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.

What are some examples of business writing work that pays well? Here are three examples, and links to articles and an e-book I’ve written on how you can write these documents for clients.

• How to Write a White Paper 
• How to Write a Case Study
• Press Releases Made Easy

How well do these projects pay? One page press releases can go from mid three figures up to four figures. Report-style documents and interview-heavy ones like white papers and case studies can pay several dollars per word. What’s not to love?

Are you a business writer? What are your favorite types of projects? Which have led to the best pay in your experience? Share your own examples in the comments below.

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.

I love writing. It’s a great job to have and it lets me stretch my mind. But sometimes I just get so tired of writing articles! That’s when I take a break and try something else writing related. Let me tell you what I do to relieve the monotony…

Editing & Proofreading

A lot of people outsource their content, and the results they get isn’t always that good. Others simply want someone to look over content they’re written and polish it up. Either way, editing and proofreading is a great job for writers who love syntax and grammar, and are detail oriented.

Product & Service Reviews

Writing reviews on products and services can be a great way to break out of the mold and let your personality shine through. Reviews can be written for clients, or done as a side project on a niche blog. Not only is writing reviews fun, but you can get some pretty awesome free stuff out of it. Reviews are a great job for writers with personality who love sharing their opinions.

Blog Commenting

This is a lower end white-label service that I recommend doing in your free time for a site like Fiverr or Gigbucks. Commenting on blog posts takes seconds and it gives you a chance to try out different styles of writing and tones as you adopt different personas on the fly. I recommend only offering 10, 15, or 20 comments per gig, to keep time requirements low. Blog commenting can be a great job for writers who like reading or have some free time they want to use to make a little pocket cash.

Idea Generation

Similar to blog commenting, this lower end white-label service is recommended for writers good at generating ideas but not necessarily interested in blogging about every topic under the sun. An example is a list of 25 blog post ideas about “optimizing your blog” that I did for a client. I made about $60 just by writing out talking points and prospective titles in an excel document. Writers who find themselves plagued with ideas can often perform this service, or sell idea pre-created lists of ideas for unique blog and article content.

Mentoring and Coaching

Some writers are more seasoned than others. For those who are experienced and pulling in a decent income, coaching new writers can be fulfilling and profitable work. New writers join the market everyday, and only a handful ever break in with some success. Others are underpaid, overworked, and losing their passion. Mentors and coaches can help reignite that passion.

Affiliate Marketing and Information Products

Creating your own product or selling affiliate products is an outstanding way to generate passive income. This works especially well if you’re a niche writer with a product that caters directly to your clients. Perhaps it’s a watered down DIY version of one of your services, or just a resource on how to get started in your niche. Either way, writers with a more business-oriented mind might find promoting affiliate products a lot of fun.

I believe the key to enjoying a fulfilling freelance writing career is to look beyond the writing. Digging deeper into the various aspects of a writer’s abilities lets you have fun and keeps you from getting bored. What do you do besides article writing? Share your talents in the comments below!

About Corey Freeman

Corey Freeman is a professional SEO blogger. She also runs Writing Whale, a site dedicated to helping aspiring freelance writers get started.

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.

Previously I announced that profiles would be free until mid-May. But due to the problems we had after some site changes where the marketplace wasn’t fully functioning, I’ve decided to extend that. You can now get a free writer profile through the end of the month.

Why Add a Writer Profile?

At All Freelance Writing we understand that most of the best freelance writing jobs are never publicly advertised. Buyer don’t want the hassle of sorting through applications from unqualified writers looking for a pay increase. They don’t feel like waiting on applications at all. They prefer to ask for referrals or search for writers on their own.

We also have higher standards than most freelance marketplaces in that we won’t accept a buck from anyone and everyone who wants to post an ad. That means we don’t take on the extremely low-ball offers many people offer when looking for freelance writers. You just won’t find those here.

We’ll be promoting the new marketplace actively to buyers in coming weeks after we finish dealing with some site glitches and optimization. But not all potential buyers will be interested in posting public ads. Your writer profile allows them to find you and contact you in a typical search and referral way rather than inviting the competition to apply. If you want to get the most out of our marketplace, posting a writer profile is an essential step. That’s how you show prospects that you’re the kind of writer they’re looking for.

How to Register

Since you’re on the blog portion of our site right now, just look to our sidebar. You’ll find a login form there with a link to register if you’re not already a member of All Freelance Writing. Register there (or you can register via our book club forum — registration covers access to both site features).

Once you’re a registered member of All Freelance Writing, login to your account. Then take a look at the sidebar again. When you’re logged in you should see your gravatar photo if you have one and some new member links.

How to Add Your Profile

First, please note that if you had a profile under our old system, it will not be automatically transferred to the new one! So please remember to register and add your information to the marketplace. This is because many of those profiles do not contain all of the information we now require in our writer profile listings. New profiles can also be edited by you at any time, although they’ll need to be approved by me again when you do before changes go live. That was not possible with the old system.

When you’re ready to add your writer profile (or edit it later), you can find a link in your member section of the blog sidebar when you’re logged in. Or you can click the “Jobs” link above and access the job board menus at the bottom of any marketplace page.

This will take you to our back end where you can edit your general AFW profile (such as your Web address so you don’t have to enter it every time you comment if you comment while logged in). You can also find a link on the left for your resume / writer profile.

When you enter your writer profile details, please review the rules so you don’t waste time if you don’t meet the terms. The big consideration is rates. We still have minimum rate requirements to avoid this becoming yet another race-to-the-bottom freelance marketplace. Instead of mentioning specific rates, you choose a rate range and then a corresponding project type.

Also note that email addresses must be included in your profile, and they will be visible to all logged in members viewing the job board (such as other writers and prospects posting ads). This is due to the fact that many writers forgot to include contact info for prospects to reach them under the old system. You can leave a phone number too, and that will also be visible to logged in members (but it’s optional). So please, if you’re concerned about posting these things and you don’t even do so on your own site, I suggest getting a job-specific email address. If you want to post a phone number you can always use something like a free Google Voice number instead.

I really hope this system will work out better for everyone in the long run. In the meantime, happy posting! Remember, you can only add your profile for free until the end of May, so don’t wait. Starting June 1st, there will be a $15 charge for profile inclusion. Profiles will remain active as long as they continue to meet the posting requirements.

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 a few tips I came up with:

1. If you receive an @reply from someone you don’t know and they link you to job sites, don’t click. – These are usually spam. If you visit the user’s profile page you’ll find they do almost nothing but post the same self-promotional message over and over again to get people to their new job site or to a site where they have an affiliate link (and therefore get paid when you visit). When I get these messages, I don’t look for gigs. I report them as the spammers they are. And you have to be extra careful about clicking shortened links from people you don’t know in general there. You never know when they lead to a malicious site.
2. If you plan to use Twitter search, get specific. — Don’t search for “freelance writing” or “freelance writing jobs.” You’ll find a lot of spam and countless low paying writing gigs. Search in a specialty area instead to weed out some of the garbage.
3. Ask your network for referrals. — A quick mention that you’re available for new projects and open to new referrals won’t hurt anyone. And you never know who might see it and have a relevant gig for you.
4. Check your feed. — See what your followers are saying. I have a particular client who frequently needs writers in niches I don’t cover. I usually offer to tweet to my network if I don’t know a specific writer to refer in that area. Pay attention to colleagues at a similar level and you’ll find decent gigs mentioned as opposed to low-balled offers from every Tom, Dick and Harry on Twitter.
5. Edit your profile. — Is your Twitter profile too general? Does it make it clear that you’re a freelance writer? Is there a call to action for people to contact you if they want to hire you? If you only use Twitter for personal networking, that’s one thing. But if you use it for business networking as a freelance writer, you need to make sure your profile works for you. Include your name, URL to your professional site (either in the URL field or the profile background), and let people know what you specialize in. Getting the good gigs is about visibility and networking much more than stumbling across ads, on Twitter or anywhere else.

How do you use Twitter as a freelance writer? Do you actively look for freelance writing jobs there? Have you gotten referrals through Twitter? Share your own tips and stories in the comments below.

Something like this happened to me last week. It involved blogging work for one of my regulars. Due to personal problems he was unable to post all of the articles written last month. So he now had a backlog and needed to postpone some content orders for his main blog until December.

While I keep a waiting list, it really wasn’t what I wanted to do right now. After all, this is for a limited-time opening — for one-off projects. And most on the waiting list are looking for ongoing work (like press release writing for Internet marketing firms or ongoing blogging gigs). It would also mean rushing those prospects when they might not be ready to move on something immediately. Besides, that would mean getting to know a new client’s business, products or services, and target market. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a basic part of the job. But with only a few weeks — not to mention time off for the Thanksgiving holiday this month — there just wouldn’t be time to do a new client’s business justice, or at least not in most cases with the prospects on my list.

So I decided to take a few other approaches to make sure my income wouldn’t suffer much, if at all, this month. And these are tactics you can use too, should you ever find yourself with a last-minute hole to fill in your freelance writing schedule. Better yet, these tactics don’t involve bidding sites, job boards, or querying while you hope someone gets back to you before the opening passes anyway.

Suggest an Adjusted Project

In my case I knew the client in question owned other blogs. I’ve written for several of them in the past. I casually mentioned them, and asked if he would need content for those again while we took a break for the main site. As it turns out, he did.

That led to an order equal to about a third of our normal monthly number of blog posts. Now this is also an older client who has a long-standing bulk-rate negotiated with me (I don’t offer those anymore). And since he ordered less than the minimum for that bulk rate, the per-piece rate was higher. The combination led to about 40-45% of the original order being placed income-wise. That took a nice quick hit at the hole in my schedule, and I didn’t have to look beyond the initial client.

You can do the same thing. If your client cancels a certain type of project, but they hire you for different things, see if they might need something else. For example, at this time of the year let’s say they cancelled a couple of blog posts. But they’ve hired you to write email marketing copy before and you know they have a newsletter. You might pitch them on content for a holiday newsletter instead.

Reconnect with Past Clients

Another option is to reach out to past clients you’ve worked with. That doesn’t mean you have to pitch or query about specific projects. Don’t put that kind of time into it. Just touch base. Say hello. Mention that you happen to have an opening. In my case I chose to reach out to just a few of my previous clients. I let them know about the opening, that it was limited and projects would be first-come, first-served, and I offered them a very limited-time special. I rarely offer sales, but I’m a big fan of limited discounts when it comes to quickly filling in holes in my schedule. The trick? Make sure the sale is for a limited time only. You don’t want a sale rate to turn into a regular expectation. In that sense I find they’re better for existing clients, although I did offer the discount to one new prospect as well. Also, don’t offer the special to too many people. Leave regular clients alone. This is only about bringing in new one-off projects (or long-term gigs perhaps, but with the sale only applicable for the first order). It’s not about discounting work you already have. It’s about enticing people to hire you when they otherwise hadn’t thought about it.

Remember that this isn’t about pitching or querying. It’s more about keeping in touch and reminding them that you’re out there. Sometimes just the mention of what you do will spark an idea in a client’s head — “yeah, I haven’t promoted this product effectively and the holidays are coming up, so I could really use some copy for a new email campaign,” for example. The best thing is that existing clients are often faster to respond than new prospects, so you won’t be left waiting around wondering (at least in my experience). I sent out a couple of emails early Monday morning, and as of a few hours later I’d already landed one one-off project with a past client.

Just Wait

Okay. So this won’t work for everyone, but if you’ve already gotten to that query-free freelancer status you know it won’t ever be long before you get another email or phone call from a new prospect. I get several each week. Normally I just refer them off to colleagues by default, because I don’t have any openings.

This week — yes, just since yesterday morning — I did have to turn a few away, partly because I already filled enough of my schedule hole that there was no way I could fit their projects in and give them the attention they deserved. I also didn’t feel I was the best fit for two of them, so I referred the prospects to other colleagues. But there were several others that came in between Thursday of last week and this morning. One is a possibility, and for two others now I’m just waiting on a final confirmation. They all appear to be one-offs, so I should be able to work them in if they come through. It’s not ideal to have to start from scratch with someone when time is limited though, so I definitely suggest reaching out to existing clients first.

By the way, I didn’t have to do anything to find these leads. They came right to me. Haven’t considered going the query-free freelancing route yet? Well, that’s a perk you should think about. While a lost gig might sting initially, you know things will always pick back up quickly. Oh, and this doesn’t just work for new prospects. As of Monday afternoon the initial client who cut back this month got in touch wanting too more projects too.

Become Your Own Client

If you absolutely can’t find a new client and can’t land a gig with an old one, don’t stress too much yet. When you have a hole in your schedule, immediately turn at least some of your attention to your own income-generating projects. Review a new affiliate product or two on your blog (unless affiliate ads are a big no-no in your niche). Write a short e-book and sell it for a few dollars using a service like E-Junkie.com. My very first e-book took me one afternoon to write, and it sold quite well at $17 (around 20 pages or so). Why? It was information that a specific target market wanted, and I was in a position to offer authoritative content in that niche.

A day or two of heavy promotion can get the income rolling in. Even if it doesn’t fully replace the lost income you were expecting, it can lessen the blow. And if you do find good client leads in the meantime, you can always back-burner the e-book and go back to it later.

If you suddenly find yourself with a hole in your freelance writing schedule, don’t panic. Get creative. Applying to every gig you see advertised can do more to increase your stress and worry than solve it. But by all means if you see a gig somewhere that looks like the perfect fit, go for it. Just don’t feel like pitching and querying is your only way out of a bad situation. It might work, but it can take much longer than other options. And remember, one door closing (even temporarily) might be the opportunity you were waiting for. You never know when another one’s going to open.

Writer B asks where the high paying gigs are then if not on the job boards. Writer A explains that you have to either build a platform, a strong referral network, or directly pitch prospects you’d like to work for. Writer B says something to the effect of “No, I mean where are the high paying freelance writing jobs.” Unfortunately it doesn’t sink in that there’s no magical place where all of the high paying freelance writing clients congregate.

In the end it comes down to this: you need to make your own freelance writing opportunities. Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas to get you going:

1. Set up a professional website right away if you don’t have one. It’s extremely important to maintain visibility these days, and a lot of high paying freelance writing clients don’t advertise for writers — they search for portfolios of writers that might be a good fit. You need that search engine presence if you want to land those gigs.
2. Ask colleagues if they know anyone hiring. Just don’t be obnoxious about it. Another way to handle it is to simply remind them what you specialize in and let them know you’re taking on new clients now if they happen to come across something that would suit you well, but that they couldn’t take on personally. Writers refer work to each other all the time. But if they don’t think of you, you won’t get the jobs.
3. Ask existing clients for referrals. If you have one or more decent clients and you simply want more, ask them for referrals. They might be well-networked within their industry or niche and be able to point you to others who are hiring. After all it’s in their interest too. If you give up on your writing work because you can’t make ends meet, you won’t be there to handle their work anymore either.
4. Use job search sites in a different way. Forget about looking for gigs for freelance writers. Instead look for job ads hiring editors (often full-time). If you read the job requirements they very often say a part of the editor’s job is managing a team of freelance writers. Yet these same companies seem to rarely advertise for the writers themselves. But now that you know they hire freelancers, you can pitch them on your own. Even if they’re not hiring immediately, they might keep you in mind if an opening comes up down the road.
5. Look a bit broader. While it’s smart to know your target market and stick to them with your marketing efforts, some freelancers look a bit too narrowly. For example, if you’re a Web content writer you might not think to look beyond the Web itself for your clients — like in webmaster communities. (Hint: while some bigger budget clients do hang out there, many do not. They don’t have the time.) Take a broader approach. Perhaps that means conducting a more general search for existing sites in your niche or industry. If you feel you can help them improve their Web content, pitch them your ideas. Or maybe it means you’ll look to small local businesses that either don’t have a Web presence yet or that have a very limited one. You probably wouldn’t come across them easily online, but if they’re interested and just waiting for the right help to come along, that could be you.

While I’m certainly in favor of a more passive query-free freelancing approach, for most people that would be an end goal rather than a starting point. There are times when you do have to get aggressive and make your own freelance writing opportunities.

How do you make your own freelance writing opportunities when the job market seems to dry up? Share your tips and stories in the comments.