’s no reason it should. It’s a matter of stepping away from one’s comfort zone. The web provides anonymity but pitching using one’s voice is a whole other ballgame. It works though. I aligned myself with a few local web design firms as a result of cold calling and their outsourcing to me became a lucrative source of income. Don’t dismiss cold calling because it’s a little intimidating. Successful freelance writers do business over the phone and in person. Cold calling is great practice and it gets results. Like email requests, you won’t always get a positive response but you’ve succeeded even if you get a business owner to put your name and number of file for future projects.
3. Start a mailing list: If you have a blog or website, you might consider including a paragraph or two on your about page for folks wishing to sign up for mailing list. Once you have enough names gathered, send out periodic newsletters and include specials and discounts on writing packages. The thing about writing there isn’t always an immediate need. But if you remind folks now and again that you do some writing, eventually a few will contact you when a project arises.
4. Network: Any freelance writer wishing to have a successful business needs to network. I’m not just talking Twitter, either. Networking happens online and off. I joined a local women’s group and met a few clients that way. I also meet and network with others at conferences and seminars. Job fairs are another place to network. Again, it’s all a matter of getting up out of your roly chair and doing what needs to be done.
5. Keep your eyes open: There are so many opportunities around you may not have even considered. I was out to dinner with friends once and the restaurant was great, but the menu was terrible. The design was awful and there were typos everywhere. My friend and I offered to redesign and reword the menu and left our business cards with the manager. He contacted us a few months later. So many customers were making fun of the menu he realized we were right. There are so many people and places that need writing, but they don’t always realize they need it until you tell them.
Look beyond the freelance writing job boards for opportunities. This may mean you have to take matters into your own hands, but controling your own destiny is never a bad thing. Waiting around for that perfect job to appear just wastes time. Make a more productive use of your spare time by creating your own opportunities.
- Why You Should Consider Cold Calling to Find Work
- Networking in Your Community: Finding the Freelance Writing Jobs in Your Area
- 10 Ways to Get Your Freelance Writing Foot in the Door
- The Best of FWJ: 15 Posts About Finding the Best Freelance Writing Opportunities
- 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs
Deb,
Thank you for your suggestions. I had thought about doing one or two of these but I certainly hadn’t thought about all of them. I appreciate your willingness to share your ideas.
This is cool because it plays right into my fear of finding a niche. I keep being told I should find one niche and look for work there (I do have one actually, but I just don’t like to tell anyone).
Working the job boards alone always sets me up for a festival of fear, because I end up focusing on my alleged niche. I get bored quickly and start ripping open Reese Cups of depression instead of writing and looking elsewhere. And you’re right about Twitter, although it has rewarded me with one client in particular that is courting me for a lucrative position in her business (okay, maybe not lucrative in a real world sense, but in my fantasy driven reality it is), it just doesn’t seem the right place to network for an abundance of writing jobs.
These are the most effective ways of finding freelance gigs. For me, I take note of small businesses in my neighborhood, check out their website to see what needs improving and cold call to speak with the store owner. This is something I’ve just started, but I have noticed there are so many websites and menus (like you pointed out) that need our help!
I check through online ads, but most of them are way too low-paying. I probably only apply to one a day, if that.
Loved this post, Deb!
Author Louise Hay tells a very funny story relating to a writer and a restaurant menu. The writer was using powerful affirmations such as “I make money writing” and “People ask me for my writing.” She was at a cafe writing in her journal and waiting for her meal when the restaurant owner approached her and asked if she was a writer. She said yes. He then offered to swap with her – if she would “write” his menu up on the blackboard, she could eat for free! He apparently liked her handwriting – what he could see – in her journal. So she got ‘paid’ for her ‘writing’, not necessarily what she intended, but a start.
I actually got a lucrative project when someone sent me an unsolicited email. I was employed at a major publisher at the time. The email was trying to sell me services, but it was poorly done. I sent a kind note back to the sender, pointing out a few things I thought would be more effective. He thanked me profusely and when I left that job to go freelance a few months later, he was my first client! Not a traditional way to get work, but it worked for me.
Happy 4th of July to my American friends!
I have been using the cold emailing concept for months now with some very good results. One such email landed me an ongoing job doing web content for an SEO company that resells my work to their clients. It is literally five or six assignments a week, so that was definitely worth it!
As for cold calling . . . I really, really hate the phone and don’t even call friends and family, so I’m not sure I can manage that one just yet, though I know many clients appreciate a human being contacting them.
No. 2 works surprisingly well, even in the Internet age. I’ve probably developed more business by picking up the phone than by any other means — even though many marketing/sales books will tell you that it’s not a very effective strategy.
For me, No. 4 has worked the best. I sometimes grumble that it seems like it matters more who you know than what you can do, but well… I’ve landed my last three assignments from new clients because I knew someone or had met someone affiliated with the employer.
Thanks for all the feedback. It’s refreshing to see how many writers step out on their own to look for work. I think networking both online and off is what has worked best for me. Conferences especially.
…Some very interesting and useful ideas. Thanks for the new avenues to explore.
I’ve been feeling discouraged the last couple days because my “big wonderful gig” seems to be falling apart. I have other gigs, but I had set a lot of hopes on this one for some reason. I’m browsing back through these old posts and getting plenty of ideas and inspiration.
I have often seen websites that I think need revamped/edited, but I haven’t considered contacting them myself. I thought so many things were unacceptable and uncouth, but you’re proving me wrong. I’m going to step out…