Youre NOT Doing Enough as a Freelance Writer

I havent landed a writing job yetwhat gives? Ive pitched soooo much, but havent heard back from any of them!!! Why? I spent hours on my writer website, but still, no gigs! Does any of these sayings sound familiar? Like you couldve said them yourself (or have thought them in the past)? Did you know that after the first year of freelance writing, the majority of writers fail? They stop freelancing for good and never go back. (A unicorn died when I learned this!) Being a freelance writer is also being an entrepreneur, and as an entrepreneur, youre going to face extreme highs and big lows. But, thats one of the reasons I LOVE freelance writing! I get to create those big highs if I wanted to and I can mitigate those lows, so they dont affect my bottom line. So, if you just started freelance writing as a beginner, I dont want you to feel defeated or frustrated because you havent landed your first gig. I want to help you because I suspect part of the reason you arent succeeding is that you dare I say it? arent doing enough as a freelance writer. *gasp I knowsounds harsh, doesnt it? Of course, youre doing all that you can! Of course, you only have 1 hour a day to make this work! Of course I know Straight talking here it is possible to make a living as a writer. Im doing it and have been doing it for five years. But, if youre already thinking of the donts instead of the dos, then youre setting yourself up to fail anyways. So, lets turn that around and get you that first freelance writing job. Ill share with you what I feel youre not doing enough and how you can incorporate that in what little time you have to devote to your side hustle. What Freelance Writers Arent Doing Enough Of 1. Youre NOT Pitching Enough One of the biggest ways you can improve your chances of landing your first writing gig is to pitch more often. Many writers that start out send around 200 pitches or less before they land a good gig. Other writers land their first gig immediately. There really is no right amount of pitches to send before you land a gig (I sent around 50 before I landed my first gig). But, if you dont hear back from the pitches you ARE sending, try sending MORE pitches. A good rule of thumb is: 10 pitches a day for 10 days. Whats great about this tactic is that you set a time frame 10 days and the amount you send per day 10. You can adjust this to fit your commitment, but the only thing I suggest is you extend the time frame if you end up lowering the number of pitches you send 5 pitches a day for 15 days. You can also change the format of what a pitch entails. For example, you can also include guest post pitches or podcast pitches along with your job ad pitches and cold pitches. 2. Youre NOT Available Enough Watching Youtube and relaxing! Did you know that I hire ghostwriters and bloggers to help me with my other blogs? Most of the freelance writers are professional and available, but theres always those few that I have a hard time contacting them or they never reply to my emails in a sufficient time frame. When that happens, I dont hire them. I need a reliable and available writer. This doesnt mean you should be at the beck and call of your clients; instead, be prompt when responding to emails 24 to 48 hours is sufficient. This allows for time changes with your clients or potential clients, as well as for the weekend (if you dont email on the weekend which is something I WOULD recommend for new freelance writers). See, my thing is that I want to remove as many barriers as possible for someone to hire me. So, I do my best to reply to leads as soon as they land in my inbox. And you should too! 3. Youre NOT Flexible Enough As a new freelance writer, you have to be open to expanding your niche or services. If youre dead set on writing about history, it might be hard to find the right client. Why not peruse job boards and see whats out there? Pitch to ones that are remotely interesting to you. This is what I did, and it served me well. This can also help you pick up your first writing gig much quicker when you expand your freelance writing niche. How do you expand your freelance writing niche? Look at related topics in that niche. For example, if you want to write about cryptocurrency, you should also be willing to write about home loans or investments. If your niche is mental health, why not also include mindfulness and exercising as topics? By, doing this, you can search for more freelance writing jobs and get a gig! The same goes for your services. Why not add editing or social media graphics as added services to your freelance writing? Prospects who land on your hire me page will see all you offer and may start you out as their editor, and from there you can pitch your writing after you know the client enjoys your editing relationship. 4. Youre NOT Negotiating Enough Sometimes the issue for freelance writers isnt that they cant find a job; its that the job is low paying. *think content mill rates! You can easily change this around by being firm in your negotiations. Try not to bend if a potential client says in their email: That rate is out of our budget. Can you cut your rate in half? Ouch! Some people! Forget what they say and be professional when you respond, Thanks for letting me know, but my rate is (x). If you need a professional writer later on or if your budget increases, feel free to contact me! Boom! Whos the boss now? Standing your ground will give you confidence, and you know what? That will carry with you on your next pitch, and I wouldnt be surprised if you didnt land that gig! The only time I would write for a lower-paying gig is if it can benefit me later one. For example, if the networking potential is greater than the actual gig. Or, if the gig sounds super fun and super easy and it would look good in my portfolio! 5. Youre NOT Reaching Out Enough Many freelance writers think this is a competition and its not! Instead of giving the stink eye to other freelance writers, connect with them and follow them! Share their blog posts and sign up to their email list! Networking its creeping up again! is soo powerful! It is what can increase your income and move you up the income ladder. By doing this, you will see other freelance writers giving away potential gigs if they have a full schedule. Similarly, if youre booked up, you can connect with your list of freelance writers and see if they want to pick up another writing gig. Some of my best freelance writing jobs came from other freelance writers or from their referral! So, how can you connect with more freelancers? Follow them on Twitter Follow them on LinkedIn Join Facebook groups and search for freelancer And connect with other freelancers like graphic designers and coaches! Maximize Your Time as a Freelance Writer What if you have NO time to start this freelance writing business? What if you only have one hour a day or three hours a week to do this? First, list out the most important tasks you need to accomplish: Create three writing samples Pitch 5 times a day for 10 days Start a Twitter profile and follow 10 freelancers Find five companies to cold pitch to Create a pitch template Once you write down your list, next write out how long you think each task will take and plug that into the time you have during the week. This will give you a framework to work off of. You also should get creative on your time. Instead of vegging out after dinner watching your shows, pitch or find businesses to cold pitch to. You might have to nix Netflix for a month to land a few clients! Totally worth it though, right? If you still find this difficult to execute, why not have an accountability partner? It doesnt have to be your husband or wife or a friend; it can be another freelance writer you connected with on Facebook! Reach out to them and see where they are in their freelance journey and see if you can hold each other accountable to grow your biz together! Wrap Up There ya go! Im telling it like it is! I hope this gives you the motivation you need to get up and take action! I want to help you succeed and find that freelance writing job thats right for you! Tell me in the comments what you feel you arent doing enough! Maybe we can brainstorm some ideas on how to increase your productivity so you can land some writing gigs!