Freelance Tip Of The Day: Punch Fear Straight In The Mouth

Uncontrolled fear or a lack of confidence is the number one contributor to why people don't succeed as freelance writers. The ego part of everyone's mind will always say, "You can't", "You're not good enough", and "Others know more than you". But freelance writing is the antithesis of this limiting viewpoint. We're freelancers so that we're not constrained by normal conventions. Why limit ourselves because of fear when we're confident enough to display an entrepreneurial spirit? If you want to succeed online, the first thing you must do is punch fear straight in the mouth.

The thing is, I struggle with this every single day. I've achieved a modicum of success as a freelance writer, but still my brain is insistent that I am not good enough. When I attempt to step outside what I'm used to, I hear the inevitable doubt between my ears. Trying something new is difficult for everyone. We, as freelancers, are not alone in this.

Diversify Or Die: A Freelance Writing Mantra To Live By

Diversification is the key to freelance writing success. Getting established in the market is just part of the game. Once you have your foot in the door, it literally pays to keep pitching, querying and looking for new avenues for profit. The major point to remember is that your goal is to pay the bills. Whether that involves writing or not doesn’t truly matter in the long run.

Establish a Steady Income

Whether this is on job-board sites like Textbroker or MyAms or through E-books and guest posts, you need to have an income to fall back on. Look, the winds of change blow through the Internet on a daily basis, drying up once lucrative rivers of income. Having a fallback plan is essential when working as a freelance writer.

Be Open to Opportunities

You’re a freelance writer to make money, but don’t limit yourself to writing. If you can make money in video or podcasts, do it. Also, look for consulting jobs, website maintenance, forum moderation and the myriad other opportunities available on the Web.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Don't undervalue your skills

This is a hard one. I struggle with it everyday because it can be difficult to determine pricing as a freelance writer, especially when you're first starting out. There's a fine line between growing a client base by undercutting a competitor, and completely undervaluing your talents. Breaking out of the "I'm getting experience" or "I need more clients" phase can be tough, but essential if you want to turn this freelance writing thing into a career.

When you first start out as a freelance
writer, setting your rates low to gain clients can be the quickest way to bring in some cold, hard cash. Typically, it's important to find a niche, and establish yourself as an authority. You'll want to spend time learning trade nuances, gaining experience and clients, and honing your writing skills. These are all integral steps in starting a freelance writing career. However, once you've found the perfect niche, and researched and written numerous articles on the subject, raising your rates becomes necessary.