Jennifer MatternIt’s that time of year again. No doubt, if you haven’t already, you’ll start to see freelance industry surveys. They might summarize 2020, or they might offer trend predictions for 2021. Industry surveys can be fun to review, but be careful about using them to make serious business decisions. Let’s look at why industry surveys can be interesting. Then we’ll go into some common flaws … read more
Most freelance writing gigs are of a nonfiction nature, but if you’re looking to flex your creative muscles, freelance writers’ markets also exist for short fiction. It’s important to note that fiction often pays less, and sometimes much less, than more traditional freelance writing jobs. But if you want to try your hand at it, below you’ll find some markets to consider submitting your work to. What … read more
Disclosure: This post on WordPress for Writers contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase after clicking on my links, I might receive a commission on the sale. To learn more, read my “No-BS Affiliate Promotion Policy.” In this post on WordPress for writers, we’ll explore everything from your basic setup to tips and tricks to help you further customize your site and keep it more … read more
If you’ve ever searched freelance writing job ads, chances are good you’ve seen something that made you think “Huh?” Maybe something felt “off” in the job description. Perhaps the pay details looked sketchy. While I haven’t sought leads through freelance writing job ads for my own work in years, I do browse them regularly to curate some of the better listings here. And boy oh … read more
You’ve probably heard this line before: “Fast. Cheap. Good. You can only have two.” That’s true in freelance writing as in most things. Clients have to prioritize. As a freelance writer, you don’t want your clients prioritizing “cheap” work when they hire you. That means you’ll need to provide those other two benefits: being good and being fast. In this case, “being good” means being … read more
A fellow writer mentioned client projects sometimes took longer than they hoped, so they wanted to learn to write faster in order to avoid this. While there are plenty of ways you can increase your writing speed, one tip I gave them was to use “skeleton outlines.” I worked through the beginning stages of of a skeleton outline while they watched to show how quick … read more
If you’re feeling a bit stuck in a rut with marketing your services, why not try a freelance writing challenge to mix things up or motivate you to try something different? I’m a big fan of challenges. I set one or more writing challenges for myself almost every month. And today I’d like to suggest one that could bring you a few new freelance writing … read more
If you’re looking for a way to take your blogging to the next level, either on your niche blog or your freelance writer blog on your professional site, publishing more often is a good place to start. That doesn’t mean slacking off on quality of course, but more regular blog posts equal more chances to have your site found. That can lead to more freelance … read more
Today’s reader question comes from Christian Simmons, one of several writers to reach out to me as the current coronavirus pandemic hit their freelance writing businesses. A common theme is freelancers wondering if they should start specializing in pandemic-related content for the time being. Now, in Christian’s case, he’s a health writer who might have interview contacts that would make this feasible. But that’s not … read more
This is a review of Find Your Freelance Writing Niches, a course from John Soares of ProductiveWriters.com. As I do in any review, I’ll share an overview with you followed by highlights, suggestions, and my overall verdict. For full disclosure, while this is not an affiliate review, John did provide me with access to the course materials for review. Let’s start by taking a look at how … read more