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Freelance Writing Gold: Discover This Client to Easily Earn More
Do you know where to find golden freelance writing clients?
You know, the kind of clients that make it possible to work less and earn more.If you’re thinking that sounds impossible, you’re not alone.
A lot of writers settle for freelance writing jobs that don’t pay well, drive down hourly rates, and leave you feeling broke after finishing a one-off job.
Been there? Done that? It doesn’t have to be that way.
When I started freelancing, I stumbled upon a little trick that helped me find my first golden client. This little trick transformed my freelance writing business, and helped me scale from earning nothing to $100,000 within a year.
The same little trick helped me land freelance writing gigs with companies like Google, Sony, GM, St. Jude’s, Goodwill, Verizon and dozens of smaller, but golden clients that pay well.
Want to know how to boost your freelance writing income, work less, and always have plenty of freelance writing work? Here’s the key to finding golden clients:
Monster List of Markets: 135 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
Are you looking for freelance writing jobs?
Here’s a hint. Content mills, bid sites, and job boards might seem like an easy place to go to find freelance writing jobs, but they’re usually a waste of time.
Too much competition, flaky clients, low rates. That’s usually what you’ll find there. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
You’re better off looking for freelance writing jobs by pitching magazines and websites that pay writers. It’s called pro-active marketing. And it’s a game changer if you’re serious about full-time freelancing.
Instead of sitting around waiting for the Mysterious Force to drop some assignments in your lap, pitch a story idea to a magazine or website. Study the market. Come up with a story idea. Do a little research and mini-interview. Then write a great pitch letter and send it off. Rinse and repeat.
Need a little help figuring out where to pitch your bright ideas? We’ve done some of the hard work for you. Check out this updated monster list of 135 markets (from posts we published in 2018) in a variety of different niches, and start pitching.
Need Work? Curious Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
If you’re looking for freelance writing jobs, you might be looking in all the wrong places.
Bid sites and content mills? Craigslist? You’re bound to find the usual bottom feeders there.
Maybe you’re in the habit of sifting through Writers Market to find high-paying magazines to pitch. Or using LinkedIn to make connections and pitch prospects.
Both are excellent marketing strategies to find freelance writing jobs. But they’re not the only places you can find work.
Curious? Just think for a minute about all the places content shows up in your life.
In today’s content-saturated world print is still alive and well, and more digital content is flooding the Interwebs every day. And that’s a good thing for freelance writers.
You might grumble about information overload. But turn that around and take a curious look at where all that content is coming from. You might be surprised by what you find.
When I started doing this, I found prospects in some unexpected places. And so can you. Check out these curious places to find freelance writing jobs:
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Writing for Money? Here’s What You’ll Earn in 2019 [Audio]
I bet you didn’t know that I can see the future. It’s true! If you’re writing for money, now that it’s April, I can tell what your writing income will be this year.
Sound crazy? It’s really simple.
Once you know the secret, you’ll have a good idea what you’re likely to earn from writing this year, too.
I wanted to talk you through this, so I’ve put together a short audio recording that demonstrates my fortune-telling abilities.
Give it a listen…and then you’ll know what your checkbook will say at year-end. You’ll also find out what to do if you’d like to see a bigger number than my forecast reveals.
Write a Book (Even If You’re Too Busy): 3 Super-Effective Steps
Want to write a book? I know I did.
When I made up my mind to one day leave my regular 9-to-5 job and become a full time writer, I knew I had to change my life. I wanted to write a book.
But where would I find the time? It’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself.
To really become a legitimate writer, I needed to start making it a part of my everyday activities. As a father, husband, and full-time military officer at the time, this was hard. Life just finds a way to consistently keep us busy, and side dreams, like writing, consistently take a back seat.
I failed for years by just trying to fit writing in when I could. It wasn’t until I used these three incredibly effective time hacks that I started to see real improvements in my writing that lead to something greater.
Since implementing this, I’ve created a website that gets over 210,000+ visitors per month, 7 consistent bestselling books, and ultimately, was able to quit my job and become a full-time writer.
Want to write a book, even though you’re already busy? Here’s how to make it happen:
Content Writing Productivity: 11 Bright Hacks to Get Organized
Ever struggle to keep up with your content writing deadlines?
Maybe freelancing is your full-time gig, or maybe it’s your side hustle. Maybe you have a day job, kids, or both.
If you’re feeling like your hectic schedule is casting a shadow over your freelance writing career that’s making it hard to move up and earn more, shine a light on how you’re using your time.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom, parent who home-schools kids, freelancer with a day job and dream to go full-time, or you’re already living the freelance life, your greatest asset is time.
How you use your time can make the difference between landing a couple of freelance writing gigs and being fully booked. Which would you prefer?
In this post you’ll get tips, strategies, resources, and motivation from freelancers who are hustling every day, every hour, every minute to improve time management and get more work done.
Check out these 11 hacks for freelance writers to get organized and boost productivity:
Blog Marketing Crisis: 3 Ways to Survive the End of Email
Since the beginning of the Internet, there’s been one basic law of blog marketing: The money is in the list.
Email addresses are all that really matter in your blog-based business, not Facebook ‘likes’ or social shares. You don’t know who those people are. Build a big email list you can sell to, and you’ll be rich.
Also, help your freelance clients build a list for their blog, and they’ll be rich — and keep hiring you back.
Email worked great for bloggers, for so, so long. It’s always been the primary way we build an audience, offer products and services for sale, hold contests and giveaways, conduct surveys, and more.
It’s how we stay in touch, connect, grow relationships with readers, and build authority.
That is, email worked for a long time…until it didn’t.
Bloggers confront two big problems today: The rising difficulty of getting emails delivered, and the coming of a generation of young adults who don’t use email. Ever.
What can you do in your blog marketing, to keep your blog and your clients’ blogs thriving? Here are three basic strategies, and some in-depth explanation on how we’re implementing these here on Make a Living Writing:
10 Tips for Sharp Writing That’ll Please the Grammar Police
You can’t tell who they are until something happens. Something evil. Something so terrible it’s almost an unspeakable crime. But they’re everywhere. And if you’re not a careful proofreader of your own writing, you may one day find yourself face to face with the grammar police.
And that’s no laughing matter.
The uncommissioned members of the grammar police are outraged by misplaced commas. They hyperventilate over misspellings. And they’ll shake their fist at the sky over a dangling participle…sometimes muttering words we can’t repeat.
For freelance writers, there’s an often overlooked factor that kills some client relationships and undermines your credibility: grammar and punctuation mistakes.
Even seasoned writers are at risk of letting those mistakes pass through the final draft. And I guarantee you, that if you do, the grammar police will find you. They’ll slash your work with a red pen and virtually edit your writing into oblivion. Don’t let that happen.
Here are the 10 most common mistakes to watch for. Correct your mistakes before the grammar police hunt you down. Here’s how:
Write for Magazines: Steal This Writer’s Strategy to Land Top Pubs
Want to write for magazines?
It’s the dream for a lot of freelance writers.
Maybe you’ve got your sights set on getting published in a glossy consumer magazine with millions of readers.
You read every issue. You study the headlines, writing style, and topics. And you think about story ideas for your dream magazine…a lot.
That’s a start. But how do you turn your story ideas into an assignment with a contract, your byline in a popular magazine, and a check in the mail?
One freelance writer took the challenge to get published in AARP: The Magazine…a highly-competitive niche magazine that pays $1/word.
At first she didn’t see a clear path to break in. But with a little effort, she discovered a strategy to write for magazines that really works, whether you’re just starting out or a pro.
Want to steal her idea to break into your dream pub? Here’s what you need to know:
Freelance Writing Jobs: The Secret Sauce to Working for Solopreneurs
Are solopreneurs good clients for freelance writing jobs?
If you’re shaking your head (no), I get it. There’s no shortage of one-person business owners out there who are barely scraping by.
Is the person selling widgets to their family and friends a good source for freelance writing jobs, referrals, or a potential client that will pay professional rates. Probably not.
Then there’s the solopreneur who says they’re starting their business on a shoestring…in their parent’s basement…with no money. Not a good prospect for freelance writing jobs either.
But that doesn’t mean you should cross solopreneurs off your potential client list.
Solopreneurs can be great clients. I earned about $15,000 last year writing for solopreneurs, which represents about one-fifth of my total income.
In fact, the right soloprenuer client can be a dream to work with, compared to a larger company with a staff of employees, bigger budget for freelance work, and bureaucracy that slows everything down.
So what’s the secret sauce to finding solopreneur clients that will pay you pro rates for freelance writing jobs? Here’s what you need to know:
Writing Process Reset: 5 No-Compromise Rules for Freelance Success
What’s your writing process look like? Are you productive and efficient, or do you spend a lot of time spinning your wheels?
Stop right there.
If you’re dreaming about the days of crushing it as a full-time freelance writer, you’re probably wondering how to dial in your writing process, find clients, get work done, move up, and earn more.
When I was new to freelancing, I needed to hit the reset button on my writing process and mindset, but I didn’t fully understand that until years later.
If you want to be a successful freelance writer, make an appointment with Mrs. Discipline.
Why? Freelance writing isn’t for the faint-of-heart, easily-defeated type. It’s hard. It requires a long-game mindset, commitment, and the ability to deflect distractions to get work done.
Making some commitments to yourself and your freelance goals can be a total game-changer. I only figured that out after a lot of stops and starts and second-guessing myself. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Want to be a successful freelance writer? Adopt these five no-compromise rules:
Writer Websites: 8 Great Mobile Examples to Attract Freelance Clients
Creating a great online home to showcase your writing was always a challenge for freelancers. Then came smartphones, iPads, and the need for mobile-responsive writer websites.
If you don’t have a mobile-responsive theme or layout to your writer site, when people look at your site on their phone, it usually looks like…crap. To be blunt.
It’s hard to find the navigation tabs. The copy you slaved over gets cut off mid-sentence. Your contacts may disappear from the top. It can be a real hot mess.
Not exactly the impression you wanted to make. Ugh! After you’ve invested all the time and energy in creating a writer site.
So, what’s a writer to do? Find a better answer.
Looking for writing courses & community support?
Our online community, Freelance Writers Den, was founded in 2011. Since then, we’ve helped 14,000+ writers connect with peers, improve their skills, and grow their freelance writing income.
Our lively community is stuffed with useful tools and career-building resources. Use our 24/7 forums to get your questions answered by pros. Tap our 300+ hours of self-study trainings to learn new skills.
The Den has live events and multi-week bootcamps where you can tap experts’ knowledge, an exclusive job board, accountability buddies, live chats, and more. Also, if you want feedback on your writer website, LinkedIn profile, or article draft, we’ve got you.
Visit the Freelance Writers Den site to see if we’re open for new members right now. Sign up on the waiting list if we’re not, and you’ll be first to join when we reopen (plus, you’ll get useful free resources in the meanwhile).
