2011 October

Guest Post: Top 5 Ways I’ve Found Freelance Writing Gigs

By Denene Brox

I’ve been a freelance writer for six years and in that time I’ve tried a lot of marketing tactics. Some have been successful and some haven’t worked so well.

One thing that trips up many new writers is looking for that one perfect way of marketing their writing. Another bad move is to focus all of your efforts bidding for low-paying jobs on freelance bidding sites and/or writing for content mills. You’ll be so wrapped up in low-paying work that you won’t have time to go after higher-paying jobs.

I’m going to share some of the top (and sometimes surprising) ways that I’ve found freelance writing gigs (hint: no freelance bidding sites!). Some of these methods are definitely tried and true while others are random things I’ve tried that paid off.

Letters of Introduction (LOIs)
I’ll start with the tried and true because LOIs are really one of the best marketing methods if you want to write for trade magazines. Most of my clients have come from sending out simple letters of introduction to editors. I write a lot for trade magazines and LOIs launched my magazine writing career. It really is the easiest way to find trade magazine clients. My trade assignments bring in between $.40 and $1 per word and all it took was an introduction.
Take Away: Be sure to combine both LOIs and query letters into your marketing mix. Also try mentioning in your LOIs that you’d be happy to send story ideas too to let editors know you’re willing to brainstorm article ideas.
Cold Calling
I’m not a phone person. So cold calling isn’t my favorite way to market my business. But on some occasions, it’s necessary. I picked up the phone when I couldn’t find any contact information for a career website I wanted to write for. I got in touch with the editor and to my surprise he was looking for a writer with experience writing about minority career issues — experience I had. I went on to write many articles for him over the next few years netting me $300 per 500-word article (much higher than the content mills).
Take Away: Pick up the phone to connect with editors.
LinkedIn
I randomly decided to update my LinkedIn status one day to announce that I was now providing blogging and tweeting services. One of my contacts sent me a message requesting more information. A few emails and an in-person meeting later and I had a regular blogging and tweeting gig for a local college. This job lasted for six months and resulted from an innocent LinkedIn status update.These types of copywriting gigs allow you to name your price (versus accepting whatever a magazine pays per word). You can quote an hourly rate (like I did) or use a flat rate.
Take Away: Be sure to keep your social networks informed about your current projects and services.
Craigslist
Craigslist has a bad rap when it comes to freelance jobs. So I decided to post my own ad. I was shocked when an Internet marketing agency in New York responded with an offer to blog two times per week for one of their clients. I got $30 per hour to blog. Not bad from a free ad.
Take Away: While all the other writers are replying to ads, try posting your own. My ad included a short bio, a list of writing credits/specialties, and a link to my website. You will no doubt get some spam and/or job offers that sound less than appealing. But you never know unless you try.
Regular Job Ads
Even though you’re a freelancer, periodically keep your eye on “regular” job boards for freelance opportunities. I landed a major freelance copywriting gig with a non-profit by applying to an ad on a local employment website. Again, with copywriting gigs the great thing is that I was able to name my price. So whatever your current copywriting rates are, you can use those when quoting the project.
Take Away: Don’t dismiss regular job boards. You may just find a great freelance job.

Denene Brox is a freelance writer based in Kansas City and specializes in career development and health topics. She is also the webmaster of Freelance-Write-Now.com, a site that teaches beginners how to get started in freelance writing. Read more of her tips for finding freelance writing gigs. She blogs about career and personal development at www.my-year-to.com.

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Filed Under: business of writing, guest post Tagged With: craigslist, freelance writing, LOIs

In Defense of Passive Verbs

By Susan Johnston 14 Comments

I’m not afraid to break a few writing rules. In my world, ending a sentence with a preposition isn’t unheard of. Sentence fragments? I’ll use them when the mood strikes. And (gasp) I’ll even start the occasional sentence with a conjunction.

But until recently, passive verbs were a no go in a my book.

I heeded my AP English teacher’s advice to circle all the verbs on the page and rewrite any sentence that dared include a passive verb (confession: I often skip that first step but don’t tell Mrs. Englemeyer).

Then, while I was earning a post-bach certificate in writing, the professor shocked me by telling us that, when used judiciously, passive verbs are actually very handy.

Say your client has a nasty habit of inserting errors into your copy, then blaming you. Instead of saying, “you changed the copy yourself, you numbskull!!!” you could write, “The copy I filed had the correct information, but errors were inserted later on. Would you like me to resend the original version?” (In case you’re unclear on active vs. passive verbs, the phrase “were inserted” is passive because it’s unclear who is performing the action. In this case, inserting errors.)

It’s a diplomatic way of setting the record straight without assigning blame. The recipient can connect the dots for you.

Then last week, I took a copyediting class, and the professor made another argument for passive voice. After I suggested restructuring a sentence so the actor was more clear, she answered, “actually, passive voice isn’t so bad. In this context, it helps vary the syntax.” In other words, you don’t want every sentence to follow the exact same structure, so throwing in the occasional passive verb helps mix things up. *Hangs head in embarrassment*

I still think Mrs. Englemeyer was right to make us aware of passive voice, but I’m starting to see that there are a few instances where it isn’t so bad. In fact, there are times when it should be used. Embraced, even.

What do you think? Is there a place for passive verbs? Or do you side with Mrs. Englemeyer on this one?

Image courtesy of surrealmuse

Filed Under: writing Tagged With: grammar, language, passive voice, verbs

Guest Post: Staying Organized & Distraction Free While Working From Home

By Susan Johnston 7 Comments

By Kate Croston

Ahhh, working from home – it just emits a big sigh of relief when you think about it. There is no getting up at the crack of dawn, no dealing with traffic, no horrible feeling of “oh NO I forgot…” as you pull into the office, no coworkers and bosses that you don’t get along with… in short, working from home is AWESOME. Right? It sure is.

Until you factor in that the kids are home, your favorite TV show is on, you somehow have misplaced that really important letter, the dogs are barking, your spouse is home for lunch, you have no real office, you are taking work to bed with you, you haven’t interacted with people your own age in you don’t know how long, you’re waking up at 3am because you can’t stop thinking about that one little task and you might as well just get up and do it now… Working from home is AWFUL. Right?

There are always two sides to everything and the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side, no matter how annoying that cliché is. So how do you manage to stay organized and distraction-free while braving the world of working from home?

Make yourself an office.
Working from the kitchen table, the living room, or your bed sounds great in theory, but to get in the right mindset for getting things accomplished you have to carve out your own little niche. Get a real desk and make sure that you sit at it to get things done. This way you’re simulating the real-feel of working in an office and you’re not getting distracted by those big, fluffy pillows and soft, warm comforter…
Set aside certain hours for certain tasks.
One of the beauties of working from home is that you are free to work whenever you want. It’s also one of the biggest pitfalls though, because it becomes way too easy to skip “work” to watch that afternoon soap opera you’re guiltily addicted to that has a nagging way of turning into three solid hours of TV. Designate certain hours for certain work-related tasks and then schedule in time to do the things you want to do too.
Say no to distractions.
Inevitably you will have people (even family members) who think that because you’re working from home you aren’t really working. Slowly but surely you find yourself saying yes to run more and more errands for people because you “have time.” This is when you have to put your foot down –you are working from home and you don’t have time to do everything for everyone else. Set ground rules and let everyone know that you can’t be disturbed during certain hours.
Make to-do lists and make them visible.
It seems pretty obvious, but so many people neglect making an actual list and get overwhelmed. Buy a dry erase board and write out what you need to get done – and do so in order of importance. List out the things you have to get done, the things you’d like to get done, and then the smaller tasks that are optional. This way you’ll have a clear idea of what you need to really be sure to focus on.
Know when to turn it off and get out.
One of the drawbacks of working from home is that at 11pm you can still be working. Know when is a good time to call it quits for the day and stick to it. It will be better for you and your significant other/family if you have a concrete time that you shut everything down and focus only on them and you. Get out of the house, mingle with people your age, and focus on maintaining relationships. It’s easy to get wrapped up in never leaving the house and working crazy hours – but getting out and shutting everything off will help you maintain a semblance of normalcy and a level-head.

Working from home is like everything – it can be a blessing and a curse. But with some organization and strategies for counteracting distractions, you can ensure that it falls into the former category and not the latter. Besides, no one wants to find you six months from now looking all crazy-like because you haven’t emerged from your house since you quit your office job. So stay sane and set some ground rules. It’ll make everything a little easier in the end.

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing cheap internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09 AT gmail DOT com.

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Filed Under: guest post Tagged With: freelancing, working from home

Open Thread: Referral Bonuses

By Susan Johnston 8 Comments

In an earlier post, I mentioned that some freelancers offer referral incentives and a few people asked more about this. I don’t have a formalized referral bonus program, though I’m likely to send you a nice card, maybe even an Amazon gift certificate if you refer me to a great new client. I’ve given and gotten plenty of referrals but never given or gotten an official bonus or incentive.

Personally, I think you should refer people to one another because you believe in them and want to bring people together, not because you want your $500 or whatever the case may be. (Some people do a lump sum referral bonus once certain conditions are met, others give a percentage of the project to the referrer.)

But maybe I’m missing something. Maybe you’re a freelancer or a small business owner who’s used a referral bonus program to turbo charge your business? Or maybe you’ve gotten burned by this arrangement? Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic!

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Filed Under: open thread Tagged With: freelance business