If you want to be a successful freelance writer there are three things that you need to be doing on a regular basis.  These are:

• Promoting
• Networking
• Job Hunting

Promoting

Promoting yourself as a freelance writer is vital to your success.  There are a number of ways that you can do this.  You can use article marketing, post new articles to your blog or website or write guest posts for other blog owners.  Promotion is all about getting your name out there and having your freelance writing talents recognized.

Did you know that most potential clients will Google your name to find out more about you?  What does you name show up?  Have you ever actually Googled yourself to see what the results display?  You might be surprised at what you find.

Networking

Networking is all about staying in the loop and talking with other freelance writers.  Networking is a great way to meet potential clients too.  There are a number of ways that you can network and these include using websites such as Facebook and Twitter, following and commenting on other freelance writing blogs and participating in forums.  Networking is also a great way to meet other freelance writers and discuss issues or problems you might be having.  Networking also gets your name out there and to be a successful freelance writer people need to know your name.

Job Hunting

Let’s face it, without freelance writing jobs you are not a freelance writer.  Job hunting is essential no matter how busy you are.  By keeping an eye on what jobs are currently being offered along with the rates that clients are looking to pay you will know exactly what is going on.  You should be doing this on a daily basis because you never know when your dream job will be posted.

These three essential items should be part of your daily freelance writing ritual.  You should dedicate at least an hour a day to these items.  I would suggest that you leave the networking aspect till last as it is very easy to get caught up in the world of Twitter and before you know it you could have spent two hours tweeting and you haven’t even started your paying work yet.

Any successful freelance writer will tell you that promotion and networking are essential to their success and whilst they might have a full client list they still keep an eye on the freelance writing jobs that are being posted.

If you are serious about your freelance writing career then you need to focus on these three items and include them in your daily freelance writing plan.

If you are actively doing all three of the things mentioned in this post then why not share some of your tips and success stories with us.  I’m sure everyone would love to read them.

Until next time,

Keep writing

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This post was inspired by a comment from George Angus who you probably know is the owner over at Tumblemoose.com.  So George, this one is for you.

The internet has given rise to more and more freelance writing opportunities and the purpose of this post is to help you decide whether you really are a freelance writer or just one of those writers out to make a quick buck.  There are a number of questions that I want you to ask yourself and after that I will explain the answers.  Here goes:

1.      Are you passionate about writing?

2.      Are you constantly conjuring up ideas for new stories and articles?

3.      Do you see yourself still writing in 10, 20, even 50 (maybe a little excessive but you get the idea) years time?

4.      Do you spend most of your waking day thinking about writing?

5.      Can you imagine your life without writing?

Now here’s the second set of questions:

1.      Are you writing because you want to make money?

2.      Are you looking for freelance writing jobs on bidding websites?

3.      Are your rates $10 or less for an article?

4.      Are you looking to make some quick money?

5.      Did you find freelance writing when you were looking for a work at home opportunity?

Ok, questions over, let’s evaluate your answers.  For the first set of questions I am hoping that you answered “yes” to all the questions.  If you answered “no” to even one or two of these then my friend you could be just wasting your time.  Successful freelance writers are passionate writers.  They are the people who have always dreamed of being writers; they are people who couldn’t imagine anything more fulfilling than putting pen to paper and seeing their work in print.  They enjoy their work, they strive to be the best that they can be, and life without writing just doesn’t seem possible.

The second set of questions is really just to help clarify things further.  If you answered “yes” to these questions then I must be honest and tell you that you are not a freelance writer.  You may be passing yourself off as a freelance writer but the fact of it is you have just jumped on the latest work from home scheme that seems easy to do.  My advice to you is to enjoy this feeling and paid opportunity while it lasts.  There are hundreds if not thousands of people like you all trying to make a quick buck.

Here’s what your future looks like:

That initial feeling of joy that you got when you got paid for your first writing assignment – remember it- it won’t last.  You will find yourself sitting for hours on end, typing up an endless stream of keyword stuffed garbage on things like vacuum cleaners, and all you’ll be getting is a measly $1 per article.  Yes that is the sad reality of it.  Bidding websites are overflowing with people like you who are willing to create useless content just to get a couple of extra bucks per month.

If on the other hand, you actually answered “no” to the second set of questions then I congratulate you.  You are on your way to being a successful freelance writer.  You understand that relentless call to write that goes through your mind on a daily basis.  You understand how writing is a passion and how without it you’d go mad.  You understand that bidding for work is a waste of your time and that writing keyword stuffed articles is not going to bring you any joy.  You have a passion, a purpose in life and that purpose is to write and to write to the best of your abilities.

Now I say to you fellow freelance writer – go forth with pen and paper and let your heart speak the words it so longs for you to write.

Here’s to your next masterpiece.

Until next time,

Keep Writing.

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