By Daryl George
Have you ever labored over writing the perfect guest post or pitch, only to be greeted by silence or rejection?
Or maybe you’ve hit a roadblock, with your freelance writing business spinning its wheels while the mud splatters in your face as you desperately try and fail to get things moving.
Guess what? There’s an easy way to solve these problems.
It’s something that’s even more important than great writing. Something more important than a strong idea, killer headlines, or a perfectly SEO’d website.
What is this secret?
It’s who you know
The power of relationships to boost personal and business success is often understated. In fact, career experts say up to 80 percent of jobs are found through personal relationships.
The benefits of relationships, however, extend far beyond a paycheck. For example, relationships with Jon Morrow and Derek Halpern have helped Carol learn more about blogging and connecting with readers.
However, for many new freelance writers, there’s still a problem: How do you go about establishing relationships with people you’ve never met before?
Thankfully, there ways to develop new relationships that will help your freelance business grow without having to make expensive investments.
Here are four easy ways for freelance writers to establish new relationships:
1. Leave comments
Commenting on other blogs is one great way to establish relationships with new people. The truth is, even the most popular of bloggers love it when people comment on their blogs and enjoy engaging with those who take the time to post thoughtful comments.
Don’t just comment for commenting’s sake, but make sure every comment is valuable and adds something to the discussion.
2. Offer help
Maybe you’re knowledgeable in WordPress, and you see a fellow blogger with a design flaw that can be easily fixed. Or you could be an SEO expert and you see someone whose content would benefit with a few minor changes.
By offering just a bit of help or advice, you can quickly form an immediate and long-lasting bond with the person you’re advising.
Of course, nobody’s telling you to offer a full package of services for free – but a few words of advice can go a long way in initiating a new relationship.
3. Be authentic
It’s easy to see when someone is trying to develop a relationship with an ulterior motive, such as just to secure a writing gig. Instead of trying to establish relationships purely to make a dollar, understand that connecting with others who share a similar experience to you is in itself a reward.
When you become authentic in your interactions, you will notice that opportunities begin to present themselves as you develop a deeper connection with your new friends.
4. Build your own community
Don’t always let someone else form a group – instead, build the community you want to be a part of. This could take the shape of a LinkedIn group, a mastermind group, or anywhere else people can engage with each other easily and quickly.
Developing new relationships can provide powerful benefits for any freelance writer. By building relationships with new people, you are developing a critical resource which can launch your freelance writing businesses to higher heights of success.
How do you network? Leave a comment and tell us your approach.
Daryl George is a writer and freelance blogger for hire who specializes in using the written word and psychology to help small- and medium-sized businesses connect with customers and increase profits. He tells his own freelance story at freelancewriterstartup.com.
