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	<title>The Social Freelance Writer &#187; Guest Posts</title>
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		<title>Do You Need Motivation as a Freelance Writer?</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/do-you-need-motivation-as-a-freelance-writer</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/do-you-need-motivation-as-a-freelance-writer#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Crystal</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Posts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://daniellemcgaw.com/?p=4490</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the most difficult aspects of being a freelance writer is staying motivated. You can lose your motivation because you&#8217;ve worked so much you&#8217;re burned out, because you feel isolated, or even because you can&#8217;t imagine anyone being interested in what you have to say on a blog. When [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/do-you-need-motivation-as-a-freelance-writer">Do You Need Motivation as a Freelance Writer?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/do-you-need-motivation-as-a-freelance-writer" title="Permanent link to Do You Need Motivation as a Freelance Writer?"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/writer-2.jpg" width="300" height="200" alt="Post image for Do You Need Motivation as a Freelance Writer?" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>One of the most difficult aspects of being a freelance writer is staying motivated. You can lose your motivation because you&#8217;ve worked so much you&#8217;re burned out, because you feel isolated, or even because you can&#8217;t imagine anyone being interested in what you have to say on a blog. When you lose your motivation, freelancing writing becomes a chore rather than a career that you love.</p>
<h2>Join a Group</h2>
<p>A great way to stay motivated is to join a group of other like-minded writers. Some writers are interested in eventually having enough passive income to live off of while others are content working for content mills or private clients. Whether you want to have passive income from your own sites or prefer working for others, make friends with some of these writers. You can often find groups on social networking sites like Facebook.</p>
<p>When you are so burned out from overworking that you can&#8217;t even think, a group of writer friends can be a lifesaver. Not only will they understand what you&#8217;re going through, but they can help you come up with strategies to overcome burnout. You may be surprised at what other writers do to help with burnout and you will find that those strategies will often not only work for you as well, but will renew your energy enough that can you finish your work and even do more of it.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 240px">
	<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/59192505@N00/308930436" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Writer's Block 1" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/118/308930436_877fa9e096_m.jpg" alt="Writer's Block 1" width="240" height="180" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image by OkayCityNate via Flickr</p>
</div>
<h2>Avoid Isolation</h2>
<p>Isolation is a big motivation killer and every freelance writer will eventually face it. Whether you work from home to take care of your children or just to avoid the office, isolation and loneliness can creep in when you least suspect it. While freelancing gives you the ability to be home and avoid bosses or gossip, it also keeps you from being able to visit with coworkers around the water cooler. There&#8217;s no one to talk to about difficult assignments or clients. Unless your family members are also writers, they just won&#8217;t get it. When you join a group of writers on a social site you find friends that understand. The group becomes the office water cooler and you can relax while talking about your workday.</p>
<p>If you are not confident in your abilities as a writer or that people will actually read what you have to say if you start your own site, your friends in a writer&#8217;s group can help you find the confidence you need. You can ask their opinions about pieces you&#8217;ve written. You can bounce your ideas off of them and have a big brainstorming session. You&#8217;ll come away with more ideas than you ever thought possible. Knowing that your friends and fellow writers think you have valuable ideas can be the best boost to your motivation that you need to keep going and achieve more than you thought you could.</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/do-you-need-motivation-as-a-freelance-writer">Do You Need Motivation as a Freelance Writer?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/ghostwriting-cash-%e2%80%93-the-perfect-solution-for-those-beginning-or-struggling-with-freelance-writing-2</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/ghostwriting-cash-%e2%80%93-the-perfect-solution-for-those-beginning-or-struggling-with-freelance-writing-2#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kecia</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany Dow]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Writing and Editing]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[If you are looking to get into the world of freelance writing, I highly suggest you take a look at Ghostwriting Cash by Tiffany Dow. This is the most helpful, thorough course on the topic that I have seen on the Internet. Tiffany was once a ghostwriter herself, writing articles and reports [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/ghostwriting-cash-%e2%80%93-the-perfect-solution-for-those-beginning-or-struggling-with-freelance-writing-2">Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/ghostwriting-cash-%e2%80%93-the-perfect-solution-for-those-beginning-or-struggling-with-freelance-writing-2" title="Permanent link to Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ghostwriting-cash.png" width="299" height="372" alt="Post image for Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>If you are looking to get into the world of freelance writing, I highly suggest you take a look at <a href="http://bit.ly/twVE46">Ghostwriting Cash</a> by Tiffany Dow. This is the most helpful, thorough course on the topic that I have seen on the Internet. Tiffany was once a ghostwriter herself, writing articles and reports for some of the biggest names online. Because she has been there, she tells it like it is and provides her customers with the best methods for setting up a profitable writing business.</p>
<h2>What You&#8217;ll Learn</h2>
<p>The Ghostwriting Cash course features an ebook that will help you set up a successful freelancing business. You will learn how to set up a website in order to gain orders from new clients. You also learn how to go out and network with those that may be interested in your services. When appropriate, Tiffany also includes videos so that you can see exactly what you need to do. Having a look over the teacher’s shoulder is always nice!</p>
<h2>Benefits</h2>
<p>To me, there are many benefits to following Ghostwriting Cash when making the decision to offer writing services on the web. It helps you shorten the learning curve needed to set up a website and market your services. There is no guess work as to where you should seek clients and orders. Tiffany gives you several methods for finding those that need content created. All you have to do is present them with your offer.</p>
<p>Tiffany also stresses the importance of eventually becoming your own client. I think this is something that most other freelance writing courses lack. They just teach you how to offer services, and don’t really cover anything beyond that. However, Tiffany has always viewed services as the “foot in the door.”</p>
<h2>When You Have Steady Work</h2>
<p>Once you have steady work coming in, you can begin to raise your rates. This allows you to earn more money, but with fewer clients or orders. This, in turn, gives you time to become your own client. Working for yourself should be your ultimate goal, as you will then be free from other people’s deadlines and can create passive income streams that pay you again and again.</p>
<p>When writing a product review, it is best to present the pros and cons of the product. However, as far as <a href="http://bit.ly/twVE46" target="_blank">Ghostwriting Cash</a> is concerned, there are no negatives! This is, of course, my opinion, but I think it’s a thorough course for beginners as well as experienced writers looking for more clients. I honestly cannot find anything wrong with it! I have followed Tiffany for about 3 years now, and she is as ethical as they come. She doesn’t attempt to sell you on the idea of making $10K overnight or buying that shiny Ferrari. She is the real deal, and also provides excellent customer support.</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/ghostwriting-cash-%e2%80%93-the-perfect-solution-for-those-beginning-or-struggling-with-freelance-writing-2">Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-%e2%80%93-part-3</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-%e2%80%93-part-3#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Erin Hill]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[This is the third part of a three part series.  If you haven&#8217;t read them yet part talked about marketing as a freelance writer and part two talks about getting personal, pricing, and contracts.  You should check those out before you read this. Here are some more mistakes you might [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-%e2%80%93-part-3">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-%e2%80%93-part-3" title="Permanent link to Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/payment.jpg" width="300" height="224" alt="Post image for Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>This is the third part of a three part series.  If you haven&#8217;t read them yet part talked about <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1" target="_blank">marketing as a freelance write</a>r and part two talks about <a href="are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2" target="_blank">getting personal, pricing, and contracts</a>.  You should check those out before you read this.</p>
<p>Here are some more mistakes you might be making.</p>
<h2><strong>Mistake #6: You wait too long to discuss payment.</strong></h2>
<p>You get a phone call or email asking if you have time to do a large blogging project. Woo hoo! You respond immediately to get more details. An hour later, an email comes back and the topics are right up your alley.</p>
<p>They want to see samples similar to the type of work you&#8217;d be doing. You spend time gathering and fine tuning some previous articles you&#8217;ve written. They love them. You have a phone interview, and you grow increasingly excited when the person tells you that this will be a long-term gig. Finally, toward the end of your conversation, you ask what they&#8217;re budget is.</p>
<p>“Well, we can pay around $2 for 300 words.”</p>
<p>Oops.</p>
<p>By now, you&#8217;ve wasted at least a couple of hours of your time. How many cold calls could you have made during that time? How many emails could have mailed off? How much paying work could you have gotten done?</p>
<p>Ask for a company&#8217;s budget as soon as you know a few of the project details. If it&#8217;s well under what you&#8217;d normally charge, politely decline before either of you has wasted too much time.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px">
	<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66706141@N00/5563688613" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="don't walk away from me now." src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5563688613_2262e474ae_m.jpg" alt="don't walk away from me now." width="160" height="240" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image by Beni Ishaque Luthor via Flickr</p>
</div>
<h2><strong>Mistake #7: You don&#8217;t know your floor.</strong></h2>
<p>One of the biggest issues writers face is deciding when to walk away from an offer. Before you can determine whether a job is really worth your time, you have to know what your rock bottom hourly rate is.</p>
<p>Consider this scenario. You are offered a gig paying $100 for one article. Doesn&#8217;t sound too bad, right? You jump on it. Yes! As you delve into the work, though, you realize that it&#8217;s going to take you quite awhile to finish. You have to do an interview and several hours of reading. By the time you&#8217;re done, you&#8217;ve spent 10 hours interviewing, brainstorming, researching, and writing. That equals out to $10 an hour. Not such a good deal after all, eh?</p>
<p>Avoid this type of situation by figuring out the least amount you&#8217;d be willing to accept per hour, and then multiplying that by the amount of time you think a project will take. Now you have the least you&#8217;d be willing to take for the project. Quote higher to leave a little room for negotiation.</p>
<h2><strong>Mistake #8: You don&#8217;t follow through with warm leads.</strong></h2>
<p>When you start any new marketing campaign, there are usually four potential answers a prospect will give you. Some will say “no.” Some will have a project they want to start soon and will ask for samples. Some will never get back to you one way or another. And some will offer to “keep your information on file” for when a new project arises.</p>
<p>That last group needs to be nurtured. Connect with them on Twitter or LinkedIn. Send them an article that you think they might find interesting. Send them a quick email announcing your new site or blog launch. Do<em> something</em> to stay within their line of vision. If you do, you&#8217;ll be the one who comes to mind when they have a new writing project.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s the biggest mistake you can make as a freelance writer? Giving up! Remember: nothing good happens overnight, and this is no different. Just keep putting yourself out there, demanding fair pay, and fine tuning your craft.</p>
<p>Have you made any of these marketing mistakes? What do you think is the biggest mistake a writer can make when marketing her business?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-%e2%80%93-part-3">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 2</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[This is part two of a three part series.  In part one we talked about marketing yourself as a freelance writer and targeting your marketing efforts. Here are some more mistakes you might be making: Mistake #3: You&#8217;re not getting personal enough. Copying a pasting the same generic message and [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 2</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2" title="Permanent link to Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 2"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/price.jpg" width="300" height="156" alt="Post image for Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 2" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>This is part two of a three part series.  In part one we talked about <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1">marketing yourself as a freelance writer</a> and <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1" target="_blank">targeting your marketing efforts</a>.</p>
<p>Here are some more mistakes you might be making:</p>
<h2><strong>Mistake #3: You&#8217;re not getting personal enough.</strong></h2>
<p>Copying a pasting the same generic message and sending it to hundreds of companies may be less time consuming than writing personalized messages, but it might come back to bite youlater.</p>
<p>Think about it. When you get an email (or phone call) from someone you don&#8217;t know, you probably delete (or ignore) it if it doesn&#8217;t immediate grab your attention. Sending a “to whom it may concern” message is not going to win you any brownie points, and it will probably get your message deleted before anyone even has time to read it.</p>
<p>The solution? Do a little digging to find out who is responsible for hiring writers within each company, and then send messages targeted to each person. Read each company website, and become familiar with what they do and how they go about doing it. Position yourself as the perfect writer for their particular needs or industry.</p>
<p>If you can&#8217;t find the person in charge of hiring freelancers, send a brief note to customer service or human resources and ask who you should speak with. Often times, they&#8217;ll either send you an email address or forward your message to the right people. If you&#8217;re cold calling, ask them who would be charge in hiring freelance talent.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 150px">
	<a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/0c9H2iX9vR2I7?utm_source=zemanta&amp;utm_medium=p&amp;utm_content=0c9H2iX9vR2I7&amp;utm_campaign=z1" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 16:  Gas prices over..." src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0c9H2iX9vR2I7/150x100.jpg" alt="SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 16:  Gas prices over..." width="150" height="100" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image by Getty Images via @daylife</p>
</div>
<h2><strong>Mistake #4: You are pricing your services too low.</strong></h2>
<p>You might be tempted to charge rock bottom prices just to make sure you get the gig. Don&#8217;t. At least, not unless you want to be earning rock bottom prices months from now.</p>
<p>While it is possible that a low-baller will walk away if you quote professional rates right off the bat, ask yourself: is that really the type of client you <em>want? </em>Plus, once you are locked in at a low rate, it&#8217;s very hard to increase your prices later on.</p>
<p>Another pitfall of charging too little is that the good clients, the ones who know the value of quality content, might not take you as seriously. You could be the best writer in the world, but if you&#8217;re charging $5 for an article, clients will assume will you don&#8217;t have the experience or talent they&#8217;re looking for. Know your worth, and don&#8217;t be afraid to ask for what you deserve. Don&#8217;t price yourself as a bottom basement writer, unless you want to work with bottom basement clients.</p>
<p>If you are a new writer, you&#8217;ll stick to the lower end of the pay scale, but don&#8217;t price yourself off the scale altogether.</p>
<h2><strong>Mistake #5: You don&#8217;t have clients sign a contract.</strong></h2>
<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have" target="_blank">Get everything in writing</a>. For one thing, it ensures that you&#8217;ll get paid (or at least provides ammo if you have to dispute an unpaid invoice). Secondly, clients will assume that you&#8217;re a real professional if you have a contract. Business owners have contracts. Hobbyists who are trying to make a little extra pocket change, don&#8217;t.</p>
<p>Once you have a potential client interested, you want to keep him interested. That means conducting yourself in a professional manner before you ever even get to work.</p>
<p>A contract doesn&#8217;t have to be anything fancy. A simple statement of the project and payment arrangements is fine. Make sure it is stated that the client won&#8217;t own your writing until payment is received in full. If you want rights to resell the work, make sure you include those terms in writing as well.</p>
<p>Watch for Part 3 tomorrow!</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-2">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 2</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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		<title>Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 1</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[You have all the makings of a successful freelance writer: talent, professionalism, and a can-do attitude. Stellar writing samples? Check! Killer website? Check! LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook business pages? Check, check, and check! So, why aren&#8217;t clients beating down your door? Easy. You haven&#8217;t gone out to find them yet. [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 1</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1" title="Permanent link to Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 1"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/email.jpg" width="298" height="300" alt="Post image for Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 1" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>You have all the makings of a successful freelance writer: talent, professionalism, and a can-do attitude. Stellar writing samples? Check! Killer website? Check! LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook business pages? Check, check, and check! So, why aren&#8217;t clients beating down your door?</p>
<p>Easy. You haven&#8217;t gone out to find them yet.</p>
<p>As with any business, if you want to succeed as a freelance writer, you&#8217;re going to have to do a little (a lot) marketing to build your client base. Unfortunately, marketing alone isn&#8217;t enough. You have to know where to market, who you&#8217;re marketing to, and how to negotiate the process once you have a fish on the hook. Sound daunting? It doesn&#8217;t have to be, but there are plenty of things that could be hurting your marketing efforts without you even realizing it. Here are 8 of the most common mistakes.</p>
<h2><strong>Mistake #1: You&#8217;re not marketing yourself enough.</strong></h2>
<p>You made 50 phone calls and placed 10 ads on Craigslist. Great! What else? If you don&#8217;t have an answer to that question, you probably aren&#8217;t marketing yourself nearly enough. It takes time to find clients, and one single burst of effort isn&#8217;t going to cut it. You&#8217;ve barely even scratched the surface. Keep sending emails or making calls. After you&#8217;ve done that, gather a new list of prospects and do it all over again.</p>
<p>Set a weekly goal, and stick to it. If you plan on sending 5 emails a day, do it.</p>
<p>How many contacts do you need to make before you start seeing results? That depends, and it&#8217;s different for every writer. Some will get lucky and start landing gigs after the first week. For others, it can be a much longer process.</p>
<p>A simple answer would be: keep doing it until you have enough work to stay busy. Then, continue doing it (albeit, at a slower pace) to make sure you <em>stay</em> busy. Rest assured, if you keep doing it enough, you will see results.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 250px">
	<a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/linkedin" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Image representing LinkedIn as depicted in Cru..." src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0004/3554/43554v1-max-250x250.png" alt="Image representing LinkedIn as depicted in Cru..." width="250" height="154" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image via CrunchBase</p>
</div>
<h2><strong>Mistake #2: Your marketing efforts are not targeted.</strong></h2>
<p>While it&#8217;s true that almost any company could benefit from professional writing help, some make better prospects than others. The main things you should consider when choosing who to target are the industries you have the most experience writing for, and the size of the companies you want to contact.</p>
<p>The way to get started is to stick with what you know. Were you in the insurance biz for 10 years? Great, write insurance articles or offer to write brochure copy for insurers in your area. Did you go to school for veterinary assisting? Contact vet clinics, pet stores, and dog food makers.</p>
<p>The size of each company is also important. Very small businesses often do not have the financial resources available to hire writing talent, while very large businesses usually have writers on staff. You want to start in the middle. These companies usually don&#8217;t have the money to keep writers on payroll, but they do often have a large enough budget to pay freelancers on an as needed basis.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s also a good idea to deal with companies that are older than the Internet. These businesses were around before SEO and $3 articles. They know the value of good content, and they are willing to pay for it. That&#8217;s not to say that all newer companies will try and low ball you, but aiming for more established businesses will lower the chances of being offered $100 to write an entire ebook.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t miss part 2 and part 3 &#8211; coming soon!  <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/DanielleMcgaw" target="_blank">Subscribe to the feeds </a>so you don&#8217;t miss anything.</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/are-these-8-marketing-mistakes-hurting-your-freelance-writing-career-part-1">Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career?  &#8211; Part 1</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have?</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danielle</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[If you accept clients without requesting that they sign an independent contract agreement or a freelance writer contract, you may want to seriously reconsider the next time you take on a new project. Many freelance writers will not even touch the subject of contracts because they do not want to [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have">The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have" title="Permanent link to The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have?"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/contract.jpg" width="300" height="225" alt="Post image for The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have?" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>If you accept clients without requesting that they sign an independent contract agreement or a freelance writer contract, you may want to seriously reconsider the next time you take on a new project. Many freelance writers will not even touch the subject of contracts because they do not want to insult the client and lose a potentially great gig. However, this shouldn&#8217;t be the case at all. In fact, any upstanding and legitimate client should show no hostility or hesitation when asked to sign an agreement for the writer.</p>
<h2>Why You Should Request a Contract</h2>
<p>1. <strong>It protects you from being scammed:</strong> While some writers still get stiffed from illegitimate clients even after an agreement is signed, a client is typically less likely to disappear without paying you if you have a contract in place. The threat of legal action if the agreement is breached is enough to force some hesitant clients to cough up the dough.</p>
<p>2. <strong>It leaves a paper trail:</strong> Similarly, if your client does try to disappear without paying you, your contract will help you if decide to take the matter up in court. Clients tend to stiff writers because they do not believe that the writers have time or money to go after them. Fortunately, a written and signed agreement should give you enough ammunition to pursue your case and get what you deserve.</p>
<p>3. <strong>It shows good faith for everyone:</strong> A signature is like a handshake in that it finalizes the project. It means that the client has every intention of awarding you the job and paying you promptly. It also means that the writer has every intention of completing the task to the best of his ability, for the amount agreed upon in the contract.</p>
<p>4. <strong>It lists all terms and conditions:</strong> A signed contract actually helps you as a writer. Everything is laid out in front of you, all of the terms, conditions and expectations regarding the work that you have been asked to complete. There should be no question or dispute later down the road when a client claims you did not follow his instructions if you stuck to what was stated in the initial contract.</p>
<p>5. <strong>It ensures you are paid fairly:</strong> Some clients tend to assign a writer a small number of pieces, only to request additional articles and revisions later. While it is fine to complete more work, you should be compensated for each piece and extra revisions that are not included in your contract. Your workload will increase, so your pay should be subsequently higher as well. Some writers include one or two rounds of revisions at no charge, but when a client starts asking for 10 or more revisions, the time spent rewriting each article can make the writer&#8217;s hourly rate hardly worth their time.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 300px">
	<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:XYNN-Markthalle-Hamburg-Vertrag.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Artist contract: XYNN Multimedia-Show, Marktha..." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/XYNN-Markthalle-Hamburg-Vertrag.jpg/300px-XYNN-Markthalle-Hamburg-Vertrag.jpg" alt="Artist contract: XYNN Multimedia-Show, Marktha..." width="300" height="424" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image via Wikipedia</p>
</div>
<h2>What You Should Include in Your Contract</h2>
<p>Writing agreements do not have to be pages long, nor do they need to be formal. A simple listing of your duties, your client&#8217;s duties and the price should be sufficient. By asking your client to type &#8220;I agree to the terms listed above,&#8221; you are requesting that he provide his electronic signature to seal the deal. You may also consider including the cost of extra services such as additional revisions or future pieces. Keep in mind that, even though the signature is electronic and does not need to be notarized, courts still view them to be legal and binding.</p>
<h2>The Bottom Line</h2>
<p>You should absolutely use a writing contract or agreement any time you accept work from a client, whether it is for one article or 100 articles. You would not take a job outside of your home without your employer requesting you sign paperwork, so why should your home business be any different? These agreements protect everyone involved, not just the writer, so a client should have no problem signing one. If he agrees without hesitation, you can move forward with your working relationship feeling more at ease. If he seems hesitant or flighty, it&#8217;s best for you to move on and find a more accommodating client.</p>
<p><em>Mallory Hall has been writing for several years. A mother of two, she enjoys crafting articles around topics such as the freelancing life, parenting health, nutrition, personal finance and the law. You can find her for hire at <a href="http://www.guru.com/freelancers/Blog-Writer-Copywriter-eBook-Ghostwriter-Web-Content/Pennsylvania/Lancaster/1373192">Guru.com</a> or on <a href="http://www.textbroker.com">Textbroker.com</a> under the author name &#8220;M. Hall.&#8221;</em></p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-writing-contract-to-have-or-not-to-have">The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Don&#8217;t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/dont-make-the-big-mistake-of-forgetting-to-track-client-information</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/dont-make-the-big-mistake-of-forgetting-to-track-client-information#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:01:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sharon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[When writing for clients, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to be well organized.  Without being organized, you may lose track of your assignments and end up missing deadlines for your clients.  Once you start missing deadlines, you may find that you have a [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/dont-make-the-big-mistake-of-forgetting-to-track-client-information">Don&#8217;t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/dont-make-the-big-mistake-of-forgetting-to-track-client-information" title="Permanent link to Don&#8217;t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sharon-excel-7.png" width="631" height="634" alt="Post image for Don&#8217;t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>When writing for clients, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to be well organized.  Without being organized, you may lose track of your assignments and end up missing deadlines for your clients.  Once you start missing deadlines, you may find that you have a hard time staying on track which may cause you to lose clients.</p>
<h2>Excel is a Great Tool</h2>
<p>Personally, I use Excel to organize my work and to keep track of my earnings.  I will tell you up front that I do not have a lot of clients, so it is not terribly advanced, but I think a person could easily expand it and make it work for a much larger business.  As you are able to create multiple tabs within Excel, it is easy to add new clients as you get them.  Note:  You could use any spreadsheet program for this &#8211; the most important feature is having tabs or multiple pages.</p>
<p>If I have multiple articles for a client, that client has her own tab.  Then, I create various headers for each site and then put them across the top on each tab.  Each page looks like the following:</p>
<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sharon-excel-3.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4404" title="sharon excel 3" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sharon-excel-3-300x86.png" alt="" width="300" height="86" /></a></p>
<p>If there are any notes for the client, I may put it above the chart that I create or in a different word document, depending on how many details there are.  Typically I will put a link in the Excel document if I am posting the articles for the client just so that it is handy.  If I only post on a certain day, that information also goes in there.</p>
<p>You could easily add different columns if you needed to track other information such as how many words you wrote or how much you billed the client if it varies based on word or some other element.  Another piece of information that you may want to include is how often you post or when you should be posting.</p>
<p>From there, I have a section for expenses that are deducted from the writing revenue which allows me to see my net income.</p>
<h2>Sum It Up</h2>
<p>The summary page looks like this:</p>
<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sharon-excel-7.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4409" title="sharon excel 7" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sharon-excel-7-298x300.png" alt="" width="298" height="300" /></a></p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/dont-make-the-big-mistake-of-forgetting-to-track-client-information">Don&#8217;t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>The Top 3 Mistakes Writers Make On Twitter</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-top-3-mistakes-writers-make-on-twitter</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-top-3-mistakes-writers-make-on-twitter#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:01:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Victoria</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Posts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://daniellemcgaw.com/?p=4284</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Twitter is a very useful resource for aspiring writers as it helps them to work on their narrative voice, to reach a new audience, and to develop creative ways of expressing themselves due to the 140 character limit on each tweet. However, many writers misunderstand the purpose of Twitter, and [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-top-3-mistakes-writers-make-on-twitter">The Top 3 Mistakes Writers Make On Twitter</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-top-3-mistakes-writers-make-on-twitter" title="Permanent link to The Top 3 Mistakes Writers Make On Twitter"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/icontexto_inside_twitter-1.png" width="48" height="48" alt="Post image for The Top 3 Mistakes Writers Make On Twitter" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>Twitter is a very useful resource for aspiring writers as it helps them to work on their narrative voice, to reach a new audience, and to develop creative ways of expressing themselves due to the 140 character limit on each tweet. However, many writers misunderstand the purpose of Twitter, and make a variety of common errors that have a detrimental effect on their reputation, which could negatively impact their chances of future employment as freelance writers, blogger, or copywriters.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 245px">
	<a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/twitter" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun..." src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0005/4561/54561v2-max-250x250.png" alt="Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun..." width="245" height="250" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image via CrunchBase</p>
</div>
<p>There are three major mistakes that are all too prevalent on Twitter and that every writer should try and avoid &#8211; obscurity, irrelevance, and grandiose thinking. The article below discusses these problems, and how they may be avoided.</p>
<h2>Obscurity</h2>
<p>Writing is a creative art and social media sites are a novel way in which to express your creativity, but too many writers forget that Twitter is an opinion platform and they express bizarre, fragmented ideas. While a haiku might fit into the word limit as a creative tweet, random extracts from your work will not create the interest that you think. Rather, people will most likely be confused, and you will not generate a following.</p>
<p>Unless you are a more established writer who uses Twitter to provide sneak peeks of your next work, try to write something creative, but isolated. Developing an overall tone and character is recommended, but remember that not all of your followers will be following you on a daily basis, and new followers will not have the entire back story of what you are saying. Try to impress with every tweet, and not an overall thread.</p>
<h2>Irrelevance</h2>
<p>This follows from the problem discussed above. Twitter is a social media site, and it is important for writers to keep this in mind when posting tweets. The fact that Twitter works in real time should be used to your advantage &#8211; make reference to world events, or major news stories. This will allow you to show that you have a flexible narrative structure, and that you keep an ear to the ground. Outdated, boring tweets will not have the effect that you are hoping for, so keep things interesting, creative and relevant.</p>
<h2>Grandiose Thinking</h2>
<p>Overconfidence is as unattractive on Twitter as it is in real life. Too many new writers get arrogant, and tweet as if the world is hanging on their words. Twitter is a global platform, but until you have amassed an absolutely huge following, it is best to keep your tweets humble. This is also far more attractive to potential employers. Work diligently, and the amount of followers interested in your work will grow.</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/the-top-3-mistakes-writers-make-on-twitter">The Top 3 Mistakes Writers Make On Twitter</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/unique-way-to-expand-your-freelance-writing-business</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/unique-way-to-expand-your-freelance-writing-business#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:01:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tiffany</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Freelancing]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[There are a few different ways that you can expand your freelance writing business. Most people usually think that taking on more clients is the best way to expand, but offering different services and expanding beyond just writing is a great way to make more money and not have to [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/unique-way-to-expand-your-freelance-writing-business">Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/unique-way-to-expand-your-freelance-writing-business" title="Permanent link to Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/phone-girl.jpg" width="211" height="200" alt="Post image for Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p>There are a few different ways that you can expand your freelance writing business. Most people usually think that taking on more clients is the best way to expand, but offering different services and expanding beyond just writing is a great way to make more money and not have to take on a lot more writing work.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the thing, even if you are just a writer and think you don&#8217;t have any other services you can offer to clients, you are most likely wrong. If you know how to set up a website or install WordPress on a site you have skills that most small business owners don&#8217;t. If you know how to tweet or you have a Facebook account those are other skills that you can utilize as well.</p>
<p>Here is a step-by-step process of expanding your freelance writing business by offering to build websites for small businesses.</p>
<h2>Finding Potential Clients</h2>
<p>If you have a problem with cold calling or emailing people, then you will have to get over that in order for this work for you. In the beginning you may find that you are sending out several emails or making several phone calls but once you have built up a portfolio of your sites you will find that it is easier to land clients. Also, you will find that word of mouth referrals will grow your business as well.</p>
<p>The first thing you should do is to narrow down a specific niche you want to pursue. There are several of them to choose from and you may want to go with one that you are familiar with. Some of the niches you may want to pursue include landscaping companies, dentists, electricians, handymen, artists or homemade crafts, real estate agents, and travel agents.</p>
<p>There are two main places to find small businesses that need a website. One is Craigslist and the other is the good old Yellow Pages book.  When you have your niche simply look through the ads in the &#8220;Services&#8221; section of Craigslist for your city. Check out the ads to see which ones don&#8217;t have websites in the ad and have emails addresses listed instead. For the Yellow Book you can go through the ads and call the different companies and ask them if they have a website or you can check online to see if they have a website before calling the company.</p>
<p>Be sure to keep a record of the companies you have called or emailed along with contact names so that you have the information handy and you don&#8217;t end up contacting the company twice.</p>
<h2>Selling Your Services</h2>
<p>Since you are writer it shouldn&#8217;t be that hard selling your services to them. Come up with several reasons why the company or owner needs a website. Make sure to mention things like how many people search online as well as how much business they may be missing out on by not having a website.</p>
<p>If you are sending an email you can use a form letter but be sure you personalize it as much as you can. Use the owner&#8217;s name if you can find it as well as the name of their business and how you found them. You should have a phone number they can reach you at as well as your email as some people feel may feel more comfortable talking on the phone to know you are a real person.</p>
<p>If you are going to go with cold calling then it is a good idea to have a script written out that you can refer to help you through the phone call.</p>
<p>It is up to you how much you want to charge for your services. Try to determine how long it will take you to set up the site as well as write the content for the site and then divide that by how much money you want to make an hour. You can also charge by the hour if you want but a lot of the time a flat rate fee works better in landing clients.</p>
<p>When you do set up the site, a simple WordPress site should be enough unless they want something outrageous and then you should definitely charge them a lot more and then outsource the job to a website designer you can trust. For a basic site you should include the home page, about page, contact page, and you can add anywhere from 5-10 articles about the business or articles related to what the business does.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 240px">
	<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60272899@N00/254561650" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Bonus" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/254561650_fc129f5a27_m.jpg" alt="Bonus" width="240" height="179" /></a>
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Image by Adam Holloway via Flickr</p>
</div>
<h2>Added Bonuses</h2>
<p>There are some potential extra added bonuses that you get when you follow this method. One of them is actually a great way to make some extra passive income along with your writing.</p>
<p>If the client doesn&#8217;t have a website they are going to need to purchase a domain name as well as website hosting. There are two ways that you can approach this. The hand-offs way is to sign up for a website hosting affiliate program (I recommend Hostgator.com) and then have your client buy their hosting through your affiliate link. You then get the commission every time one of your clients pays for their hosting. You can also buy a reseller hosting package and have the client pay you to host their website on your hosting plan. This does gets a little more involved and costs you more money upfront for the reseller hosting package.</p>
<p>Another bonus is the fact that you can easily get more work from these small businesses if you offer other services. For example you may offer to write them 5 articles to be posted on article directories to get their site some backlinks. Or you may offer to set up a Twitter or Facebook account for the business as well. You can even offer to maintain their social media accounts for a monthly retainer fee. You can also do this with a blog on their site as well. Offer to write 2 blog posts a week for the csite for a monthly fee.</p>
<p>If you follow this process for expanding your freelance writing business you may just find yourself making more money than you thought you could and actually working less. Get enough clients and you may even be able to make more passive income from affiliate commissions than you did for writing for clients.</p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/unique-way-to-expand-your-freelance-writing-business">Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
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		<title>Does Social Media Lower Freelancers&#8217; Rates? Guest Post by Thursday Bram</title>
		<link>http://daniellemcgaw.com/does-social-media-lower-freelancers-rates-guest-post-by-thursday-bram</link>
		<comments>http://daniellemcgaw.com/does-social-media-lower-freelancers-rates-guest-post-by-thursday-bram#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danielle</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://daniellemcgaw.com/?p=4091</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m very excited to welcome Thursday Bram to the site.  She&#8217;s written for magazines as well as sites like Lifehacker, CNET, GigaOm and more.  She&#8217;s a freelance writer that I highly suggest those new to writing check out.  I follow her on Twitter  - @thrusdayb so I can keep up to [...]<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/does-social-media-lower-freelancers-rates-guest-post-by-thursday-bram">Does Social Media Lower Freelancers&#8217; Rates? Guest Post by Thursday Bram</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
<br><br>
Why not <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/fire-your-boss/">subscribe to the newsletter</a> and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/does-social-media-lower-freelancers-rates-guest-post-by-thursday-bram" title="Permanent link to Does Social Media Lower Freelancers&#8217; Rates? Guest Post by Thursday Bram"><img class="post_image alignright remove_bottom_margin frame" src="http://daniellemcgaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/thursdaybrahm.png" width="161" height="154" alt="Post image for Does Social Media Lower Freelancers&#8217; Rates? Guest Post by Thursday Bram" /></a>
</p><!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><p><em>I&#8217;m very excited to welcome Thursday Bram to the site.  She&#8217;s written for magazines as well as sites like Lifehacker, CNET, GigaOm and more.  She&#8217;s a freelance writer that I highly suggest those new to writing check out.  I follow her on Twitter  - <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/thursdayb" target="_blank">@thrusdayb</a> so I can keep up to date with what she&#8217;s doing. </em></p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been writing about the fine art of freelancing for several years. There are a fair number of publications that are always looking for articles that will be interesting to freelance writers and I&#8217;ve sent queries to more of them than you might think.</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 300px">
	<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Social_media_revolution.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Infographic on how Social Media are being used..." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Social_media_revolution.jpg/300px-Social_media_revolution.jpg" alt="Infographic on how Social Media are being used..." width="300" height="493" /></a>
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<p>There was one publication that I used to read religiously, until I pitched the editor a piece on how freelance writers can use social media to negotiate higher rates. The response I received was vehement: she firmly believed that social media shouldn&#8217;t even be mentioned in the same breath as freelance writing.</p>
<h3>Social Media isn’t Universally Accepted</h3>
<p>This editor (who shall remain nameless) felt that social media has done nothing but reduce the rates that freelance writers can earn. It&#8217;s the opposite of my experience, but she has some specific concerns:</p>
<ul>
<li>There are numerous sites that base pay rates on page views and &#8212; as a general rule &#8212; set the bar for payments very high.</li>
<li>There are numerous sites that expect freelancers to promote their own articles as a matter of course without any extra payment.</li>
<li>There are other situations this editor sees that are directly connected to publications asking for social media-oriented work without offering additional payments to writers.</li>
</ul>
<p>And that&#8217;s what concerns this nameless editor: she wants to make sure that writers are getting paid fairly for our time, as well as not facing obligations to do another kind of work beyond writing.</p>
<p>I can understand her point of view, even if I don&#8217;t think she sees the whole picture. We deserve to get paid for all the time we put into a project, not just for the written words we turn in to the client. And I know enough about how much I can earn from my work that the pay-per-page view sites hold no appeal for me.</p>
<h3>I See Value in Social Media</h3>
<p>But I do see value for freelance writers in social media. I&#8217;ve landed writing gigs through Twitter &#8212; I can&#8217;t afford to say that social media doesn&#8217;t work. It&#8217;s my sense that there are ways for freelance writers to earn money without being active on social media. But it&#8217;s also my opinion that doing so means leaving money on the table.</p>
<p>Clients today are looking for articles and other content that will gather social media views and, at the very least, they&#8217;re going to be more interested in writers who can at least demonstrate we know what appeals to social media.</p>
<p>Writers who can build up a following interested in a particular topic will also be able to command higher rates: it demonstrates that you are an expert on a given topic if everyone is looking to you for news about a given topic.</p>
<p>And these opportunities are before we even get to the discussion of whether writers should promote articles we write for clients (and how much we should charge to do so) &#8212; the real no-no according to my nameless editor.</p>
<p>How much time is worth investing in social media is a decision every freelance writer needs to make for herself, but I firmly believe that choosing to ignore social media entirely isn&#8217;t the best option for anyone. It’s like choosing to ignore computers in general because they’re ‘new’ — there wasn’t universal adoption of computers by most freelancers right away (the first computers were too expensive for that!) but these days, there are very few freelancers who don’t rely on their computers heavily.</p>
<p><strong>Thursday Bram has been freelancing for more than eight years — the last four full-time. She’s the co-founder of <a href="http://enhancedfreelance.com">EnhancedFreelance.com</a>, a membership site for freelancers ready to up their game.  The site launches on Monday, October 10th, 2011!</strong></p>
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<p><a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com/does-social-media-lower-freelancers-rates-guest-post-by-thursday-bram">Does Social Media Lower Freelancers&#8217; Rates? Guest Post by Thursday Bram</a> is a post from: <a href="http://daniellemcgaw.com">The Social Freelance Writer</a>.
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