If you want to earn more money as a freelance writer there is one thing that you can do to increase your chances: ask! Does that sound too easy? Even though this is a simple thing, it can most definitely go a long way in increasing your income. Believe it or not, there are many freelance writers who are afraid to open their mouths. In turn, they simply sit back and earn the same wages month in and month out.
There are two situations in which you can ask for more money. First off, you can ask current clients to pay more. Of course, you need to base this on how much you are currently charging as well as the status of your relationship. If you are already earning a reasonable wage, asking for more may put the client off. In other words, you need to pick and choose which clients you ask for a “raise.†Chances are that you will be able to find a couple that you can ask to bump-up your pay.
The other situation is when you are first starting to work for a client. In this case, you want to ask more during the quote process. For instance, in the past you may have quoted $.10/word for a feature article. The next time you are dealing with a similar quote, why not see if you can secure the job at $.15/word? This may seem like a big leap in pay, but the client may not think so. Remember, you will never know unless you ask. If the client does not want to pay this much they will simply tell you no. From there, you can negotiate down to your old rate of $.10/word.
In some cases, all it takes to earn more money as a freelance writer is the guts to ask. If you are willing to ask for more money from both current and new clients, you should be able to increase your freelance writing income.Â
Yesterday, my doctor asked me what I do for a living. From there, I explained that I was a freelance writer and that I worked on other online related projects, etc. Much to my surprise, she replied, “do you get paid for that?†I nicely explained that I studied journalism in college, and that there are a lot of freelance writers and online professionals who are earning good money.
Do any of you guys and gals ever get questions like this? I always wonder why so many people think that freelance writers work for free. It seems as if more and more people are beginning to believe this myth for one reason or the next. And by the way that my doctor phrased the question, it really sounded as if she believed I had no chance of ever making money.
Keep one thing in mind: it does not matter what other people think of your career. I could have easily become frustrated yesterday, and in turn told my doctor that she has no idea what she is talking about. Instead, I explained what freelance writing is all about and hopefully opened her eyes to what this career path has to offer. From where I sit, being a freelance writer is better than being a doctor. Of course, she probably believes that being a doctor is the best job in the world because of the money or the ability to help people.
There are many benefits of being a freelance writer, and getting paid is one of them. How often do you field similar questions? And do you ever get upset after hearing them time and time again? Â
I wanted to post a quick message letting everybody know that I have two open slots for my freelance writing course. I carried over seven members from last month, and one out of the three spots has already been taken advantage of.
If interested in grabbing one of the final two openings, send me an email right away. I am not expecting them to last past tomorrow!
Thanks again, and I am looking forward to finding out who will be joining the course.
