To do well in the online freelance writing business, you need more than just good writing skills. This is why many writers today don’t find freelance writing to be a good way to make money, even though it’s becoming more popular.
So, what are some other skills that freelance writers should have to be successful in the online industry? Here are 10 things that freelance writers should do right now.
Make use of the Internet. Before more than 20 years, writers only had to deal with the big change from typewriters to computers. Technology makes things harder than they used to be. It’s no longer enough to know how to use a computer; you also need to know how to do research and writing on the internet. You should know how to use a number of popular search engines because these sites will give you links to useful sources when you are doing research. You should also learn how to use reputable websites that have dictionaries, grammar guides, and other useful information.
Use only references that you can trust. Since the number of websites has grown so quickly, the number of sources that can’t be trusted has also grown. So, it’s important to know how to find trustworthy sites, authors, and even businesses online, especially when you’re looking for information about science and history. The best places to find this kind of information are websites run by government agencies, well-known research centers, reputable online newspapers or magazines, and other websites that use the same kinds of well-known services.
Be on the same level as your rivals. – The only thing that makes online writers different from other writers in the industry is that they know how to write online today. So, if you’re serious about writing online, you should learn to keep up with your rivals. Your competitors already know how to write in different ways that clients like. Use of SEO and LSI keywords are two examples of these kinds of strategies. If you know these tips, you can improve your writing career or even get ahead of other writers.
Know when to tell someone NO. You won’t be right for every writing job. There will always be a lot of jobs that look good, but if you know you will fail at them, you should say no for now and learn how to do them. So if you ever have to do a job like this again, you already know what to do.
Be real. – Nothing is more appealing to an employer than a worker who can be trusted and is honest. Employers and writers build relationships based on trust, but honesty is the only way to keep working together. So, you should never pretend to be someone you’re not, even if you’re new, and you should never lie about where you’re from. Always rely on trust and honesty, because they pay off even more than you expect.
Join sites where you can find work. There are many sites for freelance writers that offer projects or jobs from independent people or groups for a small fee. Find these sites and join them, especially if you are just starting out as an online writer. Even if you don’t have any clients yet, these sites will help you get them.
Do business like a pro. Like online graphic designers and programmers, online writers sometimes work for clients who don’t pay for the work they do. There are even times when these employers are hard to get in touch with after a project is done. So, if you don’t want to end up in situations like this, you should be witty like businesspeople. Have at least one or two safety measures in place. One idea is to have your own blog or website, post all the articles you’ve written there, and make the employer pay you in full before you take them down from the site. The second is to have an online document folder that can be searched and where you can keep copies of the files safely until the employer pays the full amount of the service fees.
Keep it short and straightforward. Know how to get out of any writing job by keeping your articles short and easy to understand. There are many different types of people who shop online. So, if you want a lot of people to read your articles, make sure they don’t use a lot of big words, filler words, slang, or phrases that aren’t necessary. Also, make sure your short essays are between 400 and 600 words and your informative articles are between 500 and 1000 words. This will keep people from getting tired of or bored with your articles.
Market yourself. – The best way to be in demand is to sell like a professional writer, which means doing what you do best, which is writing. There are a lot of places on the Internet where you can post articles for free and let people post links to your website. Use these online publications to get your name out there. Write articles that your clients would be interested in. Use SEO or LSI strategies to make it easy for people to find your articles online. Use keywords like “freelance writer” or “freelance SEO” that are relevant to the job.
Write the best you can. Since you’re interested enough and patient enough to read this long article, it’s clear that you have one of the traits that great writers need. But it’s not just about passion and patience; knowledge and skill are also important. So, do the following three things: unlearn, learn, and relearn. Get rid of what you don’t need to know about writing. Learn what you don’t know and what you’ve already learned.
