When you start out as a freelance writer you should set goals, both big and small. That being said, make sure they are attainable. There is nothing worse than setting goals that you have no chance of reaching anytime in the near future. This does not mean that you should not reach for the stars. But you should be reasonable so that you can reach your goals from time to time, and in turn increase your confidence and self-esteem.
In my opinion, your first small income goal should be one that you can reach within three months. My first income goal as a freelance writer was to earn $2k by my third month. After the first month in which I earned $52, I was a bit discouraged. Fortunately, I continued to move forward and met this goal on time. Three months is plenty long enough to get your footing, draw up a plan, and reach your first goal. But again, you need to make sure that this goal is a small one that you can reach. If I would have set my goal at $10k instead of $2k, I would have failed.
If you continually reach your small income goals you will realize the big picture soon enough. In my case, once I hit $2k/month I began to strive for $3k. Soon enough, my income goals were increasing along with my workload.
I don’t want to make things seem too easy, though. Just because you set an attainable freelance writing goal does not mean that you will definitely reach it. Even now, I set goals that come and go without me reaching them; it is part of being a freelance writer. You need to realize that goals are important, but that reaching them can be difficult. And unfortunately, sometimes you come up short. When this happens, reassess your goals and work harder to achieve success in the future.
The bottom line: start out with one small income goal. Once you reach this goal, continue to set the bar higher.Â
As you are probably well aware, I frequently talk about how to market your freelance writing services as well as why it is important. That being said, I have never discussed the power of business cards. But what better time than now?
The good people at UPrinting.com have generously offered to sponsor a contest for free business cards. And since I know all of you guys and gals want to better your freelance writing career, I accepted the offer.
Here are the details of the contest:
1. I am giving away 250 business cards each to three readers.
3. Once subscribed, leave a comment telling us how you would use these business cards to advance your career. Not only will this enter you into the contest but it will also help us all to better understand how to successfully use business cards as a marketing tool.
4. Next Tuesday I will randomly select three winners.
* UPrinting.com can only ship to the United States and Canada.
Once the winners are selected, I will post them here. Make sure that you leave an email address (matching your RSS address) along with your comment. This will allow me to get in touch with the winners.
Here are some details of the prize at stake, straight from UPrinting.com:
They can choose any of our stocks, including the eco-friendly cover stock (13 pt. Cover Uncoated – Recycled) or the 14 pt. family in Matte, AQ, or UV at any custom size we offer such as square cards, odd sizes like 3×3, 2×2, etc.
As you can see, winners are going to get much more than basic business cards. The company is well known for their high quality business card printing. Even if you do not wind up a winner, I would still suggest UPrinting.com for all of your business card and related printing needs.
It is time to get started. I look forward to reading all of your comments, and providing three of you with 250 free business cards!
As a freelance writer, you want to establish good relationships with all your clients. This goes without saying, but believe it or not, it is an area that many forget about. Remember, your goal should be for each client to want to work with you long term. If this does not pan out, you at least want them to get in touch with you in the future if they have any writing related needs. Without a good relationship, it is safe to say that you will complete one job for a client and that will be that. Simply put, this is not the way to build a successful, long term freelance writing career.
Here are three tips for establishing a good client relationship:
1. Follow through on deadlines. Clients love freelance writers who meet deadlines. This is a big problem for many companies when hiring freelancers. Better yet, if you can beat your deadline you will show the client that you truly care about them.
2. Go above and beyond. If there is anything extra that you can do for a client, go for it. This does not mean that you have to write for free or give a huge discount, but just a little something, such as adding images to an ebook, can go a long way. Again, when you go the extra mile the client is going to remember this.
3. Stay in touch with all your clients! Even if your deadline is two months out, make sure that you stay in touch. Update the client on your progress, and let them know that you are available to answer any questions that may come up, etc.
You do not have to work overly hard to establish good client relationships. In fact, if you are genuine and respectful, while also following the tips above, you will be on the right path.
