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Tips for Freelance Writers
Freelancer or Contractor?
Don’t have an identity crisis. According to U.S. employment law, every freelancer is an "independent contractor," or someone who performs a specific service rather than being an employee of the hiring company.
In many companies, however, "contractor" or "freelance contractor" refers to a professional who comes to the client site to perform a specific project, while a "freelancer" performs the work offsite. Many freelancers operate both ways, depending on the work available, their preferences, and their professional goals. If you work offsite and use your own equipment, there's no question about your status. A company employing you onsite must differentiate between contractors and full-time employees for tax reasons, as U.S. law seeks to punish employers who use "contractor" status to hire permanent workers without making required Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment contributions. If you’re looking to become a freelance writer, you can apply online to freelance writing companies that can connect you with potential clients. In most cases, you’ll need to post your resume, as well as provide information that gives the company some details about your writing abilities. It just might result in a steady stream of work, and fewer sleepless nights.
Freelancers, and (Uh Oh) Taxes
Freelance writers are considered sole proprietors. Other terms also commonly used include self-employed, independent contractor, and freelancer. Your income and expenses related to self-employment are reported on your 1040 Schedule C. Your clients should send you a Form 1099-MISC early in the year to report total payments for the previous year. Form 1099-MISC is like a W-2 form, but it reports income you received for freelance work. Your friends at the IRS also get a copy of your 1099s.
It's a good idea to keep any income not related to your freelance work separate so that there is no confusion at tax time. Don’t confuse yourself. That’s the IRS’s job.
Freelancers and Health Insurance
It can be a sickening subject. In the past, one of the main reasons professionals avoided shifting to full-time freelance work was the absence of health benefits. Today, however, some freelance writers can get health insurance easily. Many freelancers join the Freelancers Union, where freelancers pay to enjoy decent rates on healthcare plans comparable to what they would find through large companies. The union's insurance is not available in many states, however, so it's a good idea to ask your freelancer friends what they do about insurance.
Can You Do It? Should You?
To leap or not to leap? That is the question. It's a difficult decision: do you keep your nice, comfy office job or switch to a freelance career and work from home? Most of us love the idea of being our own boss, making our own schedule, and getting paid for doing what we love; however, if this radical shift makes you nervous, try transitioning into the freelancing world by taking on freelance jobs while you are still employed by a company. It’s extra work, but you'll build a reputation and a client base that can sustain you once you decide to take the plunge into full-time freelancing.
Reputation is Everything
People talk about you behind your back, so it’s critical to build a reputation as a good freelancer. After a project is completed, ask satisfied clients to refer colleagues. Your work might benefit them as well. If your client agrees to referrals, always contact the referrals promptly, and when you’re crafting your cover letter or making your phone call, don't forget to mention how you received their names, and never forget to thank your original client!
Being Your Own Boss
Can you yell at yourself and make yourself work weekends? Before you strike out into the world of freelance writing, there is one question you must ask yourself: Do I have self-discipline? There’s no time clock or boss checking your work, so you’ve got to make yourself sit down and get the job done on time and extremely well. Some people just can’t do it; others have no problem. Only you can decide if you’ve got the discipline.
Legal Stuff
With lots of choices out there for LLC, Incorporation, Sole Proprietorship, and others, it's best to consult a lawyer to determine your best strategy, especially when you finally land clients and stabilize your income. (Notice we said “when,” not “if.” We're optimists.)
Take It to the Bank
Setting up a separate bank account is a great idea for managing your accounting and staying on track. It's worth the few dollars you pay monthly to separate apples from oranges and avoid going bananas at tax time.
Career Tips
Nowadays, the world really is your oyster. Whether you're in Manhattan or Manhattan, Kansas, the internet allows you to reach potential clients anywhere. Especially if you don't live in a major hub such as New York, it's vital to put extra effort into your freelance writing career. Here are some ideas:
- Familiarize yourself with search engine optimization (SEO) concepts and techniques, like how keywords need to appear in the content you create in order for the content to be visible by Google and other search engines.
- Build your own website promoting your services and optimize your website for the search engines. Target long tail keyword phrases for top listing positions and when you achieve those top listings, show your clients that your SEO knowledge is part of the package.
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Hang out online and offline with creative talent that complements your skill set. Once you form partnerships, let your clients know that you can extend your services with your newly-found partners.
- Put the power of the pen to work with well-designed, well-written postcards to target potential clients, then follow up with individual emails that make it easy to start a conversation online.
- Get your words out and business in with lots of wonderfully designed business cards. For brand-building advice and design tips, collaborate with the pros and don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re also a designer. Smart branding shows that you're not just a writer, but that you’re a writer with vision and respect for the art and science of marketing.
- Get your portfolio together with not only great work, but also with great stories about your work. You’re a storyteller after all, not just a writer. Now get out there and sell yourself.
Polish Your Resume
Congratulations! Maybe. It’s easy to become a freelancer—getting work is a lot harder. Especially if you're just starting out, you'll want to do everything possible to establish yourself as a professional, reliable, and talented worker with up-to-date skills and a thorough understanding of the market and your clients' needs. Start with a freelancer’s resume. Rewrite your existing resume to reflect your new freelance career, emphasizing your skills, relevant experience, and your ability to work well independently. A freelancer’s resume, for example, should highlight specific projects rather than job titles or organization names –(unless the names are very well known and prestigious).
What to Charge
You know you’re worth your weight in gold, but do your clients? A common hurdle for people starting freelance writing careers is the lack of a regular paycheck. There's no such thing as a freelance salary—you’re on your own to get the work and get it done well. The more work you get and the better you do it, the more money you'll make. At least that's the theory. In reality, many clients are just looking to get the job done as inexpensively as possible, without much regard for quality. It's very hard to compete based on price—there's always someone's 14-year-old nephew who will do the work cheaper. Here's a rough guideline: Get an idea of what a full-time professional writer would make doing your kind of work, then double it; after all, as a freelancer, you have to pay for your own insurance, computer equipment, and other costs that a full-time employer would cover for you. While it's important to know what your competitors are charging, it's even more important to have a well-crafted marketing message that makes the case for the value of a higher-priced freelance content writer. You'll soon learn what clients will pay for your talents.
Digital, Yes. Black Leather, No.
Some potential employers want to be able to print out your work, while others want to save toner and look at it on their computer. Still others don't care what you do, as long as it doesn't crash their aging computers. What to do?
The PDF portfolio is the answer. Adobe's Portable Document Format has been around for years, can be read by virtually any computer, and allows the creator great flexibility in page layout and display. As the creator of the document, you control what the client sees and doesn't see. Your career niche and target market will dictate the style—modern, traditional, cute, Gothic, whatever. Many professionals recommend a two- or three-page portfolio attached to an email response to a job listing with a promise of a more comprehensive version if needed. Even that version should be no more than ten or twelve pages with one project per page, displaying your best work and the skills that meet the client's needs. Creating this marketing tool is lots of work. One of the side benefits, though, is the opportunity to go through your past work and file it all in a thoughtful system. (Oh, and please, remember to back up that hard drive, OK?) (Also remember to throw out that black leather portfolio.)
Be Very, Very Selective
Be a showoff. While a resume is an important first step in marketing yourself as a freelance writer, the part employers will value most is your portfolio. Potential employers want to see what you can do, have done, and whether you can do their job. You convince them that you can by showing them your best work. Many just starting out in freelance writing make the mistake of padding their portfolios with as much work as possible, regardless of whether or not it’s their best work. Remember that employers don't have a lot of time and that they'd much rather see a few well-chosen pieces in an easy-to-read format, displaying skills that are relevant to the job at hand. Be a showoff, just not too much of one.
Portfolio Gaps
Don’t fall into the gap! As you look over job listings for freelance writers, you may spot a job that seems great for you, except that the employer wants one kind of experience you don't have. Perhaps you have a lot of great ideas for a content development project but have never been hired to do such a job because of your lack of experience. Don't be limited by the projects you've done in the past. Give yourself a choice assignment! Create a fictional client and fill in the gaps in your freelance writer portfolio by giving that client your best work. You can have some fun with this, but don't lose sight of your target market. You're doing this project for free to show an employer you can do work he’ll pay for.
You Are the Product!
You’ve marketed all kinds of stuff, now it’s time to market yourself. The marketing you need to do depends in part on where you are. In a small community, you may not face a lot of competition, but you may need to educate local business owners about why they need to pay for your services. You're competing with all of the client's other vendors to get access to limited dollars, and it's going to take sales skill and business knowledge to make the case for the value of your skills. On the other hand, in a large city you’ll probably be in a tight, competitive market with many other qualified freelancers. A New York writing job posted on the internet may get hundreds or even thousands of applicants within 24 hours. That means that networking within a specific industry or carving out a unique niche is vital to standing out from the pack. At WriterAccess, businesses reach out to you for freelance writing opportunities, or even for full-time work, thus eliminating a lot of the seeking-out of clients that you’re accustomed to.
Go Where You’re Valued
There are some online freelance hubs that market the writers as “affordable” rather than “experts.” Unfortunately, many people out there read “affordable” as “dirt cheap.” Is that really where you want to be, where clients expect to get good writing for minimum wage? Rather than spend your time educating potential clients on the true value of a good writer, market yourself as an expert worthy of being paid as one and go where that belief is shared. Consider applying as a LifeTips Guru, where you’re marketed as nothing less than an in-demand pro.
You’re Also Selling Customer Service
Great writing is what you were hired for, but great customer service is often what will get you recommended by clients. Courteous and timely e-mails, a strict dedication to deadlines, a friendly attitude and adhering to these 9 tips for freelance writers are products you need to deliver. You could write like Shakespeare, but no one is going to glow about you if you were miserable to work with.
Other Writers Are Your Friends
They might be the competition – but they might also be your best reference. Whether it’s because they’re swamped and need to outsource their own contracts or perhaps a very good client of theirs is in a bind that they can’t personally help with (perhaps outside their area of expertise) – writers sometimes depend on other writers to ensure their own business runs smoothly. Get in contact with those in your industry and let them know you’re there to pitch in. It could make great business sense!
Reckon the Research
If you’re being approached for a project that’s going to involve you scouring the web or other resources for info, you need to consider the amount of time this will take you and build that into your quote. Time is time. Whether it’s spent researching, writing, editing or chatting with the client – you need to account for it.
Don’t Pretend You’re Something You’re Not
You’ve written a wonderful e-book for a client about being an American living in London – it was easy because you drew from your own experience of having actually done it. The client is thrilled and has asked if you can give a repeat performance – but for a guide about Paris. The problem? You spent only about two hours in Paris, waiting in the Charles de Gaulle airport.
You don’t know the subject matter as well – in fact, it’s not even close. Be up front. Your client might be willing to let you do the project because they like your writing style – but keep in mind it will take you longer to do because of the extra research required. Weigh this extra time in your decision to take on the project.
Get It In Writing
We know – contracts can be a drag to write out and wait for, especially when a project needs to get started on straight away. However, they can save you a world of headache down the road. Clearly laying out the expectations, deliverables, deadlines and payment schedule in a contract can keep everyone accountable and on the same page.
Do the Deposit
Your clients will have vetted that you’re a serious writer, but you also need to ensure your client is serious about business, too. A deposit (usually between 20% and 30% of the final bill) is a reasonable request to make before you begin a project or submit your first draft. If you have a long project that will take several months, it is also reasonable to request payments by milestone. Another reason to do this? A deposit can work as proof of an arrangement, should you have a client that tries to claim otherwise (which sucks but can happen).
Put a Cap on Edits
You should always accommodate for editing in your rate to ensure the final piece pleases the client – but put a limit to this up front. Not stating how many rounds of edits are included in a project could cause it to drag on and on should you have a client that is overly picky or changes their mind on what they want. When your client knows there are only two rounds of editing, for example, they’ll make better use of their opportunity to provide feedback.
Also, ensure your client knows what “editing” means. Finessing a few points and clarifying messages are parts of editing. Deciding to go a completely different direction is not editing – that’s a new job.
Consider Value-Adds
If you’re competing for a great project against a few writers, think about what you can provide to the client – potentially without an extra charge – that will make you stand out (nude photos would be a no-no). Maybe it’s handling a daily tweet on their Twitter account? Perhaps it’s using WordVision to ensure SEO isn’t just an afterthought? Think about what you’re skilled at that your client would find value in.
Morals Before Moola
Even when times are tight, it’s important to stick to your ethical guns. If there’s a job that doesn’t sit right with your beliefs – whether it’s writing “creative” (see: fake) testimonials for a product or web copy for an organization that promotes an agenda you disagree with – don’t take it. Use your talents to not only make a living but promote messages you’d be proud to put your name on.
Take To Twitter
Even if your current clients aren’t on the Twitter train yet, you should be. It’s a great way to network and check out what potential clients and competition are up to. Plus, Twitter gives you one more easy, instant and free avenue to showcase your writing skills (even if it’s just at 140 characters at a time)!
SEO That Portfolio
You know you need to get your samples of writing organized and preferably online. But are you making it easy for people to find you online in a search for your services? Ensure you’re using SEO tips for your own website. Wordpress has a number of themes and packs available that make SEO integration easy.
Take Care of Yourself
If you’re working from home without a boss telling you what to do, it might be easy to roll out of bed when you want, work in your pajamas and then work into the wee hours of the night without taking a break to go outside and breathe some fresh air. While some deadlines might require a big crunch, generally, you need to keep sane work hours and routines. Ensure you get a good sleep and make time to get outside, talk to people and exercise. Your brain (and quality of work) will thank you!
Create a Freelance Zone
It can be hard to separate your living space from your work space when you work from home, but make an effort to create a zone for yourself that is ideal for getting your writing done. It should be fairly free of distraction (no TV!), have everything you need to get work accomplished and be a place you can walk away from (and preferably close the door to) when it’s time to hang out with your family.
