Freelance Writing Jobs, March 1, 2016

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Hey there – MJ here! I’m temporarily filling in for Noemi, who is way sick at the moment.

Here is the first writing job opportunities for the month of March.

By the way, I work as a community manager at Bloggerjobs.biz – FreelanceWritingGig’s sister site. Don’t forget to check out our site for more writing & blogging job opportunities!

Freelance Writing Jobs

Content Writing Jobs

  1. Part Time Content Writer/Administrator – Purebread (Wilmington, Delaware)
  2. Content Writer – Energy Circle (Yarmouth, Maine)
  3. Freelance Content Writer – The Berry Company (Remote)

Blogging Jobs

  1. Blogger & Social Media Specialist – IDG Advertising (Orange County, California)
  2. Transcription Blogger – Allegis (Anywhere)

Copywriting Jobs

  1. Copywriter wanted for tech company (Inner Harbor, Baltimore)
  2. Copywriter for digital advertising firm (Los Angeles)

Proofreading/Editing Jobs

  1. Freelance Proofreader for large corporation (Los Angeles)
  2. Managing Editor – HireAHelper (Remote – Part Time)

 

Telecommuting and flexible jobs at Flexjobs

 

Journalism Jobs

  1. East Coast News Writer at WonderHowTo (Work From Home – East Coast-based)
  2. Part Time News Reporter Position (Healdsburg/Windsor)
  3. Contributing Writer – StudySoup (Remote)

Plan/Proposal/Grant Writing Jobs

  1. Grant Writer – New Teacher Center (San Francisco, California)

Technical Writing Jobs

  1. Technical Writer for immediate hiring (Orange County, California)
  2. Technical Writer – Intelliswift Software (Contract – Hillsboro, Oregon)
  3. Technical Writer – ICONMA LLC (Contract – Remote)

General/Misc. Freelance Writing Jobs

  1. Consultant Writer (Oklahoma City/Remote)
  2. Medical Writer – SLSMedcomms Limited (Remote)
  3. eBook Writer – Dental Connect (Contract)

Magazine Writing Gigs

  1. Journalist – Language Magazine (Los Angeles)

Internships

  1. Writing Intern for digital video streaming service (Midtown West, New York)

 

Freelance Writing Jobs, February 29, 2016

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Start your week right with the perfect writing gig! Here are today’s top writing job opportunities, including plenty of freelance and work-at-home positions.

Freelance Writing Jobs

Content Writing Jobs

Content Manager and Writer for online cultural magazine (London, UK)
Content Contributor at Independent Journal (Remote)
Content Writer at Sage (Remote)
Writer at Military.com (San Francisco, California)
Part Time Content Writer at VisitorsCoverage.com (Santa Clara, California)
Freelance Content Writer at The Creative Group (Jenkintown, PA)

Blogging Jobs

Expert SAT/ACT Blogger at Magoosh (Remote)

Copywriting Jobs

Copywriter for web development company (Milwaukee)

Proofreading/Editing Jobs

Physics Essay Editor (Remote)
Contract-based Proofreader at Otterbase (Woodland Hills, CA)

 

Telecommuting and flexible jobs at Flexjobs

 

Journalism Jobs

Freelance Food Journalist at UncorkedGourmet.com (New York)
Business/Finance Reporter for media company (Remote)
Journalist/Interview Story Writer for medical institution (Remote)

Pop Culture Writer at Ranker.com (Remote)

Technical Writing Jobs

Technical Writer at Frontier (Denver, Colorado)
Part Time Technical Writer (Redwood City, CA)
Technical Writer at Merlin International (Remote)

 

General/Misc. Freelance Writing Jobs

Freelance Essay Writer (Anywhere)
Freelance Academic Writer at Ultius, Inc. (Remote)

Internships

Editorial Intern at Lilith Magazine (New York)
Editorial Intern at V Magazine (New York)

22 Websites That Pay Freelance Writers in 2015

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There are several ways to find freelance writing gigs. Answering ads posted on job boards is one method, and you probably want to try more than one approach in your search for gigs. Another way to find work (and one that may lead to a steady gig in some cases) is to approach websites that freelance writers for contributions for guest posts.

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The Best of FWJ February

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February brought most of us in the States snow storm after snow storm, Valentine’s Day and some really informative posts from the FWJ crew. Here are a few of the most popular:

Applying for a Freelance Writing Gig Without Looking Desperate by Jodee Redmond

In this post Jodee cautions against oversharing when looking for writing gigs.

Is Your Blog Dressed For Success? by Gayla Baer-Taylor

First impressions are important. Gayla shows you how to make sure your blog turns heads.

I’m a Ghostwriter (Get Over It) – by Jeffery Reyes

In this terrific guest post, Jeffery hits on the many misconceptions people have about writing professionals.

How to Influence Editors and Make Friends – By Terreece M. Clarke

Some writers get all the breaks? Actually, those writers position themselves for breaks by delivering professionalism.

Why You Want to Keep Your Copyright – By Jonathan Bailey

“In short, having copyright in your freelance writing projects not only gives you a guarantee that you will always own your work and a means to enforce the terms of the contract, it also gives you peace of mind.”

A Radical Response to Piracy – By Robin Parrish

Robin explores the silver lining in having your book pirated.

5 Common Ways Freelance Writers Get Scammed – By Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan hips writers to a few of the common scams that are out there.

Non-Errors in the English Language (Part 1) – By Noemi Twigg

Noemi points out some of the common errors that aren’t really errors. Whew!

Freelance Writing Success: Are We There Yet? – By Jodee Redmond

Defining freelance writing success your way.

Job Security in Freelance Writing – By Jodee Redmond

Can you really make a living as a freelance writer?

Did we miss one of your favs? Tell us below!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Time Management Tip #2: Be Realistic

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It’s time to put down the cape. It’s also time be honest. Is that ‘to do’ list really doable?

There are still only 24 hours in a day and the majority of our problems with time management involve unrealistic expectations. When you have a daily 20 or 30+ list of items that must be accomplished, you are setting yourself up for failure. The same goes for a list of three time consuming items.

There are three quick ways to tell if your list of action items is too long:

1. Carry over. If you are still finishing Monday’s list on Friday, you’ve got a problem.

2. If  you never feel finished, you might have a problem.

3. If you are always in catch-up, grumpy mode, you might have a problem.

So now that the problem has been identified, how do you fix it?

Set Goals.

What are you four main goals? You can go micro: four main goals for work, four main goals for family, etc. or you can go macro: four main life goals. Let’s look at Busy Bea’s goals:

Spend more time with family, land more feature articles, work-out more, have more free time.

Before Bea can get the “mores” she wants, she has to check off the items on her list that do not align with her goals. Reducing her email time gives her more time to put into her queries.

See? Not so bad!

Revisit your goals frequently.

When the list gets long, that’s when you have to stop and check your to-do items against your goals. I still have 20+ item days. Still. As recent as last week. That’s why Monday I had a conversation with myself, pulled out my goals list and started crossing things of my to-do’s that didn’t help me reach my goals.

Time management is tough. Each day we struggle to stay focused and to prioritize, but being realistic, setting goals and following them helps. So take off the cape – no need to be Superwriter anywhere but in your prose.

How do you manage your list?

How Do You See Your Freelance Writing Job Search?

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Looking for work is a necessary evil for freelance writers. For people who work for employers, part of the reason finding a job is something to celebrate (along with a regular pay check and hopefully a good benefit package) is that they don’t have to keep looking for work.

For freelancers, it’s a different story. We have the freedom to work for ourselves (which definitely has its advantages), but we must perform a juggling act in our professional lives. Not only do we need to be able to keep up with our current assignments and produce high quality work, but we must also be constantly on the lookout for the next gig.

We can use a variety of methods to hunt for work. Putting up a web site, writing a blog to feature our expertise to a specific niche market and keeping in contact with people in your circle of professional acquaintances can all be effective strategies. Cold calling and passing out business cards are also good ways to find work.

If you have ever gotten to the point where you feel bogged down by this activity, you’re not alone. It’s easy to get into the mind set that looking for work is a chore. No one looks forward to doing chores, do they? These activities are things we have to do but that don’t really appear on the “want to do” radar at all.

Unless you can find a way to turn looking for freelance writing gigs into something that you can get excited about, it’s going to remain a chore and something that you will get bogged down in. It’s also very difficult to present yourself in the best way you can if you are not feeling enthused about communicating with a potential client.

In a situation where your freelance writing job search isn’t getting you the results you are hoping for, consider whether you are just going through the motions when you are looking for work. You would rather work with people who are enthusiastic about what they do and excited about a new opportunity than a person who is just not feeling it.

You have the power to kick start your freelance writing job search by adding some enthusiasm any time you choose to do so. Turn the process from a “have to” to a “get to”, as in “Today I get to talk to someone about how I can help their business.”

The best thing about this approach is that it isn’t dependent on outside circumstances. You can choose to look at talking to people about what you do and how you can help them as an adventure or a chore. Which one will you choose today?

How to End an E-mail to a Prospective Client

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Dear Jodee,

An e-mail to potential business contacts looks best when written in business style. What about the closing? Sincerely seems “too” traditional to me. What’s an appropriate way to end an email gig inquiry?

Nan

Dear Nan,

If I’m sending an e-mail to someone I’ve never corresponded with before, I like to use “Sincerely” to close the message. I’ve seen people use “Regards” or “Warmest regards” as well.

When I used to work for lawyers (and that was several years ago), “Yours very truly” was used to end a letter. This seems a bit too “Old School” for e-mail, which tends to be a bit more casual way to communicate than sending a letter on paper.

Unfortunately, you don’t always know who is going to end up reading your e-mail when you press “Send.” Many of my clients happen to be younger than me and they seem to be a bit more casual in their e-mail writing style. I think you can start off a bit more formally, just as you would when choosing a salutation for your e-mail to a client, and then change to a bit more casual closing once you have established a relationship with that person.

I like to use “Warmly” to sign off on my e-mails to people I have been in contact with before. I even use it with friends – I sometimes get a little distracted when I’m online and I can picture myself signing off an e-mail by typing, “Love” and then realizing after I pressed Send that it’s going to a client. (While I do hold everyone I work with in high regard, it’s probably not appropriate to express it in that way.)

Which closing phrases have you seen, and do you have a personal preference?

Do You Send Holiday Greetings to Clients?

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It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas. I saw Christmas decorations out in the stores right next to the Halloween items a couple of weeks ago. (Some things are just wrong.)

Now, I prefer to get one holiday out of the way before I start thinking about the next one, but apparently retailers don’t think that way. From the number of Christmas flyers that have magically appeared in the mailbox recently and the amount of times I’ve been hearing, “Mom, can I have…..” recently, the holiday season seems to be gearing up now.

At the risk of adding one more thing to your already jam-packed schedule over the next few weeks, you should make a point of pulling out your client list and reaching out to them at this time of year. “You can send holiday greeting cards or ecards for Christmas if you wish.. A personal e-mail is also appropriate.

Your message doesn’t have to be a lengthy one, but you do want to thank the client for their business over the past year and invite them to contact you with their future writing needs. If you haven’t heard from some of the people you are contacting for awhile, this is an opportunity to get your name in front of them again. Your regular clients will also appreciate your reaching out to them in this way.

Your success as a freelance writer will depend, at least in part, on the relationships you establish with your clients. If you demonstrate that you value the people you work with, they will respond in kind by offering you more and better assignments and referring you to other potential clients.

Sharing good wishes is a simple thing that you can do to finish this year on a positive note and set the stage for a prosperous New Year.

Do you reach out to clients during the Holiday Season? Do you send traditional cards or communicate by e-mail?

How to Move on from Entry-Level Writing Gigs

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Dear Jodee,

I’m on various freelance websites such as elance.com odesk.com and ifreelance.com. I’m getting some work but the work I’m getting takes me forever to complete and it’s not very well paid. I know there are ways to make more money freelance writing, can you point me in the write direction?
Acacia

Dear Acacia,

You have many options available if you want to make more money as a freelance writer. There is some great information posted here on Freelance Writing Jobs, including the job leads we post on weekdays, that can help you move toward better-paying gigs.

Along with answering job ads, you can start approaching prospective clients directly. Before you do, take some time to learn something about the client’s business and how your skills could help the client improve his or her business or solve an issue they are having with it.

Avoid contacting someone and asking, “Do you need a writer?” This approach makes it very easy for your prospect to say, “No.” Be specific. If you are going to ask a question, ask if the client could use help from someone who can provide [X] service for them that will provide [Y] benefits for them.

Online message boards are a good place to find prospective clients as well. You can look for ones specifically for writers, as well as ones for the particular market you are trying to target.

Cold calling local businesses is another way that you can move into higher-paying work. You may find yourself making several calls before you get someone who wants to learn more about what you have to offer, but you may find someone who has just recognized that they need a writer and who hasn’t started look for one yet. If you present yourself well, the client may never place an ad, and you don’t have to compete against hundreds of other applicants for the gig.

What advice would you like to add about moving on to higher-paying freelance writing gigs? Do you have a question of your own that you would like to see answered in an upcoming column? Share it in the comments section below.

Just Be Yourself When Looking for Freelance Writing Jobs

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When I was thinking about how to approach this post, I started thinking about tips for how to package yourself so that a prospective client will want to hire you. I thought the better of it,and this is why I came to that conclusion:

The client may not say so, but he or she is in full WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) mode when hiring a freelance writer. If the client wasn’t looking to have a problem solved or to get some benefit from your writing work, they wouldn’t be looking to hire a writer.

Don’t try to analyze what the client wants to hear and use that as a way to frame the way you respond to the ad. Instead, focus on the what the client needs and what skills and abilities you bring to the table to help them meet those needs.

Don’t try to be anyone other than yourself when you are communicating with a potential client. There are plenty of places where you can get advice about how to prepare your resume and write a cover letter, and I know I’ve talked about these topics here.

Yes, you should take the time to prepare these important documents, but your resume and your cover letter should be unique – just as you are. Use them as an opportunity to let the client get to know something about you.

While it may be tempting to follow someone else’s example of what worked for them when trying to find freelance writing jobs, resist the urge. Let the prospective client hear your voice through the materials you submit when you apply for a job. It’s the only one you need.

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