Once upon a time (2003), I was thrust into the world of freelance writing when I lost my job. Through connections I’d made on the job, I was able to start working independently the very next day. This freelance stuff was going to be easy. Yes, I was that naive, my freelance friends. What followed…
Tag: Marketing
3 Ways to Keep Your Freelance Funnel Full (and a mini rant)
Had an interesting conversation with a fellow freelancer today — a freelancer to emulate. She’s built a highly successful, very lucrative business and has kept it going through decades of ups and downs. You name it, she’s dealt with it — health issues, recession, clients disappearing, life in upheaval, pandemics …. Inevitably, this freelancer has…
Getting Unstuck in Your Freelance Biz
A common question I get — and have gotten over the years — from struggling freelancers is: How do I improve my freelancing results? Mind you, that’s a big question. I don’t know you or your efforts well enough, nor do I know who your client is or what specialty or focus you prefer. It’s…
5 Freelance Writing Truths to Boost Earnings
I should stay off the internet. Really. My problem is that I read too many forums and social media sites where plenty of writers are either lamenting the death of freelancing (which is alive and well) or bragging about their ability to write about anything (which is going to burn them at some point). Lost…
Marketing 101: 4 Client Prospects to Give Up On
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Those moments when we meet that sure thing, that client prospect who is so enthusiastic and is itching to work with you. Followed soon after by those moments (days, weeks, months) that are devoid of any communication from that enthusiastic prospect. You, my friend, have been ghosted. It’s not…
Guest Post: Crafting a Freelance Writing Portfolio That Gets You Hired
Sometimes a great idea lands in your email. This guest post is a prime example, in fact. When Jenn Mattern told me to expect a message from Monica Shaw, little did I know that the message would result in this great little post you’re about to read. The back story: Monica runs WritersResidence.com, a site…
How to Fail at Freelance Writing
If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ve seen a lot. I’d bet you’ve seen something like what Randy Hecht shares with us today. Randy is the moderator of the popular LinkedIn forum LinkEds & Writers, which has a large population of working freelance editors and writers — the site’s target audience. As you might…
How to Lose $$ with Bad Freelance Marketing (and how to fix it)
Freelancers, are you killing your chances of gaining a client or a network connection? Do you know if you are? Hint: you are if you do anything like this: Writer Jane submitted a thread to a writers’ forum. The moderator, another writer, turned it down because it was promotional, which is against the forum rules….
The Direct-Action Freelancer
I saw another tweet that echoed pretty much what I once believed — that persistence was the best tool for freelance writers to find new clients. I say I once believed that. Still do to some extent, but these days I know freelancers need more than just persistence to find and keep good clients. Notice…
Freelance Marketing Roundup: 9 Posts to Change Your Biz
Side hustle. Gig worker. Ugh. What I hate about these terms – and what you should hate, too – is how they diminish what you do. These terms suggest you’re dabbling. You’re not serious. You’re hustling. You’re just part of the latest fad, that “gig” economy. Screw that. You, my freelance friend, are a business…