How to Get Freelance Writing Referrals Even if You’re New

This item was filed under [ Finding Work ]

New freelance writers have a lot on their minds. More experienced writers often tell them that they need to build a presence, start networking, and focus on getting referrals instead of simply searching job boards (the best gigs are rarely found on job boards).

But they don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to wait a few weeks to a few months to have the good gigs pouring in. They want money, and they want it now. They may need it now. They have bills to pay, families to support. You get the idea. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I just don’t get it–that I don’t remember what it’s like to be new.

That’s not true. Not true of me, and not true of many experienced freelancers. They may not like the advice, but frankly it’s what more of us should have been told a long time ago (or maybe we were and we simply didn’t listen).

The Reality of Referrals

Referrals are a necessity if you want to make good money as a freelance writer. It does take time to get them on a regular basis. Why do they matter? Because that’s where the gigs are–in private networks. You’d be surprised how many big budget clients don’t even realize they need a freelance writer until one of their employees, colleagues, or friends hears about their project and suggests a writer who might be able to take it to the next level.

But I Need Money NOW!

Don’t we all? That’s life folks. You wouldn’t jump into most businesses without an adequate budget, so why would you do the same in a freelance career? It’s sad but true. Many, if not most, new freelance writers are not equipped to succeed in freelancing in the beginning. They don’t plan. They don’t have a reserve to get them through the initial phase. They succumb to taking any writing gig they can get. And many of them give up because they find themselves stuck in a low pay rut.

Making it Work

Did you make that mistake? Well guess what. So did I. And I pulled through it. I was one of the exceptions, and I really wish someone had given me a kick in the ass early on telling me I wasn’t ready yet and to prepare before jumping in.

You can get past the early funks where you feel like no one respects you enough to make it worth your while. Don’t expect to be an exception, but if you’re willing to work your butt off, it just might happen.

How did I do it? I silenced those nagging voices that told me to take anything that came along. I developed my USP (the value you offer clients that the competition doesn’t). I carved a niche for myself. I made myself visible to that target market. I set reasonable beginning rates and published them on a professional website. I started a blog (or two). I joined communities frequented by my client base. I spent countless hours working to educate clients, to make myself stand out amongst the competition. I offered sales as incentives for first-time buyers (much smarter than offering low base rates to begin with, because your base rates tell clients how you really value your work and your time).

It wasn’t easy. I wondered how I’d pay the bills each month. But it always worked out. Just scraping by turned to flourishing in only about three months! That’s it. Three months of hell and heartache, pushing myself to my limits, but it led to a strong and sustainable career filled with referrals–referrals from colleagues, past clients, and clients finding me through those communities and blogs.

I had an edge. I came from a PR background, so I knew how vital it was to focus on image and visibility. I knew how to do it. And albeit briefly, I just told you how to do it too. No, it won’t be easy, but new writers can start building referrals quickly. They can get a successful career off on the right foot without waiting seemingly forever to attract good clients. It all comes down to whether or not they’re willing to work for it, and yes, that may involve sacrifices. Those who aren’t willing to do that will follow the many that came before them settling for the little bit of immediate pay they can get, and finding that’s what they’re still earning in 6 months to a year (or more). They’ll either settle for it, or they’ll figure out that freelance writing wasn’t right for them–it’s not a “get rich quick” game as most here know. The rest will surpass them. Consider it survival of the fittest. Which kind of new writer are you?

A Final Tip

How quickly you start bringing in referrals for work depends quite a bit on how you choose your target market to begin with. You probably have more connections than you realize. Use them. Choose a target market where you may be able to get some initial clients through those contacts of yours. (Ask a professor if they know someone in the industry that may need a writer. Ask family members. Ask friends. You’d be amazed at who your immediate contacts know. We’re all better-connected than we think.)

Freelance Writing Jobs – June 10, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

I hope everyone’s having a lovely and gig-filled week so far! If not, here are some new freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs that may be a good fit for you:

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Motivation by Numbers

This item was filed under [ General ]

It isn’t always easy to stay motivated about your career. There are up days and down days. The same is true of informational products–it’s easy to let the motivation slip from time to time. So today I’m going to share one of my favorite things to do when I need to feel more motivated. I crunch some numbers.

Why I Love Numbers

Numbers are concrete. They allow you to think about something that’s both specific and measurable. They’re something you can actually strive for.

That’s why I love numbers, and why they can be so motivational for me. They allow me to think about the “what if?” of any project I’m considering taking on.

Staying Motivated with Basic Client Work

Sometimes the hardest thing to focus on is the client work that I have to do. Maybe I’m not feeling well that day. Or perhaps I’m feeling bored on some level because I do certain types of projects so often. Thinking about it in terms of the numbers can help.

For example, I’ll look back through my payments from the previous month (or whatever my recent high month was). I’ll tell myself I should try to beat it, even by a little bit. I have a competitive spirit, so that alone can push me to get my work done rather than risking procrastinating. So if I earned $2000 one week, I might push for $2500 the next. Or if I had a slow month the previous month, I might try to make up for it by doubling it the following month. As long as I keep challenging myself, the work interests me. Crunching some numbers helps me do that.

Motivating Yourself to Try Something New

This is the more “fun” part for me, and the numbers are hypothetical. In fact, they’re often downright unrealistic.

Let’s say I’m getting ready to release a new e-book (which I am). I probably have a price in mind (let’s use $37, since it was the price of my last e-book). Sometimes it’s difficult to get started on a project like that (knowing the income won’t come until later), and other times it’s a bigger problem to keep going after I’ve started. So I play with numbers.

First, I think about a worst-case scenerio. Perhaps I only sell 100 copies. Would it be worthwhile for me financially? $3700 for something that may have taken a month to write really isn’t that bad. Let’s say the e-book is 100 pages. That means even with low sales you’ll earn $37 per page. Is it more than you get paid per page for client work? If so, that’s all the motivation you may need (full control of the project, but higher earnings). If you’d earn more working for clients, keep playing. Find out how many copies you’d have to sell to match your client earnings, and then figure out a plan to sell that many copies. Once you have those numbers and that plan laid out, my guess is you’ll suddenly feel more motivated to get on that e-book.

Here’s another thing you can do, just for the fun of it. Pick a dream income from that new project – maybe $10,000, or $100,000, or even $1,000,000. Why not? Dream big here. It’s just about ambition.

Use the $1,000,000 figure first. How many copies of your e-book would you have to sell to gross that much over time? A little more than 27,000 copies. OK. So it’s not realistic for your e-book… probably. Now drop a zero. How many copies to earn $100,000 over time? Just over 2700. Hmm. Sure, it would take a heck of a lot of work to sell those e-books, but if you have a reputation in the niche, and that niche has a large market, it’s certainly looking more possible, isn’t it? Is that month, few weeks, etc. that it would take to write your e-book worth that $100k to you? You might start looking at it differently, no? Now ask yourself, would it be worth it if you could earn even $10k? If so, you’d only have to sell 270 copies.

Factors of ten are great like that, aren’t they? It gives you a look at potential gross earnings, and what you’d have to achieve to get there each step of the way. Remember this isn’t about business planning. You’re not thinking about marketing costs, affiliates, etc. You’re just playing with figures to help motivate you to get started or keep on going.

Give it a try. Pick your dream income, and figure out how many hours you’d have to work, how many e-books you’d have to sell, etc. to gross that amount. Who knows? You may be pleasantly surprised by how achievable some goals really are when you break them down. And if not, well, wishful thinking also has its place.

Freelance Writing Jobs – June 9, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

Here are some new freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs for Tuesday. Enjoy!

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Get More Than Half off the Web Writer’s Guide E-book

This item was filed under [ Web Writing ]

In anticipation of the release of the second e-book in the Web Writer’s Guide series in the next 2-3 weeks, I’m offering a substantial discount for those who haven’t yet read the first e-book in the series on launching a successful freelance Web writing career.

If you order this week, you’ll save more 50% off the normal price of $37.

To find out more about the e-book, read testimonials from others writers you may know, and to order, visit www.WebWritersguide.com, and use discount code PROMO1.

Freelance Writing Jobs – June 8, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

Time to kick off another week with some freelance blogging jobs:

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Freelance Writing Jobs – June 5, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

Happy Friday! It’s been a very very long week for me, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend. How about you? But we’re not quite there yet, so here are your freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs for today:

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Freelance Writing Jobs – June 4, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

Here are your new freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs for Thursday:

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

Monthly Marketing Mix – June 2009

This item was filed under [ Marketing ]

I don’t know about you, but June really isn’t my favorite time to think about marketing. For some people it’s because they’re busy thinking about spending some time outdoors or on vacation. In my case, it’s a case of the warm weather blues (when I finish my client work, especially on a gross humid day, I just want to be done for the day).

Still, we can’t slack off. Fortunately there are some things you can do this month to keep your marketing efforts strong, even if you do spend less time working on it yourself. Give these tips a try:

  • Outsource simple tasks. For example, you might hire someone to submit a few of your older blog posts to article directories to build links to your site (make sure they include a resource box with the link).
  • Let your clients do your marketing. Give them a simple incentive (like a free perk or future discount) to refer you to others in their network.
  • Focus on the first half of the year. Not all marketing is active or aggressive. Some of it is just evaluation and decision making. While you’re sitting by the pool sipping your favorite summer drink, take a peek at your marketing plan from the beginning of the year. Get a basic idea of how you’re coming along towards your goals, and make some notes about adjustments you may want to make for the second half.

The key right now is just to stay on track. Figure out how you’re doing so far, plan ways to improve moving forwards, and enlist some help when needed. And of course, enjoy yourself!

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Freelance Writing Jobs – June 3, 2009

This item was filed under [ Job Listings ]

I’d offer some fun and exciting way to celebrate the fact that we’re already mid-week, but really, I’ve got nothing. I’m open to suggestions though! But in the meantime, here’s your Wednesday set of freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs:

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

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