First let me apologize for the delay in starting this series. My schedule is a bit wonky these days as we’ve been moving into a new place. Thank you to the writers involved for their patience. Let’s get to it.

The first freelance writer with a story to share this week is Steve Sloane.

Steve’s Story

Steve is a relatively new freelance writer with experience writing for only two companies — one being Demand Media and the other being a website where he contributes film reviews. He has approximately 1800 articles published on Demand’s eHow, mostly in the home repair / DIY niche. The vast majority of those articles paid just $15.

Steve would prefer to write about film, his main passion. But work has dried up with his client in that niche. He has his BA in both Film Theory and Creative Writing. Despite his passion for film, he does understand that it’s an in-demand niche and he’s open to other opportunities. His experience in the home repair and DIY area is based on his own experience building a house and spending years being just generally handy.

He would like to move from $15 articles to a minimum of $50 for a 400-500 word article.

My Advice for Steve

I think $50 per article is a very achievable goal and a good target for newer writers looking to write Web content.

While I’d love to see Steve move immediately into full-time film reviews, I’m intimately familiar with the difficulties in creative markets like this. First, they don’t tend to monetize well through advertising (meaning site owners often won’t spend as much as other types of clients as they see less of a financial return). Another issue, as Steve also pointed out, is that everyone and his brother thinks they can write reviews in these niches (my experience more on the music side, although I’ve seen similar things in film reviews).

With that in mind, I think Steve is a prime candidate for dual specialization. As we’ve talked about numerous times here, being a specialist as a freelance writer does not mean you’re limited to a single kind of writing or a single niche. It means you focus on one or just a few areas, but more importantly you focus on areas where you can offer the most value. I think Steve has an adequate background in both the film and DIY niches to make a go of them.

Normally when I suggest multi-niche specialization, I encourage writers to stick to areas similar enough that they don’t have to target two completely different markets. In this case, I think he can make it work — essentially using one specialty to buy him time to build a reputation in the other.

Basically, I suggest this: Focus on home repair / DIY, but carve out a portion of each work week for film reviews. As Steve grows his client base on the film side, he can transition away from home repair content if he wants to. In the meantime, home repair and DIY material seems like the broader market with more pay potential.

To take it a step further, I’d suggest branching beyond the most basic of Web content (like the shallow content found at eHow). I’d encourage Steve to start his own website in the niche. It could be an ongoing blog, or it could be a specialized niche content site with some static articles that he doesn’t have to update frequently. He could also consider narrowing down the DIY niche a bit. For example, he could focus on apartment dwellers with special needs (such as not being able to put holes in the wall). Or he might combine his love of film with the niche and focus on DIY projects for those interested in setting up their own home theaters.

Once he has a niche site (even a small one), he can use it to build an audience of readers in the niche — not just potential buyers. When readers respect what you have to say in your specialty area, it can make you more attractive to clients who want you to bring your audience with you when you write for them. Better yet, niche sites can be income sources on their own.

Speaking of income sources, I also think e-books are a great thing for Steve to consider. Moving into a new home myself right now, I have tons of questions and ideas around home improvement, decorating, finishing rooms, etc. I own a few huge home repair / DIY books, but they can feel overwhelming. They cover a lot of basics, but sometimes not enough about specific things I’m interested in. Smaller books about these areas could be good, even in e-book form (from flooring to finishing basements). Plus, it can be more profitable to sell let’s say six short e-books at $5-10 each than a longer, more expensive one covering everything.

Those are two options Steve has for not only additional income streams but also portfolio pieces. They can help him build his audience and potentially attract more clients as he becomes more of an authority source.

As for directly targeting clients, I say think outside the box. The obvious thing to do is look for home improvement or DIY sites to pitch. But what about these possibilities:

• Interior design sites and publications
• Women’s sites and publications (saving time and money with DIY projects around the house)
• Blogs for businesses involved in home improvement (from contractors to tool manufacturers)
• Men’s sites and publications (they might have regular columns or sections devoted to the niche)
• Sites or blogs related to home improvement TV series (not quite film, but another way to tie his two interests more closely together)

When it comes to the film side of things, again I suggest starting his own site first. In this case I think a blog or other regularly-updated site makes the most sense as the film scene constantly changes. Because anyone can share their opinions on films on the Web these days, I think it’s extremely important for Steve to come up with a brandable identity for this specialty area. He also might be able to stand out a bit more with a genre or other kind of specialization (such as reviewing horror films or indie films).

Steve really seems to understand that great reviewers don’t just spew their opinions. They really have to know the film world, context, and as he put it “research and work.” Having his own film review site shows prospects exactly what kind of reviews they can expect from Steve, and how his reviews differ from fly-by-night film reviewers just in it for a bit of fun. It gives him a chance to set a professional tone in the way many others have not.

While Steve can start pitching film review sites, local newspapers, online local sites, entertainment sites, or any other kind of prospect that might be looking for reviewers, I think his best chance for immediate income in his target price range is to pitch the DIY articles up front while he builds an audience for his film review site. If he can tie the two areas together (like the DIY home theater specialty I mentioned), all the better. It can save him a lot of time later when he’s ready to focus even more on promoting his film industry writing.

Over the long term as he builds a fan base with his film reviews, Steve can take on fewer home repair and DIY projects in favor of pursuing his passion. In an ideal world, we would do nothing but that. But the reality is that we have to pay the bills. Fortunately Steve doesn’t seem to dislike writing in this potentially more profitable niche.

In Summary

1. Stick to dual-specialization.
2. Focus primarily on your more profitable niche (home repair / DIY in this case).
3. Go with direct pitching for quick results when you’re fairly new.
4. Think outside the box when choosing who to pitch; look beyond the most obvious prospects if you want to decrease competition for gigs.
5. Set up your own niche site and use that content for portfolio pieces rather than relying too heavily on your content mill work to sell you to another level of client.
6. Build your platform and audience in your favored niche while the other brings in income.
7. When building your platform, try to focus on income-generating tactics (like blogs and e-books). The earlier you start these things, the sooner you’ll have extra income coming in to cover you during slow periods.
8. Ideally find ways to tie your two specialties together, even loosely. It can help you decrease the amount of time you need to market your sites and services when you’re reaching similar audiences.

In our last post we talked about marketing your freelance writing services and how you should focus on basic market research, specialty target markets, and creating a marketing plan instead of aimlessly trying new ways to market your services. In other words, don’t just send pitches to anyone who might want to hire a writer. Narrow it down a bit. Figure out exactly who you want to target and find out what works and what doesn’t when selling to that audience by seeing what the competition is up to.

Now let’s talk about tactics — all of the things you actually do to land new gigs, from query letters and cold calls to increasing referrals from members of your network.

Freelance Job Boards Aren’t Enough

One of the most common questions I get from freelance writers is this:

Where do I find the high paying freelance writing jobs?

These individuals get frustrated because they spend countless hours on freelance job boards, classified sites or bidding sites (like Elance). Most of the writing jobs they find offer very low pay. They see other writers talking about better opportunities, but they aren’t sure where to find them for themselves.

That’s the inherent problem: they’re thinking about where the better jobs are. They’re asking the wrong question.

If this sounds like you, it’s time to rephrase. Instead ask how you can land these high paying freelance writing jobs.

Most of them are not found on job boards. I mentioned it in a recent post, but it’s worth repeating. The best freelance writing jobs are usually obtained in the following ways:

1. Repeat work from past or regular clients
2. Referrals from clients or colleagues
3. Clients finding you as they search for a writer for a specific project
4. Directly pitching clients you want to work with

Let’s explore these four things in more depth to explain why (and how) it might be time to leave freelance job boards behind.

Land More Work With Repeat Clients

Some of you may have only worked for content mills. If you don’t have any past clients, this section doesn’t yet apply to you. You’ll want to focus on the other tactics discussed below.

If you do have a stable of past clients (or existing clients) that pay better than content mills, it’s important to keep those connections alive. If they needed to hire a writer like you in the past, chances are good they’ll need you again. But if you don’t pop into their minds when that situation arises, they might give the gig to someone else.

What can you do?

1. Blatantly ask past clients if they have any upcoming projects you might be able to help with.
2. Pitch specific projects to them. For example, if you helped them with a holiday newsletter last year, send them an email and ask if they could use your help again this time around (maybe they forgot to plan one and your email will encourage them to get on it).
3. Offer a limited time, one-order sale for past clients who come back. This can be a great idea if you added a new service to your offerings and you think previous clients would have an interest in it.
4. Just be friendly. Get in touch. Maybe wish them well as we approach the New Year. Ask how things are going (and actually have an interest in what they have to say). Socialize with them using social media tools.

All of these things can help you stay on past clients’ radar so your name comes to mind the next time they need a writer with your specialty.

Be a Referral Magnet

Keeping in touch with past clients as mentioned above can do more than land you new gigs with them. When you become their go-to writer, they’re also more likely to refer you to others.

Just as you probably network with other writers (despite many of them being the competition), your clients do the same. They have their own industry contacts. And when people need referrals for writers or any service providers, they’ll turn to their trusted network.

It isn’t enough to stay in touch with past clients though. You can come right out and ask them for referrals; ask if they know someone else in the industry who could use your talents. Some won’t want to share you. Many are quite happy to refer you to their colleagues. You could even offer referral incentives (such as 10% off their next order for each referral they send your way that results in an actual contract).

Speaking of colleagues, don’t neglect your own. Whether you keep in touch via email, have local get-togethers, comment on each other’s blogs, or use social networking platforms, stay active in your community of writing colleagues.

Freelancers often get inquiries from prospects they can’t take on. Maybe the gig is out of their specialty area. Their time could be fully booked. Or maybe the gig just doesn’t feel like a good fit to them. If they think you might be a better fit, they’ll refer you for the job.

Giving referrals makes a lot of sense. I refer gigs to about a half dozen writers every week, and sometimes much more. Why? Because it makes you look good to the prospect when you put their needs first, even though you can’t directly work with them. On many occasions, prospects I’ve referred elsewhere have remembered that and come back to me for other gigs down the line when I could work on their project.

So get to know other freelance writers, especially those in your specialty area who are landing the kinds of gigs you really want. Let them know if you accept referrals. And send referrals their way when appropriate.

The referrals I give usually go to the writers I know best. That’s because if someone asks for a certain kind of service, I refer the first competent person I think of in that specialty. Those who stay in touch and build a professional relationship as a colleague come to mind quickly. If I only know someone in passing, chances are good I won’t even consider them.

In the end, referrals are about two things:

1. Trust
2. Presence

If you stay visible by maintaining an active presence in your community and your colleagues (or past clients) trust you to do right by their prospects, you’ll get more referrals. And remember, the more you give the more you’ll get over time. People remember when you do something nice like that for them, and it can make them much more likely to return the favor.

If all else fails? Ask. There is nothing wrong with mentioning that you have some openings in your schedule if anyone has a referral to send your way.

Helping Clients Find You

If a prospect needs a writer fast, they might not have time to ask for referrals. They certainly don’t have time to post job ads, wait on applications, compare those applications, and eventually hire someone who happened to see the ad.

Instead they visit Google or their trusted search engine of choice. Or they visit a community they’re a part of and search there for service providers (such as forums or social networks like LinkedIn). If they find you and you feel like a good match, they’ll contact you. If they don’t find you, well, you’re out of luck.

We live in an instant gratification world. If a client wants someone now, they’ll find someone now. But if you aren’t easy to find, you’ll miss out on these potentially great freelance writing gigs. This is why I push the concept of building your writer platform so much. Your platform influences your level of visibility.

Here are some things your writer platform might include:

1. Your professional website (well-optimized for search engines)
2. A niche or industry blog
3. Free e-books or reports
4. Your articles strategically placed on other sites (such as through guest blogging)
5. Your social media profiles

In other words, these are places clients might find you on their own, and tools that would encourage others to tell prospects about you (like free e-books naturally attracting links and therefore helping your site rank higher in search engines).

There is a lot to writer platforms, which is why I’m finishing an entire book on the subject. What you need to know early on is that they’re designed to help clients find you instead of you having to actively seek out every freelance writing opportunity.

When you’re visible in your specialty area, rank highly in search engines for terms your prospects will likely search for, and you’re recognized as an authority source, you can have more inquiries than you could possibly handle.

If you want more examples of things you can do to build your writer platform and help clients find you more easily, check out this post from our archives:

30 Ways to Build Your Writer Platform

Teaching you about all of the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) is beyond the scope of this article. There are entire sites dedicated to it. For example, you might want to check out Michael Gray’s SEO Blog.

Hand-picking (and Pitching) Clients

While I’m a big fan of query-free freelancing (letting your writer platform and network handle the heavy lifting), you can’t always wait for gigs. Don’t get me wrong. Query-free freelancing doesn’t exactly take forever to benefit you. But setting up a website now won’t likely bring you a new gig tomorrow. And that’s exactly what some of you moving away from content mills need.

How can you attract great prospects with barely any wait at all? You can pitch them directly.

1. Decide what kinds of clients you want to work for.
2. Better yet, choose specific companies or publications you’d like to write for.
3. Evaluate their website or publication and come up with story or project ideas to pitch.
4. Contact the company and offer your services (in as non-spammy a way as possible).

This is the traditional way of landing new freelance clients, and it’s still popular (and effective). Here are three types of direct pitches you can use:

1. Traditional query letters
2. Email queries
3. Cold calling

Why do direct pitches work? Sometimes it’s just about following standards (like queries for magazine writing gigs). Frequently though clients don’t realize they even need your services until you pitch them. They’ll never advertise because they aren’t officially hiring. They don’t know they’re missing out on awesome opportunities (like launching a company blog or getting help crafting social media profile content).

Just like I said about referrals above, if you want something sometimes it’s best to come right out and ask for it.

Want to learn more about writing queries or making cold calls? I highly recommend Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Writer which offers a lot of information on cold calling, as well as Linda Formichelli’s and Diana Burrell’s The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters that Rock. These books go into far more detail than I can here in a blog post, and both are worth having in your professional library.

As you hopefully now understand, freelance job boards are not the best way to find new gigs. You certainly won’t find most of the high paying opportunities there. Does that mean you have to completely ignore them? Of course not. You get to choose the ways you’ll seek new gigs. Hopefully you’ve found at least one new method here that you’re interested in trying though.

Do you have other ways of attracting clients? Share your tips and ideas in the comments below.

This business model was hit hard by Google recently — a big source of both traffic and income for content mills, farms, networks, or whatever we’re calling them this month.

Demand realized they have to change things. For example, you can’t have repeat shallow content if you want to succeed in the search engine game anymore. Or at least you can’t when your company is public, eyes are on you, and Google’s playing Big Brother (which, for once, is a good thing).

That means Demand can’t keep hiring writers to write on the same old evergreen topics like the seven articles we referenced here previously on how to teach a dog to sit. The “robotic organization” image where they’re seemingly only interested in traffic stats and ad revenue (as opposed to readers) just won’t fly anymore.

Where does that leave the writers? Well, there will be far fewer assignments available. If you hung your hopes on Demand’s past stories about their super-successful business model, you might feel like you’ve been left a bit high and dry right now.

I’ve also seen writers’ responses to this news. On one hand it’s difficult for me to have sympathy when we’ve spent so much time and energy here helping writers improve their freelance businesses. The information is out there — not only here, but from many great freelancers such as Lori Widmer, Anne Wayman, and Peter Bowerman, and the folks at Freelance Zone, Freelance Folder, and Freelance Switch. If you want to be a more successful freelance writer, you have seemingly endless information available to help you do that.

On the other hand, I can’t help but sympathize with some of these writers. The news came somewhat suddenly and not long before the holidays. While it’s true no one should have been relying too heavily on any single client, content mill or not, I know they’ll have a tough road ahead as their own business models are forced into a period of transition.

Plenty of Demand’s writers know how to run a more profitable and more stable freelance business. They choose to write for Demand for their own reasons. And that’s fine. But many of the comments I’m seeing are from people who honestly do not know where to start. Mill work is the only freelance writing work some have taken on. They’ve never marketed their own business. Others don’t know how to look beyond advertised gigs (and most of the best gigs are never publicly advertised).

It’s no secret that I have no warm and gushy feelings for Demand as a company or for the top dogs working there. But I do feel for those writers who feel sideswiped right now, who realize there are better opportunities out there, and who are truly interested in learning how to land those better gigs. For those writers willing to work for it, I’m launching a week-long post series next week.

The series will run Monday-Friday and cover the following topics:

1. Types of Freelance Writing Jobs You Can Pursue Today
2. Freelance Marketing – Market Research and Planning
3. Freelance Marketing – Moving Beyond Job Boards
4. How to Develop Your Writer Platform and Make Jobs Come to You
5. Building New Income Streams When Client Work is Slow

I was also contacted this week by a DMS writer who asked if I was available for coaching. Unfortunately with my pending move over the next few weeks and other schedule limitations, that isn’t an option. However, I’d like to make an open offer to five freelancers working for Demand and looking for something better.

[Update: This offer has ended as all five spots have already been filled.]

If you email me about your situation — your specialty area, the rates you would like to be able to earn, the type of clients you want to work for, past credits other than Demand (if any), etc. — I’ll publish a post on the blog with tips and advice customized to your situation. I can’t do this for everyone which is why I’m limiting it to five people for now.

If you’re interested but concerned about sharing your information publicly, I’m willing to let you remain anonymous or use only your first name if you prefer. I’ll accept these requests Monday through Friday of next week (October 10 – 14), and will publish up to five responses during the following one or two weeks.

My hope is that this post series and writer-specific examples will serve as guidelines to help others. In the meantime, I strongly suggest reading the blogs linked above. And if you’re looking for more reading material, check out these books:

• The Well-Fed Writer
• The Wealthy Freelancer
• The Renegade Writer
• The Wealthy Writer

They’re all wonderful and comprehensive resources that can help you improve on the business side of being a freelance writer.

Here are three simple ways you can better insulate yourself from bad writing clients.

1. Be Choosy

As a business owner, you can’t say “yes” to everyone. You have to be able to turn work down when there are signs that a prospect will turn into a nightmare of a client. If you take on that client anyway, you really have no one else to blame. So say “no.” Sure, that means you won’t have that gig bringing in income. That’s life. You move on. You find another, even better, gig. The more time you waste with bad clients, the less time you have to find and land great ones.

This is one of the reasons I push the idea of building a writer platform so much here. You build your visibility and your network and gigs find you instead of the other way around. If you have an effective platform, chances are you’ll have more prospects coming to you than you can take on. That means you can choose to work with the best and not feel guilty about saying “no” to others. It’s also another chance to network as you refer the “no” gigs to other colleagues (just don’t refer gigs with major warning signs or you could hurt relationships more than you help them).

2. Charge Professional Rates

The lower your rates, the more likely you are to come across these bad client types. That said, there are lousy clients in higher paying markets as well — just not as many. Why does your pay level play a role? For a few reasons:

• Clients who pay very little don’t have much invested in the project.
• If they aren’t willing to pay for professional work, they’re less likely to respect you as a professional (in their mind, you might just be some amateur doing the job for “play money”).
• It’s easier to say “it’s only a few bucks, so it’s not a big deal if I pay late.”
• They know it doesn’t make much sense for you to go to collections or sue them in small claims court if they screw you out of a very small payment.
• Clients who pay next to nothing are either cheap or not properly funded. In either case, they need to squeeze as much value as they can out of every cent they can. This is why low paying clients are sometimes even more demanding than those paying professional rates.

The best way to avoid this kind of treatment is to raise your rates to professional levels. Don’t sign over all rights to an article for $10 for example. Those writers are, and always will be, replaceable. If you want respect as a professional writer, you need to show that you’re not that easily replaceable — that you offer value the extremely low-priced writers do not. Charge what you’re worth, and you’ll immediately kick a large number of bad prospects off your doorstep.

3. Build Alternative Income Streams

When you’re desperate for income you’re probably more likely to say “yes” to any project that comes along, bad client or not. So you need to come up with a plan to get out of that desperation phase. One way to do that is to create alternative income streams. This is an especially good idea early in your freelance writing career when you probably don’t have clients beating down a path to your door yet.

These are income streams that don’t rely on you landing new freelance writing clients. It’s income that fills in the gaps so you never make bad decisions out of desperation. You know something else will still be coming in. Here are a few examples:

• Offer another freelance service (like design or marketing consulting) so you can choose the best prospects from both markets to work with at any given time.
• Publish and sell short e-books and reports.
• Run a niche blog. Earn income through ad revenue while you build an ongoing portfolio piece to attract new clients.

It’s all about diversification. Just like you shouldn’t rely on any single client too heavily, you shouldn’t rely on one income stream either. The more you diversify your incoming revenue, the more insulated you are against one of them failing (like a bad client refusing to pay on time).

4. Nurture Relationships with Regulars

It’s basic math. The more clients you need to work with, the better your chances are for coming across a dud in the mix. So rather than looking for short one-off projects, focus on existing clients and building regular contracts. Regular clients are people you have an ongoing relationship with. They’re more invested in that relationship. After all, it’s easier to keep a good freelancer they’re happy with than to spend time and energy trying to recruit one that could adequately replace them. It’s win-win.

Reach out to past clients and pitch ongoing gigs (like one or two articles into you managing their blog on a monthly basis). And keep existing regulars happy (within reason). The more regular gigs you have with clients you know and trust, the less time you’ll have available for those potentially bad prospects to get on your schedule.

You won’t always know up front if a prospect is going to turn into a bad client. Look out for warning signs, and know when to say “no.” If you do land one, don’t be afraid to “break up” with them after your current project. And work hard to maintain the relationships you have with good clients and build other income streams. If you do these things and make a conscious effort to avoid the cheapskate, deadbeat variety, you’ll never have to take on a bad client again.

1. The client hired the freelance writer for a previous project at the writer’s professional rates.
2. The client had need for a professional writer again.
3. The writer sent a proposal (which the client asked for).
4. The client contacted the writer saying they could really use this person’s talents, but the organization hasn’t been funded. Oh, and they said they wanted the writer to do the work for free. As clients wanting freebies often do, the non-buyer implied the writer should look at the long-term opportunity (because you know, non-paying clients always turn into super lucrative gigs down the road).

In this case the writer did the same thing I would have done. The gig was turned down and the client was told they could get in touch when they were adequately funded to cover the professional services.

Should You Ever Take Non-Paying Nonprofit Gigs?

While the writer made the best choice for themselves in this case, that doesn’t mean you should always turn down volunteer work with nonprofits — as long as doing so doesn’t impact your business negatively. It can be a far better way to build a freelance writing portfolio than writing content for absurdly low rates for otherwise paying markets (because you target unprofessional markets with far worse reputations than a respectable nonprofit organization has).

If you want to take on the occasional volunteer gig as a freelance writer, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Choose organizations and causes you’re passionate about.
2. Do not let volunteer work take any of your billable hours. Do it outside of working hours altogether or at least work it into your time allocated to marketing and PR — it’s good PR for your business after all.
3. Solicit volunteer opportunities on your own rather than simply saying “yes” to any and all nonprofits that come along begging for freebies.

That said, nonprofit agencies do pay professional writers and other contractors. They do have budgets. I used to work in the nonprofit sector and have dealt with organizations big and small. It’s amazing how much some of their management is paid, and it’s even more amazing how much money can actually be wasted. The fact that an organization isn’t trying to earn a profit does not mean the organization has no operating costs. Those operating costs include paying for professional services from regular employees and specialized contractors alike.

Nonprofit Warning Signs

Keeping that in mind, here are some warning signs to look out for (and hints that you might want to pass on a volunteer gig for a nonprofit agency):

1. They initially pay you and then try to talk you down to working for free.
2. They request a proposal knowing damn well that will include service rates, and then try to say there’s no budget. That does nothing but waste your time and demonstrate their professional disrespect for you.
3. They try to convince you that you should care about their cause as much as they do (and they can be very convincing when they want something — I know that because I was very good at it myself in my nonprofit days, and it was one reason I left).
4. They promise you’ll see benefits later if you just invest the time now (what they really mean is you’ll get a warm and fuzzy feeling thinking you’re doing something good — not that they’ll suddenly start paying you once you show them they can get you to work for free).
5. The organization is brand new or one you’ve never heard of. Anyone can start a nonprofit organization and ask for handouts to support a cause they care about. That doesn’t mean you have to support every cause out there.
6. They say they aren’t funded. If they can’t get initial funding, there’s no guarantee they’ll be funded later to pay for your services down the road.
7. They tell you that your usual rates are tax deductible if you do the work for free. They’re not. (That’s true for U.S. service providers; check your own local rules regarding tax deductible services if you’re located elsewhere.)
8. They try to guilt trip you in any way, shape, or form. That’s emotional manipulation and shouldn’t be tolerated from any client, nonprofit or otherwise.

Nonprofit markets can be very lucrative for freelancers who specialize in them. Organizations need compelling copy to solicit donations. Many need bloggers. Many need regular newsletter content. They need brochures. They need scripts for radio and television public service announcements. Some need writers to handle internal communication.

Types of nonprofit gigs are as numerous as traditional corporate freelance writing jobs. And there are plenty of organizations that are adequately funded and interested in hiring professionals over less experienced (but easier-to-get) volunteers because they know the return they’ll see can far outweigh the costs.

Don’t believe for one second that just because someone works for a nonprofit organization it means you shouldn’t get paid. There is nothing wrong with doing some volunteer work out of the goodness of your heart. But don’t let that ambition to do good turn you into a sucker.

Know the organizations you get involved with and don’t commit to more than you can handle on a volunteer basis. Also don’t assume that one volunteer gig should lead to ongoing freebies. You might very well take on a small project as a volunteer and convince the organization to hire you for more in-depth writing work later.

What are your thoughts on nonprofits? Have you ever experienced something like the writer mentioned above? Have you had a nonprofit try to guilt trip you into providing your services for free? How did you deal with it? How do you incorporate the occasional volunteer gig into your schedule without negatively impacting your business? Share your thoughts, tips, and stories in the comments below.

Here are a few things you can do to bring old clients back:

1. Reach out.

The most important thing to do is just contact your past clients. See how they’re doing. Touch base. Bring them back into your network and remind them that you were the kind of freelancer who really cared about them and their business (or if you didn’t, now’s a good time to start).

2. Mention that you’re available.

You can’t be afraid to let people know that you’re looking for new freelance writing jobs. You don’t have to be pushy and pleading. Just mention that you have an opening in your schedule should they be interested.

3. Pitch a specific project.

Did you write content for a newsletter around this time last year? Why not contact that client and pitch a similar project? Is there something going on in the news that would suit your old press release client perfectly? Then pitch a new one as a way to tie the company to current events. Clients don’t care that you need a gig. But they do care about opportunities to help their own businesses. Go into the conversation armed with an idea, and you’ll increase your chances of coming out with a paying gig.

4. Request referrals.

Referrals are one of the best ways to land new freelance writing jobs because they’re jobs that generally aren’t advertised (meaning you have little to no competition). But you don’t have to wait around hoping someone refers work your way. Ask for those referrals.

Contact past clients and mention that you have some new client spots open now or opening in the near future, and ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in your services. You could even encourage referrals with a discount — maybe 20% off their own next order if they refer someone who becomes a paying client in the next couple of weeks.

5. Offer promotions and discounts.

As a last resort if people are mildly interested but hesitant, consider offering a one-time discount for returning clients who haven’t worked with you for a certain period of time. For example you might offer a limited time sale of 10% off for any client who comes back after having not worked with you for at least six months. If you offer sales too often you might get the opposite effect where clients will hold off on ordering, waiting for the next discount to come along. So use this marketing tactic sparingly.

How else might a freelance writer bring former clients back? How do you approach past clients about the potential for new freelance writing gigs? Share your stories and tips in the comments below.

Here are 11 ways you might be able to turn your creative writing passion into freelance writing opportunities. Some ideas are more traditional, but maybe you’ll find a few you haven’t considered yet.

Literary Publications and Websites

If the idea of seeing your name in print appeals to you consider submitting short stories, poetry, or other creative pieces to literary publications. There are print literary magazines as well as websites available. I haven’t seen these publications pay on par with most commercial publications, but if the options are getting your fiction published and making some money versus no one ever seeing it because you don’t know what else to do with it, literary publications might be the right freelance opportunity for you.

Fictional E-books

You can indie publish your own fiction e-books through sites like Amazon fairly easily these days. But you might also be able to offer the service to clients on a freelance basis. E-book creation will often bring in four to five figure payments depending on length, so it can be lucrative work if you can carve a niche for yourself. Just as people want ghostwriters for books to turn their idea into a salable product, you can sell them on e-books as well.

Ghostwriting Fiction

You could also just go the more traditional route of ghostwriting novels for others. The client may have an idea or even a fleshed out outline to work with. It’s your job to turn it into a cohesive book. If they go the traditional publishing route you can ask for the advance and a percentage of royalties since you’re doing the actual work. You’ll sometimes see projects like this on freelance bidding sites where the client offers $500 – 1000 to write an entire book. Pass those up.

Novel / Short Story Editing

Even if ghostwriting isn’t your thing, you might be able to turn your passion for creative writing into a lucrative freelance editing career. There are a lot of self-published authors out there who desperately need the help of a professional editor. Why not offer to help them out on a freelance basis?

Ad Copywriting

Some creative writers think any kind of business writing is “selling out.” They’re wrong. That only happens if you allow yourself to take on gigs you know are sleazy in some way. Most are not. They’re about getting messages out. And in ad copywriting those messages are often of a creative nature. There might be fictional characters in situations or using specific products. You can turn your creative writing interests into fun and effective ads for companies you already believe in. Why not pitch your services?

Video Scripts

From company training videos to Web series, someone writes the fictional video scripts that lead to the end product. If you have an interest in screenwriting, these types of freelance projects might give you some needed scripting experience.

Letter Writing

Okay. So these days maybe it’s more about email writing or social network message writing. But letter writing isn’t only for businesses. Consider a more creative approach — from good old fashioned love letters to writing complaint letters for consumers who aren’t sure how to handle them themselves.

Creative Nonfiction

Creative writing doesn’t always have to be fiction. And nonfiction isn’t always dry facts. If you’re passionate about a specific topic or audience, why not try freelancing with some creative nonfiction? That could involve writing nonfiction books, magazine articles, or scripts that educate children in a fun way. Or it could mean creative blogging for clients such as humorous commentary about issues in your specialty area.

Game Scripting

Scripts are necessary in many games too. All that dialog? Someone writes it. If you’re a gamer, consider pitching your services. There are countless game developers out there these days, from casual Web-based games to more traditional video games.

Web Comics

You could start your own Web comic or pitch writing services to a designer you know is interested in a similar project.

Character Blogging

Maybe you love to blog but you don’t know how to turn it into fictional freelance opportunities. Consider character blogging. You can pitch services to TV networks, Web series developers, authors, or anyone who might want to launch a blog from their character’s perspective as a way to market their main product / show / book.

These are far from the only creative freelance writing opportunities out there. The next time you pick up something that interests you, ask yourself “did someone need to hire a writer for this?” Product packaging, gift cards, or cute marketing material that stood out in your mind — these are all things you could do on a freelance basis. Just decide what kinds of creative writing you’re most interested in and I’m sure you can come up with at least a handful of ways to pitch that service to clients on a freelance basis.

What other types of creative freelance writing are out there? Have you turned creative writing into freelance work? Leave your thoughts and additional ideas in the comments below.

You Can Get by with One Client

That’s certainly what I did! I get paid a bazillion words to do a monthly column and I don’t see any reason to go find other work because I have it so sweet. Instead, I just write my pithy little columns myself and my editor just eats them up. That poor sucker. He doesn’t even check my work. It’s a sweet deal. Hi-5!

Marketing is Wholly Unnecessary

Because I’m such a big deal, people just sort of line up and ask me to do jobs. Of course I don’t because I only have one client but if I wanted to work other jobs I could. I don’t have a website or platform or anything, I’ve spent nothing on business cards, and I have never marketed myself beyond just being awesome in every way. You’re welcome, everyone.

My Job has Nothing Wrong with It

At all. There’s no such thing as a downside for me. All I do is I come in, like a rockstar, and type away at my column. Next time I write one I’m going experimental–I’m going to write precisely one word. I bet everyone will go nuts for it. I am going to have to clear it with my editor though because I get paid by the word and that would sort of suck to make rent. People don’t get the artistic, sometimes.

Stop Asking Me About My Job

Seriously I am not going to talk about how there’s something wrong. Maybe YOU are the one who has the problem. Stop trying to find things where nothing’s bad. You probably like to sit around and critique other people’s work while your own sucks. Stop being such a dillweed.

I’m Going to Get a Soda

This interview is over. And the soda is likely to be of the Coca-Cola variety although I could be tempted into a Fanta if the price point is right.

If you’ll notice, I lost focus through this article as per usual. You’re welcome. I’m going to take a bow and head out now.

This compels writers embrace all sorts of different ways to market their business both aggressively and passively. Some examples include:

• Guest posting on blogs targeted to their niche
• Cold calling
• Cold emailing
• SEOing their portfolio
• Social Networking
• Creating a newsletter

Now, I’m personally on-board with all of the above mentioned ideas except for one—the dreaded newsletter.

Like other ‘lancers, I briefly considered having a newsletter. Before I sunk any time into the endeavor, I decided to field test the idea. I sent out a survey to all my current and former clients as well as some leads and asked if they’d be interested in a newsletter that talked about financial industry stuff and gave some writing tips.

Guess what? Most of them didn’t respond to my survey.

You might not find this to be a definitive answer to the question I was asking, but I did. If they aren’t going to respond to my one-time survey (which takes all of two-seconds), what makes me think they are going to read my monthly or quarterly newsletter, which takes several minutes?

Further supporting my line of reasoning (something I try to do as often as possible) I thought about my own stance on the newsletters of other professionals.  I don’t want a newsletter from that one graphic artist whose website I stopped by, or that cool but pricey CPA I was considering hiring, or that one gym I thought I might join. I do not want to read any of their newsletters, all drenched in the cloying scent of, PICK ME.

Those of you who already have a newsletter are probably rolling your eyes at my stupidity and short-sightedness and if your newsletter is actually working, then hells-to-the-yeah you should be. If your newsletter brings in dollars—dollars that are equal to or exceed the amount you would be paid if you were working on a client project instead of your newsletter each month—then you rock.

But remember, it’s all about the bottom line. Don’t fall so in love with your newsletter, your idea, or your effort that you forget it’s about gaining money—not losing time.

The economy sucks. My company had to downsize. I got laid off. But I still need to pay my bills and support my family. I can’t get another job in this job market. So I’ll try freelancing.

I keep looking at job boards and applying for everything I see. But no one seems to be paying well, and I can’t land enough gigs to make ends meet. So where exactly is this elusive money?

On one hand I feel bad for people in this situation, where freelancing seems like the only interim possibility between Job A and Job B. I know what it’s like to struggle and wonder where the next rent payment is coming from. On the other hand, it makes me want to beat my head against the wall when I hear stories like these because it highlights common ignorance about the freelance life.

Newsflash: Freelance writing (or any kind of freelancing) is not a quick money game. It’s not “easy” money either. If it was a simple trick to go out and get freelance clients to pay your bills, a lot more people would move into freelancing. But it doesn’t work that way. Freelancing isn’t a temp job. It’s a business. And unless you’re prepared to treat it as such, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll earn enough to support yourself or your family, even in the short-term.

Now look. I’m not against people turning to freelancing if they lose a job, as long as they’re qualified and not leading clients on. But what I hate to see is someone thinking freelancing is going to be a quick fix for their problems or save their skin in some way when they have no idea what it really involves.

So please. Crappy economy or not, don’t jump into freelance writing on a whim because you don’t know what else to do. Think it through as much as you’d think through accepting a job you might be stuck in for the next ten years. Think about the tax implications. Think about the marketing you’ll have to do, especially in the beginning. Think about whether or not you really have the discipline to work alone at home (many people do not).

If you can handle all of that, can take it seriously, and understand that good money rarely comes around immediately, freelancing might be the right option for you and your situation. But if you’re doing it solely out of desperation and you really don’t know what it takes to succeed in this kind of work, try something else first. You might cause more financial problems by falling into freelancing unprepared than you would by leaving it alone from the start.

If you do go into freelancing, who knows? Maybe (like many of us) you’ll find that you love it too much to go back to the 9-5 grind anyway.