How to *REALLY* Start Freelance Writing in 2024
Summary
TLDRThis video script offers a comprehensive guide for freelance writers to secure high-paying clients in 2024. It emphasizes the importance of specialization, skill adaptation, and confidence in setting rates. The speaker shares personal experiences and strategies, such as exploring niches, learning about SEO and digital marketing, and leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and WordPress. Persistence in follow-ups and expanding one's online presence through guest posting and interviews are also highlighted as key to winning lucrative writing projects.
Takeaways
- π Specialize in a niche to stand out in the crowded freelance writing market. Experiment with different niches initially to find your passion and expertise.
- π Focus on honing specific types of writing skills such as SEO writing, copywriting, or email writing to offer targeted services to clients.
- π Continuously learn and adapt new skills beyond writing, such as using tools like WordPress, Trello, Asana, and SEO tools, to increase your value to clients.
- πͺ Build confidence in your rates by starting with a base rate and gradually increasing it as you gain more experience and client responses.
- π Be persistent in following up with potential clients to secure high-paying projects. Don't hesitate to follow up within a few days if you don't hear back.
- π Utilize various online platforms to market yourself, including guest posting, social media, Medium, and participating in interviews to build your personal brand.
- π¬ Engage actively on LinkedIn to connect with potential clients and other professionals in the industry. Keep your profile updated and professional.
- π Create and manage a newsletter to grow your personal audience and demonstrate your expertise in your niche.
- π Set realistic goals and plans for your freelance writing business, including a 90-day marketing strategy to increase your online presence.
- π Invest in courses or communities like 'Write Your Way to First 1K' to receive guidance, support, and resources to help you succeed as a freelance writer.
Q & A
What is the first step to winning high-paying clients as a freelance writer or copywriter?
-The first step is specialization. You need to stand out by finding a niche that aligns with your experience or personal interests, which can be identified by exploring different areas and seeing what resonates with you.
Why is specialization important for freelance writers and copywriters in 2024?
-Specialization is important because of the influx of new freelancers in the market. It allows you to offer unique expertise and stand out from the competition, making it easier to attract high-paying clients.
How did the speaker initially explore different niches in freelance writing?
-The speaker spent time researching online, looking for contributors and writers in various topics such as parenting, natural health, and education for children with autism to determine viable niches.
What is the significance of skill adaptation for new freelance writers and copywriters?
-Skill adaptation is significant because, in addition to writing skills, freelancers need to learn new skills such as SEO, copywriting, and using various tools like WordPress, Trello, and Asana to stay competitive and meet client demands.
Why is learning about digital marketing beneficial for a freelance writer?
-Learning about digital marketing is beneficial because it allows the writer to specialize in a high-demand area, understand the audience and industry better, and thus attract high-paying clients.
How can a new freelance writer build confidence in their rates?
-A new freelance writer can build confidence in their rates by starting at a base level, such as 10 to 12 cents per word, and gradually increasing their rates as they gain experience and client feedback.
What is the role of persistence in following up with potential clients?
-Persistence in following up is crucial to winning high-paying clients. If there is initial interest but no response, following up sooner rather than later can help nurture the potential client relationship and increase the chances of securing the job.
Why is it important for freelance writers to have a presence on multiple online platforms?
-Having a presence on multiple platforms helps increase visibility and reach a wider audience. It also establishes the writer's authority on certain topics, making them more attractive to high-paying clients.
What are some of the tools a freelance writer might need to learn to adapt to client needs?
-Some tools a freelance writer might need to learn include content management systems like WordPress, project management tools like Trello or Asana, SEO tools like SEMrush, and graphic design tools like Canva.
How can freelance writers use LinkedIn to find high-paying clients?
-Freelance writers can use LinkedIn by optimizing their profile, connecting with industry professionals, content leads, strategists, and decision-makers, and participating in relevant discussions to increase their visibility and attract high-paying clients.
What is the recommended approach for a new freelance writer when setting their rates?
-A new freelance writer should start at a base rate of 10 to 15 cents per word and adjust based on their comfort level, the market, and client feedback. They can then gradually increase their rates as they gain more experience and confidence.
Outlines
π Specialization for Freelance Success in 2024
The paragraph discusses the importance of specialization for freelance writers and copywriters to stand out in a competitive market. It suggests starting with a few niches to find the right fit and emphasizes the need to learn about the chosen niche and its associated content and businesses. The speaker shares personal experiences of finding a niche in digital marketing and encourages new writers to explore different niches to discover their own. The paragraph also touches on the availability of a free business planner for writers.
π Skill Adaptation and Tool Proficiency for Freelancers
This paragraph highlights the necessity for freelance writers to adapt and learn new skills beyond writing. It mentions that writing for the web is different from academic writing and requires knowledge of SEO, copywriting, and content writing. The speaker advises learning various tools such as WordPress, project management software like Trello and Asana, and SEO tools like SEMrush. The paragraph also discusses the benefits of learning these tools early in one's freelance career and how they can be leveraged to write better content for clients.
π° Building Confidence in Your Rates as a Freelancer
The speaker addresses the common concerns new freelance writers have regarding setting their rates. They suggest starting at a base rate of 10 to 12 cents per word, with the possibility of increasing to 15 or 20 cents per word as the writer gains experience and confidence. The paragraph also touches on the importance of consistency in writing to meet financial goals and the potential for charging higher rates if a writer can demonstrate their value to clients.
π Persistence and Online Presence for Landing High-Paying Clients
The paragraph emphasizes the importance of persistence in following up with potential clients and the need to establish a strong online presence to attract high-paying clients. It suggests using various platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Medium to increase visibility and credibility. The speaker also talks about the benefits of networking and getting interviewed to grow one's personal brand and the value of guest posting to demonstrate expertise.
π Identifying High-Paying Clients and Marketing Strategies
The final paragraph focuses on where to find high-paying clients and the importance of marketing on platforms like LinkedIn and job boards. The speaker advises taking time to curate a professional LinkedIn profile and connect with the right people in the industry. They also mention the value of starting a newsletter and participating in programs like 'Write Your Way to First 1K' for additional support and guidance in securing high-paying freelance writing jobs.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Freelance Writer
π‘Specialization
π‘SEO Writer
π‘Skill Adaptation
π‘Project Management Tool
π‘Content Writing
π‘Copywriting
π‘Niche
π‘Networking
π‘Confidence in Rates
π‘Persistence
π‘LinkedIn
Highlights
Specialization is crucial for standing out among the influx of new freelancers and can be identified through personal experience or interests.
Exploring different niches is recommended for new freelance writers to discover their preferred area of specialization.
The importance of finding a niche in digital marketing to attract high-paying clients due to specialization.
The necessity to adapt and learn new skills on top of writing, such as SEO and copywriting, for online content creation.
The evolution of content writing to include stylized forms and the integration of various skills like SEO and copywriting.
Learning and incorporating project management tools like Trello and Asana into a freelancer's workflow.
The advantage of being open to learning new tools and how it can benefit a freelance writer's growth and client base.
The process of building confidence in setting rates for freelance writing services.
Starting at a base rate and gradually increasing it based on client responses and market demand.
The importance of persistence in following up with potential clients to secure high-paying freelance writing jobs.
Utilizing various online platforms to increase visibility and establish a personal brand for freelance writers.
Engaging in guest posting, social media, and platforms like Medium to expand a freelance writer's reach.
The value of networking on LinkedIn and participating in interviews to build a freelance writer's personal brand.
Identifying high-paying clients across various platforms and the importance of a strong LinkedIn presence.
Curating a LinkedIn feed with valuable connections to avoid distractions and focus on high-paying opportunities.
The strategy of reverse engineering financial goals to determine the number of projects and rates needed.
Offering a comprehensive program 'Write Your Way to First 1K' to assist new freelance writers in their journey.
The availability of a free business planner for writers to assist in planning and organizing their freelance business.
Transcripts
as a freelance writer or copywriter
content writer SEO writer Emil writer
how do you win high paying clients in
2024 so many things have changed
recently about finding and winning and
Landing building clients for you so I'm
going to share with you the new way to
land high paying clients because it is
lightly different than even last year
and the year before there are additional
requirements that I'm noticing
that I want to help you with and let you
be aware of so that you can make a good
solid plan when you start your freelance
writing business and just to let you
know I do have a free business planner
for writers that you can download for
free go ahead get the book start writing
in it after you watch this video all
right the first step to winning high
paying clients is specialization this is
more prominent than ever before because
there is an influx of new Freelancers
and freelance writers and copywriters
out there you need to find a way to
stand out and you can easily do that by
the experience that you have in your job
or in personal life to specialize this
is also called your freelance wri Niche
and what I suggest is to dabble in a
couple of niches in the beginning to see
what you like as someone who's brand new
to freelance writing I didn't know what
I knew I was a parent so I thought well
I can write about parenting topics I
love Natural Health so that I could
write about natural health and I had
experience with children with autism so
education was another area that I was
looking into I spent the first bit of
time I'd say probably the first couple
weeks just really scaring the internet
finding these topics online seeing if
there are contributors writers if they
were you know had author bios to say
that I'm a freelance writer and I've
been a parent writer for 10 years I was
looking for those Market to see if this
is a viable Niche over time the thing
that I realized was when I was marketing
my business and reading about marketing
my business online I loved learning
about it I loved reading about it and I
loved applying it so then I realized hey
maybe digital marketing might be a good
Niche for me and that's how I ended up
finding most of my clients that were
high paying because I specialized and
honed in on one topic right so I always
say with brand new writers if you don't
know your niche then you need to explore
different niches so that the niche can
reveal itself to you okay if you already
have an idea and you can specialize
right away out the gate then do that and
build up all your branding materials
with that specialized topic industry
service okay those are the areas where
you can specialize in so the topic it
could be natural health for moms that
could be very niched down it could be
sustainability for hotels for the hotel
industry okay it could be niched down to
that it could be Tech related content
for merchants okay again
specialization by finding that topic and
the service could be the type of writing
that you do maybe you want to focus on
case study writing maybe you want to
focus on SEO long form writing or maybe
email writing okay there's lots of
different types of writing deliverables
that you can give to clients and that
can offer as your service you know for
the longest time I was offering a couple
of different writing services article
writing SEO writing I did blog writing I
consider that different I was just
trying different things in the beginning
to see what landed and over time I
refined refined refined and specialized
in SEO long form writing so that's what
I mean when you specialize in a topic if
you don't know about that topic but you
want to learn like I did with digital
marketing then you're going to spend the
time learning about the audience that
industry or topic you're going to learn
about the type of content and the
businesses that are associated with that
topic okay that's what I did when I
learned about digital marketing I first
found the blogs that talked about it
like the content marketing Institute I
looked at the author bios I saw what
companies they had I started looking
around lots of different blogs and
businesses that wrote a lot of blogs and
that's how I landed like my client with
blogging wizard so I was networking
getting to know other people in in that
industry now the next thing to win
high-paying clients is new it is new
because it is practically required
nowadays for new freelance writers and
copywriters and what that is is skill
adaptation you're going to have to be
willing to learn new skills on top of
your writing because writing isn't just
for the sake of writing because you were
a good college student or high school
student and you got A's and all your
essays that's not the type of writing
that we do online we don't do personal
essays or personal opinions okay it's a
stylized form of writing which is a
skill in and of itself which is content
writing okay on top of content writing
there are aspects infused like SEO
writing is in content writing okay
copywriting is in content writing these
are skills that you need to learn on top
of the writing and then as you become a
freelance writer online you will start
using different tools and those are
advantages for you to learn and to
incorpor at into your workflow so
WordPress for example was one of the
first tools that I had to learn it was a
struggle it took me a long time to feel
confident in writing about WordPress
when my clients asked me a client is
currently ask me to write about a tool
that I've never used and I'm very
hesitant to write about it because I
know it's going to take me a very long
time to learn that tool to watch YouTube
videos to read blog post from other
people to find other people that talk
about that tool and use it in their work
plan or workflow whatever it is is for
their business and I don't have that
time okay I know that it could be
advantageous overall but I don't have
that time right now as a professional
writer but you as a brand new writer you
have that time to dedicate to your
clients or to your industry and Niche to
learn these skills so WordPress is one
of them um a project management tool
using something like Trello I learned
Trello early on to help me with my
workflow as a blogger and content
creator and freelancer uh a client
introduced me to assana so I SAA is
probably one of the main tools that a
lot of clients and businesses are
starting to use right so these are tools
that you should probably become familiar
with I am trying to learn notion on the
side here so in case a client asks me
either to write about notion or are that
they're using notion in some capacity I
am learning these tools because I want
to grow as a writer okay and that's what
you need to do right off the gate as a
freelance writer that's new learn about
content writing Infuse that SEO Infuse
some copywriting then start learning the
tools WordPress project management you
need to manage your your clients
eventually so why not learn a project
management tool right it only fits in
your business other ones might be you
know maybe drilling down into SEO and
getting an SEO tool for example and
learning how to use semrush or other SEO
tools that are out there you might want
to start an email list because you want
to learn about that tool in case clients
might ask you to write about it or you
want to start building your personal
brand you know I recently landed a
client with beehive and they encouraged
me to use their tool now with any new
client that I write for most of them are
tool-based I am going to start using
them my other client I did start
using their course platform or their
digital product platform to get to know
how to use so that I can write about
it in my content so for example let's
look at beehive when I signed up one of
the first things I had to do was to
create my landing page this was the most
difficult out of all the steps because
it is geared for Content creators that
don't know much about tech I
unfortunately know a little bit about it
so it just limited my capabilities but
just like a website this is also another
tool to help you understand and it
breaks these down to logos and identity
so I can upload my logo here that I made
again using another tool called canva
okay so that came in handy Global colors
I can play around with the colors that I
had here okay for my primary color
secondary color and these are things
that you can play around okay background
color some landing pages that are these
that that's what this is called a
landing page are all black so I want it
to be white for me and my text color so
I can play around with the colors same
thing with the WordPress blog they have
a section for that as well and the
typography as well changing the font if
I wanted to or I could just keep it as
is make sure to write what I want so in
my hero section you know I can upload Lo
an image behind that I can change my
headline here my body here okay so those
are the things that I want to work on
you know one of the things that I
struggled with was trying to put my name
here cuz it just said LinkedIn
accelerate newsletter so again I am
still learning beehive and learning how
to use it and work with it now I can
write post on it I can figure how to do
that and I've been working with that and
because I'm learning this tool I can
write better content for my client
because I'm learning canva for example I
can create graphics for them if they
need be I can create videos if I want to
um in my latest content piece for
beehive I created a gif I learned how to
create a gift for this client that's
another skill that I'm learning okay so
as you grow as a freelance riter I hope
you are wanting to adapt as much as
possible and learn as much as possible
it's important to have these skill sets
with you so that you can become the
writer for businesses now whereas in
2023 I said it it's not requirement I
honestly believe nowadays it's becoming
more and more of a a requirement at
least to learn WordPress at least to
know some aspects of SEO and copywriting
those are the big things and then
understanding a project management tool
if it's not a SAA then it's Trello
something else you can still adapt I
told my client I didn't know aana but
I'm willing to learn it's it's that
willingness to learn and so now I'm
learning how to use AA which I like now
now if you're interested in starting a
newsletter with beehive just to
understand understand the tool maybe you
want to start growing your own personal
audience this is LinkedIn tips so I
decided to start a newsletter just with
LinkedIn tips if you want to start a
newsletter with just maybe you want to
plan your journey as a freelance writer
I think a lot of people would like to
subscribe to your newsletter if it's
sort of like my journey to getting to
10,000 a month or my journey to becoming
a you know well-renowned copywriter and
those are the post that you're going to
give to your audience you can build a
nice following and that's something that
I'm going to talk about later on in this
plan to win high paying clients but I
encourage you to start maybe something
with beehive it's super easy and I do
have a special link for you to use if
you want to get started with beehive so
I'll leave the link in the comments
below so that you can get started for
free the next thing you need to win
these high-paying clients that will pay
you like thousands of dollars per blog
post or per article per sales page per
email is the confidence in your rates
okay but as a new freelance writer I
mean anxiety frustration uncertainty are
huge emotions around your rate my
suggestion is to start at a base level
and that's between 10 and 12 cents a
word some new writers can go up to 15
cents a word and that's their base and
they're comfortable with 15 cents a word
clients and then they'll slowly increase
up to 20 cents a word and that's where
they're hovering between 15 and 20 cents
a word it's all up to you for your end
goal if you want to generally make
$345,000
then you have to reverse engineer how
many projects you need at what rate you
need at that so if you're going to do 10
cents a word you're going to have to
write a lot or write very long blog post
at 10 cents a word okay to fulfill that
quota for me I would have to I would
have to up my rate because I don't have
the time but if you have the time and
you're willing to learn then you can
start at the 10 cents of rate clients
that are wanting $1,500 words that's 150
if you write a blog post every day at
that rate then that's a th000 a week so
again it's it's writing consistently
every day for you know one client
multiple clients okay so you can figure
that out of what you want to charge but
if I was starting now I would definitely
charge like 12 cents a word like I would
just go from there and quickly try to
move up to 15 cents a word to make it
worth my while okay what you can also do
is if you find a knack for getting at
least a response back from your pitch
from potential leads saying hey what's
your rate this is promising you if you
have many of those then you can pick and
choose say okay I'm going to ask for
this rate I'm going to ask for this rate
I'm going to ask for an an outrageous
rate for this client and see what
happens you might be surprised because
this has happened to me before where I
have just you know thrown some
outrageous number and the client bit and
I was like oh okay um so it does happen
the next thing is persistence in
following up you're not going to win
those high-paying clients if you're not
persistent so if you come back with a
rate and you don't hear from them for 2
or 3 days follow up follow up sooner
than later okay this is not your
traditional follow-up process if you
just send a pitch and you hear nothing
back and so you just follow up a week
later no if you've already gotten a bite
you need to nurture that and be
persistent so that's what I mean by the
followup have a system of following up
and be persistent in that this next
thing is critical I do talk about it and
write your way to First 1K but I think
it's more important than ever now in
2024 and that is using different ways
online to get known you have to put
yourself out there I don't think it's
enough just to have a Facebook page or
just a website and one and a LinkedIn
profile and that's it like I don't think
that's enough I think you need to do
more and Market more especially in the
beginning give yourself let's say 3
months 90 days to do these things to get
yourself out there so that could be
guest posting spend a day finding all
the sites to guest post and send your
pictures get on social media get a
LinkedIn get an X get an Instagram a
Facebook page get on all the socials as
you can and start developing a plan to
post repurpose whatever you need to stay
active on those platforms consider
getting on medium I think getting on
medium too is is somewhat critical
because your name will show up in Google
when you write about topics so for
example if you're researching different
types of copywriting clients to know or
understand I am here in medium right
here okay so it's advantageous for you
to have a sort of this footprint on
Google when people are searching for
ideas that they come to you okay now I'm
writing about freelancing topics because
I want to build my personal brand but I
can also write about SEO topics digital
marketing topics and see if I can get
into Google that way too cuz it'll have
my name to it so medium is a good arm of
your business and then another thing
that you consider doing is uh getting
interviewed all right on LinkedIn I do a
lot of networking I comment another
Freelancers post and this is what
happened with Jessica WRA I saw her post
I really liked what she was saying I
commented on her post and she uh dm' me
and say hey I have a freelance uh
Spotlight series on my blog I'd love to
interview you you and I said sure why
not right so here 10 questions with Ela
K again this is just another way to grow
my personal brand and get my name out
there on Google so all of this helps me
so these are things that you should
probably start doing and make it a plan
within that 90 days now you don't need
to secure an interview right away but I
mean it could be year at the end of the
year year two that could be your goal to
get on more podcasts to get on more
interviews that could be a goal in year
two okay as long as you have a plan for
that to win high-paying clients you need
to know where to look for these high
paying clients right like where are they
hiding what's going on here I can assure
you that high-paying clients are
everywhere you will find high-paying
clients on upwork you will find
high-paying clients on job boards okay
you will find them on X on Instagram on
Facebook you'll find them because I have
found clients in all of those places
except upwork I don't use upwork but on
other places like that that I mentioned
I have found high paying clients but the
one platform to win high-paying clients
for new writers is LinkedIn I want you
to really focus on LinkedIn marketing
aspect and then your job board aspect
those are the two things that I want you
to focus on and I do lay that out and
write your way to first onek I do have
modules on several videos on LinkedIn
and modules on on finding clients on
LinkedIn as well and other modules on
job boards for for sure to get started
so my suggestion with LinkedIn is to
take your time okay this profile that
you see is a work in progress I change
it constantly so take your time with all
of these aspects of having your banner
having a good title having your head
shot uh writing post writing your about
section your services adding your
featured section your experience all of
this is a work in progress and then
connecting with the right people you
know you're connecting with not only
other Freelancers and copywriters out
there and graphic designers and who
knows what but also the content leads
the cont strategist SEO strategists the
CEOs the CMOS the cosos all of those
people you want to flood your feed with
so that you're not being inated by the
Bro marketers out there that are
claiming that you can win clients that
will pay you millions of dollars like or
that you can make millions of dollars in
your sleep kind of thing right like I'm
not seeing those posts because I've
curated a nice list here on Linkin so
that I can start winning high paying
clients feel free to you know sign up to
my LinkedIn an accelerator newsletter if
you want I'll leave a link in the
comments below too and you can start
your own beehive newsletter too if
that's what you want to do and if you
need more help make sure to enroll in my
program right your way to First 1K this
is my comprehensive program with a
Facebook Community where I can help you
I can hold your hand and help you
through this process if you need it okay
so I'm there for you so check that out
if you want and for other places to find
clients make sure you check out the best
freelance platforms for writers right
here all right like this video give it a
thumbs up and I'll see you in that video
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