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 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.

What You’ll Learn

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!

Benefits

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.

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.”

When You Have Steady Work

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.

When writing a product review, it is best to present the pros and cons of the product. However, as far as Ghostwriting Cash 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.

Ghostwriting Cash – The Perfect Solution for Those Beginning or Struggling with Freelance Writing is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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This is the third part of a three part series.  If you haven’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 be making.

Mistake #6: You wait too long to discuss payment.

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.

They want to see samples similar to the type of work you’d be doing. You spend time gathering and fine tuning some previous articles you’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’re budget is.

“Well, we can pay around $2 for 300 words.”

Oops.

By now, you’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?

Ask for a company’s budget as soon as you know a few of the project details. If it’s well under what you’d normally charge, politely decline before either of you has wasted too much time.

Image by Beni Ishaque Luthor via Flickr

Mistake #7: You don’t know your floor.

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.

Consider this scenario. You are offered a gig paying $100 for one article. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? You jump on it. Yes! As you delve into the work, though, you realize that it’s going to take you quite awhile to finish. You have to do an interview and several hours of reading. By the time you’re done, you’ve spent 10 hours interviewing, brainstorming, researching, and writing. That equals out to $10 an hour. Not such a good deal after all, eh?

Avoid this type of situation by figuring out the least amount you’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’d be willing to take for the project. Quote higher to leave a little room for negotiation.

Mistake #8: You don’t follow through with warm leads.

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.

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 something to stay within their line of vision. If you do, you’ll be the one who comes to mind when they have a new writing project.

What’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.

Have you made any of these marketing mistakes? What do you think is the biggest mistake a writer can make when marketing her business?

Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 3 is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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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’re not getting personal enough.

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.

Think about it. When you get an email (or phone call) from someone you don’t know, you probably delete (or ignore) it if it doesn’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.

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.

If you can’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’ll either send you an email address or forward your message to the right people. If you’re cold calling, ask them who would be charge in hiring freelance talent.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Mistake #4: You are pricing your services too low.

You might be tempted to charge rock bottom prices just to make sure you get the gig. Don’t. At least, not unless you want to be earning rock bottom prices months from now.

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 want? Plus, once you are locked in at a low rate, it’s very hard to increase your prices later on.

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’re charging $5 for an article, clients will assume will you don’t have the experience or talent they’re looking for. Know your worth, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve. Don’t price yourself as a bottom basement writer, unless you want to work with bottom basement clients.

If you are a new writer, you’ll stick to the lower end of the pay scale, but don’t price yourself off the scale altogether.

Mistake #5: You don’t have clients sign a contract.

Get everything in writing. For one thing, it ensures that you’ll get paid (or at least provides ammo if you have to dispute an unpaid invoice). Secondly, clients will assume that you’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’t.

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.

A contract doesn’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’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.

Watch for Part 3 tomorrow!

Are These 8 Marketing Mistakes Hurting Your Freelance Writing Career? – Part 2 is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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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’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.

Why You Should Request a Contract

1. It protects you from being scammed: 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.

2. It leaves a paper trail: 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.

3. It shows good faith for everyone: 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.

4. It lists all terms and conditions: 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.

5. It ensures you are paid fairly: 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’s hourly rate hardly worth their time.

Image via Wikipedia

What You Should Include in Your Contract

Writing agreements do not have to be pages long, nor do they need to be formal. A simple listing of your duties, your client’s duties and the price should be sufficient. By asking your client to type “I agree to the terms listed above,” 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.

The Bottom Line

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’s best for you to move on and find a more accommodating client.

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 Guru.com or on Textbroker.com under the author name “M. Hall.”

The Writing Contract: To Have or Not to Have? is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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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.

Excel is a Great Tool

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 – the most important feature is having tabs or multiple pages.

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:

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.

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.

From there, I have a section for expenses that are deducted from the writing revenue which allows me to see my net income.

Sum It Up

The summary page looks like this:

Don’t Make the Big Mistake of Forgetting to Track Client Information is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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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.

Here’s the thing, even if you are just a writer and think you don’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’t. If you know how to tweet or you have a Facebook account those are other skills that you can utilize as well.

Here is a step-by-step process of expanding your freelance writing business by offering to build websites for small businesses.

Finding Potential Clients

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.

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.

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 “Services” section of Craigslist for your city. Check out the ads to see which ones don’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.

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’t end up contacting the company twice.

Selling Your Services

Since you are writer it shouldn’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.

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’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.

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.

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.

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.

Image by Adam Holloway via Flickr

Added Bonuses

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.

If the client doesn’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.

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.

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.

Unique Way to Expand Your Freelance Writing Business is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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It’s been ages since I’ve had Sunday Reading here on the blog and I was inspired to get started with this again when I found out that the Beginner Weblog Reference mentioned me in their post about getting inbound links.  The post they wrote is about various ways you can get natural in-content and editorial links and one of the things they mentioned was writing roundup posts.

Roundup posts are great for getting inbound links but when you write them you also get the chance to connect with other bloggers.  Connecting with other bloggers can open up all sorts of opportunities for you – guest blogging, joint ventures, new readers, and more.  I encourage you to try it.  Plus, it is just a nice way to introduce your readers to more valuable information.

So, without out further adieu, here are some of the great posts that I’ve been reading this week:

Financial Tips for the New Freelancer  - This is a post that every freelance writer should read.  If you are new to freelance writing you need to learn to handle your finances properly.  If you’re not new but you are struggling, these financial tips can really help you get ahead.

Working with Kids: Boosting ProductivityAll Freelance Writing - Many freelance writers get into the business because they want to be able to stay at home with their kids instead of sending them off to daycare.  And that is a darned good reason as far as I’m concerned.  I wish I’d started writing online when my kids were young so that I could have been there for them more often.  But even with teenagers they have needs and I’m glad that they know I am here, even if I am in the office a good part of the time.  The trouble is that you still need to be productive.  This blog post should help you see ways that you can increase your productivity and still be there when your kids need you.

10 Brand New Productivity Tools You Probably Missed - Of course, there’s more to productivity than just keeping your kids under control and sometimes we need a little help there.  Personally, I’m a big fan of productivity tools and I was surprised to find out that these 10 tools were all new to me!   Chances are, they are likely new to you, too, so check them out and see if there are a couple that could help you be more productive.

Social Media Fail: 5 Reasons I Will Unfollow You | Cat’s Eye Writer Blog - I encourage freelance writers to get involved with social media all the time.  But sometimes you get unfollowed or unfriended.  If you’re not sure why, you should read this post.  Judy has some very valid points.  Of course, you can’t please everyone all of the time but you can be aware of some of the reasons that people might unfollow or unfriend you and decide whether that is something you need to take into account or not.

The Power of a Small Website - John has put together a web site for his house-sitting service.  I know, it’s not freelance writing.  But when you read this post you will understand why I think you should read it.  If you want to get some local clients, John’s small website marketing plan can help you become more findable in the search engines.

5 Reasons Part-Time Freelancers Shouldn’t Quit Their Day Jobs - Now that’s a different one isn’t it?  Usually you hear the opposite!  This is a guest post by James Patterson who also writes at The Part Time Freelancer.   He has some very good reasons for you to NOT quit your day job and I think that you should read it if you are at that point.  I think that quitting your job is a big thing and unless you really hate what you do, you should give it careful consideration.

And that is it for today!  If you have a great blog post that you have written I might not have read it – there are a lot of blogs out there you know!  But, I’d encourage you to use the Contact form on my blog (go to the top of the page) and send me a message.  I will for sure read it and I might feature it if I like it.  And did you know that this – contacting people about a blog post you’ve written – is actually day 3 in the 31DBBB book?  It is!  And it is something I’ve yet to do myself but I have a few people in mind so I plan to!

Sunday Reading #15 is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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Image by atconc via Flickr

~This guest blog post was writing by Victoria. She is a fairly new freelance writer who has got into the swing of things fairly quickly. Currently, she is doing some work for a Danish floor sanding company by the name of Gulvafslibning Priser. ~

We all can see that the economy is taking a turn for the worst right now. Just look at how the gas prices and unemployment rates are rising. So many people are becoming homeless because they cannot manage to pay their bills on time and the government just does have the funds to be able to help everybody out. So, what is it that people can do in order to keep their heads above the water? Simple, just do what stay at home moms have been doing for years –  freelance writing.

If stay-at-home moms are able to provide for their families by writing why can anyone else not do the exact same thing? Think about it. They are actually saving a lot of money by doing this. Not only do they save money in gas but they also save money when it comes to day care expenses and things of that nature. Just back in 2007 the gas was very reasonable; however, just a couple months into 2007 they had risen drastically and they have not stopped rising since. Also, if you have kids that go to daycare think about all the money you spend each week. Imagine being able to have that extra money to be able to pay off a mortgage , pay a light bill or even being able to treat that special someone out to a romantic dinner.

Of course, freelance writing is not a get rich scheme so don’t assume that it is. It is something that you have to work at and you have to remain disciplined in order to make the amount of money that you need to survive. However, once you get it under your wing it will come quite naturally to you. Also, experience comes in handy too. Imagine making $30 an hour for simply doing something that is fun and interesting at the same time.

Why Freelancing is a Good Route to Take is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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When it comes right down to it, I know that as a freelance writer, you are busy.  Whether you are a freelance writer that supplements the household income by writing or a freelance writer that is working part-time or a freelance writer that using writing as the main source of income for the household, we all have to make sure that our time is efficient.

And it is true – social media can be a big time sucker if you aren’t using it with purpose.  But have a focus, and know why you’re using it and social media can be a great investment of your time.

Why?  Well, there are 50 good reasons why!

Here are 50 reasons why you should be using social media:

To Build Awareness

1. Promote your website. Your website has no value whatsoever if no one knows about it.  Whether you have a blog or a simple site that displays the services you offer and some samples, you need to be found for it to have value.
2. Establish a web presence. Potential clients will Google you and if they find nothing they will assume that you are new and inexperienced.
3. Promote your articles. Whether you are writing articles for back links or for residual income, they are worthless if no one is reading them.
4. Build a brand. Who do people buy from?  Usually, they buy from brands they are familiar with.  So, whether you are using a business name or your given name as your brand, increase awareness of it.
5. Give away free reports. Free reports can show off your skill as a writer and your knowledge of a specific niche.  You can also give potential clients a prime example of a product that they also can use to promote their business.  Give people the permission to share your free reports.
6. Demonstrate your strong ethics. By being professional, respectful, and mature you can display a major characteristic that clients look for.
7. Share your resume. There are several ways that you can share your resume such as a page on your site, your LinkedIn profile, or one of the many resume building websites that are available.
8. Let people attach a face to your brand. People feel closer when there is a face that they can identify.  They like to know that there is someone behind the brand and they are more likely to feel they can trust you.
9. Share what others say about you. When others have good things to say it validates what you have been saying all along.  People are much more likely to believe what someone says about you than what you say about you.
10. Stay in the forefront of people’s minds. When people have writing work you don’t want them to think, “How am I going to find a writer?”  You want them to think of you because they already know you are a writer and they believe that they can trust you.

To Learn

1. Become an expert in your niche.  If you write about a specific topic, you need to make sure that you present yourself as an expert.
2. Find concise batches of information through lists.  Most social media sites have some sort of list function.  Use it.
3. Find people to interview. Our articles are more valuable when they have real people in them.  Also, interviews with professionals give your work credibility.
4. Find out about industry events.  Industry events give you the chance to network on a whole new level.  Learn, make new friends, and find business opportunities.
5. Find off-line promotional opportunities. Speak at an event, offer a free copy of a book, or give someone a quote to use.
6. Find out about free webinars.  You’ll learn loads and you can often save the audio version to refer back to later.
7. Learn more about SEO – if you’re a writer this is not negotiable.
8. Find new slants to articles you’ve already written. Those articles that took you half an hour to write can be re-worked for a different market and pay again.
9. Ask questions. There are so many people out there that are willing to share what they know – all you have to do is ask!
10. Get recommendations and share them. You can get recommendations for products, service, tools, and more.  Don’t rely on advertising.  Experience is a much better means of evaluating the value of a product or service.
11. Learn new skills. New skills will only make your business stronger.  The more value you can offer clients the more you can charge.
12. Beat writer’s block. We all get it from time to time.  Social media offers multitudes of opportunities to get past it.
13. Find tools to make your business easier. Finding the right tools to run your business can make a difference between working 4 hours a day or 6 hours a day.
14. Find resources for support. Knowing where to go to get help or where you can find other supports as a writer can ensure that this stays a career you love and not a job that needs to get done.
15. Be more efficient by using tools that allow you to use more than one social media source at once (you all know I love Hootsuite!).
16. Increase your writing skills. Writing for social media content involves being very concise.  It’s good practice to communicate with less words.
17. Create a swipe file. Ever find yourself running out of ideas to write about when you write in the same niche (even if it is just for a period of time)?  A swipe file can make your job a lot easier and the ideas you get from social media can help you create your own.
18. Get motivation. Let’s face it – we all need a little motivation from time to time.  Social media networks are filled with people and ideas that can motivate you.
19. Be more portable. Your work and the people you work with can follow you around.
20. Get information. How do you flesh out those articles?  How do you grow as a writer?  How do you develop new skills?  All by finding and putting to use information.

To Build Relationships

1. Find a mentor. Gee, I can’t tell you how much having a mentor has helped me.  If it were not for the fact that Sharon Hurley Hall believed in me, I don’t know if I would have pursued freelance writing as a career.
2. Mentor others. Do you have experience and knowledge?  I’m sure you do.  Give back to the community by sharing what you know with someone new.
3. Find places to guest post. Guest posting can be a great way to enter a new clique.
4. Find other writers/business people to collaborate with.  Joint projects can help you expand your circle and increase your chances of meeting new potential clients and partners.
5. Arrange real life meetings. Whether it is clients, partners, or just other writer friends, real life meetings just make what you start online stronger.
6. Find places to outsource things you don’t like to do or aren’t good at.  No one can be great at everything and finding the people who can do certain tasks better can save you time and money.
7. Connect your networks. You are likely on more than one network so make sure that people can find you where ever they go.
8. Get peer feedback. Others often see things differently than you do.  Ask for their opinions so that you can see it, too.
9. Develop relationships with other writers. We all need friends that understand us – other writers!

To Increase Income

1. Increase residual income possibilities. Are your writing articles on residual earning sites or maybe trying to sell an eBook or trying to make money from advertising on your blog?  Have a social media presence increases your exposure.
2. Find jobs. Yes, you can find jobs.  There are many ways to do this in social media and some sites (like LinkedIn) are better than others but there are other opportunities as well.
3. Develop relationship with potential clients. People use the services and products of their “friends” – so be friendly!
4. Find out where your clients are hanging out.  Why be where they aren’t?
5. Find out what clients really need! No one will use your services if they don’t really need them.
6. Pitch ideas to potential clients. Feel them out and throw out an idea or two.
7. Expand your market. If you normally provide your writing services for online content companies you might be able to expand to individuals or larger bricks and mortar companies.
8. Launch your own product. With your own products you keep all the income.
9. Understand your clients.  Find out what they think, what they value, what kind of education they have.  The more information you have about them the more likely you are to be able to market yourself to them.
10. Get more exposure to a wider array of clients.
11. Build your email list.

Can you think of any other reasons that freelance writers should leave social media? Leave a comment!

50 Reasons Freelance Writers Should Be Using Social Media is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

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If you are a freelance writer you’ve likely debated whether or not it is worth your time to get involved with social media like Facebook and Twitter.  And I understand.

It is soooo easy to get carried away and waste time from your day.  It is so easy to become unproductive.  But I have to tell you that it does take time.  You can’t just blast away going on Twitter for an hour or two hours a day for a week at a time and then lay off and expect to get results.  But there is a secret to making it work for you.  Want to know what it is?

Then watch this video:

The Social Media Secret for Freelance Writers is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?