12 Foolproof Steps To Land Your First High Paying Freelance Writing Job
By: Josef Cruz
Tags: Writing, Freelance Writing, Startup, Entrepreneurship, Freelance

Step 1. Gather your clips/samples

Even if you don’t have professionally published samples, create some. They don’t have to be Nobel Prize-worthy — prospective clients want to be reassured that you can write well. Create your online writing portfolio, offer to edit web copy for a friend, or enter contests. Whatever it takes — you want at least two or three samples to show to prospects to demonstrate the value you will bring to their business.

Step 2. Assert yourself as a writer

This might be a bit provocative, but I feel strongly that you need to do it exclusively if you want to be a successful freelance writer. It can’t be a hobby or a part-time distraction. It needs to be your job. I left my career to launch my freelance writing business, and it wasn’t until I made that move that things took off. If you can’t do it right away (for financial reasons or contractual obligations), set a timeline and work towards your goals.

Step 3. Hang out with leaders in your field

You are the company you keep. Even before you have established yourself as a successful freelance writer, hang out with other leaders in your field. Online and in real life, reach out to people who can mentor your progress and provide helpful feedback and advice as you grow.

Step 4. Read about best practices

You will feel much more confident reaching out to clients and growing your business if you have armed yourself with useful information about best practices. There is a LOT of free information available online, so get busy reading!

Step 5. Determine your niche

In my opinion, you are much more likely to succeed if you identify a niche and specialize. It is much, much harder to be a generalist and establish a sense of credibility and expertise. I would strongly recommend that you choose either a high-paying market (I work in the technology sector — rates of $100/hour are pretty standard) or an industry that you know and love, or ideally both.

Step 6. Establish an hourly rate

Research your niche market; learn what other freelancers are charging; test the waters, but for God’s sake, DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT. I get it that you’re just starting out; I understand that you don’t have an arsenal of professional clips; I also felt ‘weird’ asking for a higher rate when I first started. But if you don’t, and you underestimate your value, it will be much harder down the road to raise your rates dramatically. Why is writing less important than plumbing or computer repair, or marital counseling? Set your rate high. Definitely nothing lower than $50/hour.

Step 7. Develop your brand

You need to have some brand presence before you start marketing your services. Prospective clients will likely want to see a website or a business card. Ensure you have all of your professional ducks in a row — register your business with the right government departments, install an invoicing or accounting software on your computer, create a website or blog to which you can refer people, have a business card made.

Step 8. Create a list of prospects

Before you start making calls and sending emails, identify several dozen prospective clients in your market, and search the Internet for their direct contact information. You will be reaching out to a VP of Marketing or a C-level executive in most cases. Find their names, email addresses, and phone numbers and create a spreadsheet.

Step 9. Call and email your heart out

Use that list. Make calls every day; follow up with emails and vice versa. This is your bread and butter. You want to be prospecting relentlessly, every day, in a targeted and strategic fashion.

Step 10. Have a small project proposal in your back pocket

Rather than lowering your hourly rate to reassure new clients that you are worth a chance, offer to get started with a smaller, less expensive project. Blog posts, newsletter articles, and press releases are easy projects to initiate. Especially once you have some experience under your belt, you should be able to churn those out in under two hours. Offer to do something along those lines, and be ready with a project fee that won’t scare them away.

Step 11. Join networking groups

There are opportunities to network both online and in real life. Leverage those opportunities and make sure everyone you meet knows that you are a writer. You’d be surprised where you can find clients — I’ve even landed gigs on Twitter!

Step 12. Respond to job listings

Full-time job postings are much more fruitful than Elance or content mill sites. Even though you’re not looking for full-time employment, knowing that a company is trying to fill a communication or writing position arms you with useful information to pedal your services. Offer to fill the gap before the recruit is hired. You never know — you might prove to be so valuable (and affordable) that they abandon the idea of a full-time employee altogether.