We’ve all got to start somewhere. And for newbie writers – or those just testing the waters – that can mean starting out on sites like Fiverr, or the freelance platforms, where competition is high, and the rewards are often minimal. If this is where you started, it doesn’t have to be the way your writing career continues. By following these tips, the low-paying content you’ve created can be used to hook better paying clients!
Create a Portfolio
Use your best pieces of work to build a portfolio. While clippings aren’t always necessary to land clients, a strong portfolio on your website it always a good addition. If you are working on sites like Fiverr, or other platforms where you have direct contact with ‘clients,’ ask permission to either post the project on your website, or to link to your published work on their site. If money is tight, there are plenty of free options for creating a portfolio such as Clippings.me or Pressfolios.
Get Testimonials
Seek testimonials from happy clients to use on your website and marketing emails. Once you’ve worked with a client a few times, they are usually happy to write a short testimonial if you ask. Testimonials are important for building credibility and increasing client confidence, and they can make all the difference when it comes to securing new business. And, if nothing else, when your self-belief is low, and you are wondering if you are good enough to demand higher rates, a review of your testimonials can be a vital confidence booster.
Find your Niche/Specialization
Ask any of the highest-earning writers and most of them will tell you the same thing: Choosing a niche and specializing enables a writer to command much higher fees. If you cannot decide which type of writer you want to be, use the content you have written to determine the niches you are most comfortable with, or use your passions and previous work experience to narrow down a specialty. As well as the potential to earn more, there are other advantages to finding a niche. For example, it helps to focus your marketing efforts, so you can find the type of businesses you really want to have as a customer. Your past work is also a good way to find the type of content you are most suited to writing. For instance, you might excel at website content or marketing emails, but find you struggle with press releases. Find your strengths, and play to them.
Be Selective about the Content You Write
It does not matter how much effort you put into it, some types of content will not look great in your portfolio. SEO content is a good example. While SEO is a valuable skill to have for any writer, the high-quality clients you are seeking will not be impressed with the type of keyword-laden articles that many low-paying clients seek. Web content, marketing emails, and press releases are just some examples of the types of content that will look good in a portfolio, and impress potential future clients.
A Final Word
The above tips should help you to leave low-paying writing work behind. But, one final piece of advice: No matter where you are in your writing career, you are always worth more than a few cents a word. Far too many writers are happy with the small amounts they get paid working for content mills or similar firms, but the truth is there are much better, more lucrative ways to earn money from your writing. If you have started out on low-paying sites due to lack of confidence, or the need for any income at all, now is the time to start searching for the new, better-paying clients that you deserve.
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Jane Fazackarley is a freelance writer with a special interest in health, small business and fashion. Her debut novel, Then He Left Me, is available on Amazon.
HowMaster: The Writer's Guide to Beautiful Word Crafting
Author Linda M. Gigliotti draws from years of practice as a private
writing tutor in the guidebook that teaches writers how to format visceral
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HowMaster is a wise choice for the writer who wants to weave words around the reader’s heart.
Author Linda M. Gigliotti draws from years of practice as a private
writing tutor in the guidebook that teaches writers how to format visceral
writing that pulls readers into their book. She explains with instruction
and samples of published works how to craft writing that come to life in the reader's mind.
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