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Freelancing is a seat-of-the pants operation. You can buy a dozen ebooks and attend every freelance seminar that comes along. But in the end, you have to figure out how to make it work for you.
And you’re going to make mistakes. Lots of mistakes.
Fortunately, most of those mistakes are little ones, such as buying the wrong printer or under-pricing a project.
But there’s one mistake you don’t want to make, because it’s a doozy. In fact, it can be a freelance career killer. Yes, you can recover from it if you discover it soon enough. But it’s better to avoid it altogether because of the misery it brings.
What is this deadly freelance mistake? It’s all about how you answer a simple question: As a freelance copywriter, do you sell a product or sell a service?
The wrong answer will lead you down a difficult career path. It will get you involved with the wrong clients, create the wrong kind of reputation, destroy your self-confidence, and crush your paycheck.
11 insider secrets for becoming a freelance pro
Most writers are trained to think in terms of putting in 40 hours a week and taking home a paycheck. But to succeed as a freelance copywriter, you must make a shift from the paycheck mentality to the professional mentality.
There’s a lot of information out there about freelancing, but not all of it is helpful for making a living as a freelance copywriter. Here are 11 “insider” secrets I’ve found that make the difference between the freelance hobbyist and the freelance professional.
1. Think like a professional. Whether you want to earn a little extra income on the side or go full-blown freelance, you should consider yourself in the same class as all other professionals, worthy of the same respect and income.
2. Ignore most of the advice from the freelance “industry.” Many magazines, books, and online sources give bad advice for those wanting to make money at freelancing. You must carefully weigh the advice you get, choosing to follow only what you know will further your business interests.
How I gave my freelance website a profitable makeover
Freelance Websites — Part 5
You’ve heard the saying about the cobbler having holes in his shoes, right? Likewise, business people are often the last to take their own marketing advice. And I’m as guilty as they come.
A few years ago, I dumped my dorky old website and created a new site from scratch. Yes, I did it all myself. I wanted to learn HTML and other Web stuff because I knew this would become more important in my line of work.
So I bought a book on HTML, sketched ideas for my site, created graphics, took photos, did a little Photoshop magic, and cranked out a new site. It was light-years ahead of my previous site and began generating business right away.
I found that it did its job so well, I no longer had to send out samples or answer a lot of questions when potential clients called me. They were pre-sold and ready to do business.
What a successful freelance website looks like
Freelance Websites — Part 4
A website is a reflection of the person who created it.
When you see a disorganized site, you can infer that the owner is disorganized. When you see a site that is loaded with useful, relevant, information, you can infer that the owner is concerned about the needs of clients.
For many people, the Web has become their face to the world. It is far more expressive and revealing than anyone could have imagined when it was being created years ago in a university as a way to share academic information.
Back then, it didn’t matter what you posted. Only a select group would see it. But about 15 years ago, when people began commercializing the Web and opening it up to the general public, everything changed.
What you post now can be seen by millions all over the world. You can get more exposure on a website than you can appearing on the evening news.
8 website elements that generate freelance business
Freelance Websites — Part 3
Different freelancers take different approaches to creating websites.
One will produce a huge site crammed with information, such as articles and checklists. Another will include lots of interactivity, such as polls or a blog. Another will want a site highlighting vast experience, showing impressive samples and results.
The diversity is good. Your site should fit your own specialty, personality, and the expectations of your prospective clients.
But the common thread running through all freelance sites is that they are (or should be) geared for generating work for your professional freelance practice. However, thinking “business” is usually the hardest part of freelancing for most people.
Are you making these 7 freelance website mistakes?
Freelance Websites — Part 2
We are in the middle of a publishing and communications revolution. There has never been a time when it was easier or cheaper to put your message in front of a large audience.
Add to this the connectivity and search capabilities provided by the Internet, and the possibilities for generating business for your freelance practice are staggering.
In a desk drawer, I have what remains of a box of floppy disks I purchased about 15 years ago. I have no use for them now, but they were vital back then. As a freelance copywriter, it was the only way for me to send digital files to clients. I would save a file to the disk, put the disk in an envelope, and mail it. Two or three days later, the client would receive the disk.
My fax machine and phone were a lot more important then too. I would fax documents daily during a project. And communicating with a client meant calling their office (this was before cell phones were nearly universal) and usually leaving a message on a “machine” if the line wasn’t busy (this was also before voice mail was popular).
9 business-boosting benefits of a freelance website
Freelance Websites — Part 1
In the mid 1990s, I logged into my CompuServe account (remember CompuServe?) and created my very first website. It was a big deal, because the World Wide Web was fairly new to people at the time and I was probably one of just a handful of freelancers who had a site.
Of course, it was a complete waste of time, since few potential clients accessed the Web back then. It was cool to have a site, but not particularly useful. I don’t remember a single client who called me because of it.
Today, that’s all changed. Just about everyone has a website. Saying you don’t have a site is like saying you don’t have a phone or indoor plumbing.
But just because nearly every freelancer has a site doesn’t mean that every freelancer’s site is successful. Many have one for no other reason than everyone else has one. It’s often more a matter of not wanting to explain why they don’t have a site rather than finding ways to use the site to build their business.
This is the first of a series of articles on websites for freelancers. I want to discuss the benefits of having a site from a business perspective, what freelancers often do wrong when creating a site, and what elements you should include to make your site a business generator.
Is it time to go freelance?
You’ve dreamed about. You’ve read about how others have done it. And now you’re feeling the itch to try it for yourself.
It’s time to go freelance! Or is it?
For me and many other professionals, there’s simply no better way to make a living and have a life than to set up shop as a freelancer. But making the transition can be a little tricky.
There’s a right time and a wrong time. If you quit at the wrong time for the wrong reasons, you’re likely to find yourself in a stressful and financially difficult situation. But if you quit at the right time and for the right reasons, you’re on your way to a rewarding career. Read more
8 time-eating freelance client species to avoid
After a few years of freelancing experience, you will develop a sixth sense about the people who approach you with freelance work. Within about five minutes of meeting someone or picking up the phone, you’ll be able to tell if they’re worth your time or wasting your time.
However, this skill is hard-won. While I’ve tried from the beginning to be careful, I’ve been bamboozled a few times. Nothing serious in the way of money, but time lost cannot be regained.
To help save you time and aggravation, I’d like to introduce you to the eight dominant species of freelance Time Eaters. These are some of the ne’er-do-wells who lie in wait in the dark and menacing freelance jungle to feed on your valuable time.
7 freelance tricks to get new clients fast
Freelancing is a great option for many copywriters. I went this way years ago and I’ve never regretted it.
Good money. Control over working hours. Choice of work. No suits or ties. (I’m more of a jeans and untucked shirt kind of guy.) I simply can’t imagine re-entering the rat race to earn a living.
But there is one little problem: You must have clients to keep your freelance business running. And whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been around the block a few times, every freelancer has to spend a little time being the rainmaker.
Does that mean you have to turn into a hardball sales person. No. Most copywriters aren’t good at that. And it’s not necessary. All you need are a few tricks of the trade to find new clients and get those projects rolling in again.
