How to Succeed as a Paid Freelance Writer?
Freelancing is like a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs in it. Running your own business can be super rewarding and comes with plenty of perks. However, one aspect that can take newer freelancers by surprise is the feast-or-famine nature of the business.As a freelance writer, you’ve got a lot going on.
Clients in different time zones, deadlines hitting at various intervals, tracking down invoices, just to name a few. Sad to say but, sometimes things fall through the cracks.
Here is a checklist of the most critical items that as a freelancer, you simply can’t forget to do.
Social Media
By no means, you must go down a Facebook-feed spiral but social media does have its time and place in the business world.
Checking in and engaging on Twitter and in Facebook groups are great ways to generate leads, learn from others, and grow your professional network.
Attracting new clients
Everybody has their favourite ways to advertise themselves and attract new clients. An all-time favourite is it to do as little marketing as possible. As silly as it sounds, that’s a very realistic goal and valid strategy for gaining freelance work.
The best clients are the ones who have faith in your skills and venerate your experience. The easiest way to gain that trust is to get clients who have been referred to you by someone they already trust – a friend, family member, colleague, or other professional acquaintance. This will build a great reputation, as well as a network of people who promote you for free.
Write, Write and Write
Getting down to brass tacks, writing is what we do.
Whether it’s responding to emails, crafting client projects or linking your blog and promotional things, writing takes up a big bulk of our responsibilities. To maximize your efficiency, consider writing services, it can be a great way to gauge the market.
Check Job Portals
Make it a practice to check job boards every day. Even if you’re not actively looking for jobs, boards. Checking listings can help you get a feel for what clients are looking for and what kind of jobs are out there.
You can even use it as a way to feel out new niche areas, just in case you’re curious.
Invoices
Invoices can sometimes be forgotten in case if clients are paying at different intervals. As a rule, check-in once a week to make sure you don’t have any outstanding invoices hanging around. If so, it’s a great time to send a friendly follow-up reminder.
Additionally, as money comes in, be sure to tuck away a portion for taxes. Especially on the tax front, putting money aside weekly is much easier than scrounging at the end of the quarter.
Check LinkedIn
Linkedin is often overlooked as a social media entity but it is very promising.Perfect for networking and sharing professionally-relevant articles.
Pitch
In the same vein as checking job boards daily, a freelancer should always have a few pitches in play. Projects wind down, client budgets dry up, it’s the name of the freelancing game.
Professional Development
Taking the time to grow professionally is essential in advancing your business. Professional development can come in many different forms, meaning there’s a platform for everyone.
Set Your Schedule
Make a fresh start every month. Check-in with your clients to solidify projects and deadlines for the upcoming month.
Now would also be an ideal time to reach out to old clients to see if they have any future projects you may be able to help out with.
Consider Raising your Rate
Deciding to increase your rate will ultimately depend on how long you’ve been working with a client.
Final Thoughts on Freelance Writer Tasks
Being a freelancer means you have a whole lot of responsibilities to take on.
You may often find yourself wearing a lot of different hats, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed.
However, if you get organized with this timed checklist, you can say goodbye to forgotten tasks and be at the top of your game. Circle your calendars and check items off as you go. You can handle it all!
All set to Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business.
Author Bio: Vixit Raj is digital marketer and with his familiarity of programming language, he help businesses to solve their technical SEO need.He is into digital marketing industry from last 3+ years and experienced with all the digital marketing domains.
