Now, I won’t pretend to know it all when it comes to landing freelance writing work. After all, my first gig was one that the client approached me about, rather than the other way around. In fact, some of my more successful long-term client relationships have been that sort: people who sought me out because they believed I could meet their needs.
Still, you can’t build a business by expecting people to show up on your doorstep. I’ve said before that opportunities aren’t made, they’re painstakingly crafted. To be successful, you’ve got to get out there and make some sales.
Freelance bidding sites
You know these sites. Elance, Guru, Scriptlance and so on. These sites offer a place for clients to post a project and freelancers to bid on those projects. I’ve had some success over time with this kind of activity, and my work on these sites has led to at least a couple of long-term clients.
I could (and probably will, one day) write a series on these sites. There are so many different elements that it’s hard to know where to begin. Rather than trying to do that here, let me just offer four of the most important things I’ve learned about bidding sites:
- Ignore the abysmally low bids. Just because someone else is working for $2 an article doesn’t mean you have to. It just means you have to demonstrate added value to get those higher rates.
- Customize every bid. Yes, it takes time. But you really need to engage the potential client if you’re going to capture her interest. Speak directly to her needs, both written and unwritten, in your bids.
- Showcase your best work, and plenty of it. Include links to your freelance writing portfolio, and attach a relevant sample to your bid. In my case, a link to this blog increases sales by a significant factor.
- There are plenty of different styles of work at these sites, from copywriting to SEO articles to blogging. Pick one and focus on it to maximize your success.
Freelance job sites
There are a number of these out there, but many of them have the same info every day. Two of the ones I check regularly are John Hewitt’s PoeWar and Deb and Jodee at Freelance Writing Jobs. These sites have plenty of potential, but they’re also more competitive. Whereas you might find a dozen gigs a day with eight or ten competitors at Elance, you’re going to find 20 gigs a day with 200 or 300 competitors at these sites.
Beyond that, though, these sites offer a different type of work that what you’ll find at the bidding sites. Here you’ll find a higher concentration of blogging gigs, for example. You’ll also find more long-term assignments and actual “jobs,” if that’s the thing you’re looking for.
Cold calls
I’ve done cold calling, to be sure. If there’s a niche that you’re an expert in, or perhaps have a special knowledge of, it’s all right to contact webmasters of those sites and offer your services. Your rate of success with cold calls is going to be lower than it is with the other methods, but it’s something to try. You may find that you have a knack for this type of sales (I don’t) and make a killing.
Networking
If bidding sites have provided me with some of my long-term clients, networking has provided me with the rest. Whether it’s using social media to connect with other freelancer writers who are looking to outsource, or whether it’s a client’s recommendation to a colleague, word of mouth is still one of the best ways to land clients.
Networking is a bit tricky, though. You can spend all day networking and never land a client. You can network with someone in your field just for fun and wind up forming a long-term partnership. For me, it’s hard to know early on what kind of fruit networking will bear. While you can’t rely solely on networking to get you writing gigs, don’t count it out altogether.
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So, what about you? Where do you find your freelance writing clients?
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Introduction
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Education
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Honing Your Craft
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Planning
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Building Your Portfolio
How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business: Finding Work
11 comments ↓
LOVE this series of posts. I’m saving them as bookmarks to reread later. Trying to start my own TINY biz.
Craigs last blog post..Going Brown
I had always wondered whether those bidding sites were worth it or not. The ones I was looking at recently are eHow and suite101, but I suspect they don’t pay very well in the long run. I think I’ll go check out elance, on your recommendation.
Thanks for these helpful posts!
Erin Mahers last blog post..The Rat-Race Sucks; Be Wealthy Now
Thanks for the insights into the bidding sites. So far my experiences with them has been dismal. I’ve been scammed for “sample” articles and frustrated by a bidding process that demands way too much of my valuable time for a few measly dollars.
I’ll tell you what worked for me: Textbroker.
There’s no bidding and there is a wide variety of topics. I spent about three weeks writing the little 200 – 500 word articles. I didn’t make a ton of money but what happened was that several of the clients that I wrote small things for requested I do larger projects for them. Some of these projects have paid very well. By the way, I don’t get paid for any endorsements for Textbroker, it’s just that they’ve treated me well and I like the service and format.
Cheers!
George
Tumblemooses last blog post..Writing contests from Random House and others
Thanks for the insights into the bidding sites. So far my experiences with them has been dismal. I’ve been scammed for “sample” articles and frustrated by a bidding process that demands way too much of my valuable time for a few measly dollars.
I’ll tell you what worked for me: Textbroker.
There’s no bidding and there is a wide variety of topics. I spent about three weeks writing the little 200 – 500 word articles. I didn’t make a ton of money but what happened was that several of the clients that I wrote small things for requested I do larger projects for them. Some of these projects have paid very well. By the way, I don’t get paid for any endorsements for Textbroker, it’s just that they’ve treated me well and I like the service and format.
Cheers!
George
Hey there. This is a nice article about starting your online freelance writing business. I just put together a list of List of Sites for Freelance Writers to find work and I thought that your users would find it useful. Thanks.
Rachel
AllFreelance.com
Rachels last blog post..Freelance Writing Jobs & Job Sites for Freelance Writers : Contract Projects for Writers & Journalists
Like Always Great Work!!!!!
I’ve also never had much luck with the bidding sites but I think your tips make sense for making those sites work for you.
The most success I’ve had has been looking under writing gigs and writing jobs in the various major cities on Craigs List.
And along the lines of networking, I always make sure to hand out business cards everywhere I go because you just never know who is going to need a writer.
Finally, having a great website with a portfolio of your work and consistently linking to it from blogs and articles on sites like HubPages and Squidoo can make clients see your stuff and come to you.
Kathryns last blog post..What is Success?
I know you mentioned a couple of good sites out there, but I wanted to share my experience with oDesk.com. It was a bit daunting to set up my account, but once I did and I got my first job, the work has been rolling in. To the point that I’ve had to actually turn stuff down. Plus, there are no fees associated with signing up or applying for jobs, which was a huge bonus for me.
[...] The Writing Journey – this is another website that is helpful for writers at all levels and in all different genres. The last few posts have been a series on starting a freelance [...]
Practical advice, and immediately useful. Thanks! I’ve stumbled it.
kk
Kristen Kings last blog post..Recommended Reading: Blogs and Business
[...] freelancing bidding sites. Sure there are some downsides to bidding sites, but follow some best practices and they could pay off for [...]
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