Freelance Writing|Freelance Writer

Three Ways to Increase Freelance Writing Referrals

By increasing freelance writing referrals you will be able to increase your workload and income. Of course, this is easier said than done. Referrals are a great way to take your business to the next level, but you must first learn how to get current clients to pass your name along to others.

Here are three tips for increasing referrals:

1. Ask! Does it get any easier than that? If you want a current client to refer you to others, ask them to do so if they get the chance. If you and your client are on good terms they will not have any problems trying to help you out when they can. Just remember, unless you ask you probably won’t get what you want. Sure, some clients will pass along your name without being asked to do so, but a reminder will definitely increase your chances.

2. A client will only refer you if there are happy with the results that you deliver. High quality naturally yields referrals. Your clients have a reputation just as you do, and they do not want to jeopardize this by referring somebody who does not offer quality work. No matter how big or small a job, you want to make sure that you do your best. You never know when a client will have a larger job for you, or when they will pass your name and information along to others. 

3. It is important to make it as easy as possible for a client to refer you. Make sure that they have your email address, website address, and phone number. Most referrals will send an introduction email stating how they heard about you, but I have also had some call me on the phone. Make it easy to be referred, and easy for others to get in touch with you.

With these three tips you will increase your chance of receiving freelance writing referrals. The more clients that are referring you to others, the more inquiries you will receive. All in all, it is nothing more than a numbers game!

Why a Publication Says No

Querying publications as a freelance writer is a lot of fun. This is when you get to talk about yourself, and hopefully land a new project that you have been chasing. Of course, more times than not you are going to get rejected. Is this fair? Well, it doesn’t seem like it, but it is simply the nature of the industry. With that being said, if you know the reasons that a publication says no, you will be able to increase your chance of future success.

1. Some publications already have a pool of freelance writers that they use. This is not to say that you have no chance of becoming one of them, but it can be very difficult when they are already set in their ways. If an editor tells you that they have no room for another freelancer, you may want to ask if it is okay to follow up in the future. You never know when something will go wrong, and the editor suddenly needs a new writer to fill a slot.

2. Magazines work in advance. For this reason you may find that a publication has enough material for the upcoming months, and is not accepting new ideas at the time. If this situation presents itself, attempt to find out when the editor will begin to consider new ideas. By knowing this information you will have a leg up on the competition because you can be ensured of submitting your query letter/idea at the appropriate time.

3. Time after time I receive responses from editors telling me that they like my idea, but they just ran a similar story. There is not much that you can do about this except take your idea to a similar publication and see if they have room for it. This is a common reason for rejection, and one that you should shrug off and forget about. 

4. Simply put, there are going to be times when an editor does not think that you have the background and/or knowledge to handle the topic that you are interested in writing about. Personally, I run into this about once per month on average. The best way to avoid this is to stay within the subjects that you know best. But even then, you will still come across editors who are skeptical about your ability to write a certain piece.

In the future, you should be able to use these common reasons for rejection to your advantage.

How many Hours should you Work?

Over the past few weeks I have had several freelance writers attack me via email for working too many hours. They seem to be doing this because they feel that I am not a “real freelance writer” because I often times work long hours in order to make time to take on jobs that are less than what they consider high paying.

This leads me to the question of: how many hours per day should a freelance writer work? In my opinion there is no way to answer this question. If you can work a few hours per day and earn a full-time living, you should go for it. On the other side of things, if you like to work longer hours or need to do so in order to achieve success, that is fine as well. Unlike an office job, there is nobody telling you that you have to work eight hours between 9 and 5. The great thing about being a freelance writer is that you can work when you want, and for as long as you want. If you get your work done and make your money, there is no reason that you should change what you are doing.

I think that every freelance writer should run their career in the way that they best see fit. Sure, I can offer tips and suggestions, but when it comes down to it you are the one who needs to make the decision on how to move forward. If everybody tried to emulate how I work, they would not have their own success. And the same thing holds true if I were to listen to those who think that working too much is always a bad thing.

All in all, you can work as many hours per day as you please. As long as you do not burn out, you should be just fine. If somebody tells you that you are working too many hours, keep in mind that hard work is the quickest way to freelance writing success!