If you are a working freelance writer, language is your stock in trade. Obviously, you love words and language or you would not be working in this field. Should you show off your love of prose by using the most exquisite and complicated version of English that you can find when doing work for clients? Nope. Readability is more important than making your work look pretty, and online readability calculators are an important part of your freelance writing toolbox. [Read more…]
How to Get your Second Freelance Writing Job: The No-bid Way to Repeat Gigs
Once you have successfully landed your first freelance writing job, you should be thinking about completing it to your client’s specifications, to be sure. Now is the perfect time to start developing the habit of thinking ahead (if you haven’t already) and looking at how to get your second freelance writing job. [Read more…]
Need Backup? How Freelance Writers Can Find Subcontractors to Work With
If you have been working as a freelance writer for any length of time, you know that life can sometimes get in the way of work deadlines. All freelance writers should have a plan in place for when they need backup and strategies for how to find subcontractors to work with during challenging times.
Having a Personal Crisis? How to Deal and Keep your Freelance Writing Clients
In a perfect world, your personal and business lives would run smoothly and completely independently from each other. One of the benefits of working as a freelance writer is that you get to make your own schedule for the most part. As long as you turn in your assignments on time, your clients don’t really know (or care) whether you do your best work at the crack of dawn or you like to tackle it in the small hours of the night. What happens when a personal crisis crops up? How do you deal with it in a professional manner and keep your freelance writing clients?
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5 Questions Freelance Writers Should Ask Prospective Clients
There’s a time when you are in discussions with a prospective client about a project but haven’t been hired for the gig (yet).Before you can say, “Yes” or “No,” you’ll need to get clear about a few things first. Here are some suggestions about questions freelance writers should ask prospective clients before deciding whether to take on a particular gig. [Read more…]
11 Best iPhone Apps for Freelance Writers
[UPDATED AUGUST 2017]
As a freelance writer, did you know your smartphone can help you increase your productivity in your business, find just the right word or a clever quote, or even impress a potential client with a professional-looking writers’ resume? You can use them to make lists and notes when you are away from your desk and even combat writer’s block! We’ve assembled a list of iPhone apps for freelance writers for your consideration.
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Best Downloadable Project Management Software for Writers
If you are looking for downloadable project management software for writers, where do you start? The best place is to consider exactly what you need and what you expect it to do for you to make your freelance writing business run better and more efficiently. Only then will you be able to evaluate the choices that are available on the market and find an option that will work best for you.
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5 Online Portfolio Platforms for Freelance Writers
Are you looking for a place where you can display your work online and tell the story of where you have accumulated clips so that prospective clients can get to know you and your work? Every writer has a unique voice and you can apply for gigs, make cold calls and visit clients face to face, but the only way that someone can decide whether you are a good fit for the project they are currently hiring for is to read a sample of your writing. Show, don’t tell, a client what you can do – post your best work in one of the online portfolio platforms for freelance writers.
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How to Make your Freelance Writing Business Look Bigger
As your freelance writing business grows, how much thought have you given to the kinds of clients you want to attract? If your goal is to work with larger companies, you will need to start taking steps to create the right image to attract them. Clients at this level want to know that you have the experience to handle larger projects and your business can be depended on to deliver the project on time, and on budget. Here are some tips to help you make your freelance writing business look bigger than a home-based venture so that you can make it appealing to a wider variety of potential clients.
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How a Freelancer Can Take Time Off (Without Losing Clients)
Were you drawn to life as a freelancer so that you could be independent and leave the 9 to 5 grind behind? Did you think you would have a flexible schedule that would let you take time off whenever you wanted? What no one probably explained was that as an independent contractor, you would probably end up working more hours than someone who works for an employer, especially when you include administrative and marketing tasks into the mix. The idea that a freelancer can take time off is one that can become increasingly foreign and more than a bit scary once you start getting more involved in the business.
