December 23, 2019
Before we officially kick off 2020 and hit the ground running with freelance goals, I wanted to reflect on the content my readers clicked on the most last year. If you have some time over the holidays to dig in and review some of the most-read pieces on my freelance writing blog, here are ones to start with, as well as some of my favorite tips culled from each.
I hope your 2019 was magical and profitable! Here’s to a fantastic year ahead for freelancers:
Check out these freelance writing tips that can take your career to the next level with my most popular blog post at the bottom!
10. Fun Ways to Come Up with New Freelance Article Ideas
Every freelancer feels “stuck” at some point in their career and especially if they do a lot of freelance writing in a niche. Here’s one of my favorite tips for generating fresh article ideas and pitches (including an exercise in the blog post!) in this freelance writing blog post:
“Look to upcoming holidays, anniversaries in the coming months and brainstorm article ideas around those topics.”
9. Morning Routines of Freelancer Writers
We could all probably improve productivity in our freelance business and be better at using mornings in a way that sets us up for success the rest of the day. Here’s my favorite tip from this freelance writing blog post:
“Write before reading emails.
If I can write for two hours straight, or even one, before checking my emails, chances are I’ll have what I consider a successful day. This is definitely a ‘best case’ scenario! My worst days are when I’m reactive to my inbox, as opposed to doing the actual work I love.”
8. Do This Simple Exercise to Find More Content Marketing Clients
When you’re at a loss for finding new clients that pay well, I recommend freelance course students or freelance coaching clients try this content marketing research exercise. I share this advice for free on this freelance writing blog post and tell you how to do it.
“Write down every brand you interact with in the first few hours of waking up.”
7. Be Your Own Freelance Social Media Manager
Many of us are familiar with using social media in our personal lives, but you might be missing out on opportunities to earn more money freelancing and secure assignments by improving social media in your freelance business. One of my favorite tips in this piece?
“Share every single story you write on social media.”
6. What to Do When You Don’t Hear Back from Your Pitch
Here are nine reasons an editor didn’t respond to your pitch. This freelance writing blog post talks about the importance of following up and when to do it. One of my favorite tips in this blog:
“The editor thought it was a publicist’s pitch.
Make it clear in your subject line with something like: FEATURE PITCH or ARTICLE PITCH: Potential Headline Here, or, name the section of the magazine you’re pitching so they know you’ve done your research.”
5. When Is the Best Time to Pitch An Editor?
In this freelance writing blog post, I address the best times to send a pitch to an editor during the week, and the times when they are least likely to respond to an email pitch.
“Don’t send a pitch on a Monday.
That’s because the editor’s Monday is probably spent catching up on news over the weekend, emails from colleagues, preparing for work meetings, and completing tasks they didn’t get to last Friday. Your email is way more likely to get lost or overlooked if you send it on Monday morning.”
4. Freelance Article Pitches That Got Accepted
This freelance writing blog post has become so popular that I’m creating a downloadable PDF filled with over 20 examples of freelance pitches that worked. Read the blog post for some samples of pitches that turned into assignments. Sign up for my weekly email newsletter so you’ll know when this PDF resource is available!
3. How Can Freelancers Make Six Figures a Year?
My favorite tip on how to earn six figures freelancing in this freelance writing blog post?
“Keep networking and marketing–even when you’re busy.
This is easier said than done but freelancers who make six figures are constantly marketing. Although “marketing” means different things to different freelancers, for me it means I’m checking in with previous clients, sending editors pitches, finding new editors to pitch to and researching new consumer, B2B and B2C markets.”
2. How Many Hours Do Freelancers Work Each Week?
If you’re trying to keep your freelance hours in check so you can maintain some semblance of a work-life balance, while also earning a great freelance income, keep these points in mind from this freelance writing blog post:
“If I can bill six hours a day, I’m in a good spot in reaching my ‘in-house salary equivalent’. So that’s my goal every day–if I hit six hours and it’s 3 p.m., I might stop there.”
1. Freelancing 101: How to Find Editors to Pitch Articles To
When you’re looking for the right contact at a magazine or website to send your pitch to, the freelance writing tips in this freelance writing blog will help you reach the right person to answer your query and assign an article to you:
“If you’re looking to contact an editor at a print magazine or a website, pick up a recent copy of the issue and check out the masthead. If you’re tight on time and don’t have access to the print magazine’s masthead, search LinkedIn for the person’s name. You’ll need to look at the company their magazine is published by. Then, type the company website into free hunter.io to learn how they formulate emails.
Tags: freelance, freelance tips, freelance writer, freelance writing advice, freelance writing niche, freelance writing tips, freelancer, freelancing, goals, making six figures freelancing, six figure freelancing, six-figure freelancer
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