Top 8 Tips to Succeed in Freelancing Career

Have you ever scrolled through and seen some freelance writers posting on social media with the line, 'You would like to work when you want, from all around the world? That's what I do.'

It's pretty common to see these ads, right? Well, you're not alone in thinking, 'Well, obviously!'

In 2018, Upwork reported that the number of U.S. freelancers exceeded the level that had been recorded in 2014 by 3.7 million. And—cue drum roll—59% of U.S. companies use freelancers or remote workers in some capacity.

The stats give a closer look and sure tell that freelance work is up high. So, being a writer, if at all you are willing to go remote or freelance, then, of course, you would always want to get into the domain and get started towards success.

Freelance writing is one career that offers flexibility and might give good returns for the time invested. Whether you are just thinking of making a leap to freelance writing from one job or the other, or maybe you want to increase the chances of your success, one fact seems to be glaringly clear: success takes more than just impeccable writing skills.

Here, you will learn the top eight most valuable recommendations that may help you open your potential in the fast-and-furious freelance writing market.

Below, we'll go over some tips for freelance writing that will help you to succeed in your freelancing career!

Freelance Writing Tips

1. Choose a Niche

Picking the right niche is very important for a freelancer. In this regard, a niche can be described as a specialized area of writing within which you can focus, most of the time characterized by a specific topic or industry or style. Zeroing on a niche can many times help you be perceived as an expert, command higher-paying clients, and weed out the competition. A person can be good in anything but can't expert in everything, so how you could be expert in all writing niches, i just want to make you realize that selecting a niche is important for your successful future!

So, how do you decide on the right niche for your freelance writing career?

First, find and assess your interests and expertise. Do you maybe have a background in health, technology, or education? A perfect match of the area of your interest with the area of your expertise given in the niche should be a fulfilling and long-lasting process.

Research the market to gauge demand before setting on a niche. High demand on sign-ups on job boards and freelance platforms, as well as industry publications, can show areas most consistently seeking contributors and indicate lucrative niches.

2. Practice Writing Regularly

Regular practice is really just the quintessence of being good at freelance writing. With writing, the more often you write, you end up honing your skills. Also, you tend to develop a flair that is characteristic of you. Having that said, following are a few nuggets of wisdom that will help writing find its place in your everyday schedule.

Here's a famous quote: "Practice makes a man perfect"

Set daily goals:

Here, you determine the actual number of words that you would want to write each day. This may be 100 or as high as 1000, depending on how busy you are each day. The consistency should not be in the volume but in writing.

Plan a Writing Schedule:

If you are not intrinsically a disciplined person, writing schedules can be your holy grail. Understand the most productive time of day; for some, it could be an early morning start, while others could be after sunset. Stick to that time to build a routine.

Utilize Writing Prompts:

If you feel that you do not have the content to write, then indeed writing prompts can help you out. It may be downloaded or taken from the book and mobile application. They work not to get writer's block and give creativity.

Keep a Journal:

Start a personal journal. It is optional, but one can write both about his day, thoughts, or feelings. After some time, such a diary will help a student to work on the development of his skills and will help to accrue a treasury of ideas.

Read Regularly:

A person who reads on a daily basis will improve his skills in writing because he will see various structures, vocabularies, and styles. "Try to read a variety of materials, including books, articles, and blogs, to broaden your perspective.

3. Learn How to Edit & Proofread

Editing is possibly the most crucial skill that any freelance writer can possess. It is about something more than just fixing up some typos and grammar mistakes; it's a process of shining up your ideas so that they look clearer and more engaging.

Here is where these basic editing tips and tools could come in handy for every freelance writer:

Take a Break:

After you are through with your writing process, take a break before beginning to edit. This will help you look at your work with fresh eyes and will, therefore, be very easy to notice mistakes and improvement of flow.

Read Algorithm for Listening:
That is just how helpful it can be to go through your text, reading out loud to point out awkward phrases and catch grammatical errors you might overlook reading quietly.

Make your sentences clear:
Use short and to the point sentences. While writing you should avoid using difficult words and try to use simple ones so that any person with basic education could be able to understand what you're trying to say. This will give simplicity and clarity to your writing.

Consistency:
Watch for consistent tense, point of view, and style. Different information may confuse the reader and take away his or her attention from your message.

Editing Tools:
For editing, there are quite a number of digital tools. The more common ones are Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and ProWritingAid, which assist in the discovery of common grammatical errors, passive voice, among others.

Get Feedback:
Sometimes it may be hard to look at your work critically. Other people's feedback gives you fresh perspectives and insights. You could consider joining a writing group or swapping a piece of your writing with a fellow writer for the purposes of mutual edits.

4. Effective Time Management

The question of time is very critical in a freelance writer's life. If you've got different projects on your table and with different deadlines, and you don't have good time management skills, then it is easy for one to be overwhelmed and fail to keep up with some of the projects.

I will tell you some strategies so that you manage your time perfectly:

Prioritize Tasks:

Start every day looking at the things you really have to do, and try to be realistic about the deadlines and the amount of work they are likely to involve. Listing the most important high-priority tasks down will avoid last-minute rushes and stresses.

Set Clear Goals:
Define within every writing session what needs to be achieved. Whether the goal is to write a new article or to edit an old one, clear goals direct to focus and hence productivity.

Use a Planner:
Those days are gone when you didn't have internet access, you were lack of knowledge or you didn't have a guider. Now in this digital era you have accessible internet connections, for knowledge you can go to Youtube and other online courses.
So we come to our point, you need to use a planner, a digital planner that will help you to set timing for deadlines and appointments or your daily schedule. There are various tools like Google Calender, not only set schedule, also give reminders so that you can meet your deadlines.

Break the Rask into Smaller Steps:

Large projects can be overwhelming. Break them into smaller, more manageable bits. This way, you can get to work and keep a handle on the progress.

Minimize Distraction:
Identify what may be likely to distract you—usually things like social media and email, and make sure they are minimized during work hours. In fact, you might go ahead and use something like the Freedom app or Cold Turkey to actually block distracting sites when you need to focus.

Regular Breaks:
This is to be taken into consideration at all times. Regular short breaks are very important in averting burnouts and refreshing the mind. These are some of the popular breaks that work with a 25-minute work and 5 minutes of break approach.

5. Communication with Clients

Good communication is a keystone of success in freelance writing. Properly, communication is bound to ensure trust and clarity of everything running smooth between a freelancer and his or her clients in a project, up to meeting the expectations.

This is how to ensure clear and effective communication with your clients:

Be Responsive:

Always respond to client communications on time. This shows that you respect the client and their time. If you have to take a little time to answer a question, first acknowledge and mention that you will get back with a detailed response shortly.

Set the rules early:

Discuss deadlines, project requirements, and clear payment terms at the beginning of each project. This is one way of averting misunderstandings between the two of you and ensuring that you are on the same page.

Don't hesitate to ask where maybe the details of the project are not clear. It is better to know and ask for clarification, not assume, and deliver mistakes. It also proves to your clients that you are thorough and dedicated to delivering good work.

Regular Updates:

Keep the client updated, especially on long-term projects, about the progress of the task. Proper and regular updates can also be a source of assurance in relation to your progress and commitment towards the task completion.

6. Networking with Other Writers

Networking with fellow writers can do a lot for you in your freelance career, starting from sharing opportunities to getting support and advice. In addition to that, a set of writers can help one grow professionally; this even indicates personal growth.

Here is how effectively to do that: connect and network with fellow writers.

Join a Writing Group:

It may be an in-person group around your locality or an online one. Such groups mostly come together from time to time for purposes of discussing writing, sharing their work, and providing feedback. Members in the group are likely to meet like-minded individuals.

Writing Workshops and Conferences:

Some of the best places to come face-to-face with other writers and people in the industry provide an excellent source for learning from experienced speakers and panels.

Socialize:

Yes, lately, the new style of working, writing communities, has become social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, to mention but a few. You can follow other writers, share their experiences, or even excerpt them from your own, and in turn, they will follow you.

A blog could easily become an enticement for other writers who take interest in your topics, hence giving them a place to link to articles. This could also expose you to knowledge or views likely to bring about credibility and networking with peers.

7. Learn to Write Pitches Effectively

Good composition of your pitch is a vital way of earning yourself freelance writing jobs. Basically, a pitch is a proposal whereby you convince a person that you are the right individual for a particular writing project.

Here are some key elements of a good pitch and how to make one:

Know What the Client Needs:

Before you put pen to paper for your pitch, understand what the client needs. It would mean understanding his company, his audience, and the purpose for which they require the content.

Ensure it's strong; in fact, you want your opening to hook the reader in. Start with a fact, question, or bold statement related to the project, showing a quirky angle or relevant experience.

You Can Showcase Your Credentials:

Relevant experience and successes that you can briefly mention. You may quote or link to work in other publications showing how you can handle the project effectively.

Outline Your Approach:

Explain how you propose to tackle the project and provide a few brief bullet points outlining your proposed angle or how you will meet the objectives of the project.

Keep It Brief:

Be brief and very straight to the point with your pitch. Do not go so much into details. You want to be able to communicate your value and how you can be of service to the client in as few words and as speedily as possible.

Personalize the Pitch to the Client:
You can start your pitch by saying "Hello Sir/Madam" but it would be better if you use the client's name. Calling a person by their name makes an impact of personalization, after this make sure the pitch you've written is meeting the goals of the client or their specific requirements.

Proofread:
Please proofread your pitch before submitting to ensure it's correct. A considerabely edited pitch shows your professionalism and attention to detail.

8. Improve Your Skills Through Online Courses

Online courses could assist a freelance writer in a great way. It is a flexible and—what is more important—accessible way of making his potential grow.

The following is insight into the exact reasons for which the course is so valuable:

Flexibility:

This is one of the greatest advantages that online courses bring to freelance writers. They will easily study at the time and pace they fill be best for them. The same is best suited for freelance writers in balancing their work with education and other obligations

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Range of Skills:

Whether you're interested in polishing your grammar, content writing to be friendly with SEO, or perfecting the art of pitching—rest assured, there is most likely an online course for that.

Professional Guidance:

Most of the online courses are usually taught by professional educators. This will give you an opportunity to learn from a highly experienced person, and therefore, you can obtain first-hand information that applies to your work.

For those looking to take online courses, here are some popular options:

Coursera:

It includes courses such as "Writing for the Web," which looks at the digital writing elements of audiences, format, style, and SEO.

Udemy:
It includes comprehensive courses on writing, for example: "Copywriting secrets - How to write copy that sells," with information on how to create powerful sales messages.

LinkedIn Learning:
Offers courses like "Writing with Flair: How to become a Remarkable Writer." The course focuses on style and sophistication in writing.

Conclusion

Keep in mind, freelancing can mean both an amazing and hard-to-grasp independently-working environment. While communication is a key to the success of your client relationships, productive online presence and marketing your self on other platforms are not less important. 

Being time-effective and acquiring more skills as the project progresses are also the major contributors to success.

Besides networking and connecting, you should give other specialists in your area the credit to work with. 

Last but not least, be determined and steadfast and realize that you are not an exception that will rise and shine straight from the onset.