08

Aug

Selling Yourself as a Freelance Writer

While many people are happy to write as a hobby, there are many of us who are desperately trying to make a living through freelance writing. Unfortunately, being able to write is not always enough. After all there are plenty of bad writers out there who have somehow had their work published, be they articles or novels. Be honest, you have probably read the occasional piece of writing and thought I can do better than this. Yes, you possibly can. The key to surviving in this freelance world is to sell yourself. A sense of confidence alongside your writing skill will help as you work on your career.

Here are some tips to help you sell yourself to your potential readership and clients.

Create a website to function as your online portfolio. Humble yourself and work for free for websites which allow writers to contribute. You don’t want to be working free forever but the opportunity to write articles for websites will add to your portfolio of written work. Include the links to your articles on your site and perhaps have several links to your best works on your front page.

Show your expertise. On your website, show the potential client why they should hire you. Use your portfolio to showcase your work. Use an ‘About Me’ page to give the client an insight into who you are as a person, and what makes you the writer the client needs. Attain references and quotes from people who have hired you previously and publish them on your site. Mention any qualifications you have attained relevant to your writing. In short, find ways to make yourself stand out from other freelance writers. What makes you so special.? Forget humility, sell yourself as if you were the most gifted writer on the planet.

Be serious about getting paid. It is important to be wise when discussing possible payments from a client but do not be shy about it. You are selling your work and the time you have spent on it should be comparable to the fee you charge. Basically if you know you have written a good piece of writing, do not undersell yourself. If a client is interested your services,  ask for a deposit up front. Upon completion of your work, request the rest of the payment. Work closely with the client to ensure you are meeting their needs but do not let them rip you off if you have spent a lot of time writing for them.

Gain credit for your work. When you complete a piece of work ensure that your name is attached. A lot of websites will hire you and add your writing to their site without any mention that you actually wrote it. Ask them to include your name somewhere on the site, preferably at the end of the article. They may have a list of people who contribute to the site so request that you be added to it. You wrote the article so you want to have some credit for it.

A lot of writers are shy and insecure people and they fall into the trap of not getting the payment and credit they deserve. If you need to, act confident, even if inside you are a mass of nerves. Sometimes we need to step out of ourselves and use a more confident persona, and with that confidence we have a better chance of selling our writing and worth to others.