Are you tired of competing with umpty-million writers for those low-paying jobs on Craigslist?

Is your belly getting flabbier thanks to all those hours in front of the computer?

There’s a way to solve both of these problems at once.

You can get in a nice workout while you find quality clients.

Warning: You will need to get up from your computer and leave your house.

But if you’re willing to do that, you could come home with some great client leads or even a gig by the end of today.

What is this marketing method? I call it –

Prospecting by walking around

This marketing method is as low-tech as it gets.

It involves reaching out to businesses at their workplace. This allows you to find busy, successful companies with pent-up demand for freelancers but no time to look for help.

By turning up in person, you show you’re interested in learning about their business. You’re also serious about finding new clients — serious enough to get off your duff and come out and meet them. Not many writers do that, so you stand out right away.

Bring a small notebook for writing down business names. Wear good walking shoes. Bring your business cards. And you’re ready to go.

Step one: Choose a place to walk around that has a lot of businesses. Good places for a prospecting walk include:

• A business, technology, or industrial park
• An office tower (take the stairs)
• Your town’s main shopping street
• The mall (most rent a proportion of their stalls to local businesses)
• The strip malls around the mall

Your chosen target should have many businesses in an area that you could walk around within an hour or two.

My personal favorite is industrial parks. These are often chock-full of low-glamour wholesale, manufacturing, or import-export businesses.

Nobody ever pitches them. This means they are wide open for you to talk up your writing services.

Step two: Park your car, get out, and walk around. Note the business names. Skip the big national brands (this isn’t the way to pitch them) and focus on regional or local companies.

Step three: If you don’t want to approach these business owners cold, take your list of names home after your walk and do some Internet research. Identify companies with stale websites. Scan for recent news announcements about the companies. Learn a bit about their business. Identify areas where they could add to their marketing materials.

Then, return to your walk site for another stroll to talk to business owners.

Or, if you want to just go for it, proceed straight to:

Step four: Knock on the door, or just walk in if it’s a retail shop. Introduce yourself. Be sure to smile and be friendly.

Your script might go like this:

Retail store:

Hi, are you the owner or the manager? I love this store! I’ve shopped here before (if you have).

I saw your (newsletter/website/flier/whatever)…I’m a freelance writer. I’m wondering if you have any writing needs? Do you send out marketing emails to customers, for instance?

May I leave you my business card and get yours? I’ll follow up and send you some samples.

Industrial park:

Hi, I’m looking for the owner or manager? I was in the area visiting (company next door to this one), and saw your nameplate on the door.

I wanted to stick my head in because from your name it sounded like you have a business in (sector), which is a specialty of mine. I’m a freelance writer.

I’m wondering if you have any writing needs?

May I leave you my business card and get yours? I’ll follow up and send you some samples.

Work your way through all the businesses in your chosen locale. You’ll go home having burned some calories — and with a nice stack of leads to follow up on.

You can repeat this method at a new location, whenever you need new clients and want to burn some calories.

How do you get new clients? Leave a comment and share your strategy.

P.S. Want more tips on how to find great freelance writing clients? Then get in the Den. Doors close Thursday.

Are you writing a blog? If so, great — blogs are one of the best marketing tools around. Yet, most blogs fail to snag their authors any good-paying writing gigs.

Why? It’s because the blog fails as an audition piece. It isn’t set up to show prospective clients that you are a blogging pro and that you would be a great hire.

I’ve done a lot of paid blogging, which all began when I used this blog as a sample. Over the past few years, I’ve written for companies, publications…even a TV network. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about $10-a-post type work — I’m talking about landing real-pay gigs at decent hourly rates. I’ve gotten as much as $300 a blog post, and don’t write for less than $50 a post.

In my experience, there are some basic elements prospective clients want to see on your blog that make them go “Aha! This person is a pro blogger who could help me build my audience.”

Many blogs have some of these features, but most blogs don’t have them all.

Here is my list of the top ten things you want to show on your blog in order to turn it into a client magnet:

1. You know how. Most of you will have this one nailed, but to take it from the top, clients want to see you know how to put up a post. It looks nice and clean, in a big readable font that’s consistent through your blog.
2. Your design is uncluttered. There aren’t a bunch of goofy widgets, flashing ads, mutiple sidebars, or dark backgrounds with white letters. Clean design also means not having .blogger or .wordpress or something in your URL. Pay the tiny fee and get hosting — you look a lot more pro.
3. You write compelling posts in blog style. Your posts are short, focused on a single topic, and scannable, with numbered or bulleted points or useful subheads that guide the reader through your post. Paragraphs are short, too. Each post has several links to other useful information that are successfully anchored to appropriate key words, not ‘naked’ or dead. You don’t use ten exclamation points, three different colors of fonts, or otherwise make your posts look like a note a gushy high-school girl is passing her friend in class. As far as quality, you write your posts like they are $1-a-word magazine articles. You tell moving stories, report trends with interviews — whatever it takes to create content that’s a cut above.
4. You write powerful headlines. If you are going to blog for pay and help a client drive traffic, you must understand what makes a headline that readers will click. Learn how to write great headlines.
5. You stick to a niche. In my experience, it doesn’t really matter what your niche topic is (as long as it’s not your love of porn or something). What matters is showing you understand niche blogging. The prospect sees you can develop a lot of post ideas on a single topic. You’re not blogging about what your cat ate or whatever comes to mind that day or weird YouTube videos you saw…just about your chosen subject. Every paying client will want you to stick strictly to their niche, so it’s really important to show you get this.
6. You find, upload and credit images. They should be simple, clean images installed at the top of each post, nice and big, half-column width (not taking up the entire top of the post so that the first paragraph is pushed down below it). If you’re really slick, you understand sightlines, and eyes in faces or diagonal lines in photos point readers toward your copy, not away from it. If required, you have a citation and link.
7. You use social sharing buttons and are active in social media. Most paying clients are hoping you’ll know how to retweet your posts and help promote your content. Buttons on your posts (not just by your name with the exhortation to “follow me!”) show you get social-media marketing.
8. You get and respond to reader comments. Prospects want to see you know how to write the kind of posts that can engage readers enough to leave comments. If people do leave comments, they can see you respond appropriately.
9. You have a ‘hire me’ tab. Don’t let prospects wonder whether or not you are available to blog for others. I know writers who got inquiries immediately after they added a ‘hire me’ tab.
10. You are easy to contact. If the only way to reach you is by filling in an email contact form, know that you are sending many prospects away. Who wants to fill that out? Not me. Post at least one real email address (or a clickable graphic that links to one, if you’re worried about scrapers) on that ‘hire me’ tab — or better yet, in the sidebar so it’s visible from any page. Ideally, include a phone number, too.

Yes, it takes more time to put up a blog with all of these strengths, versus the usual slapped-up, visually unappealing junk that dominates the blogosphere. But a few design tweaks on your blog and a stronger commitment to working on your headlines and posts can really pay off in landing you quality paid blogging gigs.

Have you gotten a paid writing gig off your blog? Leave a comment and tell us how it happened.

P.S. Want to learn more about how to land clients with your blog? If you’d like 10 more essential points for a blog that gets you gigs, plus 4 full weeks’ worth of training on how to find, land, and keep great-paying blog clients, check out my next bootcamp, How to be a Well-Paid Blogger. It’s free for members of Freelance Writers Den, $197 otherwise — so join now. Doors close Thursday.

By James Brown

There are many ways of getting brand-new copywriting clients. However, some of them take a lot of effort and money. Some make you feel like you have to flatter and kiss up to prospects.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. Here is a way I used to get two clients very quickly, sending only ten prospecting emails. You can start right now.

I developed this method after seeing a display ad in my local paper that had a number of issues.

I sent them an email and simply told the truth. No ass-kissing required.

Here is what it said:

Hi,

I noticed your ad in Metro news and wanted to drop you a line. I’m curious as to what your results are so far?

By tracking your ad, you should have some numbers by now.

I noted a few problems with the ad that you may want to fix in the future.

1. You pay a lot for the ad and a large portion of it contains a picture of two people who may not be your target market. (No benefit here for your target market.)

2. Your headlines are weak. (Concerned about your hearing?)

3. The photo of your staff should be in the top left hand corner where the “open house” is. This will draw your target market’s attention quicker, as people like to see who they are dealing with. Again, I go back to the stock photo…this does not build any rapport with your target market.

If you would like some assistance with your marketing, feel free to connect.

I would like to offer you my free report, “Is Email Marketing Right For You?”  Just let me know if you would like the PDF.
Best Regards,

You might think business owners don’t want to hear how their ad sucks, but I find this straightforward approach works. That email opened a conversation, which led to an immediate writing assignment and likely future work on the website’s newsletter.

Besides the hearing-aid clinic ad above, I reached out to a physiotherapy clinic that had a very ineffective ad in the phone book. By telling the truth and making suggestions, I came away with an $800 assignment.

How to find copywriting client leads

To begin, you need to find some ads to review for problems. The local daily paper is only one source for you.

Pick up any phone book or local magazine and you will see ads that should be burned.

It’s not always the business owner’s fault. Often, they follow the advice of the publication where they are advertising.

Don’t think of it as being snarky. This marketing technique is attention-getting, and these local business owners need your help. You have a valuable service to offer them that will help them get more business.

A current client said to me recently, “I called you because I bought books on copywriting and marketing. Then I realized I don’t have time to learn all this. I have a business to run.”

So starting collecting the postcards and flyers from your mailbox. Clip out the ads from your local newspaper. Put it all together and there is your fast list to contact.

You might even snag a client on the first email you send. A bonus point…if making cold calls scares the crap out you, emailing prospects will be less frightening.

James Brown is a freelance copywriter/blogger with a brown belt in hapkido and copywriting. Learn more by checking out his website or martial arts blog.

Want to learn more creative ways to get clients? Come check out the e-courses in The Freelance Writers Den, my community for writers who want to grow their income fast. I hang out in the forums with Renegade Writer’s Linda Formichelli and answer questions, there’s a Junk-Free Job Board, and you get unlimited access to all my past classes and live events.

Join now — the doors are closing next week.

Recently, I had an unusual opportunity to do some cross-country skiing — out my front door. We don’t usually get enough snow that sticks around, where it stays cold enough to go out and ski right on my street.

But that’s just what I did. We hauled the skis out of the garage and off my husband and I went. It was hard, but a lot of fun. I’ve only done cross-country a couple of other times, so let’s say I’m glad no one was filming that for YouTube.

It was hardly ideal conditions. Snowplows had come through and mashed down a lot of the snow into hardpack, and it wasn’t very deep, maybe 4 inches at best.

While I was struggling to ski along on this difficult surface, it came to me that trying to carve out a life as a freelancer is a lot like cross-country skiing.

Here are the similarities I thought about as I skied along:

1. Get some tips before you start. Don’t want to end up with your legs tangled up and your skis crossed? It makes sense to take a few classes first to learn the basics. I took a few UCLA Extension classes in magazine and copywriting once I realized I was going to be a freelance writer.
2. Grab the opportunity. Like my seldom-snowy road, sometimes a chance presents itself to a writer that you have to just grab. Otherwise, it will soon melt away and be gone. Last year, I got a couple of offbeat opportunities I wasn’t an obvious choice for — a government agency’s annual report and a hospital’s nurse-recruiting package. I had no direct experience with either types of writing, but I just plunged in, and both projects turned out great.
3. Sometimes, it’ll be slow going. At points, the snow was perfect and pristine and I could schuss right along. Then a car would come and we’d have to sidestep over to the edge of the road and wait. Your freelance career is like that too. You want to be going one direction, but you may have to take a few detours before you get on track. Just be patient.
4. There will be icy patches. Seemed like every time I got in a good rhythm, I hit ice and start slipping and struggling to stay upright. In freelancing, even when you’ve got a great stable of clients, you should never get complacent. No client is forever in the world of freelancing. Suddenly, you won’t have any revenue booked at the beginning of the month and will have to scramble to find some new work.
5. You are going to fall down. Yes, it happened to me — I hit a sudden bald patch in the road and ended up facedown. I’ve screwed up freelance gigs and client relationships, too. All you can do is get back up and do better next time.
6. You can’t be afraid to look stupid. Try to envision me wearing three different layers of clothes, gloves, scarf, hat, clunky ski boots, and also trying to get into some kind of skiing rhythm. It was especially fun when my neighbors would come walking by. Anytime you’re writing something, your similarly exposed. Sometimes, your writing won’t be Pulitzer-worthy. I once misspelled an 80-point, front-page headline. But as one editor once said to me, today’s error is tomorrow’s fishwrap. You have to just keep moving forward and write again.
7. It can feel a little scary. When you ski a slippery roadway, you’re not in control. It’s the same in freelancing — one day a client’s budget is eliminated, and you’re done. There’s always the uncertainty that you could fall at any point. Freelancers have to push through this fear and keep going.
8. Keep your knees bent and your head low. Get cocky skiing and you’ll usually find yourself taking a pretty ungainly spill. It’s the same in writing. You want to keep your mind on your work, stay humble, and not worry too much about what others are saying about you. Just write your way to where you want to go.
9. This is not for sprinters. Cross-country, like freelancing, is a long-haul activity. It’s assured you won’t get where you want to go instantly. They’re both about the journey, and the chance to carve a path and work your way along to get to the places you wanted to see.
10. You can go faster if you get in a groove. Once you get a rhythm going in cross-country skiing, you move much faster and it’s easier to travel forward. Often, you do that by traveling in existing ski tracks. In freelancing, I’d liken that to using tried-and-true marketing methods like in-person networking or prospecting emails, rather than poking about online hoping to find a client through a Craigslist ad. It also reminds me of sticking to a niche where you have expertise — it’s always easier to report and faster to write stories where you know the material well.

What have you learned about your freelance career this winter? Leave a comment and tell us what happened.

Image: stock.xchng – Wia-Tirol

If I told you there was a way to get free online ads in front of your best target prospects that lasted nearly forever, would you believe me?

Well, there is.

This free-ad scene is a little bit hidden and takes a bit of searching to find the right spot.

But if you can uncover the right place for your niche and know how to get your ad in, you can advertise yourself to your exact target client without charge, for years.

What is this piece of magic?

Let me introduce you to the joys of online resource guides.

Most professional organizations and associations — for lawyers, dentists, naturopaths, accountants, you name it — have an organization website.

On this website, they often have a page of resources for members that help them run their business. A list of web designers, CPAs who specialize in their industry, marketing consultants…and freelance writers.

The trick is sleuthing out where good resource guides for your target market are hiding.

The challenge is that every organization likes to call these pages a different thing.

For instance, for advertising my Freelance Writers Den community, the Writers Market online would be a great place. They have a Paid Services page — many pages, actually — that lists professional service providers such as writing coaches, lawyers, and editors.

You’ll have to scout around to see where you might find a resource directory for the sort of clients you want. If you really get lucky, you may get a chance to list in one where you are the only freelance writer in the directory. Win!

The best thing about resource directories

What could be better than the fact that they’re free? My experience is, they are rarely updated or reviewed.

That means once you’re in, you often stay in for simply ages. Professionals in your niche who’re looking for a freelance writer just keep finding you on their association’s resource page.

Beautiful, huh?

In some cases, the association would like you to make a special offer to their members in exchange for being listed.

In other cases, these type of listings are paid. Even so, it may be worth it to get in front of a hand-picked audience of well-heeled professionals.

Not every association creates these, but if you can find one, reach out and ask if you can be listed. They may want to vet your credentials or get some referrals, they may not.

But you could jump through a hoop or two and offer a half-hour free consult or 10 percent off a first job for exposure like this and it would be well worth it.

If you’ve tried things online such as Facebook ads — which I have — you know you can spend a lot quickly, and not necessarily get a result.

I’d much prefer to be parked on a resource page for years that my top-dollar prospects might browse, at little or no charge.

Where can prospects find you online? Leave a comment and let us know how you advertise your services.

Next on Marketing 101: How to get clients just by writing your own blog. Subscribe to catch all the upcoming installments of this 21-part series.

I was feeling frazzled. It was December.

I was juggling a lot of different writing assignments. I owed one client three blog posts, another two articles, a third some interview phone calls for a book chapter.

And of course, I needed some posts for this blog, too. All the deadlines were fairly pressing, and sort of drop-dead, as I had vacation plans and needed to leave town in about ten days.

My usual approach to this situation was to divide up the day and try to do a bit to advance each client’s work.

But it was hard to get my head in and out of so many different projects over the course of the day. I would end up feeling like I hadn’t really gotten anything done. Nothing seemed to get finished.

My sense of panic that I wasn’t going to get it all done and be able to leave on my vacation was rising each day.

Then, one day, I decided to try something else.

For just one day, I would only work on one assignment.

To start, I chose to focus on the posts for this blog. All day, I wrote posts for this blog. Nothing else.

When the day ended, I couldn’t believe what had happened.

I had written the entire month’s remaining blog posts. I cranked out eight different blog posts, found their photos, got them all linked, posted and ready to go. In one day.

Wheee! I was elated. Now, I had several weeks ahead where I didn’t have to worry about getting my own blog written. That really cleared my mental decks.

The next day, I assigned myself the task of writing another client’s pieces — and nothing else. Done! Another item checked off my list.

They say we never really multi-task. Our brains need to focus on one task at a time.

I’m a believer now. This was so much more time-efficient than my usual do-a-bit strategy, I couldn’t believe it. Soon, I was off on vacation with all my deadlines met.

I have a new motto when I get into a crunch with my schedule.

One day, one client.

The other problem with my old strategy of trying to work many accounts within one day is that I thrive on a sense of completion. My old method left me feeling nothing was complete. Day after day, I didn’t finish anything.

Now, if I can block out a day where I can complete a project and check it off my list, I do it.

Obviously, many assignments can’t be completed in one day. But by devoting a whole day at a time to one client, all the projects got done a lot faster and with a lot less stress.

It makes me a little nervous that nothing is happening on the other assignments that day. But as projects get turned in, the remaining assignments feel more doable.

I know now I can knock them out, too. One day at a time.

What’s your time management tip? Leave a comment and tell us how you get more writing done.

It’s one of the toughest questions for new writers: What should I charge?

“What’s the going rate?” writers ask me, hoping there is a pat answer that will let them know if they’re being ripped off.

But there is no going rate, for anything in freelancing. There’s only what you’re willing to take and what the market will bear. Where those meet, you have a gig.

What really matters is your hourly rate. Time is your most precious resource, so when you’re pricing a job you want to figure as best you can how long it will take you to do the gig. The multiply by your hourly rate to get your bid. The hourly rate you need will depend on your own circumstances — how high expenses are, how many available work hours you have, and what you consider appropriate.

As you gain experience, keep raising that hourly rate. That’s really it in a nutshell.

To help you start setting your rates, here are seven questions I ask to help me decide if a writing gig is worth taking:

1. How bad do you need this gig? If you have open time in your schedule, it can be better to fill it with any sort of paid writing rather than simply having downtime. Getting fully booked is key to raising your rates in the long run, as once you’re fully booked you can start to be choosier about which gigs you take. If it’s a particularly interesting assignment or a high-profile client, it might even be worth doing a small free assignment from them, to get a valuable clip that could help you move up.
2. Will this client recommend you? If rates are low, you need to know if this client is the type who would talk you up to other editors or marketing managers. I know writers who will only do pro bono works for clients who are guaranteed referrals.
3. Does this client have more work for you? You have to do a lot less marketing when your clients have ongoing work for you, month after month. Since I enjoy writing more than marketing, I’ve been known to discount my rates a bit for clients who have steady work, while one-off projects go at my top rates.
4. How pleasant do they seem? The longer I do this, the more I value clients with a nice personality — they’re easygoing, fun to talk to, clear about what they want, and seem to love my first drafts. The more of a pain a client is, the more you should charge.
5. How complicated is the work? This is one of the most important factors. An offer of $50 a blog post might sound okay, but if it turns out the client wants 1,000-word blog posts with multiple interviews for each one, it’ll be disastrous on an hourly-rate basis.
6. How sophisticated is the topic? Writing about pets for an audience with a 6th grade education is going to be easier than writing for an audience of retirement-plan managers. The more you’ll have to research an industry you don’t know well, the longer it will take, and the more you need to charge.
7. What payment terms will they agree to? This one took me a while to catch onto, but if a client doesn’t pay for four months or more, they need to pay top rates. They’re basically using you as a short-term lender and running their business with what is rightfully your money. I hate that. You also often end up wasting time having to chase down these slow-payers, so you have to figure that into your bid. Folks that pay me the day I put in an invoice, on the other hand, deserve a discount.

How do you decide what to charge? Leave a comment let us know.

Cash register: ctechs – stock.xchng

Does freelance writing seem like a closed club, and you can’t find the clubhouse door?

One writer told me this week:

The biggest problem is you can’t break into magazines unless you already have clips.

You can’t get clips without experience, and you can’t get experience without clips.

I know that’s the conventional wisdom. But it just ain’t true.

Yes, it is more difficult to get an assignment without any clips.

But you can do it.

Every single freelance writer working today once had no clips. And yet, they somehow managed to start their career.

I did it — without a j-school degree (or any college degree actually), or any inside connections or media contacts.

Here are seven ideas for how to jump-start your freelance writing career and get those first few clips:

1. Believe you can do it. As long as you think it’s an impossible task, you’re going nowhere.
2. Volunteer. When I first moved to the Seattle area, I wanted some local clips so I could start pitching publications based here — so I wrote a few pieces gratis for my regional library’s newsletter. Somewhere near you is a nonprofit that would love your help, give you a byline, recommend you, refer you, and give you a testimonial. Find them.
3. Enter contests. I got my first two steady clients by entering writing contests the publications held. Those essays led to offers to do reported stories. I’m not a fan of contests where you pay an entry fee, but keep your eyes peeled for contests in the publications you read.
4. Create your own samples. Your blog posts are samples — so write them like they are $1-a-word magazine assignments, and you can use them to get gigs. You want to write white papers? Write a white paper about how hiring a freelance writer can help grow a company’s customer base. Find a local, small business that needs web content and help them out. Presto! Samples.
5. Try the alternative press. I find alt papers (such as the Village Voice) are pretty open to new writers. Are you going to a concert, or maybe a protest? Call them up and ask if they have anyone covering it. If not, they might just give you a shot.
6. Take a class. You don’t need a degree, but take a magazine-writing or copywriting course. You’ll improve your skills, and my experience is professors can be a good connection for referrals.
7. Just go for it. I know writers who have sent query letters to the major national women’s magazines with no clips — and gotten an assignment. Learn how to write query letters, pitch your knowledge of your topic rather than offering clips, and get the gig. Or make cold calls until you line up business clients.

Yes, those first paying clients may not be for the big bucks. But they get you a few samples. Soon, you’re not a writer without clips. And you’re on your way.

How did you get your first clips? Leave a comment and tell us how you pulled it off.

Next on Marketing 101: How to advertise your services — free. Subscribe to catch the rest of this 21-part series.

By Pinar Tarhan

If you want to start a career as a freelance writer, you have two options:

You can quit your day job, dedicating yourself to writing full time. Or you can build your portfolio slowly, while keeping that office job.

Or so I thought. It didn’t occur to me there was a third option, until I failed to make either of those options work for me. Here’s how I found the perfect solution through trial and error:

Freelancing on the side

I had an office job when I decided I wanted to be a writer. So I first tried freelancing on the side.

Unfortunately, my job required me to work (and commute) six days a week. I was left with little time and energy to learn about freelance writing and marketing, much less time for actually sitting down to write.

It didn’t help matters that I didn’t like my job. So I quit.

Freelancing full-time

Feeling euphoric, I started writing full-time. But soon, I was lost in all the stuff I had to do and learn. When my initial queries failed me, I started applying to job ads and trying out content mills.

The highest-paying job I landed was $35 for a long travel article. I was starting to panic as my savings melted away.

Soon, I was producing a lot of articles for low pay. I wasn’t happy, and I wasn’t exactly making a living.

Freelancing with a twist

After months of hard work and no tangible results, it hit me. I didn’t have to choose between a full-time job (which left me with little time, energy and motivation) and full-time freelance writing (where I was under constant pressure to make money quickly).

I could take a flexible, part-time job I would enjoy to pay the bills.

So I started teaching English as a second language.

This part-time job brought me more than just a regular paycheck:

Benefits of my part-time job

• Happiness: I make money doing something I love, so I no longer have to take unsatisfactory writing assignments to make ends meet.
• Time: I only teach 14-18 hours a week. Not only do I have enough time for all my writing-related activities, I am also able to have a busy social life.
• Peace of mind: A regular paycheck motivates me to research markets more thoroughly, craft professional queries and send them to my dream publications.
• Inspiration: As I meet so many diverse people through my teaching, I’m not stuck for story ideas.
• Exercise: I live in a big city, and the commute on my part-time job is far less than I had with my full-time job. That leaves me with time to hit the pool.
• Broader network: Because I meet new people, the potential for new gigs increases. I also gain more readers for my blogs.
• Better time management skills: I have a tighter schedule than when I freelanced full time, but a lot more time than I had with my office job. I manage my time better because time isn’t spent working at a job I hate, or worrying about the bills.

These benefits enabled me to finally put a red velvet rope around my work by rejecting content mills, low-paying jobs and unreliable clients. I can now refuse to take an assignment unless I am satisfied with the conditions.

I am happier, I make more money freelancing and I feel more confident pitching to the publications I’ve been following, such as Freelance Switch and this blog.

What’s the right balance for your writing career? Leave a comment and tell us whether you prefer full-time or part-time freelancing.

Pinar Tarhan loves writing — part time — about subjects including writing, dating and entertainment. She blogs about managing a freelance writing career while writing what you love at Addicted to Writing.

One of the best ways to earn more as a freelance writer is to develop niche expertise.

Assignments get easier and easier to do, as you learn where the good sources and statistics are for that niche topic. Developing story ideas gets easier too — as sources catch on that you write a lot on their subject, they start tipping you off about breaking news and emerging trends.

You learn more and more about your niche. Eventually, you find you’re irreplaceable for clients in this niche. Invaluable. Your rates go up and up.

Sounds great, yes?

There’s only one big question to answer:

How do you find your niche?

I’m getting this question a lot lately in Freelance Writers Den:

I can’t decide whether I want my writing niche to be A or B.

As soon as I figure that out, I’m going to get started.

Bad news — you will never discover your freelance writing niche by endlessly pondering what topic you should choose as your specialty area.

There is a proven way to do it, though. I know because it worked for me.

How I found my writing niche

One of my first-ever gigs was freelancing for one section of a newspaper, the real estate section. So I wrote a lot about real estate. I found I liked it. The more I did it, the more different aspects of it interested me — how real estate is financed, for instance.

I noticed there were good-paying clients in this niche — real-estate companies, real-estate trade publications. As time went on, I kept growing my knowledge of real estate so I could get more assignments.

My other early gig was writing about community news for an alternative paper. While I found it interesting, it didn’t seem like there was a lot of money in that. And it was pretty straightforward stuff that anybody could report. As the years went on, I pitched fewer of these types of stories.

Later, I was a beat reporter for a business weekly. I got assigned loads of beats — higher education, arts and entertainment, retail, restaurant, franchising, nonprofits, and more. I wrote a lot on each of these topics.

As time went on, I found I enjoyed some of these topics more than others. I noticed everybody and anybody seemed to want to write about arts and entertainment, so I drifted away from that topic.

As my knowledge got more sophisticated, my articles in these areas got more attention. That gave me more credibility as an expert in my topic.

Since I’m a former legal secretary, I loved the lawsuits. Other reporters didn’t want to read those long legal filings, so I became the go-to person to cover business bankruptcies. I learned to read businesses’ SEC filings and charities’ tax forms, too. Soon, I was an indispensable reporter for stories that required document-based reporting.

I was able to build a stable of great-paying freelance clients who craved this expertise. They were easy to land because I had clips to show them that were about their exact topic. These clients were thrilled to get me at any price, because they found it hard to get anyone who understood their industry.

To sum up:

1. I wrote a lot on many different topics, which helped me improve my writing.
2. As I wrote, I learned which topics I liked.
3. Of the topics I liked, I observed which niches paid well, and wrote more on those.
4. I kept developing more sophisticated expertise in my chosen fields.
5. Good-paying clients became fairly easy to land.

What types of niches pay well

I often hear from writers who despair of finding a good-paying niche because they don’t know about financial services, or technology, or healthcare.

Two things about that: When I started, I didn’t know anything about them, either. You can learn as you go, if you have an interest in an area.

And contrary to popular belief, those aren’t the only good-paying niches around.

Anything technical will do. For instance, I recently met a writer whose passionate hobby is jewelry-making. You think there are a lot of writers who know the technical aspects and emerging trends in metalsmithing?

Manufacturers who use that method and need their products described would probably love to meet that writer. Ditto for trade publications for jewelry-makers and other industries that employ metalsmithing.

The myth of the single niche

My story illustrates another point: You do not need or even want to specialize in one, single niche. If your one industry goes in the tank, then you’ve got nothing.

It’s better to carve out several different specialized writing niches where you can claim expertise. At this point, I have many different areas I write on frequently, including legal, tax, insurance, business-finance, real estate, and jobs & careers.

Want to know your best niches? Start writing, and let them find you. You’ll see what you enjoy writing about.

Analyze where you’re seeing the best pay, and keep writing on those topics. The marketplace will point you to your best-paying writing niches.

What are your writing niches? Leave a comment and tell us how you developed your expertise.

P.S. To learn more about lucrative writing niches, see the Great Writing Niches e-course in Freelance Writers Den.