9 Incoming-boosting Strategies for Freelance Writers

What I’m listening to: Hands in the Air by Timbaland

What a weekend. I’m nearly over whatever virus it was that whipped me all last week. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to the Tartan Day Parade in Manhattan on Saturday. It was a wet, cold day that I’d prepared for, but my hands were frozen (wet gloves) and my feet were soaked (boot’s leaked).

I was never so glad to get in the car and get home.

Luckily, no relapse in illness, though I could live without this nagging cough and frog voice.

As I come off the heels of an intensely busy, and lucrative, month, I’m enjoying a small break in the action. That doesn’t mean I’m not marketing –that never ends. I’ve been a bit lax in that department over the last month. So I’m increasing my efforts this month.

Yet sometimes, we freelance writers get stuck in the same income bracket, or we can’t seem to reach or break beyond our monthly earnings target (and yes, you should have one). So how do you boost your freelance writing income even more? Here are some methods I use:

Offer time-sensitive discounts. If you’re seeing an upcoming gap in your income stream, send out emails, newsletters, even actual mail offering a discount. Tie it to a deadline — that gives a sense of urgency and may help push the hesitation into action. Try it with your current clients, too. No one better to show a little appreciation to than people who have hired you already.

Fish in a different pond. Have you exhausted your options with the current magazines or clients in a favorite niche? Take those same writing skills to a different market. For example, if your writing clients are concentrated in pharmaceuticals, why not move upstream a little to the pharmaceutical suppliers? Likewise if you write for the finance industry — why not start reaching out to potential clients in the retirement advising arena? Look for connections within the work you already do — it makes for an easier transition and an easier sell.

Upsell. Then there are your current writing clients. You just finished that white paper for your client. Would they like blog posts, social media blasts, newsletters, or even thought leadership articles (ghostwritten by you) to either complement that paper or to expand their communications goals? They’ve bought from you already. Show them the value of continuing that relationship.

Specialize. There is no faster, better way to gain name recognition and top dollar than to specialize, even if it’s an occasional area of focus for you. Even if you’re a generalist, you have areas of concentration that you seem to keep going back to. Maybe you write for consumer pubs, but the topics seem to be more health-related. I had a client once say to me “I know your niche is weather-related risk” and I hadn’t even realized that the last three articles she’d bought from me were exactly that. Look at your clips. Would any of these areas interest you as a specialty?

Revert to your marketing plan. Remember that plan you built or should have built? Now is the time to dust it off and put it to use. Or maybe now is the time to review it and mix up your efforts a bit. Also, pick up the pace, and remember to be consistent in your marketing and to examine it regularly to make sure you’re sending out your best message.

Get back in touch with former clients. Show of hands; how many of you can think of at least three former clients with whom you’re not in contact with at the moment? Today is your day to reach out, say hello, and get the conversation going again.

Consult. For those clients who can’t afford you, offer to help them get their project off the ground. Give them an affordable price to help frame in their project outline, line up their action plan, or revise something they can’t afford to have you rewrite. There are any number of ways to help people afford freelance writing services.

Teach. An onsite workshop at a corporation teaching executives how to craft emails or white papers, a community college evening session helping adult learners create resumes or learn to write — these are great ways to expand your current earnings stream.

Increase your rates. Come on, it’s been years. Would you work for an employer that never gives you a raise? Don’t be that employer — hike up your rates (just don’t go nuts with it). Sure, you could lose a client or two, but you’ll be surprised how many clients you’ll now open yourself up to. Cheap rates are often a sign to higher-end clients that you’re not a serious pro.

Writers, how do you boost your freelance writing income?
What has worked best for you?
How long has it been since you’ve raised your rates?