1. Writing Profits
Freelance writing is a great option if you are looking for a way to make some extra income or perhaps even a full time living. It is also great if you enjoy the idea of working from home. This type of work is also frequently referred to as ghostwriting. One of the best things about freelance writing is that you don’t need a big budget to get started, just the desire to write and make money.
With today’s current job, more and more people are making the move to freelance work. It is fast becoming a career choice for those who want to enjoy the freedom and benefits it has to offer.
As a freelance writer, you can enjoy:
– A varied range of opportunities
– Fast turnaround on projects
– More freedom of choice
– Schedule flexibility
– A nice income
There are a few other benefits as well. For instance, you can start any time, work from anywhere, set your own hours and as I mentioned before, there really aren’t any startup costs. All you need is a computer and if you don’t have one you can always use the one at your local library until you start generating income.
Freelance writers are in big demand. With a never-ending supply of websites and blogs online, that need fresh, relevant and unique content, finding people willing to pay you (extremely well) to create that content isn’t very difficult.
There is also a big demand from people who publish off-line, and once you have proven yourself responsible, reliable and good at what you do you’ll have no trouble finding clients.
There are many different types of content that people are willing to pay for including; articles, blog posts, sales copy, ad copy, ebooks, short reports and the list goes on. With the growing popularity of social media marketing, there is even a demand for specialized content that people can use to build their following online. Imagine getting paid $60 or more to write a series of twenty short tweets. It would only take you and hour or two, which makes for a nice profit margin.
Starting a freelance writing business consists of finding people to hire you to write for them. Typically, when you write a piece of content you can publish it with your own name on it.
However, this type of writing is completely different. It requires that that you give up all legal rights to the content you’ve created once the job is complete and allow your customers to claim authorship of it. They get all the credit and you get the cash.
If you have a problem with someone else, claiming authorship of the content you create then freelance writing probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re more interested in making money, writing content for other people can be a very lucrative business.
You don’t have to be an award winning writer or even have the ability to write perfectly to make money freelancing. In fact, sometimes writing extremely well can be a hindrance, because people aren’t looking for perfect. They want entertaining and engaging content that appeals to their target audience. In fact, most of the people who are willing to pay for your services want content written at the sixth to eighth grade level.
The only time you have to worry about perfect is if you specialize in some type of formal, technical or academic writing.
The general rule is to write how you speak. This is called conversational writing and it is what most of your potential customers will be looking for because it’s used to target to a specific audience and make them feel as if the writer talking just to them.
Some other skills that are necessary in this line of work are the ability to perform basic research and write on a variety of topics. Of course, the faster you write the more money you can make, however you don’t have to be a speed writer when you are first starting out. Speed it a learned skill so the more you write the faster you’ll get.
2. Writing Profits
Do you have what it takes to be a freelance writer? Before you take the plunge, give up your day job and begin working freelance, there are a few things to consider. Going freelance is an important decision and it can have a big impact on your life therefore you must go into it with all the facts.
One of the first things you should do is determine the amount of money you’ll need to earn in order to cover your living expenses. Start by making a list of all your current expenses. In the beginning, be prepared to make a few budget cuts until you get your clientele built up and start making a profit. If you are currently holding down a full time job, some of your clothing, travel and food expenses will decrease but you still need to earn enough for food, rent, electric and other necessities.
Next, take a self-assessment test and list all your skills and experiences. Include your hobbies and interests too; this will determine what types of freelance jobs you can take on. For instance, do you keep a personal blog? Then perhaps you can specialize in writing blog posts. Did you know that there are people willing to pay you monthly to manage their blogs for them? This type of ongoing project can be a freelancers dream.
Take some time and visit freelance job sites like Odesk.com and Elance.com to see what types of jobs are being posted. Take notes and keep a list of these jobs. You should also do a little recon on the websites of other freelance writers to see what they are charging and be on the lookout for companies and organizations that use freelancers for their projects.
Look at how much they are charging per word and take note of the different rates they offer for different projects. Keep a list of these important details, because they will help you estimate how much you should charge for your own projects.
After you have done your research and create an estimated price list of the types of projects you would like to work on. Keep in mind the size of the project and how many days it took to complete it. This information will help you get an estimate of how much you can potentially expect to earn.
Once you have done your research and have a good idea of the kind of projects you want to work on you can start applying for the projects on sites like the ones I mentioned earlier. It’s a good idea to start small and only take on one or two projects at first, this will help you learn the ropes without getting overwhelmed.
As you begin to take on more freelance work, you’ll start to get a feel for the workflow it evolves. Keep in mind that you won’t always get all the projects you want so you should apply for multiple projects simultaneously.
On the other hand, it’s important to be careful when taking on several jobs at the same time you should never take on more jobs than you can handle, because not completing them in a timely manner will hurt your reputation. Don’t worry, you will master this balancing act in time.
3. Writing Profits
When it comes to freelance writing and selling the content you create, there are plenty of opportunities available. Once you have completed a few jobs and start to become established as a reliable content provider, you will have no problem earning a steady income. In fact, many popular freelancers actually have to turn clients away.
As I have mentioned before, there are many different types of freelance writing jobs. For instance, you can choose to write for online or off-line clients. Online clients will hire you to create web content for them while off-line clients will hire you to create content for print publications, such as books, magazines, catalogs and newspapers.
There is such a broad market for this type of work that you can actually narrow down your customer base by specializing in specific areas that best suit your skill set.
For instance, you could work strictly as a research or essay writer. Many freelance writers specialize in writing biographies, fiction or drama. If your talents lie in the area of online content you could become a copywriter, ebook specialist or as I’ve mentioned before a blog writer. The same holds true for off-line publications as I mentioned earlier. You could write strictly for magazines, catalogs or advertising companies. The choice is completely up to you.
If you have particular technical skills, you could be a grant writer for nonprofit organizations, an editor for law firms, medical professionals or large corporations. The point I’m trying to make is that there are a wide variety of opportunities available to you, which gives you the freedom to focus on the type of writing that best suits your skill set.
Let’s dig a little bit deeper into the different types of writing you can choose from:
– Creative writing
Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft and character development. It is different from other types of writing and requires a great deal of creativity. Generally, when someone hires you for this type of job you will be writing a short story, poem, novel, screenplay or dramatic piece.
– Web, Blog and SEO writing
There are literally millions of websites worldwide. They all have owners that are more than willing to hire people just like you to create their content. This type of writing is normally much shorter and involves creating articles, webpages, ad copy and more commonly blog posts. It may also involve social media posts for networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This type of writing is generally written in an informal conversational tone.
There is also a specialized type of writing referred to as SEO (search engine optimization) friendly. This type of job would require you to create content that is solely for the purpose of achieving good search engine placement and involves writing with a specific set of keywords strategically placed throughout the content as search engine bait.
– Newsletters, editorials and magazine writing
These are one of the most lucrative and technical forms of writing that may fall under the umbrella of copywriting. These forms of writings require defined focus, in-depth research and an extensive reading. It is best suited for people from the advertising agencies, publishers, public relation firms etc.
– Sales and marketing writing
Sales and marketing writing is the most common source of freelance writing that generally requires marketing skills. As businesses around the globe are going online, companies require the services of efficient freelance writers for online marketing of their services and products. It usually involves writing product descriptions, sales letters, marketing oriented web papers and media content, marketing and business plans etc.
– Ebook writing
The dictionary defines the term ebook as “an electronic version of a printed book, but since that definition was written ebooks have taken on a life of their own and become somewhat of a normal especially with more and more people downloading and reading books on their handheld devices. Many online publishers are more than willing to pay handsomely for the services of qualified ebook writers.
Of course, there are many other forms of writing. The one you choose specialize in will depend solely on your personal preference and your skill sets. Deciding which type of writing is right for you will help you brand yourself in a particular market, so before you begin looking for clients take some time to think about what type of writing suits you best, it will help make growing your business much easier.
4. Writing Profits
Many people consider writing an art form and it doesn’t always come easily to everyone. The good news is that it’s a learned skill that can be honed with time and practice. While some people are lucky enough to be born writers and the words just flow out of them, don’t worry if you don’t fall under this category.
If you have the drive and determination, there is no reason why you can’t become a highly sought after, successful freelance writer. There are many different ways that you can improve your writing skills.
Let’s go over a few:
First, remember there is always a room for improvement and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is a good idea to get some feedback on your work, especially when you are first getting started. You can ask a fellow writer, a friend or family member to proofread your content before you deliver it to your customer. This way you can make changes or incorporate any suggestions they may have to improve the piece.
You can also hire a professional proofreader to help check your work. They aren’t very expensive and you can incorporate the cost into your fee. Try to take criticisms positively and use them to improve your writing skills.
– Be a good reader
To be a good writer it’s important to become a good reader. Reading regularly will not only help you boost your knowledge, it will also help you improve your writing skills. You can also spot writing styles of famous writers in various fields example fictional, non- fictional, creative writing techniques etc.
– Do your research
In order to sell your writing it’s important to get to know the topic as well as the target audience your customer is trying to reach. This is where good research skills are important. They will help you dive into any subject and learn what you need to complete the project effectively. It will also help you create content in the proper style, so it is both appealing and effective to the audience, which will make your customers very happy.
– Double check everything
No matter how qualified and passionate are you are when it comes to your writing, remember there is always room for improvement. When it comes to being a successful freelance writer it is important to always double check your work for errors, consistency and proper flow.
Here are a few more quick tips that you can use:
– Be sure to use clear and effective words
– Avoid vague statements that will confuse readers.
– Use an active tense
– Talk to your audience, don’t write, speak
– Avoid using bad grammar
– Check for spelling errors
– Avoid repetition
– Be original and distinct.
In order to become a well respected, sought after freelance writer all you need to do is focus on honing your craft. If you take the time to do that you will have no problem growing a successful and profitable business.
5. Writing Profits
Because freelance writing is often a boom-or-bust business, it’s always a good idea to look for new clients even when you have a full workload. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out with no clients, or your calendar is booked full of work to do, you should always keep searching for your next great client.
In order to attract new clients it’s important hone your skills as we have discussed before, but you also have to be aware of your reputation. When it comes to building up your reputation as a reliable writer there many things you can do.
Let’s go over a few:
One of the most important things you can do to ensure a good reputation is to always
make sure that you meet your deadlines. It’s better to turn away a client than disappoint them, so never take on a new project unless you are confident that you can finish it on time. You should also never compromise on the quality of your work.
– Set yourself apart
Ask yourself, why clients should hire you. Even though you may be hesitant when it comes to boasting about your talents self-promotion is a very important factor when it comes to building your reputation as a competent and reliable writer. It’s important to market yourself effectively, promote your skills and set yourself apart from your competition.
To accomplish this you need a solid resume and good portfolio that includes a variety of your writing samples for your potential customers to review. You should also collect customer testimonials to share in your portfolio. This type of social proof can really boost your credibility.
– Treat your customers well
When it comes being successful creating and selling content it is very important to take care of your reputation not only in terms of your writing but also in the way you deal with your customers. Remember they will talk about you and by treating them well you can feel confident that they will only have good things to say.
– Visibility matters
You can be the most efficient and effective freelance writer on the planet but you won’t put any money in the bank if clients can’t find you to hire. You have to be visible and easy to find.
Here are some simple things you can do to increase your visibility:
– Get involved in a professional writing community
– Write articles about freelancing and include your bio
– Set up a website to display your work and make it easy for people to find you.
– Stay in touch with your previous clients to encourage repeat business
– Join and participate in online writing forums
– Set up profiles on the major social networks
– Post ads in the classifieds
– Send out a press release about your services
– Join freelancing websites like Elance and oDesk
Bottom line, it’s important to work continually on building and maintaining your reputation as a reliable, trustworthy and competent freelance writer and when you do you will have customers lined up to hire you.
6. Writing Profits
As we have discussed before, one of the best places to start looking for new customers is on freelance websites like Elance and oDesk. These sites are like a virtual job marketplace and they are the perfect solution for finding writing jobs, especially when you’re first starting out.
Keep in mind that every freelance marketplace is different. You should take some time to read their terms of service before joining so you can be clear on the rules, know how much it costs to participate and most importantly how you’ll get paid.
There are several benefits to using freelance websites to find work, including:
– Access to a huge database of freelance projects in multiple categories
You can search though the database by category, keyword or job type. Most of them have a rating system in place that allows members to rate their employers and employees, so you can also search according to the amount of positive reviews and where they rank on the site hierarchy. On some sites, you can also see how much money they’ve paid out to other freelancers so you can be fairly certain you’re working with a credible person or business.
– Fraud protection and account management
The freelance site requires all members to be verified before they’re allowed to post projects. They also handle all of the monetary transactions for you. This type of security ensures that you will be paid promptly. On most of these sites, the employer is required to place the funds to cover the cost of the project into an escrow account before you begin working on it.
– Easy access to your funds
Once you’ve completed the project and be paid most freelance websites will give you a variety of options to withdraw your funds including the option to transfer the money directly to your bank account, PayPal account or other financial institution. They will also put a check in the mail for you.
– You’re not alone
A good freelance site will also offer you dispute assistance and help you resolve any issues that may arise between you and an employer. Including lack of payment, customer complaints etc.
– People can find you
One of the biggest benefits of using a freelance site is that employers can find you. Especially after you have taken the time to build up your reputation on the site. Once you’ve done that you’ll find that you’ll have customers contacting you and you won’t have to worry about searching through the job marketplace anymore.
When you’re using freelance websites you’ll want to create a profile on several different freelancing websites. Just be careful not to spread yourself too thin. Join one or two at first. Then after you have begun to establish yourself as an expert on them, you can easily add others to the list. After a while, you will get a feel for which ones work best for you and focus solely on them.
Before we close this final issue, I want to share a list of the top freelance websites available for you to check out:
Elance: https://www.elance.com
This site has over 500,000 user’s actively posting projects, so there is never a shortage of available work.
Freelancer: http://www.freelancer.com
This is one of the largest and oldest freelance sites. It has a great reputation, a huge member base and holds a world of opportunity for anyone serious about making money freelancing.
oDesk: https://www.odesk.com
Has a great online dashboard that make it easy to collaborate with employers, employees and team members. They offer a wide variety of opportunities and a suite of handy tools for freelance writers.
Guru: http://www.guru.com
Is predominantly used by web designers and people looking for web designers; however, they still have plenty of opportunities for freelance writers.
Ifreelance: http://www.ifreelance.com
Unlike many of the other freelance sites, this one doesn’t charge a commission on the money you earn, instead you pay a small monthly fee making them more profitable for busy writers.
Micro Workers: http://www.microworkers.com
This site is prefect if you are looking for those small jobs we have discussed before like blog posts, commenting on YouTube videos and Twitter tweets.
People Per Hour: http://www.peopleperhour.com
Most of the freelances on this site average an hourly job rate of around $35 per hour. It is an excellent place to pick up lucrative freelancing jobs.
Fiverr: http://fiverr.com
This is another great place to find customers, especially small jobs. It is quickly gaining popularity. It isn’t the same as other freelance sites. To get work through Fiverr you have to post a gig offering your services.
The appeal of this site is that you can get things done for $5. Of course, you don’t want to underprice your services, so you should mainly use this one for lead generation.
On any freelance site you decide to join, it is important to fill out your profile completely, link to your website and provide a variety of samples for prospective employers to explore. You should also take time to become familiar with the way the site and the bidding process works before you begin applying for jobs.
7. Writing Profits
The life of a freelance writer isn’t all sunshine and roses. While you can work from home and even earn money in your pajamas if that’s your style, there are a few drawbacks to this type of work that you may want to take into consideration before you give up your day job.
Let’s go over a few:
– No sick time
When you work for yourself, you don’t get paid sick time and more often than not you Sometimes you have to work while you’re sick so you don’t lose money and clients. As you move forward you’ll find that most clients aren’t very forgiving when it comes to missed deadlines unless you have a solid relationship with them and even then, sometimes the job they want done is more important to them than your health and well-being.
– No benefits
As a freelancer, you have no medical benefits, a 401K or even a guaranteed income. You have to pay your own taxes too, which can make budgeting tricky when you are trying to take make enough to cover living expenses, especially when something unexpected happens.
– No regular paychecks
Since most of the time you will be working on a paid per project basis regular paycheck are a thing of the past. It is a big adjustment and you must be prepared to adjust your budget accordingly. As I’ve mentioned before it can be a tricky balancing act, especially in the early days.
– Scheduling conflicts
Juggling deadlines and family responsibilities can be challenging at times. You may have to sacrifice family time and certain events because you have a deadline. Many freelancers feel conflicted at times when comes to making choices between meeting a deadline or playing with the kids. It’s very important to find the right balance when it comes to separating work and family time.
– Deadbeat customers
Chasing payments isn’t fun and in the course of your career you will have some here customers who aren’t as eager to pay you as they are to take your work. Sometimes people don’t pay on time, try to short you, or not pay at all. You have to develop skills to protect yourself and may have to act as your own collections agent and it take a thick skin.
– Picky clients
As a freelance writer, you should always work hard for your client. Your reputation depends on it. However, there will always be clients that want you to rework or edit a project multiple times no matter how hard you slave over it. You have to learn how to take criticism and might have to deliver work that you don’t like after you’ve made the changes your client asked for. So again, you need to have a thick skin in this business.
– Under bidding
When it comes to bidding on projects, it can be difficult to estimate costs. For instance, you can underestimate research and work time for a project but once you’ve agreed to take on the job for a set price you have to complete it even if you lose money in the end. This can be painful but as you build your business, you will learn to estimate your time effectively.
Regardless of the drawbacks, we’ve discussed in this issue, freelance writing can be a great career that can earn you a nice income. With time and experience, you’ll find you are better able to deal with the downsides of writing for a living.
8. Writing Profits
The term SEO is an acronym of “Search Engine Optimization”. Optimized content is very important when it comes to attracting website visitors and website owners are willing to pay well for it.
SEO writing is a highly competitive and specialized field. SEO writers focus on creating content that gets pages listed on the first or second page results of search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing, which translates into visitors and profits for smart site owners.
SEO writers know how to research and use the proper placement of specific keywords, and keyword phrases to elevate a websites ranking in the search engines. The demand for professional SEO writers is increasing in popularity as more and more businesses are moving online.
When it comes to working as a freelance SEO writer here are a few things you should know:
– Research
Professional SEO writers understand the specific needs of their customers. It is imperative to conduct an extensive research, find out what your customer is actually looking for, what type of content they require, and what key words they are targeting.
– Keyword knowledge
In order to create highly targeted content for your clients you must know how to find and use the right keywords. While there are various online keywords tools and services to help with this task there is a learning curve to using these types of tools.
For instance, an SEO writer would need to know that single word keywords are often very competitive which can make them hard to rank for and not not very valuable in terms of getting good search engine placement.
They also need to understand that consumers are becoming more and more specific when they go online to search for what they want. For example if you are writing for a client that sells furniture, simply including the keyword “furniture” won’t help get the content ranked well. Instead, you’ll want to use highly targeted keyword phrases like “high quality furniture for sale? or “affordable custom furniture?, depending on what the client wants to achieve.
Most of all you don’t just want to load your content with tons of keywords. It is crucial to maintain a balance of keywords and phrases strategically placed within the content. It is also important to use keyword phrases as headings. Headings play a central part in how the search engines will categorize your site. As I mentioned, there is a bit of a learning curve when you specialize in this type of content.
– Linking
Lastly, as an SEO writer you must understand the importance of strategic linking. Search engines pay close attention to both incoming and outgoing links when ranking the quality of a website. So linking to sites from within the content you create for your clients is very important so that it will rank well in search engines and your client will be happy with your work.
Sometimes you’ll get lucky and your client will provide you with the keyword and link research needed to complete the task, but you still need to have a good understanding of how SEO industry functions, so that you can provide your clients with high quality content.
Writing for the web requires a balanced approach between meeting the needs of the reader, and the requirements of the search engines (SEO) so that site you’re creating content for receives traffic without making sacrifices in content quality.
9.Writing Profits
Magazine writing can be one of the most rewarding careers available to a freelance writer. Successful magazine writers are articulate. They have many interests, and know how to research a topic thoroughly. Many freelance magazine writers write for several magazines, not just one, and like to write on diverse topics and sell their articles to a variety of magazines and media outlets.
The key to writing for magazines and selling your content is a solid understanding of your market. Most magazines focus on specific topics. As I’m sure you’re aware there are magazines available on a multitude of subjects like art, wine, food, travel, collecting, finances, fitness and more.
This degree of specialization means that magazine editors usually have a specific idea of what articles they’re seeking, sometimes even down to a specific writing style. Since magazines typically cater to a “niche” audience of targeted readers. You must be prepared to submit well-written, interesting articles that attract the attention of the editors.
Your articles should be timely, relevant and appeal to their regular audience. For instance, if you’re writing for a healthy food magazine, then submitting a short article about how to deep fry chicken probably won’t get picked up for publication.
When it comes to writing content that magazines will pay you for, you have a couple of options. First, you have to be willing to do extensive research or become deeply involved with the activities or topics the magazine covers. For example if you’re planning to write and sell travel articles about Grand Canyon, take at least one trip to see what it’s like. If you’re planning to write about dog care, spend a few days with a dog, interview a knowledgeable dog-owner or trainer who’s willing to share their knowledge with you.
Writing freelance for magazines is a form of journalism, and often adheres to the same standards of quality and truthfulness. Would you trust a news article about how to train your dog to do tricks if you could tell the writer had never trained a dog to do anything? Of course not.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t have time to take on an entirely new hobby. That’s why the second way is usually the best option: write about what you know. We’re all complex people. We all have stories to tell. We enjoy hobbies and activities that fascinate us. We can easily uncover material for a hundred or more articles.
So think about what you can write about, and what interests you. It seems hard at first, but once you sit down and start thinking about it, the article ideas will flow. After you’ve brainstormed some topic ideas and written some articles, start looking around for magazines that might be willing to buy them. Chances are good there’s a magazine covering your interests or hobbies.
How do you find suitable magazines, and how do you ask if editors are interested?
There are many ways to find appropriate magazines willing to pay you for your articles. For one, you could go to your local bookstore and search the magazine racks. If you have a local bookstore even better. You may find some titles that don’t circulate at the larger chains.
You can also take advantage of Writer’s Market, which lists relevant information about hundreds of magazines, including rates and editor insight.
You can check it out here:
http://www.writersmarket.com/
10. Writing Profits
If you have a good appetite and a way with words, food writing may be a great option to consider. Not only is doing research for food writing one of the more enjoyable tasks in freelance writing, but you’ll never be short of restaurant recommendations and potential free meals, however you may find your cloths fitting a little tighter.
To become a successful freelance food writer, you’ll need to know how to describe food in a way that makes your readers taste buds water. The key to descriptive writing, at least in traditional literature, is to make focused comparisons.
As an example, ask yourself which sentence you find more appealing:
“It was the tastiest shrimp I’ve ever eaten” or “The lime-pressed garlic shrimp, grilled over apple wood, had the lovely crunch of caramelized sugar and the texture of a medium-rare salmon filet”.
The fundamental law of food writing is to make your reader wish that he or she had some of whatever delicious dish you’re writing about, to make the reader personally invested in the food. There’s a reaction in the human mind whenever we think about an object or activity, we activate the parts of our brain that turn on whenever we’re interacting with that object or engaged in that activity.
For instance, if we think about eating a thick juicy steak, our mouth may water or our stomach may growl. When you’re writing about food, you want to activate those same parts of the brain to make your reader feel that he or she is sharing in the experience of eating it.
Words like “tasty,” “delicious,” or, worst of all, “really good,” won’t do anything for your reader’s emotions. Only words related to food or words and images with strong emotional connotations will really get their mouths watering.
Once you’ve written your articles, where do you market your food writing? If you live in a large city, you can write for a local newspaper or an alternative paper. Millions of people read these papers daily or weekly, and a good portion of those millions read the food section.
When anyone in a major city needs to make restaurant reservations for a date, business dinner, party, or other social engagement, they look in the food section of the local paper for hot new restaurant reviews. Stay on top of restaurant openings and closings in your city. New restaurant openings can be your “bread and butter.” Local newspapers and online city guides always want to print new restaurant reviews.
If you have a favorite local hangout that not many people know about, write an article on it. Submit your article with a proper query letter to a local newspaper. You might be the first one to write about the place, throwing needed business their way. In the end, you collect a decent paycheck from the newspaper, along with a published clip, a byline, and hopefully more work and referrals.
Another option is to write for magazines dedicated to food, dining, city nightlife, general lifestyles, or for the tourist market. If you plan to write for magazines, your choice of what to write about becomes much broader.
11. Writing Profits
When it comes to charging for your services there are many options to choose from and since you are running your own business, it’s ultimately up to you how much you charge and the terms and conditions of your services.
Here are some most common pricing options that freelance writers use are flat fee, per project, by the hour, per diem, on retainer, by the word or by the page. Most freelancers use a combination of several of these methods with the exception of per diem and retainer. Each of the pricing options has advantages and disadvantages depending on the assignment, your writing pace, and your client’s wishes.
– Flat fee or per project
This is actually the most common pricing structure among freelancers. However it is important to keep in mind that if you commit to a per project rate or flat fee before you know what the job fully entails, you could end up disappointed if the project ends up being bigger, more complicated or time consuming than you originally thought.
– Hourly
If you have done any recon on other freelance writers, you may have noticed that some charge an hourly rate. In some cases, this may be the best approach especially if you write at a slower pace. An hourly rate has its advantages even for those who write quickly simply because sometimes it’s hard to tell up front how long a project may take.
In this case, all you have to do is give your client an approximate number of hours that you think it will take to complete their project. It’s important to let the client know exactly what to expect in advance
For example, if you think a project will take 10 hours; quote 8-12 hours just in case. That gives them an idea of what cost will be while giving you some flexibility. When using this pricing structure it is very important to be honest and forthright with your clients. Only charge for them for the hours it takes you to complete the task. Remember your reputation is everything in the freelance business.
– Per Diem (per day)
If you are going on location to write for a client, you will have to leave all of your other projects behind while you travel. You will need to consider not only lodging, travel expenses, food, and your hourly rate; you also need to include an amount that will cover certain expenses like childcare, pet care and house sitting while you’re away.
A per diem or day rate of pay is usually a base fee required for your services. On top of that fee, you may also have to charge your regular flat rate, per project or hourly fee as well as expenses in order to make the job worth your time.
– Retainer
If you have a client who wants you to be on call and ready to take his or her project on a moment’s notice, you may find that you have to drop everything to tend to that client’s needs. If you’ve cleared your schedule to allocate a certain number of hours to their project and she ends up not having an assignment for you that month, you have lost the money you could have made otherwise. A retainer might come in handy for such cases to insure that you have some income even if the client doesn’t come through with a project.
– Per Page
This is common for web writing, sales copy and some other types of projects like reports and ebooks. Currently the industry standard for a per-page project is around 250 words. If you work fast, a per-page rate is profitable. However, if the project requires a lot of research you may end up losing money. One way to compensate for this is to charge for separately research time.
– Per Word
This is also a very common pricing structure used by freelance writers. Depending on your reputation, you can charge anywhere from two cents to two dollars per word. The thing to remember about per word rate is that you may do the same amount of research for a 250-word article as you do for a 500-word article, so your time spent is going to be about the same with some extra time added for the actual writing of the longer article.
If you charge by the word, you may want to consider charging an hourly fee for research as well.
No matter which method you choose, you should always get a deposit up front. This very common practice, which is used even on popular freelance websites like Odesk and Elance. If you work independently, a good rule of thumb is to ask for a quarter down and collect the rest when the project is completed.
12. Writing Profits
The field of copywriting covers a wide range of media like television, radio, magazines, brochures, direct mail, and the like today. In fact, the copywriter writes every word in every brochure, advert, website and leaflet you see. In the past, copywriting jobs were held mainly in-house or by marketing or PR firms. However, times have changed and these days there are many opportunities available for talented freelance copywriters.
As with any other type of specialized freelance writing job, there are certain skills required and standards that must be met which make it one of the more stressful forms of freelancing. Just like otter freelance jobs, copywriting means that you have to build up your reputation and market yourself.
Your clients are in business to make money so they rely on your ability to meet deadlines, complete tasks on time, and stay within budget resources by making use of your skills and knowledge.
Just like other types of freelance writing, you can choose a specific market or niche to specialize in. For instance, you can focus on writing for tech companies, non-profits or retail sales. I have a friend who only writes copy for the music industry. There are also more specific forms of copywriting like direct mail, ad copy and email.
In order to become a good and successful copywriter, you should have the ability to do in depth research about the company, products or services you’re writing about. You also have to have a good understanding of your clients need and their target customers.
Aside from having excellent research and understanding skills, you also have to have imagination and flair for writing in a way that captures attention in order to keep your clients happy.
Freelance copywriting is one of the highest paying forms of writing. A really good copywriter can make thousands of dollars from a single job, but you have to really know your stuff to rake in the big buck so be prepared to spend a lot of time honing your craft. If you are interested in becoming a freelance copywriter, then here are a few tips that can help:
– Get educated
If you want to delve into the world of freelance copywriting, then it is a must that you get any type of writing degree in English, Journalism, Communications, and the like. Having an education or a background on the career you wish to pursue can be a strong step in finding work as a copywriter.
If is it’s impossible for you to have a degree, try to get certifications or non-degree courses that teach copywriting basics offered by many colleges. Having a background on copywriting can serve as your credential once you venture into freelance work.
– Go pro bono
If you don’t have any other experience, writing a copy or an item for free will provide you the experience you need. The copies you have written can also serve as sample copies once you market yourself as a freelance copywriter.
– Intern
An internship from an establishment known to the field you wish to pursue can definitely back up your credentials once your venture as a freelance copywriter. Aside from giving you experience and first-hand knowledge, an internship may also lead you to a permanent employment with the company.
– Look for opportunities
Since the industry is booming, many freelance copywriters serve as your direct competitors. If you’re really interested in freelance copywriting, then you should always stay current with industry news as well as with businesses and agencies that may need copywriting services. Make sure that you check local newspapers regularly and definitely subscribe to trade magazines to keep up with the latest copy trends.
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