Writing your own is great work. On the other hand, not everyone can be a writer. As more professional writers enter the freelance content writing market, the competition grows. No matter how long you’ve been writing, or how new you are to blogging, article writing, and SEO copywriting, knowing a few key topics can help you stay ahead of the competition. So if you want to be a good writer, you should avoid making some simple mistakes that can get you into trouble in this area. Here are some of the most helpful things I’ve learned from my own experience. If you do these things, I can assure you that you will become a successful freelance writer:
1. Don’t have an unprofessional attitude. No matter what field you work in, remember that clients want you to have a professional demeanor before they hire you. As a freelance writer, your employer will look at your professionalism when you talk to them via phone, fax, email, and instant messenger. Be clear and to the point and talk about your skills in areas where customers ask you for help. Clients and potential employers already have a lot of work to do, so they can’t think about every question a freelancer asks. Yours should stand out because it’s clear, short, to the point and very professional. Tell customers how much you charge, when to pay, and why they should hire you instead of someone else.
2. Don’t miss deadlines. Deadlines are very important. Customers, especially from Europe, are always based on logic. Deadline that they are looking for your job. If you say the work will be done within 7 business days, make sure the client receives proof-ready, high-quality, well-written content within 7 business days. If you don’t, your contract may end. If you think you need more time, let the client know in advance and ask for a few more days to complete the work. Your clients will respect your honesty and may be willing to give you a few more days to hand over your work.
3. Badly written contracts. Your contract is like a salesperson for your freelance writing career. Sending customers a set of clear, well-written terms of service also shows how professional you are. Before entering into a contract, always talk about how you will be paid, how the work will be completed, when it should be done and everything else. This reduces the chance of failure. Don’t rush to find a job just for the money. Take the time and effort to sign a good contract that grabs your client’s attention.
4. Don’t take on work you can’t do. This is a big deal, especially for someone just starting out as a freelance content writer. I think you should start your career by writing short, simple SEO articles, not technical reports, white papers and magazine articles. The first requires less time, but the second requires a lot of time, work and research. Start writing short essays and then move on to reports and case studies if you feel your writing skills are at a professional level.
5. Post inappropriate content. Customers want content that is 100% original, well-written, clear and understandable to professionals and non-professionals alike. Buy a premium account for copyscape and check your articles for errors before sending them to customers. Make sure you don’t copy the work of others and write the way the customer wants. After you write, you should always go back and check your grammar, spelling, and keyword count. If you don’t know how to write, hire a native English speaker to review your work before sending it to your client. Be sure to write articles with subtopics and bullet points to help people read them. That way, people who aren’t interested in SEO will find your articles interesting to read. Your article should make sense and follow a good structure. Customers buy SEO articles that are made especially for them and that meet their needs and expectations.
I hope the above skills will help you become a successful freelance writer or improve the skills you already have.
