People who write excellent articles and blogs may find themselves open to opportunities in the freelancing world. If you are interested in finding a client who will pay for something that you’ve written, there are plenty of them out there.
Here are the tips on how beginners can jumpstart their career in writing.
Ways to Get Clients
- Setup a Website
Start a website and fill it in with interesting content. This might serve as your portfolio if your future clients ask for your previous works. Show them how you can be of service to their company with a great webpage. Setting up a site is easy. Look for the data on how to create a webpage on the Internet or ask other freelancers having expertise in developing sites for help.
- Cold Pitch
Let the enterprises, companies, bloggers or small business owners know that you provide excellent content. It sounds scary at first, but by doing cold pitches, you’re letting people know that you can help them through useful copywriting techniques, and therefore, marketing their products and services. Introduce yourself, show what you do and explain how you can help them and land your first job in one day.
- Use Social Media
Social media has become a tool for many people to find clients. Post your written content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms. Put hashtags to gain more visibility. With the help of social media, you will also get acquainted with the networks of freelancers that can provide you with helpful tips and tricks. Since many writers spend their time on different forums and groups, you can gain valuable insights into the do’s and don’ts when you are new to the world of freelancing.
- Look for Freelance Websites
Online job platforms are specifically designed for people who want to work as a part- or full-time freelancers. Sites such as Upwork, SolidGigs, Fiverr, or Indeed.com let you set up a profile, build your reputation and get high-end clients over time. In fact, most freelancers get long-term 8-hour-a-day jobs through these. Their portfolio and positive feedbacks make other clients more interested in them.
- Ask Friends
A friend may have started freelancing, and you were encouraged by him/her. Ask this person for some extra work to jumpstart your career. The first tasks that you can do will let you build your own confidence in writing as you quickly learn about keywords, SEO, backlinks, proper grammar, uniqueness and the other requirements that most clients all over the world are looking for.
- Ask for Referrals and Network
If you find yourself lucky by landing your first client, you can continue your writing gigs if you ask them for referrals. If you know that you have done outstanding work, they can happily advise you to their friends and colleagues who need the kind of work that you do.
- Submit Blog Posts
Hundreds of magazines and publications look for writers who can work on blogs for daily posts. Guest posting is challenging but is well-paid. Free guest posts gig enhances your reputation and your portfolio. When you are still in the process of building your portfolio, do not look only for jobs that offer high price rates.
- LinkedIn Jobs
Job boards on LinkedIn are helpful if you look for some clients. Search for writing jobs and a lot will pop out. When you find the businesses that are searching for quality writers, invest the time to build a relationship with them.
- Writing Agencies
Agencies are great places to start your writing career. They might not pay well at first, but they can help in building your career over time. Small enterprises will look for clients on your behalf. They instruct newbies and support them during the entire working process.
When you take the plunge, practice, study and look for the ways on how you can be the writer that many clients look for. When you are writing for magazines or books, make your ideas graphical and paint images to your readers. Build a portfolio of your writing, as this will attract more clients. There are many ways to find jobs. You just have to be diligent when looking for them.
