Don't miss the latest posts, tools, freelance writing jobs, and more from the All Freelance Writing team. Subscribe today!
Jodee has a post up asking “how much does talent matter?” in freelancing writing. The fact is that there are many talented writers out there who just can’t cut it as freelance writers. Talent won’t get you there–certainly not alone.
She brings up some of the skills you need beyond basic writing ability to succeed in freelancing, including the ability to follow instructions and deal with the customer service side of working with clients.
I’ve found there’s an even more important factor though, and one we’ve talked about here before: marketing ability.
You could be the best writer in the world, but you won’t sell anything if you can’t market yourself. You have to be visible. You have to explain to prospective clients what you can offer them that similar writers cannot.
At the same time, you can become a wildly successful freelance writer with even mediocre writing ability if you can appeal to your target market well enough.
Does your talent matter? Sure. It’s going to help you increase your income over time, and it does play a role in whether or not existing clients refer you to others. Is it enough? Not by a long shot.
Share your thoughts. What other skills are essential for those wanting to lead successful freelance writing careers?
Related posts:
- Business of Freelancing: How to Get Started in Freelancing
- There Are No Family Sick Days for Freelancing Moms
- Six Figure Freelancing Lens Launched
- Query-Free Freelancing Means Creating Your Own Demand
- Query-Free Freelancing: Coming Soon
About the Author: Jennifer Mattern
Browse all posts from this author.
TAGS: marketing, writing talent
Marketing yourself is a talent many freelance writers don’t work on as much as they should. This is particularly important if you are trying to find gigs in areas you are not visible. For instance, if I wanted to write for Parent magazine, I’d need much better marketing than if I was writing a business news piece, where most editors know my byline. Developing your marketing skills is even more pressing now, as writers try to enter the market after becoming accustom to an environment that provided the infrastructure – promotion, sales, ads, etc. – in a 9-to-5 staff position.
Excellent post, Jen.
Here are my thoughts on skills essential for successful freelance writers:
* Marketing ability (as you said), combined with marketing persistence. Marketing is 100 per cent cumulative. You must be persistent — and you must have a plan.
One teeny tiny ad on Craigslist is just a snowflake in the desert.
But 100 ads on Craiglist (all different, and all leading to different landing pages) will rock your world. You’ll have so many writing jobs you can triple your income in a couple of months.
Of course Craiglist is not the only way to promote; there are dozens of ways. Do what you enjoy, and what’s fun for YOU.
* Persistence in general. Nowadays, everyone’s busy. This means that you need to keep contacting editors and other buyers, even if it seems they’re ignoring you — chances are they’re not. Your messages are just buried under the 405 other vital messages they need to respond to.
Is persistence a skill?
Whatever, it’s essential. Here’s a famous quote on persistence:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge
* Writing skill (not writing talent.) Writing skill develops over time. You can usually work out how long someone’s been writing by reading a paragraph they’ve written. The longer you write, the more transparent your writing.
If you want to become a writer, you can. The desire to write is a good indication that you can do it. If you want to become a successful writer, then the stronger the desire, the faster it will happen for you.
And the more you write, the more your writing skill will develop — it’s a completely natural process.
* Finally, the ability/ skill to divorce yourself from your writing — to be objective. New writers protect their words like a starving dog protects a chunk of bloody raw meat. Over time, you become less rabid.
You know that whatever you write now, you will be able to write it differently (and perhaps better) tomorrow, so requests for changes and revisions don’t both you.
Great topic, Jen. Of course there are many other skills successful freelance writers need to develop, but I’d say persistence is the most essential. You can do anything with persistence.
Marketing is important for success in any career – how many singers or actors can you think of right now that are not the best at what they do but are at the top of their industry?
I hadn’t thought much about aggressively marketing myself and have settled into the query mode. It’s finally dawning on my that if I want to expand my circumstances I have to pursue my opportunities until I catch them!
Thanks for the nudge.
I love the Coolidge quote Angela. Thanks for sharing.
And I have to agree with you. Persistence is a huge factor. I doubt I’d get anything done if I weren’t constantly driven to prove something to myself. If I want something badly, I work my ass off to get it. While marketing plays a huge role in that process, you’re right in that it wouldn’t get that far without that drive.
Ed – One of things I find interesting now with the 9-5ers you mention entering the freelance world is whether or not they’re going to be able to adapt. It’s a very different world to have all of your assignments handed to you in a salaried position than having to get out there and find them or make them come to you. So yes, it’s more competition for existing freelancers (although there are also more gigs as companies let go full-timers and focus on freelance projects to save money), but it’s going to be equally tough for that new group of freelancers to adapt to a competitive marketplace where others have a successful marketing plan already in action.
Since you mentioned settling into the query mode, may I suggest checking out my newest site (you may have already) at http://QueryFreeFreelancer.com – we’ll be talking about just such opportunities.