19

Feb

8 Mistakes Newbie Freelance Writers Make

We have all been newbies at some point in our lives, and as such we often make mistakes, this is normal and to be expected. Here are a few mistakes that fresh freelance writers make:

Not Setting Regular Office Hours

Many freelance writers starting out think because they are freelance they don’t have to work regular hours. Well they do, and if you are to get any work done, your hours needn’t be 9-5 but you should have a set time for when you start and finish your work each day.

Working Too Hard For The Client

You want to do well when you start, so you may do an assignment that you put far too much effort into. If it is a $100 article, and you put in $500 worth of work, then that isn’t constructive use of your time.

Not paying attention to your hourly rate

Try to quote by the project, if you can’t figure out how much research is involved for the assignment and quote your hourly from that.

Allowing Interruptions

Tell everyone what your set work hours are, and use caller id. It will help prevent unnecessary phone calls as well as interruptions from friends and family.

Avoid  Social Media

Many of us avoid this as we don’t like to be braggarts, but it is necessary to grow your business. At the bare minimum you should set up Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter accounts and set them up to sync so you only have to write a post once.

Not Creating a Website

As a freelance writer, you absolutely need a website! It’s good to showcase your work, and if someone refers a client to you, your chances of being hired increase exponentially if a customer can see your work.

No Accounting System

It is difficult to keep track of yourself financially if you don’t know what’s coming in and going out.

Not Setting Business Goals

This one seems obvious but many of us have goals in mind, but we don’t make them clear. In order to get to where you’re going you need to create a road map, and with setting monthly, quarterly, and yearly, goals, it helps to keep you accountable and to get your freelance business to the next level.

Keep the above in mind, and you are sure to be on your way to accomplishing the lifestyle you imagined with freelance writing.