Tips on Adventures In Freelancing

Start Writing Letters of Introduction!

posted by marybabysteps on September 12, 2009 1:30 pm

You may know that I took some down time this summer. Frankly, it was just too hard to juggle caring for the kids and writing, particularly when the money I was bringing in wasn't especially mind blowing. So I took some time off and enjoyed my summer. I'm back and refreshed. And I was totally scared out of my mind that I wouldn't be able to dig up any paying work. Sure, I've got enough to keep me busy with my three blogs and writing for Type-A Mom, but I also want to balance that writing with some regular paying gigs. And I was really afraid that I had jinxed myself by not keeping busy this summer.

To my delight, I was able to get back in touch with an editor whom I had worked with a while back, and she passed a couple new assignments my way. Whew! What a relief. Now I feel like I can get myself back in the swing of things. Those few paying jobs will really help to motivate me to move forward with my goals. And the paycheck will come in handy, too!

As I started thinking about the best way of going about getting more paying leads, I decided to take the approach that has worked best for me so far. I'd like to share that approach with you.

Introduce Yourself

I've already written about how I've used networking to find paid blogging jobs. I swear by networking, both in real life and online, to make the connections that may eventually lead to opportunities. But what happens when your networking leads have run dry? I've learned that it's often helpful to make new connections by introducing yourself. I've read about letters of introduction in the past. A letter of introduction is simply a letter to an editor of interest introducing yourself and informing them of your desire to write for their publication, as well as your qualifications to do so. I don't think writing a letter of introduction would work in all situations, but it has worked for me.

Target Your Letter

I've made connections that have led to paying work by finding publications that are in my target niche. I've found that if I can offer the editor some expertise on the topic, I feel more confident in approaching them, and I have a better chance of success. For example, when I come across websites for college students, I often look to see if they print articles or blogs. Since I have a degree in College Student Personnel and a professional background in academic advising, I already have the informational credentials. So I find the contact information on the website's home page and send off a nice email introducing myself, my professional qualifications, and some online clips. There are times I've gotten nothing back, but there are also times that I've received paying work.

Follow Up

Sometimes, rather than an offer to write for the website, I've gotten an invitation to send my resume or to come back later when they may be accepting freelancers. You can bet I put those emails in a folder for future reference and that I will indeed follow up with them later. You can even follow up with those you don't hear back from.

Have you ever tried this method for obtaining freelance writing jobs? Has it worked for you? Let me know! I'd love to hear about it. What do you think? Would you give it a try? What have you got to lose? Please come back and comment if you try it and find this method to be successful.

Beyond Clients: Income Stream for Freelance Writers

posted by marybabysteps on February 11, 2009 4:17 am

While it's nice to have a full freelance writing schedule with clients constantly keeping you busy, there are other income streams you should consider. By diversifying where your freelance income comes from you can build residual income (work once and continue getting paid), be protected in an unexpected client drought, or even potentially earn more than your clients currently pay you.

Here are five potential income streams you may want to pursue as a freelance writer:

Blogging - As a blogger, you'll write articles much as you would for clients. You simply won't get paid on a per-post basis when blogging for yourself. Instead you'll earn money most often through advertising (per click, per 1000 impressions, per sale, etc.). I've found the most reliable and most profitable form of advertising on my various blogs has been affiliate advertising (promoting affiliate products through honest reviews and earning a portion of any sales made through your affiliate links).

Writing E-books - E-books are one of my favorite income streams as a writer. They take a lot of work (depending on how long the e-book is), but they also offer greater rewards than other income streams. E-books also help you cement your image as an authority source in your niche (as do blogs for that matter), which means they can even help bring in new clients on top of their direct earning potential.

Pre-written Article Packs - If you specialize in a niche, another income option is to pre-write article packs that might be of interest to your target market. These are generally sold for a little less than custom articles (because the client didn't have any choice in the subject matter), but they can be a good way to fill some un-booked time with potentially billable work. You can sell the articles exclusively or non-exclusively as you see fit (as long as they're advertised accordingly).

Private Label Rights Products - Private label rights (PLR) products give the buyer more freedom than typical pre-written articles and e-books. In most cases, the buyer receives the right to edit them in any way they please, and they can claim authorship. You're essentially ghostwriting. Prices for PLR products are usually very low for the buyer. The benefit to the seller, however, is that you can sell a large quantity (you may limit it to 25 buyers, 100 buyers, or not have a limit at all).

Article Marketing - I already mentioned that promoting affiliate products through your own blog can make for a decent income stream. But what if you don't have a blog yet with a built-in reader base? Consider writing articles to promote those same affiliate products through another type of article marketing--publishing articles to article directories. The benefit is that you don't need an existing audience. The downside is that you don't have that existing audience and the trust that comes with it. You'll likely need to write several (or many) articles to promote a single affiliate program this way. To really reap the benefits of article marketing, you'll need to promote several affiliate products, all with their own articles.

Some of these income streams for freelance writers will earn residual income with little to no work beyond your initial investment (such as article marketing through article directories). Others, however, require an investment of time (and occasionally money for best results) in marketing. For example, you'll have to continually market your blog (and continue to post new articles) to attract new readers and maintain the readership you have.

Writing for yourself can offer you a great deal of added independence. Just understand that these income streams won't bring in huge cash sums immediately. The products or content take time to create, market, and sell. The bulk of the reward comes later. But if you go into them with an open mind and realistic expectations, you won't regret it when the additional income starts to roll in.

About the Author

Jennifer Mattern is a freelance business writer and blogger behind AllFreelanceWriting.com and WebWritersGuide.com. She is also the author of the Web Writer’s Guide e-book, designed to help freelance writers launch a successful Web writing career.

Save $10 on the Web Writer’s Guide e-book by entering discount code “mary” (without the quotes) over the next 30 days!

Let's Talk About Queries

posted by marybabysteps on November 27, 2008 7:39 am

This week I sent in two completed articles to The Savvy Gal, an online women's magazine. It was great to send them off, knowing they were finished and that I felt good about my work. It felt even better to send off the invoice! I'm on my way to being paid for my words, and that's an amazing feeling.

I think I was most excited, though, when I received notice from the editor at The Savvy Gal that my ideas had been accepted. We all know that having our queries accepted is key in becoming paid freelancers, so let's take some time to talk about what goes into writing great queries that get the attention of editors.

The Idea - The first thing you need is a salable idea, one that will resonate with the publication's readers. Take a look through back issues or peruse the website to get a feel for the kinds of articles your targeted pub features. Is the subject matter aimed at a particular age group, gender, or other demographic? Keep that in mind. Are first person accounts most prominent or is it apparent that articles are written from a more formal point of reference? Consider these things as well. Take a look at the various departments. I pitched my queries specificially for "The Savvy Gal Spotlight" section because I enjoy writing profiles of interesting people.

Offer Something Unique - What sets you apart from other freelancers? Do you have particular insight into a subject matter that most people don't? Does your professional background make you an expert in a certain field? Think about what sets you apart from the crowd and use it to your advantage. I have an advanced degree in College Student Personnel and worked as an academic advisor at a community college. I also received an award from my students as "Outstanding Academic Advisor of the Year" for two years in a row. I intend to pitch publications aimed at prospective college students and adolescents, and you can bet I'll be letting the editors know about my experience and accomplishments.

Be Willing to do Some Legwork - Show potential editors that you're willing to go the extra mile. In my queries to The Savvy Gal, I was able to include quotes from interviews I had already done with my subjects. This demonstrated my ability to get the information needed to write a thorough profile. Doing a little legwork is never a wasted endeavor. Even if I hadn't been able to sell these ideas, I intended to put the profiles on my own blog. Plus, interviews are a great way to network and to learn something new.

Be thorough, not vague - When writing a query, don't be afraid of giving too much information. A vague query is not likely to be accepted. Editors need to know where you're headed with an idea and that you can follow through with a comprehensive, finished piece. So give them what they want. Spell out the different points you intend to make in your story; you may even want to include a bulleted list or break down your query in a way that shows you've thought things through.

These are a few ideas to get you started. The most important thing is to get those queries out there. Let editors know about your great ideas and why you're the person to write the story. Follow these steps to increase the likelihood of your query being accepted. What's worked for you? Please share your ideas!