Advice on How to Become a Professional Among Freelance Writers
If you want to build a career in freelance writing, adhere to the following advice:
- Be professional at everything you do.
- Provide high quality customer service.
- Negotiate the price.
- Do not allow your head to grow big.
- Find a company.
- Use freelance websites to build up your portfolio and connections.
- Be persistent.
Regardless of the type of the assignment you get, you must make sure that it’s perfect. Always be punctual about your deadlines and meet the client’s requirements to the letter.
Even the smallest ad you may be required to make must look like it was written by a pro.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions and inquire for clarifications of the task. You will need to understand what exactly the task entails.
Writing good texts is important, and building good relationships with your clients is as well. Always be polite and available for chat about the assignment. Take the client’s suggestions seriously and accept the critique. When people like working with you, they won’t be inclined to look for another author that offers lower rates.
If you are working on a big project, provide the client with regular updates to keep them involved.
Conduct a thorough study of the market before you set your prices. You must know how much the services you offer actually cost. Negotiate the prices based on these numbers. Offer discounts and loyalty programs to attract more clients.
No one is perfect, and you will do well to remember that. No matter how good you become, there is always some room left to learn and better yourself. Do not stop studying and perfecting your skills.
In case you cannot find it in you to build good relationships with clients, consider joining a professional writing company. This will provide you with an opportunity to become a reputed author without the need to deal with the “front” aspects of the writing business.
There are some specialized websites for beginner freelancers where you can create an account and fish for jobs. It will be difficult to find any truly well-paying options there, but you can use these online resources to build your reputation and accumulate a portfolio of articles that will attract bigger clients.
Practice your writing skills all the time to make sure you don’t lose touch even between the orders. You also need to learn that a freelancer that gives up after the first couple of failures is doomed. Keep trying and applying for jobs until you find clients willing to work with you.