“The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any.” Certainly for a writing genius, there is no real work involved in writing. However, hunting freelancing writing gigs one after the other for a prolonged period so that you can call it a “career”, is not easy.
Regardless of why you choose to write freelance, there are certain things that you need to know before starting your freelance writing career. You cannot succeed overnight, when all you want to do is sit at home and make a lot of money writing. Here is a step by step guide that will take you through the process of getting a job as a freelance writer.
Step 1: Find Your Area of Interest
Freelance writers can be broadly classified into three categories: professionals, specialists and generalists. Professionals are those that have a tertiary qualification in writing and editing. Specialists are those that are experts in a field and write only about that area of expertise. Generalists neither have a writing degree nor have strong knowledge in a specific area, but they are talented writers who can write on any given topic by doing research on the internet. Here the main focus is on the specialists.
There are several types of specialist freelance writers in the market — copywriters, technical writers, travel writers, business writers, marketing communications writers, press release writers, resume writers, academic writers, technology bloggers etc. What kind of writer you want to be? You need to find your area of interest and specialize in one or two chosen niches.
For instance, if you are passionate about marketing and have good knowledge in that area, then you can brand yourself as a marketing communications writer. Even if you are not an expert in marketing, but just started learning about marketing tactics, then you can start writing while you learn.
Step 2: Start Blogging
After you choose your niche, the next step is to start blogging. The first question is which blogging platform to choose — Blogger, Wordpress or Tumblr? Each one is good in its own way. Don’t think too much about the blogging platform, but concentrate more on the topic that you are going to publish and the quality of the content.
At this stage, certain distractions might bother the writer. What are those distractions? Clickbank, Adsense, affiliate marketing etc. All these programs worked even for amateur bloggers, way back in 2003. But as you head towards 2012, believe it or not, none of these programs work for beginners. Don’t buy any e-books, or CDs that promise to reveal you the secret of making $$$ online. Be focused. There is no shortcut to success. Keep posting high quality content on your blog. Never entertain inappropriate ad posting on your site.
Step 3: Contribute Articles
There are some authentic, well-known, and trustworthy websites that provide an opportunity for talented writers to showcase their work to millions of readers across the globe. To name a few: Suite101, HubPages, Ezine, Demand Studios, and Helium. Research each of the sites and when you apply, send professional sample content to get accepted. As you work with highly experienced editors of these sites, your writing skills are fine tuned and enhanced.
Step 4: Socialize and Build Your Network
This is an era of social media. It’s no doubt that everyone is active in at least one social networking site. For writers, it is mandatory to have a twitter account, a professional Facebook account to connect only with freelance writers, a Facebook fan page (author page), and LinkedIn profile. Make sure that you don’t mix up personal information and professional information in social networking sites. If you enjoy social media for personal use, then have two accounts – one personal, other professional.
The following articles better describe why a writer should be active on social media:
Growing your network via social media proves fruitful in many different ways. Being active on Twitter and Facebook doesn’t mean that you spend productive time out there. Instead of sharing about what you eat, what you wear and how your mood is today, share what you have learnt, what you have written about, what tips you feel useful for writers or something similar.
Step 5: Online Writing Portfolio
To take your career to the next level, you need to create an online writing portfolio that showcases your work well. There are many simple ways to create an attractive online writing portfolio.
Read more on Creating A Successful Online Portfolio.
Step 6: Often Check Out Important Job Boards
Constantly check out job boards that list online writing gigs. This way, you never run out of projects. The average pay per article, for a specialist writer is somewhere between $20 and $35 and freelance rate per hour range from $20 to $50. Academic writers, technical writers and technology bloggers receive a steady as well as high paycheck.
As it’s kind of an online business, telecommuting works really well. All you need to have is a skype account and a paypal account. Make sure that you don’t fall prey to spammers and scammers on the internet.
Not everyone can write. Writing is an art that comes spontaneously to those that have mastered it. But there are also writing skills that can be acquired. To become a successful freelance writer, one should possess strong networking skills, people skills, and a good work ethic, in addition to the writing talent. The Internet is vast and opportunities are many. Take advance of it and soar high building your freelance writing career.
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