8 WAYS TO GET QUALITY FREELANCE WRITING GIGS WITHOUT BIDDING

Transcription

1 8 WAYS TO GET QUALITY FREELANCE WRITING GIGS WITHOUT BIDDING Bamidele Onibalusi

2 8 WAYS TO GET QUALITY FREELANCE WRITING GIGS WITHOUT BIDDING

3 Perhaps the biggest struggle of every freelance writer is to attract and keep clients. In a quest to pay the bills most writers succumb to extremely bad advice which is, look for the best freelance bidding sites. Your success as a writer will have a lot to do with your environment, and if you are in an environment where the majority of people are fighting to get $3 an hour writing gigs, there is little you can do to command what you are really worth. To see just how bad things can be on freelance bidding sites, take a look at the chart below. I ve analyzed the hourly rates of 64 writing jobs on Freelancer.com in a period of one week. My findings have revealed that this is similar across pretty much every freelance bidding site. Average hourly rate for writing gigs on freelance bidding sites: The above chart analyzes 64 writing gigs and their hourly rates. The chart is based on jobs posted on Freelancer.com from the 7th of July to the 15th of July,

4 In rare exceptions you may get the occasional $30 - $50 an hour gig, but is this what you re really worth? And even if these gigs do come up, you ll be competing with a sea of better, more eager writers. It is simply not worth it. The key to getting the right gigs is being in the right places. Writers are getting paid significantly more when they focus on getting their gigs from the right places. This short guide shares 8 ways to get quality freelance writing gigs without bidding, and shows you the places in which you should concentrate your searches. 04

5 1. LOOK FOR LIST OF SITES THAT PAY FOR QUALITY ARTICLES There are several list-featuring websites that will pay you to write articles. Most of the links featured on these lists pay around $40 - $1,000+ per article, and this is much better than what you ll be paid by bidding for jobs on freelancing sites. For a start, I ve published two of these lists on my blog: 30 Websites that Will Pay You to Write 45 More Websites that Will Pay You to Write Carol Tice also has a similar list on her website: More Than 100 Websites that Pay Writers There are similar lists on the Internet and most of them are a Google search away. Admittedly, it might be difficult to find them, but this work is a necessary part of the effort required to get writing gigs that are really worth it. It is also important to realize that the competition for gigs featured on list of websites that pay can be stiff sometimes. From my own experience in publishing these lists, they are being read by thousands of people and several of them apply for these jobs. It is therefore important to make sure you have a solid idea for the article you plan to submit to a particular blog. Here are some tips to help you improve your chances of getting published on blogs/sites found on these lists: Make sure you carefully analyze each blog you want to pitch. Review at least 10 of their most recent posts, review at least 5 of their most popular posts, and randomly check some of the old posts to see if you can notice a common or recurring theme. Sometimes you will find that they prefer tutorial-type posts, controversial posts, or opinion pieces, and having this 05

6 knowledge will place you above the other bloggers pitching to them. Check to see if they have a guest post guideline. Sometimes this is the only thing you need to get published on most websites. The majority of the websites you ll find on these lists will have guidelines on the kind of content they want and how they want to be approached. Most writers don t read these guidelines, and they fail. It ll only take 5 10 minutes to read the guidelines on most blogs, so make sure you don t ignore this. Consider how the website in question wants you to submit your articles. If they want you to send them a draft of your article, don t pitch them your idea. If they prefer for you to send them your ideas first, don t send them a draft. Perfect your pitch. If a blog requires you to send them a pitch, make sure your pitch accurately depicts the post you want to submit. It needs to include a headline, what the post will be about, a short introduction, and the points you want to analyze in the post. Work on your headline. Most websites will give you a bonus point because you have a great headline. If your headline can hook the editor, it ll most probably hook the reader - so carefully craft your headline. List specialized experience. If you think you have relevant experience that makes you more qualified to write about a subject, mention this when you send your enquiry. If you ve also contributed to similar big websites, make it known in your pitch. 06

7 Assignment: 1. Visit the lists of websites I featured above, or look for additional ones with Google. Determine 5 10 blogs from these lists that you want to contribute an article to. 2. Spend some time analyzing content on these blogs - reading their guidelines, and researching what they want in their articles. 3. Come up with an outline for a great post for each blog you select. Make sure it is unique compared to the usual posts published, but that it doesn t ignore the style of the blog. And don t forget to make your headline is strong. 4. Pitch your ideas to the blogs you select using the tips I suggested above. 07

8 2. CONTACT OTHER POPULAR BLOGGERS Currently, on Writers in Charge I have 4 active team members who are writers. Another writer will be joining the team soon, whose main job will be to interview experts and do case studies on them for the blog. Almost all of these writers contacted me to see if they could work for my blog; either by editing, writing or doing some other task. In fact, when they contacted me I had no idea I needed what they were offering. If they hadn t gotten in touch, I probably wouldn t have thought I needed their services. My point is simple: look for popular blogs in your niche, your favorite blogs, or the biggest blogs you know of. Contact these blog owners to see if they are in need of writers, and let them know how you can be of help. For example here s the Karol (who s currently in charge of marketing on WIC and contributes to the blog regularly) sent before I thought about building the team - which he is now a part of: 08

9 Here s the Anne sent, after she suggested edits for several of my posts and parts of my blog. I had told her I d need an editor in the future: Here s the Agota, who will be joining the team soon, sent: Some important things they all did were: They showcased their expertise They offered to do something that could help my readers; things I can t do or things that could be done more effectively by them I ve been in touch with them several times in the past and they ve been 09

10 of help in some way. In other words, they weren t just readers of my blog who wanted me to hire them. Before this point, they had all actively interacted with me, commenting on my blog, sharing my posts, etc. They were members of my community whom I had noticed, and who are familiar with my style. Karol had written on my blog twice before, and I keep seeing his guest posts on popular blogs, so he had a solid portfolio. Anne was an active commenter on my blog, and she occasionally gave feedback on my articles she also sometimes linked to my blog from hers. Agota occasionally sends me s and comments as a reader of my blog, she has also previously contributed a guest post. In addition, she has a portfolio of articles published on top blogs. In other words, my decision to hire them wasn t random. I knew them because they had been in touch before, and I knew what they were capable of since I was familiar with their work. Some of them have even been published on popular blogs before; this is why guest blogging is important and why I advocate it. Assignments: 1. Make a list of your favorite blogs and the biggest blogs in your niche. 2. Start building a relationship with these blogs by commenting regularly and contributing occasional guest posts. This shows you not only have understanding of the niche, but you have interest in it. 3. the blog owners to see if they are in need of a regular contributor, or a team member who can handle certain tasks on the blog. 4. Also include that you can do occasional non-committal work. Some bloggers don t need a team member but would appreciate having a reader contribute once in a while, even if they have to pay for it. 10

11 3. CONTACT POPULAR/SUCCESSFUL FREELANCE WRITERS - AFTER BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM Another way to get quality paying writing gigs is by contacting already successful/popular freelance writers to see if they have gigs for you. However, this is only to be done after you ve built a relationship with them - and this is the most important part. I regularly get requests from readers and freelance writers who want me to outsource client work to them and the reality is that I ignore pretty much all of these requests. In 99.9% of the cases, that would be the first time I was hearing from these readers. It is nothing personal, and it has nothing to do with the quality of their work. My reasoning is simple, and I imagine other freelance writers can relate. As a writer your reputation is very important so no matter how qualified someone is, unless you already know and trust them it ll be difficult to outsource your client work to them. It would be different if I was dealing with my own project, but when I m working with clients and have an agreement with them, the reality is different. I wouldn t be able to outsource client work to anyone because there are a variety of factors involved - some of which are: Deadlines Reliability of a writer Work quality Unless I have a relationship with someone, or unless that person has worked with me in the past, there is no way I could know how they meet the above qualities. It wouldn t be difficult to outsource client work to a team member or a writer I have interacted with before, but unless I posted a public request for this, it is almost impossible for me to outsource client work to a writer who contacts me out of the blue. 11

12 So, it is all about relationships. Make sure you have a good relationship in place before contacting any writer to subcontract some of her work to you. It is important to realize that writers, especially popular writers, get a lot of these requests, so why should they hire you over others if they don t know you personally? Assignment: 1. Look for your favorite writers and start building a relationship with them. Look for ways to help out occasionally. Constantly offer feedback on their work, and be a part of their community. 2. Once you have a solid relationship with a particular writer, let her know that you re willing to help out if she is too busy to handle some of her client work or if she is thinking of subcontracting some of her work. 3. Look for a way to establish credibility with this writer. Let her know you understand she probably gets a lot of these requests. Convince her of your talent by listing your unique selling points and why you re reliable and won t disappoint her. 12

13 4. START A BLOG Of all the methods listed here, starting a blog is perhaps the most effective. I ve made six figures in writing income in the 3 years since I ve been a freelance writer, and I can credit at least 99% of my freelance writing success to my blogging efforts. There are many advantages to starting a blog if you want to get writing clients. Your blog easily positions you as an expert in your field, and it ensures there is no competition for potential clients attention when they contact you. They are reaching out to you directly and would like to hear from you alone, so you can discuss your payment without pressure from other competitors bids. Your blog is the optimal environment for getting and closing deals as a freelance writer. Here are some tips for building a blog that helps you generate freelance writing clients: Make sure your blog addresses a topic you re familiar with. I m not talking about a writing blog here. Your blog could target what you studied in school, what you re passionate about, your favorite hobby, etc. The point is for your blog to address the needs and concerns of your potential clients. What problems do they have that they need solutions to? Start a blog that regularly addresses these problems. You ll only get people to consider hiring you if you can get them to your blog. Most likely, your ideal clients aren t other writers. Specialize on just one topic. Don t write about health, religion, personal development, and food on the same site. If you want to write about health, write about health alone. If your topic of choice is religion, then focus on religion. Develop a USP. In order to take your blog to the next level, you should work on developing a Unique Selling Proposition. This is what differentiates your 13

14 blog from other blogs in your niche. If you have a health blog, it could focus on health for the less privileged, or about health for moms. You want people to think about your blog when they think about a certain, specific niche. Often, the more specific the better. Be professional. You will need to think beyond having a free blog on Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. Instead, you need your own professional self-hosted Wordpress blog, with a domain name and hosting you are paying for. In other words, you should have a.com version of your domain name. Also, make sure you have a professional design you can use for your blog. The more professional you appear the more clients will be attracted to you. Make it clear that you are a freelance writer. Starting a blog doesn t automatically announce to potential clients that you are a freelance writer. You need to make this clear on your blog by regularly advertising your services. Create a hire me page, feature your hire me page prominently on your site, and regularly reference it in your posts when relevant. Guest post for relevant blogs. The big challenge is getting people to read your blog. No one can hire you if no one is reading your blog. Look for relevant blogs in your niche that accept guest posts - blogs that your clients read - and contribute articles to them regularly. When you contribute, link back to your blog and let them know that you are a freelance writer available for hire. Want to start blogging but don t know where to start? Here are some resources: How to Start a Blog: The Basic Step-by-Step Guide My Blogging Challenge Series Get More Clients! 7 Quick Steps to Create a Hire Me Page that Converts 14

15 5. LOOK FOR THE WEBSITES OF STARTUPS/COMPANIES THAT NEED WRITERS AND SEND THEM A PITCH Your chances of getting the gig might be one in fifty or one in hundred (often easier) but it will be worth it when you get the gig. The best writing gigs are often unadvertised. However, sometimes you will be the one to convince a potential client that they need your services. Look for relevant websites that you can help with your content. Offer feedback to them and help them realize how you can assist them as a freelance writer. I know people who have gotten gigs for hundreds of dollars per article by pitching companies nobody would have thought to pitch. Ultimately, these companies want more sales, they want more traffic, and they want to be seen as an authority. Quality content makes this possible for them, and if you can pitch them to let them know this and convince them that you re the best person to write the content they need, you ll be wellpositioned to get the gig. Assignment: 1. Determine the kind of companies you would like to work for. You can determine this by size, niche, company type, information you have about their company, etc. 2. Compile a list of these companies; the bigger the list, the better. 3. Dedicate an hour or two every day to sending personalized pitches to the companies on your list. Focus your pitch on how they can get results, and also make sure you let them know that you are the best person to do this for them. 4. Look for common trends among the companies you re getting results from. This will help you determine what type of companies you should reach out to in the future. 15

16 6. USE LINKEDIN TO MARKET YOUR WRITING SERVICES LinkedIn is number one when it comes to social networks for professionals. With more than 238 million users, you ll find many of your potential clients on this site. Most companies have a profile on LinkedIn. Key people in various companies that could hire you also have a LinkedIn profile. Here are some tips for using LinkedIn to get clients: Create an awesome profile. Most people you reach out to on LinkedIn will review your profile to find out more about you. Make sure your profile is complete, and that it also showcases your expertise. Indicate that you re a freelance writer on your profile. If you specialize in a certain type of freelance writing, make it clear. Join relevant groups which have your potential clients as members. You can play a part while also showcasing your expertise within these groups. Actively participate in these groups; answer questions, offer support, and don t hide the fact that you re a freelance writer. Look for key people in companies you want to work with. Send them a message on LinkedIn to let them know how you can help and why you are qualified to help. Assignment: 1. Create a professional LinkedIn profile. Add a good profile picture, include your expertise, indicate your past experience, and make it clear that you are a freelance writer available for hire. 2. Start participating actively on groups where your potential clients hang out for minutes a day. Also, make sure it is clear to members of this group that you are a freelance writer. 16

17 3. Come up with a list of key people in companies you would like to work for. Send a LinkedIn message to a few of them to signal your interest in working as a freelance writer for their company. 17

18 7. KNOW WHERE YOUR CLIENTS ARE, AND WHAT THEY RE DOING WRONG. REACH OUT TO THEM TO HELP THEM IMPROVE Note from Bamidele: Francesca Nicasio of BeaFreelanceWriter.com has had massive success with this approach, so I asked her to contribute this part. If you re following the link be sure to get her free ebook: 25 Types of Writing Gigs That Pay Well (and How to Find Them) One of the most powerful things you can do to get a client s attention is to give them personalized and specific advice on how they can improve. Anyone can reach out to a company and send generic compliments like Great site! or I love your business! But actually approaching a business and offering thoughtful and actionable advice is significantly more powerful. Doing so not only sets you apart from other freelance writers, but it also demonstrates your expertise, provides value to the client, and boosts your chances of getting hired. I m going to talk about how you can effectively use the Tailored Advice strategy to make a great impression and seal the deal with potential clients. Below is a step-by-step guide that tells you how I used this technique to land numerous clients that put tens of thousands of dollars in my pocket. Step 1 - Pick a directory Find the online yellow pages for your target audience. Are there specific sites that list the web address or contact info of companies in your industry? Scour them for potential clients. For example, since my target clients are tech startups, I routinely visit AngelList. co, an online community for startups, developers, and investors. Find a similar website or community in your field. For instance, if you re a blogger who writes about say, yoga or spirituality, see if there are any online directories or social 18

19 networks that cater to businesses in industries such as fitness or personal development. You can also use LinkedIn as an online directory for clients. Just do an advanced search for businesses in your niche, and the site will list relevant companies that you can check out. Step 2 - Create a list of potential clients Have you found your directory? Great. Browse through it, and create a list of at least 20 businesses that you d want to work with. Step 3 - Visit the website of each company on your list and look for ways on how they can improve Visit their homepage, about page, blog, etc. and keep your eyes peeled for typos or areas that need improvement. Some of the common things I find include: Typos Weak headlines Outdated blog or outdated content Long, rambling content that s hard to read Badly written web copy Badly formatted articles (i.e. no headers, lengthy paragraphs, etc.) Bonus steps: Look for them on social sites, read their latest news releases or announcements to see what s new with the company. Use the stuff you learned to further personalize your message in Step 4. Step 4 - Incorporate the things you learned in Step 3 into your pitch Once you have a list of recommendations, it s time to craft your . For best results, personalize each message you send and include the following: A genuine compliment or remark to illustrate that you actually checked out their business and you re not just sending a generic 19

20 Tips and advice based on Step 3 Relevant samples I could go on and on about this personalized approach, but I think it s best to just show you a sample that helped me land a client. Step 5 - Follow-Up Be sure to send a follow-up to remind potential clients about your offer. I usually do it after a week. Make no mistake: Following-up is important. I ve actually stopped counting the number of clients I successfully converted simply because I took the time to send a friendly reminder about my services. Reality check Landing a new writing gig using this method is definitely pretty sweet. However, I m not going to sugarcoat the process and say that all it takes to find clients is to send a few 20

21 personalized s. The fact is it takes a considerable amount of legwork to get results. It takes me about minutes to craft and personalize each pitch, and I usually reach out to companies at the time. You do the math. Assignment Take action. Find your client directory and start approaching prospects! Wondering what types of writing you can do? Download the free ebook, 25 Types of Writing Gigs That Pay Well (and How to Find Them) so you can learn about the writing services that you can offer. 21

22 8. PARTNER WITH MARKETING/SEO AGENCIES TO LET YOU HANDLE THEIR WRITING You can also get clients by partnering with marketing/seo agencies. Most of these agencies handle every aspect of marketing for their clients, and this often involves maintaining their blogs or having someone do guest posts for them. In most cases, some agencies have to turn down work that involves writing since they don t specialize in it. Others occasionally use freelance writers to do the work. You could potentially get a lot of work by partnering with these agencies and giving them a deal. Most agencies will appreciate a reliable freelance writer that can work consistently on their clients projects. Assignment: 1. Compile a list of marketing agencies you would like to work with. You can find hundreds of marketing agencies on these lists: Top advertising and marketing companies by Inc. Top 100 SEO companies by TOPSEOs.com Top 100 Digital Agencies by Econsultancy 2. Dedicate an hour or two a day to pitching the agencies about your services. Make sure your s are personalized, and that you emphasize what is in it for them. 22