The world occupied by freelance content writers is not one that can be imagined or laughed about. The fears, the insecurities and the uncertainties are all real and scary. Here is the key to surviving the ravages of maneuvering through the underground tunnels of freelance copywriting.
Chase opportunities
Very often work is scarce and never consistent. Being short of work can put a strain on any individual’s mind. Instead of focusing on the woefully short to-do list, look at means to creating more work.
Online opportunities cannot be summed up. Innumerable avenues and job sites offer work for freelance content writers. Look at local search engines or classified sites, advertisements for job opportunities are endless. The indications of an abundant job world is all around you. Instead of fretting, take the time to sift through the advertisement sand and you are bound to come across magnificent shells that interest you.
Dwell not on the past
Let go of the contracts that did not see a renewal. Do not focus on what you do not have, it will drain energy and create negativity that you can do without. Pour your energies instead into retaining current clients and giving them work they will be proud of.
Accept faults
Accepting your faults and those that are not yours will put you in the good books of clients. Miscommunication and deadline mix-ups are a routine hazard in the business. Saying sorry and offering to mend the mistake is a sure fire way to create positivity in a potentially disastrous situation.
It’s all about the right price
There is very often no constant regarding the right price for a project. Content writing jobs of the same genre can be priced within a wide spectrum. Instead of expecting a constant price for a job, shift the price with the client.
Try not to set your expectations at an impossible price. A high price can cost you the client base. Settle down to negotiate. Express your concerns and allow flexibility.
Referrals over networking
Advertise yourself as a freelance writer by all means, but at the same time accept the fact that although social media and the online word is powerful, nothing works like word of mouth publicity. If you deliver quality, your clients will be your future business cards.
Listen
Silence is golden and the saying is not a load of tosh. Although it pays to ask questions and delve into your clients mind to find out more about exactly what they want, it also pays to just listen. Sometimes you will learn more by just listening instead of asking questions.
Detachment
When a freelance content writer turns out the first few copies, she is definitely going to be attached at some level with the work. This attachment can be detrimental. Listening to your client hash out your work and tell you everything that is not right, is not going to be easy. It is going to be harder to see what is wrong or not on par with expectations and make effective changes. Cultivating a cool detachment will benefit you when you have to make extensive changes, when you have to wait patiently for work and it help you stay level headed when you receive praise.
The art
Writing is an art. All content writers talk about their love for the written word and the turn of a phrase at some point in their lives. This love and desire to create art will often cause deviations in the copywriting industry. A need to impress the client and submit immaculately written articles overtakes the job at hand.
Focus on the client’s needs and demands. Freelance web content writing is just a means for the client to get a piece written. Forego preening and just write to the point.
Ah the deadlines…
The bane of every freelance writer’s existence are the dreaded deadlines. Chasing deadlines is never an easy task, nor one that gets accomplished on time per se. The oldest trick in the book always works for deadlines.
When settling deadlines with clients, the best route to success is to under-promise. If you set the deadline far enough, you will be able to over-deliver by submitting the work well ahead of the schedule that you fixed.
Navigating this secret world that the uninitiated have no clue about is not an easy task. While there is never a complete, comprehensive map to any locale, this “key” of sorts will sure help you on the journey to freelance copywriting bliss. Happy writing times to you!
