There are times when you feel that you are at a standstill and your freelance writing career could do with a boost. This can happen when you have been complacent for a long time, but it does not mean you have to continue in the same manner. By making a few career-building decisions, you can supercharge your freelance writing career. Below are five ways to help you do so.
1. Specialise
Most freelancers really start off their writing career as a general writer, writing on all subjects. This is only smart, considering that you need to build up the experience and you might want to earn money quickly. So you take up whatever well-paid project the client offers. But over time, you can change this strategy by switching to accepting writing work only in a certain subject. By this time, you might also have realised what kind of topics you have a flair for, what interests you the most, and how much knowledge you have gained on different subjects. Analyse your own writing experience and choose on a topic to specialise. The advantage is that clients will automatically consider you a specialist and send you all the work on your chosen subject. Another advantage is that you will not have to spend too much time on researching new subjects with every new project.
2. Leverage your experience
A good way to boost your freelance writing career is to make a note of every writing assignment you have ever completed. Very often, potential clients want someone with experience in the subject to write for them. Even if you have written one assignment before, it will still be useful for you to cite experience. Alternatively, if you have started your career in a different field, you can bring in your experience from your past work to your writing career. When it comes to writing, experience is not always all about work. You can cite your experience with sports, travel, food, and pretty much anything else you do as a hobby. The more you do in life, the more you will be able to bring on the table when it comes to winning over clients.
3. Build relationships
People are important for freelancers. Get some business cards printed and always carry them with you. You might come across a great client anywhere and it would be a complete shame if you miss out on a good project because they lose your contact details. Handing out cards ensures that you reach out to a large number of people who will retain your contact details. You can hand out cards to family, friends, activity partners, strangers with whom you strike up a conversation, and pretty much anyone. Don’t shun going to parties or events. These are the places where you can meet more people and enlarge your networking scope. Sooner or later, you will meet some clients.
4. Social media
It would be a great shame to not harness the power of social media to boost your career effectively. Network with other writers on LinkedIn, put up a Facebook page and go all out with your writing ideas on Twitter. If you have anything interesting to say, just say it and watch your network grow. Return small favours by leaving comments and giving suggestions when asked. Building a strong online community around you is a great way to ensure that people will think of you when any work comes up.
5. Follow up
It is a bad idea to underestimate the power of following up on your applications. Your clients presumably have a heavy workload and might not find the time to answer every query right away. A gentle reminder is a good way to remind them about who you are and that they owe you a reply. Don’t bombard them with emails, demanding a reply. A follow up after a week should be sufficient and if the mail still goes unanswered, try again after another 7 – 10 days. If you still don’t receive a reply after that, move on to other clients.
It is not all that difficult to give a boost to your freelance career as a writer. But you really need to change your working style and mentality in order to take some risks and spend some time on it. Consider it a good investment that would most likely pay off!
Image credit: Adikos on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Kavitha is a freelance content writer and French translator, and has been working in this field since 2008. She has degrees in computer applications and international business and has a background in business and international trade. She enjoys learning languages and is currently learning Japanese. Her interests vary from books and writing to travelling and history.