The No-bullshit Freelance Income Stream Guide

Know what I’m sick of? Empty posts full of keywords that are meant to get traffic, not help the reader.

That was my experience yesterday when I went searching for ways for freelance writers to create multiple streams of income. I’d read Diane Parkin’s post about how she’d employed an Income Octopus Method two years ago and how it was going for her. Do read it — she’s had some good results using that method.

But the ensuing search for more info netted me a ton of frustration. I wanted to know more. However, few people seem to know more than how to stuff keywords into posts. They could take a lesson from Diane on how to write a post that is compelling.

Anyway, the whole topic made me think about my own freelance writing business. Yes, I have multiple income streams. Eight of them? No, but now I have a new goal for 2020.

But not everyone is ready for that many clients, to which I say …

What? Are you crazy? Of course you’re ready!

Still, if you’re dug in, I’m not going to change your mind by pestering you.

What I can do is give you an alternative method. Ready for it?

For the next 30 days, concentrate your efforts on gaining one more client.

Just one new client in a month. You can do that, right?

Sure you can.

No, really — you can.

And you already know how to do it.

A quick story that’s totally relevant:

I’ve been working with a dietician lately, and she’s helped me find new ways to lose weight and keep it off. Twenty pounds later, I’m here to tell you it wasn’t hard. In fact, it was something that I would have been capable of doing ages ago.

That’s how I know you’re able to find one more client in the next 30 days.

Hey, I think you can find even more clients, too. But I see you tensing up at the thought of it, so let’s stick with one client. For now.

What my dietician said to me on our last call was eye-opening. She asked me what one thing I did really well. Without missing a beat, I said “Deadlines. I would have to die to miss a deadline.”

That includes punctuality. I’m sickeningly punctual. She then asked what I would say to someone who asked how I could be so punctual all the time. I laughed — this is a question I’ve heard several times, so the answer was easy. “I see when I need to be there. I calculate how much time it takes me to get ready, and I factor in travel time. Plus, if I have enough notice, I make sure whatever I’m wearing is actually hanging in the closet.”

The same goes for deadlines. I see the deadline. I make note of how much work is in front of me. I weigh that against my current project pile. Then I plan how much time per day I’m spending on that new deadline.

She said that was the key to my success at dieting — to apply that same thinking to my dieting goals.

[bctt tweet=”You, #freelance writer, can take that one thing you excel at and use your personal method to get one more client.” username=”LoriWidmer”]

Yes. You can. You know why? Because you’ve already proven it works for you.

Look at me and my punctuality, for example. In every step, I plan. I commit to the date/deadline. I see the end result — getting there on time — and I put steps in place to get there.

Yea. It’s that damn simple to get a new client.

Here are some places to look for that new client:

1. By looking in a different industry
2. By going higher up the food chain in your current area of specialization
3. By looking for them on social media
4. By adding a new service
5. By bringing them to you
6. By changing a delivery method
7. By developing a product/service that provides passive income
8. By partnering with a complementary company

Here’s what each of these might look like:

A Different Industry

I work in the insurance industry. But I was fortunate to have started out with a focus on risk management, as well. Name one industry that does not have risk involved. (Hint: there aren’t any.) For you, healthcare writer, you could easily look for work in the B2B or consumer world, depending on which one isn’t your specialty at the moment. You could also work for industries that support healthcare — there are all sorts of suppliers to the healthcare industry, from anesthesia to needles to hospital gowns to IT security. You could work for organizations that share the same kind of risks — colleges and universities have to concern themselves with health and safety, as do manufacturing facilities, schools, public health organizations, and more. Look at who your clients are and have been for the last three years. Where else would those topics or project types fit?

Higher Up Your Current Food Chain

Yes, you did. You took a job with a company that pays you well under what you want to be making. Are they the only one in your particular area of concentration? No. Every industry is made up of thousands upon thousands of businesses trying to sell the same or similar things. Your job is to find one more in the industry who might need your skills and knowledge of their industry.

A note on competing businesses: In most cases, you won’t really run into a situation where competing companies want to hire you at the same time. There’s enough diversity within industries that you’ll most likely avoid that easily. If you sense a conflict of interest, speak up to one or both clients. Always, always err on the side of caution. It’s your reputation on the line.

On Social Media

What better place to get a sense of what these companies might need than to follow them closely on social media? They tweet their hot-button topics, they share articles on what pertains to their business, and they interact. Be there. Interact. Share when it’s appropriate, and get in the conversation.

A New Service

Once upon a time, I wrote resumes. After nearly five years of writing resumes, I came to hate it. But for those five years, I had easy work, easy money, and I was able to get certification in another skill set — one I could fall back on at any time should times get tough.

Maybe you want to take up proofreading. Or you want to focus more attention on writing LinkedIn profiles. Or case studies. Or press releases. Or …. You decide. It’s whatever interests you enough to do regularly. Make sure it’s something you like doing, and something that can add value to a new set of clients.

A New Delivery Method

By this I’m hinting at you, standing in front of a roomful of executives, teaching them how to put together succinct, effective emails. Or you, teaching a night class how to start their freelance writing business. Or you, on a lecture circuit. Or a webinar. Or ….

How about a guide of some sort that will bring your potential clients to you and help you capture their contact information? What information does your potential client need? What can be quick to read and helpful? How can you show them your expertise in a bite-sized way?

How can you turn what you do every day into something you deliver in person or in real time?

Passive Income Product/Service

Yes, I’m thinking a book or an e-book. What can you write today that would pay off over time? Once upon a time, I wrote a Marketing 365 book. While I broke no sales records with it, I managed to get some spending money by offering something of value to those who were looking for easy marketing methods.

Maybe you would like to take part in affiliate marketing. Or maybe you want to write a book or start a paid subscription site that requires minimal input once the setup/writing is completed. Or take paid surveys (I do that — have for decades). There are plenty of ways to find passive income streams. Just know that “passive” is a relative term. You still have to put some work into it at the outset.

Through Complementary Partnerships

Think marketing firms, but also think printers, publishers (they often need proofreaders), designers … anyone who deals with clients who might also need a writer is an ideal partner. Or you can partner with a writer in another industry — one that may complement your own. You, healthcare writer, would do well to find a writer in the alternative medicine or cannabis space. Or privacy. Or IT security. Or ….

Find those people in your network, or those professionals whose services you already use, and work with them to develop a package deal, such as you, Ms. Printer, will be my printer-of-choice when I get clients who need both writing and printing in exchange for the same. Or you, marketing firm, can call on me whenever you have folks out on vacation and I will refer clients to you who have larger needs than I have time to handle.

As for partnering with other freelancers, do this: create a list of trusted freelancers right now. Talk with them in advance about sharing any opportunities. For example, a writer I know has referred me to two of her clients because the clients needed extra hands on big projects. That’s how you work with another freelancer — not go in thinking you’ll just poach their clients.

So, you have 30 days. Ready? Go!

Oh, and if you’re wondering, yes. You can go for more than one client in the next 30 days. In fact, I say go for as many as you can handle. But go. Do something right now.

Writers, where are your opportunities? Name one of your skills that you can sell elsewhere.

How many people/companies can you think of right now who might be interested?