The three pillars of financial success for freelance writers

Photo by u0410u043bu0435u043au0441u0435u0439 u0412u0430u0441u0438u043bu044cu0435u0432 on Pexels.com

There’s no one way to succeed as a freelance writer. We all get there in different ways. And we all have our own definitions of success in our field.

However, to be financially secure as a freelance writer (i.e., to earn a living), you need these three components:

• A way to be found
• A way to connect
• A way to earn

Get found

Potential clients must be able to find you. That is, you need a way for them to discover you.

Yes, you can go out and find clients. But to build your business and your financial security, prospects and potential clients must be able to find you.

So, how do you get found? You need a presence somewhere. There are numerous ways, and you don’t have to use all of them. But you should be findable in several ways, including (but not limited to):

• Website
• Blog posts
• Social media (Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
• Podcast interviews
• YouTube channel
• Storefront

Make it easy to connect

Once prospects find you, they should be able to reach you. The goal is to turn them into clients or, even better, fans.

This element should be tied to how you will be found. Fortunately, they’re often built in as a feature. But you should also tell them to connect with you – make it a call to action.

For example, you can tell prospects to:

• Subscribe to your newsletter
• Follow you on Twitter or Instagram
• Join your Facebook group
• Become a LinkedIn connection
• Send you an email
• Call you on the phone
• Visit your location

Ask them to buy

You’re not running a business unless you earn a living from it. You need customers / clients to buy what you’re selling.

The most obvious way is to provide writing services directly to clients – write their content (e.g., articles, blog posts, case studies, websites). They can hire you to be their writer or you can create content on an as-needed basis.

There are other ways to earn a living as a freelance writer:

• Create courses for purchase
• Sell various products (e.g., ebooks, infographics, reports)
• Provide consulting services
• Speak at conferences
• Host webinars

Whatever you sell, or however you get clients to pay you, it’s vital to build this pillar into your approach. You are running a business, so treat it as such. Sell your services (or products) in exchange for payment.

David

Perseverance is the freelance writer’s fuel

Fail but do not quit. Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Sometimes, it’s difficult to put the words on a page.

Your creative juices are spent. You have no motivation. Deadlines and the need to be paid aren’t cutting it.

Is it writer’s block? Low sugar? The overwhelming need to procrastinate? All of the above?

How do you go on as a freelance writer when your usual sources of inspiration aren’t there? If you’re going to succeed as a freelance writer, or in most tasks, you need one attribute – perseverance.

Perseverance will make sure you get that first draft done. It will ensure you hit your deadlines. It will push you to send one more cold email. It will make sure you get that invoice paid.

Perseverance solves all. You will succeed because of your perseverance.

The river perseveres in cutting through the rock. The ant perseveres in bringing that piece of food home.

But how do you persevere as a freelance writer? You just do – you write words, no matter how you feel. Perseverance is the never-ending ink in your fountain pen.

To persevere, focus all your energy on what is in your control. Even when the odds of success are low, know that you can still do what you are capable of doing.

Perseverance needs nothing more than action. You take a step, then another, no matter what happens or is in the way. You write a word, and then another, whether or not they make sense in the moment.

To add some zest in your ability to persevere, do the following: Have faith in your abilities, your experience, and your common sense. You’ve done this before, and for years. You’ve persevered and have proven your worth to the only person who matters – you.

Do not second guess yourself. Trust your instincts and trust your abilities. And trust yourself.

Persevere – nothing can stop you from writing.

David

Simple tips on succeeding as a service-based freelancer

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

Welcome to the second Monday in April. We’ve had some nice weather lately. I scheduled an appointment to get a vaccination. The Toronto Maple Leafs are winning games. I expect some level of pain at the end of all of these events.

Random quote: How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.

I hope you enjoy this week’s edition of The Editor’s Desk.

How to succeed as a service-based freelancer

Success means different things to different people. Every freelancer – including writers – uses different criteria to determine when they have “made it” or when they can tell themselves they are doing well. I’ve put together a few strategies on being more successful as a freelance writer, as well as anyone who provides a service.

• Offer what someone asks to pay you for – if you’re good at something, and someone will pay you to do that thing, then pitch your services for money
• Choose a market to serve – become the best (or as good as you can be) at it
• Create your own category – make your own niche
• Forget about your ideas – leverage your assets
• Turn competitors into collaborators – work with other freelancers to improve both your businesses
• When you’re selling a service, you’re selling yourself – you are the product
• Keep getting better at what you do – learn, study, practice, refine
• Turn your clients’ problems into your problems – focus on your clients’ issues, understand them, and become an expert in solving them, which will make you better at what you do
• When marketing, learn to optimize your conversations
• Drive results for your clients – market their services and offerings
• Be easy to refer – be very visible and collect social proof
• Frame your services so that clients know what they are getting
• Remove referral friction – ask for referrals when you complete a project
• Ask for the sale and set a time limit – create a sense of urgency and be direct
• Know your WHY – your reason will drive your business and your marketing

For more advice on the topic, check out these blog posts:

• Follow these daily habits to help your freelance writing business to succeed
• Change your mindset to succeed as a freelance professional
• How to succeed as a freelance writer

More from The Editor’s Desk

Here are a few articles and blog posts I found worth sharing.

1. Spellcheck and your eyes alone don’t always cut it. You should hire an editor (like me). But if you don’t want to, check out Grammar checkers and editing tools from The Write Life to get a little techno help with editing your work.
   
2. Whether you’re a newbie freelance writer or have years of experience, you’ll benefit from having someone spell out how to make money writing articles. Check out Getting paid to write articles from Make a Living Writing for a comprehensive series of steps on making more money as a freelance writer.
   
3. Pictures are occasionally better than words, but pictures with words are even better. If you want to write more high-performing articles, then check out The content creation process in a flowchart from Orbit Media. Follow the boxes and lines – so nice.
   
4. We all want to write faster to be more productive and to hit those deadlines. Check out How to write faster from SmartBlogger for a few strategies on increasing your writing speed.
   
5. Great writing – and great art – comes from removing what does not belong, as well as including what needs to be there. Check out What to leave out and what to leave in from Austin Kleon for a lesson on addition and subtraction.
   
6. When clients don’t come to you, it’s time to go out and find clients. Check out Creative places to look for new clients from Robyn Roste for a few ideas on how to add a few clients to your freelance roster.
   
7. Marketing is an essential part of getting more clients for your business but many people don’t know how to do it or are not comfortable with it. Check out How to market yourself without marketing yourself from For the Interested for some ideas on how to improve your marketing efforts.
8. I’ve read that writing blog posts on other people’s blogs is a good way to get more attention for yourself and your blog. If that’s something you want to do, check out Step-by-step guide to guest blogging from Content Marketing Institute for an easy-to-follow process.
9. If you’ve written for agencies in the past, you’ve probably read a few briefs that were way too brief. Check out The ABCs of a great content brief from Content Folks; maybe you can pass the pointers on to some clients.
10. I’m a generalist when it comes to writing, although I do write within a couple of niches. Finding the right niche can help writers be more productive and grow their business. Check out A process for finding your niche from Ungated for some ideas on how to find your niche.

---

Thanks for reading. If you liked what I wrote or think someone else would enjoy it, then please share it. And if you want to reach out, my email is contact@davidgargaro.com. 

David

Seven keys to being a successful freelance writer

Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

I’ve had a few one on one conversations with younger people looking to get into freelancing. Some of them are not happy with their current full-time job, but they’re afraid of giving up the “guaranteed” income of a job. We all know that nothing is guaranteed, but I get it. I came from a world where you were told that the goal should be to get into a good company and stay there until you retire. However, I fell into freelancing and have been doing it – almost consistently for more than 20 years.

I came across some great advice on what freelance writers (and others) need to succeed in this world, where there is no safety net or guarantee of work or income. 

1. You must love your craft. If you want to be a freelance writer, then you must love everything about writing. It cannot be just a job that makes you money, as your income depends on the amount of effort you put into it… and loving the writing helps to put the effort you need.
2. You need to have a service-based attitude. You want to do the best work for our clients and produce great material for your audience. You think of giving the reader what they want. (You can write for yourself, and should. But if you’re in business, you have to think about the client’s needs.)
3. You must have confidence in your abilities. The “impostor” syndrome is common in freelancers – you never think you’re good enough or have the skills to do the job. That’s why you must believe in your skills, have pride in your results… and be humble and thankful for your clients wanting to work with you.
4. Get training. You might have great natural ability, but it needs to be honed. And you need to learn what you don’t know to complement what you do know. Training will help you to understand the strategies and techniques needed to get a response from your writing. You can learn from others or learn on your own, whatever works best for you. 
5. You must develop discipline to get the work done – right and on time. Being answerable to yourself is difficult for some as distractions are everywhere. It’s easy to let things slide when deadlines are far off and no one is there to crack the whip. But letting things slide regularly will doom you in the long run.
6. Marketing is essential. You might be one of the “lucky” few who have clients banging down the door. But most freelancers must market their services regularly and search for clients. Marketing is more than necessary – it is part of your job, as are sales, customer service, accounting, billing, and so on. 
7. You need support from other people – for encouragement, for financial support, to help get leads and clients, for companionship, for someone to provide advice, and so on. Freelancing can be a solo business, but you are never alone. Find a community of people who do what you do so that you can get support when needed. And hire professionals to help when you cannot do something yourself.

I could add more strategies on being a successful freelancer, but these will do the job. Follow them, and create a path that works for you, and you’ll get there.

If you need advice on freelancing, let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com. 

David

Follow these daily habits to help your freelance writing business to succeed

Photo by Jens Johnsson on Pexels.com

Many businesses use systems and repetitive processes to support their success. Repeatable processes are efficient and make it easier to run and grow a business. Similarly, successful people have daily habits that allow them to achieve more and succeed in what they do.

Everyone has different habits that work for them. Consider applying the following habits to help make your make your business a success.

1. Continuously define success for yourself. What does success mean to you – making $100,000 per year, selling X units per month, being able to sit on a beach twice a year? Establish metrics so that you can measure and define your success, and then compare your results against those metrics.
2. Always continue learning. Improve your skills and knowledge through courses, articles, books, webinars, etc., both inside and outside your industry.
3. Keep your eyes and ears open for popular ideas and trends, as well as what is going on behind the scenes. Don’t go after every new idea – focus on one or two and be the trend setter in that area.
4. Be persistent. Don’t stop trying when you hear “No.” Each “No” is one step closer to the next “Yes.” Also, don’t just go for what is easy. Difficult paths have less competition.
5. Be generous. The more you give (such as referrals), the more you get. Giving leads to healthy relationships.
6. Use new technology to automate processes, attract new clients and provide better customer service. You don’t have to spend a lot on technology to achieve significant returns.
7. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take your work seriously. Treat your business like a business, but relax your view of yourself.
8. Prioritize your customers’ needs over your own. Focus on what they need as a solution rather than what you want to sell.
9. Create a list of tasks to do on a specific day, organized by priority. Accomplish those goals. Every little win is a move forward.

What do you think of these habits? What habits do you have that help you succeed? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David Gargaro

Following the map to success as a freelance writer

Photo by slon_dot_pics on Pexels.com

Some time ago, I attended a webinar on creating a road map to increasing success as a freelance writer. The speaker provided a lot of great tips on what you need to do to improve your freelance writing business. I’ve summarized some of the tips here. Put these ideas together to give yourself a better chance at being successful as a freelance writer (other creatives can apply these strategies to their business).

1. Wake up! Understand that a business takes effort. As a self-employed professional, you must realize that you are running a business, so treat it that way. Some people fool themselves that freelancing is easier than it is because there are low barriers to entry and a lot of potential markets. It’s not easy – finding work takes a lot of work.
2. You need several key ingredients to be successful in your business. They include focus and commitment to putting all your effort into your business, belief in yourself, and determination to study your craft, prospect constantly and push through all obstacles.
3. Prospecting is a full-time job. You must do it every day. Spend time on finding new clients, even to the point that you should not waste time on other parts of your business (to a degree).
4. Use small wins to motivate yourself. Focus on the quick wins – writing a blog post, contacting a new client, responding to a client request – to motivate yourself in moving forward in your business.
5. Smart positioning is key. Know what you do, who you serve, how you are different, and what that difference matters to prospects and clients.
6. Tap your network. Reach clients through people you already know, and the people that they know. Go through your LinkedIn contacts, and see who they know that you can connect with.
7. Take massive action. Double the action you think it will take to get business every day. If you think that you need to contact one new client per week, and it takes 10 emails / calls to get one new client, then reach out to 20 prospects per week.
8. Develop a support system. Get support from other successful writers for ideas and advice. Join a peer group of professionals that are facing the same challenges. Get an accountability partner to help keep you on track. Hire / find a coach / mentor to show you the fast track to success.

What suggestions do you have for creating a road map to success? Do you need help with becoming more successful as a freelancer? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David Gargaro

Change your mindset to succeed as a freelance professional

Photo by Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com

If you’re a freelancer or self-employed, then you know it can be a constant battle to keep your income flowing. To do so, you have to adopt the right mindset. Here are 10 tips on creating that mindset and making sure that you and your income stream remain positive.

1. Pay attention to your thoughts, particularly when they become negative. Don’t let yourself get roped into the chatter in your head. Find a way to stop negative thinking before it overwhelms you. A simple reminder – like a rubber band on your wrist (ouch) – will bring you back around.
2. Be grateful for what is going well. Focus on the good by writing about those moments and wins in a daily journal. Positive talk / writing builds on itself.
3. Hang out with people who are positive and abundant. Surround yourself with positive and successful people. Even talking or emailing them regularly will help.
4. Give something away from time to time – money, time, talent, etc. Do things for other people, and it will come back to you.
5. Look at some of your base beliefs. Think about how you were taught about money as a child, and work to make yourself better in those areas that are bringing you down or negatively affecting you.
6. Look at a loss as an opportunity. A lost job means that you have time for something new, such as focusing on better clients.
7. Stop being the victim. Don’t keep blaming others – the economy, clients, etc. You attract work and clients, so keep looking for opportunities. Take responsibility for your success and failure.
8. Stop worrying about money. Do what you enjoy doing first, and pursue what you want to do. Money well come. To help clear your mind, do something else other than work – meditate, read, write, go for a walk, be kind to yourself.
9. Do the internal work to improve. Take positive action to get better at what you do. Work with a mentor who can guide you and give you a different viewpoint.
10. Most importantly, love what you do and believe in yourself.

These are all simple yet effective ways to change your approach to making more money as a freelancer. Adjust your way of thinking and things will change.

Bonus tip: This is a must do. Work on finding new clients – using whatever works for you – EVERY DAY. Finding work is a full-time job. Even when you are busy. No, especially when you are busy. Then you can turn down work when there is too much work. And you can drop troublesome or low-paying clients. All you need is a few minutes per day to do one thing – email potential or past clients, respond to ads, send a letter, write a blog post, answer questions on LinkedIn, etc.

Did you like those tips? Do you have any to share? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David Gargaro

How to succeed as a freelance writer

Photo by Gerd Altmann on Pexels.com

Some time ago, I read 279 Days to Overnight Success by Chris Guillebeau. The book describes (among other things) how he became a full-time writer, his world-dominating strategy for building his brand, avoiding people who want you to fail, getting traffic without viral marketing, and more. The book is ideal for writers, bloggers, and other creative artists who want to expand their influence through social media. Chris Guillebeau has a lot to offer on his website, so make sure that you check it out (I am not an affiliate and have no financial stake in his website).

To follow is what I learned about succeeding as a freelance writer from the book.

Create a compelling strategy and be remarkable

Find your personal story – one that you have to tell. It will not be compelling to everyone, and that is OK. Telling your story will allow you to find your audience. Also create flagship content – this is your compelling story and the benefits to your followers. [Make sure to read A Brief Guide to World Domination.]

Answer “Reason why to follow/hire you” and “What’s in it for me?” questions

You must be able to answer these questions to attract and retain your audience. You must also keep answering these questions to give your audience a reason to stay.

Prioritize writing and marketing over everything else

Schedule time to write and market every day / week. Scheduling time is your motivation to write and market. Follow these two tactics: A. Write a minimum number of words per day (1000) to reinforce the habit and motivation. B. Take five marketing actions per day – Twitter posts/connections, reaching out to experts, scheduling a product launch). To help you do this, focus on spending time creating by yourself and thinking about the people who will be consuming what you create.

Be bigger than you really are

Act like you have more clients and a bigger audience, and that you are a bigger deal than you are. Be the authority in your field. Only you have your specific skills, knowledge and experience. Also, do not write to your whole audience – speak to a few people that you want to reach. To get bigger, get your site and materials reviewed by professionals / bloggers in your field, and get media coverage / reviews of your site / products.

Build long-lasting relationships

Spend time every day building and maintaining online and offline relationships – Twitter, LinkedIn, email, networking, phone calls, etc. Contact people that you read and respect (writers, editors, bloggers) and let them know that you enjoy and respect what they are doing. Develop a real relationship before ever asking them for anything.

Tell the world about what you do

Once you’ve developed good design and you have enough content, tell the world about your site / product. Send emails to everyone you know, and ask for feedback. Make sure to write great content and deliver great value – do not launch or promote your site before you are ready.

Respect your followers

Give your followers the best you have to offer. Don’t send them to other sites via clickthrough ads, as you have no control over where they are going. Answer every email from your followers. Ask them for feedback on what content they want to read. Read their questions and create content that answers those questions. Ask them why they visit your site and how you can best help them.

Do what you love

Your goal should be to do something you love and enjoy, and that will also help you to earn a living. Do something that you like that people will pay you to do. What you do should also help your audience in some way – by entertaining, educating or inspiring them.

Chris Guillebeau has a lot more to say in 279 Days to Overnight Success – I took a lot of notes, and shared what I thought was most relevant here. Make sure to give it a read.

I plan to write more summaries of eBooks I’ve downloaded over the years. I have a lot of them to read and share. If there are any eBooks that you’d like me to read and summarize for you here, or give my thoughts on, let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David Gargaro

Eight principles of business success

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

I came across some notes from a seminar I attended a few years ago on the principles of business success. This is still useful information, so I hope you take something out of it.

Eight principles of business success

1. Find your higher purpose – do what you’re passionate about, have passion for your work, and you will have a great impact on your clients’ success.
2. Wear your visionary hat – the technician’s hat is about ability, while your visionary hat helps you to identify your business future and success.
3. Wear your systems hat – create systems to help you be more efficient, delegate duties that take time away from you using your talent to get business.
4. Show up as a leader – be proactive and authentic in all of your activities and interactions.
5. Develop a marketing plan – know your ideal clients, know their problems, know what you do, identify opportunities, identify your uniqueness, develop plans to address the market.
6. Maintain your #1 asset (YOU) – take time to do what you enjoy, rejuvenate when you can, maintain your health and sanity.
7. Feed your soul – focus on the positive, find positive moments and avoid the negative ones.
8. Big issues matter – do the most important things first, take care of the rest as it is warranted.

What principles do you follow to help you achieve business success? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David Gargaro

The nine principles of business success for freelance writers

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

I was organizing some notes from past seminars and came across a presentation called “Principles of Business Success” by Rosanne Carcasole. These nine principles can apply to freelance writers as well.

1. Find your higher purpose: Determine your passion, how you will impact your clients.
2. Wear your visionary hat: Look into your business future, determine your level of success.
3. Wear your systems hat: Create systems to make work more efficient, delegate, use your talent to get business.
4. Show up as a leader: Be proactive, be authentic.
5. Create a marketing plan: Know your ideal clients, know their problems, know what you do, determine your opportunities, identify your uniqueness, plan to address the market.
6. Maintain your #1 asset – you: Find time to do what you enjoy, rejuvenate so that you can maintain your business.
7. Feed your good dog: Focus on the positive, find upsides, avoid negatives.
8. Rocks first (based on the story of rocks, pebbles, and sand in a vase): Do the most important things first (rocks), then do what matters next (pebbles), and then do everything else (sand).
9. Change takes structure and support: This is the last step after examining the other eight elements.

Understanding and applying these principles can be very helpful in moving your business forward. However, what I gathered, and what I recall from the presentation, is that you will achieve more by focusing on one small goal or task at a time, and completing that goal or task, so that you can see immediate, positive results. A number of small steps will take you farther than you can imagine.

What are your principles for business success? Let me know – contact @ davidgargaro.com.

David