How Can You Strat As Freelancer Writer Tips And Guide

How to Start Out As a Freelance Writer Online: 4 Ways to Find Clients and Build Your Business
By Ashly Lorenzana
Before we get into anything else, you will need to ask yourself one very important question: "can you write well?" This may seem like a silly question, but take it seriously. The number of freelance writing professionals who are working on the web today is incredible, which means that your competition will be fierce. The truth is, the internet is full of talented writers who put a great deal of time and effort into finding online work and locking their customers into a long-term relationship with them.
Of course, the good news is that there is no shortage of people who need the services offered by a freelance writer. As you may have already figured, the majority of these prospective clients will be business owners, oftentimes managing their company online. Some of these businesses will be 100% e-commerce sites, while others will have a website presence for their brick and mortar store or headquarters.
Some of the most common types of writing needed by such clients include:

• Press Releases (Company Merger, acquisition, significant employee promotion, new representative, change in administration, charitable contributions and activities, event announcement, public relations notices, reputation management, new product or service, recent statistical info/presentation, relevant industry news, launch of website, new feature to existing product, etc).
• Articles (SEO articles, blog posts, paid membership content, etc.)
• Copywriting (Squeeze page, company profile, web content, sales copy, product descriptions, etc.)

But knowing all of these things does not help you find the clients who need your freelance writing services. You're probably wondering how in the world you find these people when you are just starting out and have no testimonials, portfolios or connections?
Here are 4 effective tips for writers who find themselves needing clients:

1. Social Media Reach - Even if you are just beginning and do not know anyone in the online realm that may be useful for finding clients, you need to start by creating profiles on Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook may also be helpful for some, but the other two are much more important, particularly LinkedIn. You may not think that these sites will offer little help when you start out with nothing, but a better approach may be "the sooner you start, the sooner you will enjoy the benefits of social media." Building a loyal following on Twitter does take time and patience, as well as tweets worth reading on a regular basis. Do your research and find the best approach for you when it comes to content and frequency. When you sign up for LinkedIn, use the email feature to search for anyone you know that is already on the site. You may be surprised to see more of your contacts than you had expected show up in the results. If appropriate, add them! The site is all about networking, and by adding those you know (even if they are in an unrelated field) will give you a great start at building a network of valuable connections. Write recommendations, ask for them when appropriate, completely fill out your professional profile, join some groups, connect your Twitter account, and search for new connections in your extended network that work in related areas of interest. When you find them, request an introduction from one of your connections. This can be a great way to meet new people who do the same type of work and gives both of you an opportunity to help each other.


2. Use Online Classified Ads - Online classified ads sites like Craigslist offer two excellent ways of finding new clients. The first is the most obvious and probably the most effective: browse the posts in the writing jobs section and respond to those you are qualified for or have experience in. The second is to post an ad for your services, though this usually costs money. Whenever using Craigslist, beware of scams because there are tons of them in the writing jobs (and throughout the site) and you should never automatically trust anyone who promises to pay you after you complete a writing gig for them. Find out as much as you can about who they are and what website or business they are working for or running. The biggest challenge you face using a site like CL is that they are designed to connect local people, which isn't really what you'd be looking for as a web writer. My suggestion for dealing with that is to choose a small handful of major cities that are likely to have a good number of businesses which would need freelance writing services and visit the writing jobs section of each, then perform a blank search on each city's page and be sure to check the box under the search that says 'telecommute.' This will ensure that only remote jobs are shown in search results. After doing this, scroll to the bottom of the page and grab the RSS feed. Once you've done this for all cities, add each of the feeds to your Google Reader or other RSS reader application. Then, all you have to do is check your feed reader frequently throughout the day in order to stay updated on the newest job opportunities being posted on Craigslist.


3. Get a Website - This is more important than you might think. You may not think that you don't even need a website, but it's a really good idea and will bring in way more serious clients than if you leave this out of your business plan. Obviously there are tons of different options when it comes to setting up a website for your writing services, but my recommendations are that you purchase a domain through GoDaddy first and then consider your setup options. You may be able to use a blog as a substitute for a website, particularly since you are a totally virtual service provider and may not really need an official website to go with your blog. Or you can sort of mix the two together into your own creation. What really matters here is that you have an established, professional online presence that represents you and the services you offer. Over time, you will add your work experience to the site in the form of a portfolio or client testimonials. These elements will help to earn you a good reputation and build your brand. To start out, just make sure you have a landing page that welcomes visitors, an RSS feed and an email newsletter, a rates and services page, blog, some SEO optimized articles that are relevant to the writing services you offer, your contact information and maybe a writing sample or two. This will give you a place to send your prospective clients or anyone interested in your services, so make it shine. People considering you for their writing needs will trust you more than a remote writer who does not have any website or online presence, trust me. It understandably legitimizes you as a business person, and others will take you far more seriously. If you're not savvy with HTML, CSS, or CMS like Wordpress or Blogger, try creating a free website using Google Sites. The wiki-style interface may be perfect for what you are trying to achieve.


4. Offer Your Services For Free - This is the best way to attract new clients, in my opinion. In my experience, it has proven to be most effective and I highly recommend it, which is why I have saved it for the last tip. Obviously I am not suggesting that you don't charge for your writing services, since that is not the goal here. The approach which has worked best for me is to offer first time clients one free article (with a word limit of 500). This is a great idea for two main reasons, both of which are quite important to both you and the client. For you, it requires very little time to write 500 words and the effort required is worth getting a new and loyal client, which you may not have otherwise acquired. I always had fun doing these short articles. The benefits for the client are not difficult to figure out either. First, it's 100% free. There is no risk for them to take a chance on you. If they hate your writing, they can throw it out and never contact you again. Hopefully that doesn't happen. Ideally, the 500 words you send back to them will provide them an actual demonstration of your writing abilities. This is your chance to really impress them, so put some effort into it! Be sure that the article is unique and original content that will pass Copyscape. Always run a spell check and read through what you have written before you send it. Also, the article is valuable to the client since you are giving them a piece of fresh SEO-optimized content for their website, which is the whole reason why they need your services to begin with. Once you have shown them that you can help them with their needs and do a good job of it, they will probably always return to you for future writing projects and a free demo usually makes them more than happy to pay the rates you charge every time you do business with one another. Offer a free article by tweeting it to your followers, and you will be surprised by how many responses you get, since free is a price few will pass up!

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Ashly Lorenzana is a freelance writer who specializes in web content and press release writing for small to medium-sized businesses. She has worked with a long list of clients online, as well as several reputable internet marketing companies. She has extensive experience with editing, proofreading, copywriting, article writing and engaging "calls to action" for online brand campaigns. Her website Article Marketplace features her services at bargain rates for professionals on a budget! Visit the site now and get your first article or article rewrite for FREE (up to 500 words)!
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